Pyrex Deep 9x13-Inch Glass Baking Dish Review: A Kitchen Staple, With Caveats

Product Overview

This is Pyrex's deeper take on the classic 9x13 format. The dish itself is 2.75 inches tall — roughly 50% deeper than the brand's standard Basics line — which adds meaningful capacity and helps contain bubbly casseroles that would overflow a shallower pan. It ships with a BPA-free plastic lid that is freezer-, microwave-, and top-rack dishwasher-safe.

The dish is also available in a 3-count bundle (7×11, 8×8, and 9×13) for households that want a coordinated set. The 9×13 single is the most-purchased variant by a wide margin.

A note on the glass: US Pyrex sold today is made from tempered soda-lime glass, not the borosilicate glass used in pre-1998 Pyrex. Tempered soda-lime glass is stronger in terms of impact resistance, but it is more vulnerable to sudden temperature changes (thermal shock) than borosilicate. This is not unique to Pyrex — it is the standard material across most glass bakeware sold in the US — but it matters for how you use the dish.

Performance & Real-World Use

For its core jobs — lasagna, casseroles, sheet cake, roasted chicken thighs, bar cookies — the Pyrex Deep 9x13 performs exactly as you'd expect a well-made glass dish to perform. The extra depth (compared to the standard Basics version) genuinely matters: thick lasagnas and mac and cheese that would overflow at 375°F stay contained without drama.

Glass heats more slowly and less evenly than metal, which affects browning. The bottom of a lasagna baked in this dish will be paler than one baked in an aluminum pan. For bubbling casseroles this is a non-issue; for brownies or blondies where a caramelized bottom crust matters, a metal pan gives better results. America's Test Kitchen's testing of glass bakeware confirms this tradeoff: glass dishes produce reliably moist cakes and casseroles but don't match the browning behavior of light-colored metal.

The non-porous glass surface is a genuine advantage in daily use. Tomato-based sauces, garlic, and strong spices that would stain or season a plastic container do not penetrate the glass. Food releases cleanly after a brief soak if needed, and most baked-on residue loosens quickly in the dishwasher.

The BPA-free plastic lid fits snugly and creates a reasonable seal for refrigerator storage. It is not airtight in the way a vacuum-sealed container would be, but it keeps food from drying out and from absorbing fridge odors. A consistent complaint in user reviews is that the lid can be stiff to seat or unseat — it requires more deliberate pressure than some users expect, which can feel awkward when the dish is warm from the oven.

Thermal shock is the most important thing to know about this dish. Do not move it from a frozen state directly into a hot oven — let it thaw in the fridge or at room temperature first. Never place a hot dish on a cold or wet surface; use a dry trivet or folded kitchen towel. Never add cold liquid to a hot dish. Never put it under the broiler or on a stovetop burner. None of these rules are unusual for glass bakeware, but violations do cause breakage, and user-reported shattering incidents (tracked on ConsumerAffairs and elsewhere) almost always trace back to one of these use cases.