Modern and super-efficient, the best pans for induction hobs will work differently perfectly on your induction cooktop. These hobs are different to traditional electric and ceramic stovetops. Electromagnetic energy is used to heat the saucepans themselves as opposed to the stovetop, saving time and energy by eliminating wasted heat. Induction cooking is a great alternative to gas as well – a fossil fuel that, if you’ve read the news recently, you’ll know is becoming increasingly expensive. The benefits don’t end there, either: induction hobs have smooth glass-ceramic surfaces with touch-control buttons, making them super easy to clean and giving you great control over heat levels too.

When people upgrade to induction, they often find their old pans aren’t compatible, while others find that worn pans with rough undersides can scratch the perfectly glossy surface of their new hob. Even if you had the very best saucepan set in the game, if it doesn’t work on an induction hob you’ll need to set it aside. The best induction pans must be magnetic to heat up on an induction hob. Cast iron and stainless steel will work, which means you can also take a look at our guide to cast iron cookware, but pans made of copper or aluminium may not cut the mustard – they’ll need to be made with a ferrous, induction-compatible base.

So, if you’re looking for the best pans for induction hobs,  We have put these induction-friendly pans – both full sets and single, multi-use pots – through their paces, using them to cook up family meals on the hob. We took careful notice not only of cooking performance but also design. It’s handy if the pans are oven-safe too (for finishing off dishes such as stews or cuts of meat inside the stove) and don’t take much effort to clean and maintain.

We tried out a variety of induction pots and pans, and the Ninja Foodi Zerostick Stackable set impressed us the most. The pans’ hardy non-stick and generous capacities were a big tick. They’re also great for oven use, can be cleaned in the dishwasher and won’t break the bank – hence them bagging our highest seal of approval. However, if you have more room in your budget and want to go premium, we’d recommend the sleek, professional-grade Crane pan set in a heartbeat.

Best pan set for induction hobs

Set includes: 16cm, 18cm and 20cm saucepans with lids, and 20cm and 24cm frying pans RRP: £229 Cleaning: dishwasher safe Oven safe? yes, up to 260°C

The Ninja Foodi Zerostick Stackable pan set includes three well-sized, long-handled pots (the largest of which is big enough for stocks and generous batch cooking) and two frying pans – between them they have most of your hob-cooking needs covered.

The sleek style of these pans means they’ll look at home in any kitchen – but they get just as many points for practicality as they do for style. Oven safe up to most cookers’ maximum temperature, they’re versatile and dishwasher safe, and the robust handles have a flat surface which is great for resting your spatula on. When we were testing them, we noticed how effective and hardy the non-stick coating is – it’s scratch-resistant and even safe for using metal utensils on.

Coming with a 10-year guarantee, these pans are great value and will last the distance in even the busiest of home kitchens. They’re all double-handled too, making for easy manoeuvring.

Ideal Home rated 5 out of 5 stars

Best premium pans for induction hobs

Set includes: 17cm saucepan, 20cm casserole and 26cm sauté pan with lids, and a 29cm frying pan RRP: £525 Cleaning: handwashing advised Oven safe? up to 250°C

From a small, independent British brand, these pans might be our priciest pick but, boy, can you feel the quality when you use them. They handle beautifully and have a silky-soft finish that shines like a dream, meaning they earn a place at the table as well as on the hob.

The multi-layered material makes them super durable (they can be found in many a professional kitchen) and ensures even heat distribution. But despite having the robust characteristics of heavy-based pans, these vessels are relatively lightweight.

Crafted by hand in England, Crane’s stainless steel pots and pans have great non-stick capabilities and are easy to clean by hand (which is recommended). When testing, we found cooking residue struggled to cling on. That said, when we tried them in the dishwasher (there’s only so much time for post-dinner clean ups some evenings) they emerged intact, although the insides lost their gleam.

Crane is so confident in its S Series that it has slapped a lifetime warranty on this set. These pans go to show that ‘pricey’ and ‘value for money’ don’t always contradict each other.

Ideal Home rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

Best frying pan for induction hobs

Size: 25.4cm diameter; 2.46 litre capacity RRP: £125 Cleaning: Handwash only (metal steamer basket is dishwasher safe) Oven safe? No Colours: 10

This is the best-looking pan we tested, and it’s also in our guide to the best non-stick frying pans. Its lovely matte-textured outer finish is modern and tactile, while the inside is silky smooth thanks to a ceramic coating (which makes for an effective non-stick cooking surface). It comes in ten colours too, meaning it’ll look the part in any kitchen.

Designed to act as a frying pan, saute pan, steamer and saucepan, the aptly named Always Pan is, we can confirm after our testing, competent enough to take on a range of culinary tasks – we used it for everything from whipping up stews to frying omelettes and steaming veg. It comes with a spatula that nests happily on a little notch on the handle, has pouring spouts on both sides for getting rid of excess fat, and includes a removable steamer basket.

Lightweight and easy to manoeuvre, the Always Pan has an easy-grip, stay-cool handle, and a generous size – it’s bigger than any of the frying pans on this list. It’s not one for the oven or the dishwasher though, which might limit its use and appeal for home cooks with busy kitchens.

Ideal Home rated 4 out of 5 stars

Best induction pan for hob-to-table use

Size: 24cm; 4.2-litre capacity (also available in two other sizes) RRP: £270 Cleaning: Dishwasher safe Oven safe? Yes, up to 260°C Colours: 14

This is a classic kitchen staple from the well-respected and long-established Le Creuset brand. It’s an investment for sure, but one that should last a lifetime – and then some.

