Dutch Oven Sizes (Standard Measurements)

Here’s our Dutch oven sizes guide including standard dutch oven dimensions with size chart, popular brands, and how to know the right Dutch oven size for your home.
Dutch ovens are a versatile and functional cookware that can be used in the oven for baking or on a stovetop like a traditional stockpot. They’re typically made of ceramic or heavy-gauge metal, which has the ability of withstanding extreme temperatures and can be used for almost any cooking method, like simmering, frying, and sautéing.

They’re available in a wide range of colors, shapes (round and oval), and sizes. To maximize the use of these Dutch ovens, one must carefully consider the right size they need based on the number of people they’re cooking for and the types of recipes they’re using the Dutch oven for.

Standard Dutch Oven Size 

Dutch ovens come in different sizes from mini to small 2-qt pots to as big as 13-qt ones. For most people, they opt for five and seven quarts for a Dutch oven because it’s perfect for cooking for four. But for manufacturers like Le Creuset and Staub, the most popular size is the 5 ½ quart capacity.  It is also the ideal Dutch oven size for sourdough bread. 

A serving of food is one quart as a general rule of thumb. So for a Dutch oven for a family of four, a 4-quart Dutch oven can be enough. For Dutch oven size dimensions, these can vary from one manufacturer to another.

2 qt Dutch Oven Size

Cooking for two or campfire/fireplace?  This Dutch oven size can be just for you. It measures 8 inches (diameter) and 3 inches deep, but it can also have 10.62 inches (length), five inches (height), and 8.25 inches (width) size.

This is a serving pot commonly used for soups and is a portable one for making a side dish. It can also be used for simmering, sautéing, and frying on a stovetop. Some people also use it to refrigerate food and leftovers and marinate meat.

3 qt Dutch Oven Size

Just like the 2-qts Dutch oven, this serving pot can be used for simmering, frying, and sautéing as well as marinating and refrigerating food. It can measure 12.56 inches long, 6.06 inches tall, 9.93 inches wide and weigh 9.5 lbs.  

4 qt Dutch Oven Size

Typically, it measures 10 inches in diameter and 4 inches deep and can serve from four to five people. 

5 qt Dutch Oven Size

This Dutch oven for one-dish wonders measures 11 inches wide and 5.5 inches tall, but again, this can vary from one manufacturer to another. You’ll also find varieties measuring 12.56 inches long, 7.14 inches tall, and 10.43 inches wide and weighing 12.78 lbs.  

6 qt Dutch Oven Size

It is a common Dutch oven size that’s quite flexible for a couple or a family and is not too heavy or bulky for storage. A 6-quart Dutch oven can help prepare most dishes, like a casserole, meat on the bone, and cuts of meat.

This classic piece can be used for baking, broiling, braising, or even roasting in the oven for up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. You can also use it for refrigerating or marinating food. 

Its size can slightly vary from brand to brand. For instance, a Lodge Cast Iron 6-qt Dutch oven can measure 13.56 long, 7.31 inches tall, 10.93 inches wide and weigh 14.88 lbs. Meanwhile, an Amazon Basics Dutch oven measures 13.54 by 11.02 by 4.72 inches.

7 qt Dutch Oven Size

Homeowners who would love to throw a party or hosting a dinner in their homes can choose this Dutch oven, which can be used for grilling, braising, broiling, baking, searing, sautéing, and frying. A 7-qt Dutch oven can measure 14.68 inches long, 7.12 inches long and 12.81 inches wide and weigh 18.1 lbs.

Le Creuset Dutch Oven Sizes

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Le Creuset Dutch ovens, which are cited for their durability, are available in many colors, styles, and sizes. However, one must select the perfect size for their needs. 

According to Le Creuset, their best-selling Dutch oven size is the 5 1/2 quart round shape Dutch oven and the 6 ¾ quart oval shape Dutch oven because they’re flexible to accommodate any food. They’re also not too bulky and heavy in that they fit home ovens. 

Lodge Dutch Oven Sizes

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Dutch ovens are versatile kitchen helpers that can be used to bake, broil, simmer, fry, and roast and can be used for preparing meals for parties, families, couples, and friends. 

Lodge Dutch ovens are also available in a wide range of colors and sizes from small 1-qt capacity pots to as big as 9-qt capacity ones. They also have 2-qt, 3-qt, 4.5-qt, 5-qt, 6-qt, 7-qt, and 7.5-qt pots. 

For an idea, a 3 or 4.5-qt capacity Dutch ovens is good for a small chicken, while a 5 or 6-qt oven can be used for preparing up to four pounds of chicken. 

People who want to prepare up to six pounds of chicken can opt for the 7-qt or 7.5-qt Dutch oven or the 9-qt one to cook up to 9 pounds of chicken.

Staub Dutch Oven Sizes

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A Staub cocotte or Dutch oven also comes in a wide range of sizes, from mini to 28 centimeter Dutch ovens.  

The mini cocotte has a 0.25 liter capacity, is 7 centimeters tall, and weighs 0.85 kilogram. It serves one person and can be used for making single serve cheese fondue, scalloped potatoes, and scrambled eggs.

A 16-cm Dutch oven has a 1.2 liter capacity (1 quart) and 12.6 centimeters height and weighs 2.34 kilograms. 

Meanwhile, a 20-cm Dutch oven has a 2.2-liter (1.9-quart) capacity, stands 14.5 cm tall, and weighs 3.6 kilograms.

A 22-cm Dutch oven has a 2.8-liter (2.75-qt) capacity, stands 15 cm tall, and weighs 3.98 kilograms. A 24-cm pot has a 3.8 liter (3.3-qt), is 15.3 cm tall, and weighs 4.6 kilograms.

