One of the hardest things to organize in a kitchen space is baking pans, don’t you think?!? Thanks to their variation in shape and size, they don’t tend to stack nicely or fit comfortably into standard cabinets, making them really tough to get in and out. But years ago, I stumbled upon a really affordable way to organize baking pans. I’ve since used the exact same organizers in 5 different kitchens, so I can say with fair certainty that they’ll probably work in your kitchen too! Let me show you how to quickly go from cabinet chaos to order with two simple products!

Organized baking pans in a kitchen cabinet

Years ago, my baking supplies looked like this:

A mess of baking pans inside a wooden cabinet

Cake pans, cookie sheets, muffin tins, pizza pans, baking dishes, and more all stacked and stuffed behind the cabinet doors of a standard builder-grade cabinet. Not only did it look a mess, but you better bet getting items in and out was a constant headache. Since baking pans don’t really fit in my tried-and-true organizing favorites (baskets), I had to explore other options.

You guys know I am reticent to spend big bucks on fancy organizers and drawer-like pull outs because there is just no guarantee they will fit in home after home. So when I stumbled upon these corner organizers and these vertical organizers (originally at Marshalls) to organize baking pans, I figured I’d give them a try. Little did I know then that this modest investment would stand the test of time so thoroughly!

Wire organizers for baking pans

1 – Corner Organizers | 2 – Vertical Organizers

NOTE: The vertical organizers are currently out-of-stock on Amazon. Check back regularly or keep an eye out in HomeGoods, Marshalls, TJMaxx, and Ross, because I see them there often!

Here’s what I love about these pan organizers so much:

  1. They are sturdy…strong enough to hold heavy pans, and they don’t move all around when you get items in and out!
  2. They are perfectly-sized to fit standard-sized cabinet shelves; so even if you don’t have grand custom cabinets, they should still fit!
  3. They are modular, so you can mix-and-match to find the right number and arrangement you need for your particular collection!
Organized baking pans inside a wooden cabinet

Same Organizers, Different Cabinets!

We now own two of the corner shelves and three of the vertical organizers…and we have used them to organize baking pans in every single kitchen from North Carolina to Virginia to our current (new) home…with several kitchens in between!

Builder-Grade Double Cabinet

As mentioned above, the organizers fit nicely both on top of and below shelving in standard, builder-grade cabinets. In our first North Carolina kitchen, we found stacking the corner units on one side and placing the vertical organizers on the other created the most storage space:

Organized baking pans in a kitchen cabinet

In our new North Carolina kitchen, we have a similar cupboard arrangement. This time, we used the corners on the upper shelf and spanned the entire lower shelf with vertical organizers:

Baking pans in organizes inside a wooden cabinet

Skinny Cabinet

So many kitchens have awkward skinny cabinets. A vertical organizer is a great way to make it more functional!

A skinny cabinet holding cutting boards and cooling racks

Deep Cabinets

Finally, the extra-deep cabinets above our refrigerator in our Virginia home could have easily become unusable caverns.

Cabinets above the refrigerator holding baking pans

So we positioned the corner shelves in the back (for items we used less frequently) and put the vertical organizers all across the front. They quickly made the entire cabinet much more functional!

Organizers inside a wooden cabinet
Baking pans inside a cabinet above the refridgerator

See more: How to Organize Cabinets Above the Refrigerator

How to Organize Baking Pans

No matter what kind of baking cabinet you have, here are my favorite ways to sort and store each kind of pan!

Circle & Square Cake Pans

By far, my favorite way to store circle and square cake pans is using the corner organizers. The shelves are perfectly sized for these shapes, and their height clearance is enough to accommodate several “layers” of pans all the way up to the cabinet ceiling.

From bundt pans and pie pans, to tart molds and basic brownie/cake pans, each can be stacked in a single, space-savvy column yet remain easy to get in and out.

Baking pans on corner shelves inside a cabinet

I recommend grouping like pans together. However, if you have several size sets of a particular shape, I actually don’t recommend pairing them up by size. Below, see how doing so would require three slots for the small, medium, and big pans?