Made from hardy, induction-friendly cast iron, this lidded pot is coated with ceramic to give it an easy-clean, effortlessly non-stick finish. Even our burnt-on cassoulet residue wiped away with ease. There’s no need to be precious and handwash this hardy number either – it’s totally dishwasher safe, with no danger of regular cycles impairing its performance.

Cast iron retains heat really well and, indeed, in testing we found this hob-to-oven-to-table superstar gave even results when cooking and kept our food hot long after we’d taken it off the heat.

Ideal Home rated 4 out of 5 stars

Best induction pan set for family meals

Included: 18cm saucepan with lid, 24cm stockpot, 26cm everyday pan, 28cm frying pan and universal list RRP: £179.99 Cleaning: Dishwasher safe Oven safe? Yes, up to 180°C

It’s clear this set of pots was created with busy families in mind. The generous sizes mean you can easily cook for a whole family in the frying pan and everyday pan – which is exactly what we did in testing – and the effective non-stick interior makes life that bit easier.

Fine to be flung in the oven or the dishwasher, we found these pans to be happily low-maintenance and easy to use. They’re lightweight and the handles are all made from easy-grip, stay-cool materials. The two largest pots are double-handled too, which helped when carrying them to the table to serve from.

We appreciated the universal lid which fits the everyday pan, stockpot and frying pan all perfectly (no wasted cupboard space) and there’s a grove in the lid handle for resting your spatula on, too.

Ideal Home rated 4 out of five stars

Best eco-conscious induction pan set

Included: 16cm, 18cm, 20cm saucepans with lids, and 20cm and 24cm frying pans RRP: £166.97 Cleaning: Dishwasher safe Oven safe? Yes, up to 150°C

Hardwearing and thick without being too hefty, these pans are made from recycled aluminium and have a tough, plant-based non-stick that’s designed to be scratch resistant. The soft-grip handles stay nice and cool too.

So far, so practical. And it doesn’t stop there: the pans are dishwasher safe – when we tested them in our machine, they came out good as new, although handwashing will help maintain the non-stick qualities for longer – and oven safe (albeit only uo to 150°C). They’re also lightweight and the lids have a nifty spoon rest built into the handles.

The speckled green finish is a nod to the eco-credentials of these pans, which can be recycled once they come to the end of their life and arrived with us in fully recyclable packaging. While we noticed they don’t have quite as large a capacity as some other pans – like the Ninja and Greenpan numbers – they’d be ideal if you usually cook in smaller quantities or have limited storage space.

Ideal Home rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

Included: 16cm, 18cm and 20cm saucepans with lids RRP: £96 Cleaning: Handwash Oven safe? No

These are pans that don’t need to be hidden in a cupboard out of sight when not in use – with their wooden handles and Scandinavian-influenced design, they’d look great on display, lining some open shelves, perhaps.

The wooden stay-cool handles are lovely and tactile and give the pans a bit of a rustic edge, while the aluminium bodies feel sturdy and have a special base that helps them to heat quickly and evenly. The glossy non-stick coating works well too – in testing, our food slid out without a care.

They might not be dishwasher friendly, but thanks to that non-stick they cleaned up really easily by hand.

Ideal Home rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

Best natural, recyclable induction pot

Size: 18cm wide, 3L capacity (available in two other sizes as well) RRP: £84.20 Cleaning: Handwash Oven safe? Yes, up to 300°C

There’s no man-made wizardry going on to make this pot efficient, hardwearing and non-stick. It’s all in the natural, traditional spun iron and the flaxseed oil that it’s pre-seasoned with. (Seasoning refers to the coating that’s built up on the cooking surface, which stops food from sticking. This gets better with use, but means that the pot needs to be hand-washed simply with water – no soap and certainly no dishwasher.)

This stockpot is really durable – treat it right and it’ll last forever. When we put it to the test we noticed it can handle high temperatures with ease and spreads out the heat efficiently. We also noted that it was easy to carry, even when full to the brim, thanks to the two, really robust, carefully angled handles.

Made in Shropshire, these pots from indie British makers Netherton Foundry are spun by hand, meaning each one is ever so slightly different. The result is a beautifully rustic, natural and unique piece of kitchenware. Be sure to read the information that it comes with though, as this pot needs different care and maintenance than the others we tried out.

Ideal Home rated 3.5 out of five stars

We put these pans to the test by using them for everyday family meals. Frying pans were used for everything from making omelettes to cooking bacon, while saucepans were employed to make the likes of dal and pasta sauces, and lidded pots were filled with stews and cassoulet. All the pans that specified they were dishwasher safe were put through a cycle or three as well, to see how they faired.

When cooking with the pans, we were looking for a nice even distribution of heat – no hot spots causing burning or cool areas leaving food undercooked – as well as easy handling, good non-stick abilities and great cleaning results.

When you’re choosing induction pans to cook with, there’s plenty to consider. Think about what you’ll be using them for – do you need frying pans or casserole-style pots with lids perhaps, or will simple saucepans do the trick? Also, do you often transfer your pots from hob to oven when cooking?

It’s helpful to have pans in a range of sizes for induction hobs too – the rings are different diameters and need to be matched to a pan that fits snugly.

If you have a dishwasher, think about whether you’ll be willing to hand wash your pots, or if you want ones that will fair well being thrown in the machine at the end of each day. Also consider how much storage space you have available – if your cupboards are already full-to-bursting, perhaps a multi-use pan or a stackable set would be the best idea.