A 26-cm Dutch oven has a 5.2 liter (4.5-qt) capacity, is 17 cm tall, and weighs 5.7 kilograms. A 28-cm Dutch oven has a 6.7 liter (6-qt) capacity, is 18.2 cm tall, and weighs 7 kilograms.

The amount of food and the number of people you’ll be cooking for will help you determine the right cocotte size to work best for your needs. 

As a general rule of thumb, you can add a quart of food per person or round up if needed. The right Dutch oven size you’ll need also depends on the recipes you’ll prepare. For example, a 2-qt cocotte can be ideal for two people and large recipes with less liquid and a few ingredients will fit in it. 

Meanwhile, a mini cocotte is good only for single servings and recipe needing some help in keeping form after cooking, like pot pies and puddings.

Cuisinart Dutch Oven Sizes

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Just like other Dutch oven brands, Cuisinart also offers a wide range of sizes for their serving and cooking pots. 

There are two and three quart capacity Dutch oven that can serve two to three people; others are with five and six quart capacities to serve four to six people. 

Cuisinart also has seven and eight quart capacity Dutch ovens that can serve six to eight people. Dimensions vary per capacity. For example, a 5-quart Cuisinart Dutch oven measures about 12.8 by 8.66 x 6.89 inches.

Dutch Oven Size Chart 

Size	Capacity	Number of persons served
5-inch	1 pint	1-2
8-inch	2 quarts	2-4
10-inch	4 quarts	4-7
12-inch	6 quarts	12-14
12-inch deep	8 quarts	16-20
14 inch	8 quarts	16-20
14-inch deep	10 quarts	22-28
16-inch	12 quarts	22-28

What Size Dutch Oven Do I Need?

How do you know the right Dutch oven size to buy? Determine the amount of food you’re cooking. 

You might not want to go for a larger Dutch oven, which is larger than you need based on the number of servings or number of people you intend to cook for. 

Consider how you want to use the pot. Would you cook for a crowd, four people, or just you and your partner? Also, would you want to make enough food so that there will be leftover the following day? If so, opt for a larger Dutch oven.

How many people will you be cooking for? A smaller or mini Dutch oven can be for you if you live alone or a larger capacity one if you’re cooking for a family with up to five members.  If you’re cooking for a crowd, a small capacity 2-qt Dutch oven won’t be much help, as it is also impractical to buy a large 10-qt capacity pot if cooking for one person. 

If you’re in doubt, you might want to get a mid-size Dutch oven with 5.5-qt capacity. It’s the ideal size for cooking either small or large food quantities and can serve for crowds, too. This is the happy medium that can help you cook food for a party or a sourdough bread, too.

The size of your kitchen also matters when choosing a Dutch oven cookware. What kind of storage option do you have? A Dutch oven is both pleasing and functional, so you can have it displayed on your stovetop. 

Speaking of stovetop, you must check on the Dutch oven’s compatibility for it. Round ones can be good for standard stove top burners, like electric, gas, and induction, while the oval type for oval burners or two burners positioned closer together. 

Dutch Oven Size For Family Of 4 

Serving for a family of four, most pick the 5-qt or 6-qt capacity Dutch oven size, which is the sweet spot for many households. It isn’t too small or too large for most meals that can serve up to six people.

A 6-qt Dutch oven is useful for preparing poultry, stews, potatoes, rolls, desserts, roasts, and bread. However, it could be packed and tight to braise six pieces of chicken thighs. 

And for home cooks who want to use their Dutch oven for roasts, this size may not also be large enough. But for desserts, beans, and stews, it may be good, though, depending on the portion sizes and can be for those who don’t think they’d be able to carry a heavy soup-filled 7-quart Dutch oven.

Meanwhile, other home cooks go for a 7-quart capacity Dutch oven for their family of four. For them, it’s the ideal size for preparing any dish with leftovers. This pot is good for preparing large batch of casseroles, stews, and soups and can be enough for cooking a pot roast for four people. You can also prepare at least seven stuffed peppers and briskets in this Dutch oven.

What Size Dutch Oven For Bread?

For any size ball of bread dough, a 5-quart Dutch oven is enough to give your loaf the room to expand because it has just the right headspace to accommodate an oval shape or round boule loaf. 

What Size Dutch Oven For Whole Chicken?

Preferably, most will need a 7-qt or 8-qt oval Dutch oven for a whole chicken, although a round variety will also work. However, ensure that the pot has enough room to allow heat circulation and let you close the lid fully. 

Best Size Dutch Oven

Most home cooks prefer the five or seven quart Dutch ovens because it allows cooking for four people and having some leftovers later. However, manufacturers like Le Creuset and Staub claim that the most common and popular size is the 5 1 /2 quart Dutch oven.

Nevertheless, the best size Dutch oven for you is the one that can offer you with the greatest versatility in the kitchen. 

Largest Dutch Oven Size

Home cooks that prepare food for crowd or batch cook choose a larger than 7-qt Dutch ovens that can accommodate up to nine servings of food based on the size chosen. 

Larger ovens give them more freedom to prepare different kinds and even larger sizes of food like bread and whole chicken and can hold more liquid, too.  They’re also ideal for making big batches of soups, sauces, and deep casseroles. 

These larger oven sizes can also keep up longer with cold temperatures, so some people use them as an ice bucket for parties. 

The largest Dutch oven size is approximately 13 quarts. However, Le Creuset, for example, manufactures a large 15-qt capacity oval Dutch oven and 13.25-qt capacity round Dutch oven.

Visit our saucepan sizes guide for more related content.