7 Best Dinnerware Sets of 2024, According to Experts
From an everyday set to something for special occasions, these are the best dinnerware sets on the market.
Our Top Dinnerware Sets
- Best Everyday: Corelle 18-Piece Dinnerware Set
- Best Value: Gibson Home Rockaway 12-Piece Dinnerware Set
- Best Rustic Look: Pfaltzgraff Trellis 16 Piece Dinnerware Set
- Best for Color: Fiesta 12-Piece Dinnerware Set
- Best Melamine: Amazon Basics Melamine Dinnerware Set
- Best Splurge: Wedgwood White 16-Piece Dinnerware Set
- Best Ceramic: Fable Basic Dinnerware Set
Whether you’re setting up a new home or need to replace the chipped plates in your kitchen, it’s important to own a dinnerware set that will match your lifestyle. There’s a huge selection available in a variety of materials and patterns at a wide range of prices, so choosing the best dinnerware set for you can be overwhelming. It’s important to choose a set you’ll find easy to care for and enjoy eating off of, whether you’re scarfing down a PB&J or indulging in a roast beef dinner. To help you narrow in on the best choice for you, here are all the things you need to consider as well as beautiful dinnerware sets for a variety of situations and tastes.
Fable
How We Picked
To select our best dinnerware sets, we relied on our writer’s years of evaluating dinnerware. We checked what other professional reviewers had to say about their test results as well as what people reported about their experiences with dinnerware.
As aesthetics are important in tableware, we looked for sets that would be attractive to a variety of tastes. We only included ones that were manufactured by well-known companies and safe to place in the dishwasher and, in all but one case, the microwave. Our picks include sets to meet a variety of dining situations. Most of our recommendations are quite affordable but we included one splurge that can be used for family meals or formal entertaining.
- Break-resistant
- Stackable
- Available in many patterns
- Appetizer plates and bowls on the small side
For family meals, you can’t beat this glass dinnerware that’s highly resistant to chips, cracks, and shattering. It can be zapped in the microwave to heat up a latecomer’s supper and popped in the dishwasher, and you’ll find it stacks neatly in a cabinet. If you need additional pieces to add to your collection (or in the event that a plate does break) it’s easy to replace. Corelle comes in all-white as well as a myriad of patterns including simple geometrics, florals, and Mediterranean-inspired designs, and you can choose a set with either round or square shapes. Although the dinner plates are ample in size, the appetizer plates and bowls are smaller than in many sets.
- Material Glass
- Place settings 6
- Pieces in each place setting 10.25" dinner plates, 6.75" appetizer plates, 18-ounce soup and cereal bowls
- Microwave-safe Yes
- Dishwasher-safe Yes
- Warranty 3-year limited
- Generously sized bowls
- Stackable
- Available in many colors
- Appetizer plates and bowls on the small side
Spare, unfussy design is in fashion for home decor right now. With simple rounded sides and a matte glaze, these stoneware dishes are totally on trend. They’re inexpensive enough to use every day but wouldn’t look out of place at a dinner party table. Rockaway comes in all-white as well as eight other colors, including the soft gray, slate blue, and millennial pink that are so popular. With a more-than-three-cup capacity, the bowls can hold a generous portion of chowder or fruit cobbler. All of the pieces are microwave- and dishwasher-safe and the rimless coupe shape of the plates makes them easy to stack.
- Material Stoneware
- Place settings 4
- Pieces in each place setting 10.5" dinner plates, 8" dessert plate, 6" (26 1/2-ounce) bowls
- Microwave-safe Yes
- Dishwasher-safe Yes
- Warranty Not specified
- Mug included in place setting
- Mugs are generously sized
- Vintage look
- Wide rim leaves less room for food
Vintage, craft pottery is definitely having a moment. If you love a rustic, not-totally-perfect look, but still want dinnerware that meets current manufacturing standards and is microwave and dishwasher-safe, you’ll love this stoneware set. On a neutral white background, it has a subtle scrolled pattern and random dark markings that mimic a weathered trellis. Wide rims on the plates contribute to the antique-y look. The mugs are large enough to hold a "tall" coffee with milk.
- Material Stoneware
- Place settings 4
- Pieces in each place setting 10.25" dinner plate, 8" salad plate, 6" (25 1/4 ounces) bowl, 14-ounce mug
- Microwave-safe Yes
- Dishwasher-safe Yes
- Warranty Not specified
- Bright colors
- Retro look
- Made in USA
- Colors can be discontinued
With its bright, bold glazes and concentric circles along the rim, Fiesta is distinctive and iconic. Except for a brief hiatus, it’s been manufactured in the USA since 1936 and is highly collectible. While it comes in white, the appeal is in the colorful shades like poppy red, daffodil yellow, and lapis blue. Set are sold in a single color, but many people like to purchase pieces in an assortment and mix (but not necessarily match) them at the table to create a festive setting for both family and company meals. The salad plates are large enough for a big wedge of iceberg lettuce or a generous slice of pie. Fiesta is microwave and dishwasher-safe.
- Material Ceramicware
- Place settings 4
- Pieces in each place setting 10.5” dinner plates, 7.3” salad plates, 19-ounce bowls
- Microwave-safe Yes
- Dishwasher-safe Yes
- Warranty 5 years
- Break-resistant
- Very large selection of colors and patterns
- Not microwave-safe
These don’t look like the plastic plates in your grandmother’s picnic basket. In fact, users say their guests are often fooled into thinking these pieces are ceramic. They come in 27 different sophisticated colors and patterns including rustic solids, traditional prints, and flowered designs. The salad plates are bigger than most, providing plenty of room to load up on deviled eggs and crudites and the bowls are big enough for ice cream sundaes. You can clean these pieces in the dishwasher, but like all melamine, they’re not microwavable.