Three sizes of round cake pans

But if you nest them as shown below, you condense everything down into two spots, therefor taking up less space on the racks!

Three sizes of round cake pans
Three sizes of round cake pans

Long Pans & Muffin Tins

Long cake pans (9×13″) and muffin tins are much better stored on their sides in the vertical organizers. Just like smaller pans, consider nesting similar shapes into each other to store more in a single slot.

Pans in vertical organizers inside a cabinet

Cookie Sheets & Cooling Racks

The vertical organizers also make perfect cookie sheet organizers! I like to nest cookie sheets into each other in one slot, and put cooling racks close by.

Cutting boards in vertical organizer

Other Kitchen Items to Store In Cabinet Organizers

Cutting Board Storage

Over time, I started using the vertical organizers to also store our cutting boards (as seen above). Many boards of all shapes and sizes can get loaded into a single slot, keeping them easy to get out and put away whenever needed!

Skillet Storage

We recently organized our kitchen cabinets in our newest home, and I discovered the vertical organizers also make excellent pan racks by storing skillets vertically! For years, I have nested my skillets, but never loved how hard they were to get out during meal prep time. I can’t believe it took me so long to try the vertical organizers for these pans too!

Skillets in a vertical organizer

Lid Organizers

I don’t personally have a ton of lids (just a few for my basic pots), but I know many people struggle to keep these sorted and organized too. Here is how a series of lids look nestled into the slots on the vertical organizers.

Pot lids inside a vertical organizer

Tips & Tricks When Organizing Baking Pans

Purge Out What You Don’t Use

For some reason, it becomes really easy to load up on baking pans and then hardly use them. If you just can’t seem to get your bakeware to fit into a particular cabinet, it might be time to purge out the ones you never use in order to make the essentials more accessible.

Lots of baking pans spread out on a table

Play Around

When I first purchased these bakeware organizers, I assumed the vertical dividers would go across the bottom of the cabinet and the corner units would go on either side of the top shelf. But that arrangement actually wasted space and left awkward, open spots. Even though stacking the two corner shelves on the left wasn’t my first instinct, it actually was the perfect solution for this cabinet and my specific items.

Organized baking pans in a kitchen cabinet

When you are organizing baking pans, take the time to experiment with different layouts. Move items around, try different items in different spots. You might be surprised how certain things fit together to create the perfect arrangement!

Create Extra Channels

If you use multiple organizers, don’t just but one up against another (or even right against the side). By spacing them out, you can actually create even more usable channels on the sides and between organizers!

Secure It

If you do use organizers in the middle of shelves (instead of up against a side), consider securing them to the cabinet with some Command Strips (the sticky strips used under Command Hooks) on the bottom. These will not only keep your layout exactly as you want it, but also make it easier to get items in and out without disrupting everything!

Wire racks with command strips secured to the bottom

Function Above All

If an item is too hard to get in and out, you will be less likely to use it and/or put it away. So even if a particular arrangement looks really pretty, make sure it works well too.

Ideally, you want everything in your cabinets to be one-step access, meaning you don’t have to move or take out other things in order to reach what you need. Whenever possible, avoid stacking items that are too cumbersome to quickly undo, and try not to place items behind others.

Label It

Last but not least, I cannot over emphasize how helpful labels can be, especially on the vertical organizers. Although we haven’t always used them, we implemented them in our Virginia home and they became essential in keeping the slots organized correctly. It can become very easy to just stuff anything into any open spot, so simple labels ensure everything goes back (and therefor, fits) in the proper place!

Baking pans in vertical organizers with white labels

Sometimes the most simple organizational solutions go a really long way in making a house function just right, which can ultimately save you valuable time, stress and frustration over the long haul. Organizing baking pans in a tight storage cabinet can sometimes feel like an exercise in futility, but these inexpensive organizers have made a world of difference in our homes, over and over. If you’re tired of battling your mess of baking pans and want an organized kitchen that functions well and looks good too, I hope the storage ideas I share here give you some strategies to consider and the motivation to try them out!

See You Soon!
Megan