10 Brands Like Le Creuset (Because You Love a Pretty Dutch Oven, but Aren’t Made of Money)

• Dutch Oven Color Options: nine

My gut was to name our second pick the top choice overall (more on that next) due to its affordability, but Staub’s sleek design and range of colors makes it a better like-for-like substitute for Le Creuset. Unlike the common cream interior, the black interior won’t show stains, and the cast iron pieces are stove-to-oven compatible. My favorite feature of the Dutch oven specifically is the textured interior lid, cast with small bumps that catch steam and drip it back into the food for moist, juicy results.

“In my tests, the Staub French oven heated up evenly and retained heat very well—there were no apparent hot spots and I was able to maintain a steady simmer over a low flame,” former PureWow senior food editor Katherine Gillen states. “I found it efficient at browning meat and easy to clean at the end of cooking with a gentle scrub by hand. I received my Staub as a wedding gift years ago and it still looks brand new despite near-weekly use. The only downside to the dark surface is that it can be tricky for beginner cooks to tell if a food is browning…or burning.”

• Enameled Dutch Oven Color Options: 17

For something high quality that’s indestructible and affordable, Lodge is the gold standard. It’s stellar for beginners because the cast iron comes seasoned for a more slippery finish that becomes more nonstick as it’s used (as long as you maintain it properly). Also, the brand does more than raw cast iron and offers a few pretty hues for items like the enameled Dutch oven.

Lisa McManus, the executive editor of ATK Reviews who has been at America’s Test Kitchen for 18 years, adores Lodge’s skillets, but her reasoning applies to all the cast iron. “It arrives preseasoned and quickly gets more and more nonstick,” McManus explains. “It’s not as rough as really cheap pans. It’s also very affordable; a great basic choice.”

“The stuff is virtually indestructible,” SEO editor Marissa Wu adds. “I’ve heard stories of people rescuing rusting pans from the antique store and cleaning them up, good as new. They’re hefty, durable and perform. Yes, they’re heavy, but otherwise low maintenance.”

• Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven Color Options: six

Gillen named Caraway the best option for a nonstick Dutch oven, but I got to review the new enameled cast iron Dutch oven and would argue that it’s the better substitute for Le Creuset. Great for breads, big-batch pastas, roasts and stews, the pot offers some nonstick-inspired slipperiness, along with the heat distribution and retention, durability and searing abilities of cast iron. Unlike uncoated cast iron, it doesn’t need to be regularly seasoned to maintain its enamel coating. This makes it easier to clean and maintain, even if you’re a newbie to cast iron cookware. It’s also deceptively deep and comes in six sleek colors, but my favorite part of the pot’s design is how surprisingly easy it is to lift and move.

The main con? I found that it heated up very quickly compared to my other cast iron cookware, so I needed to strategically lower the heat while the stew was cooking to keep it from burning. (It was also tough to tell if things were burning because the interior is black, but that goes for all dark cookware.)

• Dutch Oven Color Options: one

Sure, if you’re going to spend on Smithey, you might as well just buy Le Creuset. But as far as brands like Le Creuset go, this one offers durable, timelessly chic cast iron that’s as sophisticated as it is unexpected. The pieces retain heat like a dream, and although they’re constructed of cast iron, the interior surfaces are smoother than other brands.

Wu calls these pans “a true marriage of form and function. The copper color makes [the pieces] so beautiful [that] you want them on your range all the time, but nothing is precious about them. Since there’s no enamel coating, you don’t have to worry about chips or temperature thresholds. Their subtle beauty adds a classic touch and [the pieces are] something you can keep and pass down forever.”

• Dutchess Color Options: six

If your Instagram feed is like mine, you’re familiar with the Dutchess cast iron Dutch oven from Great Jones. I’ve cooked with the Dutchess many times and love it for its spacious, stovetop agnostic design. The Dutch ovens are durable, multipurpose and easy on the eyes, plus can handle the oven up to 500°F. My only notes (on the large size, anyway) are that you should clean it as soon as possible, especially if you have a lighter color that’s more prone to staining, and it works best on gas burners rather than a glass-top electric stove.

• Enameled 2-in-1 Dutch Oven Color Options: five

Gillen tested the brand’s Dutch oven back in 2021 and awarded it a 94 on the PureWow100 scale—with good reason. “Misen’s Dutch oven is slightly more minimalistic than my usual pick, but it’s just as sleek and cheerful to look at,” Gillen asserts. “Its enameled surface is smooth and wide with plenty of room for searing larger cuts of meat, and the handles are roomy enough to grasp with potholders for easy transport from the stovetop to the oven. I found it performed just as well as my pricier Staub pot—it took a few minutes to heat up and there were no hot spots.”

I’m also a big fan of the smaller, shallower braiser (especially for cooking fish), which is coated in four separately fired layers of chip-resistant enamel. Beneath those rests a thick, durable cast-iron core. Wide handles and a modest size make the piece easy to grip—even with oven mitts.

• Enameled Casserole Color Options: two

Whether you’re looking for an unpolished cast iron griddle pan, a preseasoned skillet or an enameled casserole dish, these offerings surprisingly qualify Cuisinart as a brand like Le Creuset. The cast iron cookware can tackle everything from searing to grilling to slow braising, thanks to its heat retention and distribution superpowers. Pop the pieces under the broiler, on the stove or in the oven—they’re endlessly versatile, often odor-proof (thanks, porcelain enamel) and dishwasher safe.

• Braiser Color Options: three

Dansk offers Euro-cool vibes and Le Creuset-like colors for less (I’m swooning over the Goldenrod colorway). If your biggest bone to pick with cast iron is that it’s a pain to move and carry, consider the Dansk Dutch oven, made from enameled carbon steel. “It’s lighter than cast iron but just as easy to clean as a traditional Dutch oven, and the uniquely shaped handles are easy to grab and transport,” Gillen claims. “The nifty lid doubles as a trivet, it comes in a range of colors and it’s relatively affordable, too.”

• Dutch Oven Color Options: seven

Drew Barrymore’s cookware and lifestyle brand makes air fryers, kitchen tools and everything in between. What you may not know is that she also has an impressive line of cute, affordable cast iron cookware. (Haven’t you always wanted a heart-shaped Dutch oven?) The skillet and Dutch ovens (available in three sizes) can go from oven to stove in a flash and work with any type of burner. An enamel coating makes the pieces easy to clean, and it’s even easier to maintain since it doesn’t require any seasoning. The interior is also reportedly scratch-resistant, so use whatever utensils you’d like.

• Dutch Oven Color Options: ten

Your kitchen will instantly have catalog energy with this stunner on the stove. “The gold knob and lacquered finish [of the Dutch oven] give off an air of elegance that’s hard to resist,” Gillen explains. “Oven safe up to 500°F, it can handle braises, stews, bread-baking and roasts just as well as the rest. Plus, you’ll want to snap a photo for the ’Gram when you’re done. It looks as good as any top-of-the-line Dutch oven at a much more appealing price.” If it’s a skillet or set you’re looking for rather than a Dutch oven, know they’re just as reliable and low-maintenance, ready to use straight out of the box.