- Material Melamine
- Place settings 4
- Pieces in each place setting 10.5" dinner plates, 8.8" salad plates, 7.5" bowls
- Microwave-safe No
- Dishwasher-safe Yes
- Warranty Not specified
Introduced in the 1920s, this creamy white bone china is a bona fide classic. It’s refined, even elegant, with wide rims that contribute to its traditional look. However, because it has no silver or gold trim or embellishments, it’s not so fancy that you can’t use it as your family dinnerware. The footed mugs have a thin lip that’s a pleasure to sip from and the handles are easy to grasp. They’re perfectly sized for an after-dinner cup of tea, but if you like a grande or venti coffee in the morning, you may want to supplement this set with more substantial mugs. Despite their elegance, these dishes can go in the microwave and the dishwasher.
- Material Bone china
- Place settings 4
- Pieces in each place setting 10.75" dinner plates, 8" salad plates, 7.2" soup/cereal bowls, 10-ounce mugs
- Microwave-safe Yes
- Dishwasher-safe Yes
- Warranty 1 year
- Four pieces in each place setting
- Generously sized plates
- Colors can be mixed and matched within set
- Moderately expensive
Fable has a simple, organic look that communicates high quality in an understated way. It’s manufactured in Portugal and hand-finished so each piece is slightly different. With only a slight upturn at the rim, the dinner and salad plates give a wide surface for generous portions, so a chicken paillard or a slice of pizza won’t flop over the edge. This set includes deep bowls for granola or yogurt and wider ones for rigatoni, noodles, or risotto. In addition to speckled white, these pieces come in blush pink, dove gray, midnight blue, and beachgrass green. And here’s the best part: You can choose a different color for each shape to accent white plates with dark blue bowls or set your table with an assortment of pale shades. And like all our recommendations, Fable is dishwasher safe and can be used in the microwave.
- Material Stoneware
- Place settings 4
- Pieces in each place setting 10.75" dinner plate, 8.75" salad plate, 8.5-inch (26 ounce) pasta bowls, 6.5" (20 ounce) breakfast bowl
- Microwave-safe Yes
- Dishwasher-safe Yes
- Warranty None
What to Consider When Buying a Dinnerware Set
Understand the pros and cons of different materials.
Earthenware has a casual, rustic look but is actually lightweight, delicate, and easily chipped. Stoneware has a similar look but is stronger and less likely to break. Both can be microwaved and used in the dishwasher as long as they’re glazed. Unglazed pieces can absorb water and become more prone to breakage. Both of these materials can be bulky and may not stack compactly in a cabinet or fit between the tines in a dishwasher.
China or porcelain looks delicate but is actually very durable and has a glaze that makes it nonporous. Bone china is lighter and more expensive and is usually reserved for formal dinnerware. It’s composed of a combination of bone ash and porcelain which gives it a translucent, milky look but don’t be fooled — in spite of its delicacy, it’s not easily chipped or cracked. Not all china can be microwaved and machine washed, especially if it has gold or silver trim. Be sure to check if you don’t want to be hand washing all the Thanksgiving dishes.
Melamine is a lightweight and break-resistant plastic. While much of it is inexpensive and intended to be used for picnics or serving children, there are sets available in sophisticated patterns. They’re terrific for setting a chic table on the patio and wouldn’t be inappropriate for informal family meals in the kitchen. Although melamine is dishwasher safe, it can’t be used for microwaving.
Glass is durable and nonporous. Vitrified glass, like the well-known brand Corelle, is almost indestructible — even when dropped onto a hard tile floor, it’s not likely to shatter. That makes it a great choice for everyday dining, especially if there are children in the household.
Pay attention to the shapes of the pieces.
Plates with rims are elegant but give less room for food. Small, deep bowls are great for cereal and desserts and will help keep soup hot. However, wider bowls are preferable for dishes like pasta, risotto, or a Niçoise salad. If mugs come with the set, consider whether they’re big enough for your customary morning cup of Joe and whether or not you find the handle comfortable to grasp.
Consider the color and pattern.
If your wardrobe and your home are brightly colored and boldly patterned, you’ll love dramatic dinnerware. On the other hand, if you dress in and decorate with neutrals, you’re better off going with an all-white set that you’ll never get tired of. Don’t think of it as “playing it safe,” but rather as a way to showcase your food. You can always accent white plates with colored and decorated dessert or salad plates or servingware. As you pick up distinctive pieces on a vacation or at a craft fair, you’ll find them easy to pair with a basic white set.
Determine how many place settings you need.
These days sets generally consist of four or six place settings. Whether that will be sufficient for your household depends on its size and how much you entertain as well as how often you’re willing to run your dishwasher. Unless there are only two of you sitting down at mealtime, chances are you’ll want to buy two sets so that you have enough plates for guests, can eat both lunch and dinner at home without running the dishwasher and don’t necessarily have to run the machine on a daily basis.
A traditional five-piece place setting consists of a dinner plate, salad or dessert plate, bread and butter plate, and a cup and saucer. However, most sets now contain only three or four pieces as increasingly bread and butter plates and cups and sauces are no longer included; sometimes a mug is part of the setting.
Buy from notable brands.
We suggest that you buy dinnerware from well-established companies that specialize in dinnerware, particularly if it’s pricey. That way, if at a later date, you want to add to your set or replace damaged pieces, the company is likely to be around and you’ll be able to buy what you need either from the manufacturer or a business that specializes in replacements.
Related Content:
