Plates

Plates and plate sets: made for good food and good moments

IKEA plates are made for your favourite recipes and the moments that go with them. Large, flat dinner plates give delicious creations room to shine and look elegant and worthy of a special evening. Charming stoneware dinner plates are popular for their rustic, natural look and feel just right for creative main courses. That doesn't mean you can't also use these eye-catchers as breakfast plates or snack plates for a treat in front of the telly. Our plates have no airs and graces. That's what makes them so ideal for everyday life and for special occasions. You can lay the table quickly or go all out. And they work just as well on the dining table as they do outside on a balcony or terrace table. At IKEA, you'll find plates made for your life.

Key features and benefits of our plates (depending on the model):

• Variety of materials: plates in porcelain, stoneware, ceramic or glass to suit all interior styles and table settings.
• Coordinated designs: mix and match with IKEA bowls, cups and other tableware for harmonious sets and table decorations.
• Different sizes: from small dessert plates and breakfast plates to large dinner plates and deep soup plates.
• Lots of colours and shapes: classic white, modern grey and natural tones, as well as rectangular, oval and handmade shapes.
• Plates in sets: discover individual pieces and sets to replace a broken plate or kit out a table from scratch.
• Easy to care for: our plates are dishwasher- and microwave-safe, robust and quick to clean.

Here you can buy affordable plates that show off your meals beautifully every day. Browse through all our products at your leisure and get ready to lay your table with stylish tableware.

What types of plates are there?

When looking for plates, you'll come across lots of different types for different purposes. Dinner plates are for main courses, smaller breakfast plates (as the name suggests) for breakfast, and flat dessert plates for sweet dishes and pastries. Deep soup plates are ideal for liquid dishes eaten with a spoon, while pasta or spaghetti plates are made specifically for pasta dishes.

From spaghetti to dessert: which plate for what?

The purpose of a plate type is often right there in the name. Deep pasta plates are good for pasta, catching the sauce perfectly. Soup plates are also deep, just right for soups and stews. Flat dinner plates are for serving meat, fish and side dishes. And small plates set off desserts or breakfast pastries beautifully. Tip: a comprehensive, versatile plate set covers all dishes and meal sizes.

What's the best material for plates?

The better question is: what do you like? Because here it really comes down to personal taste. A few pointers: porcelain plates are elegant, lightweight and ideal for special occasions. Stoneware plates have a modern, rustic feel and tend to be a little thicker and more robust. Classic ceramic plates come in a wide variety of designs, vibrant colours and original, slightly more refined shapes. All the materials in our range are dishwasher-safe and long-lasting. For everyday use we'd recommend stoneware or ceramic. For special moments, feldspar porcelain is a great choice. Of course, you can always choose your tableware purely based on your personal preferences.

Which plates are least likely to break?

Completely unbreakable plates are hard to come by. There are plastic options, though, that can take quite a lot of wear and tear. Need tableware that stays in one piece on trips away or in children's hands? Then take a look at our camping and children's tableware. You'll also find clever storage solutions for provisions and leftovers that keep your food fresh for longer.

How many plates should I own?

As a basic starting point, we'd recommend at least one dinner plate, one soup plate and one dessert or breakfast plate per person – that's three plates per person in total. If you often have guests, buying extra plates means everyone at the table gets a matching place setting. Want to start small and add pieces gradually? Begin with one dinner plate and one deep plate per person – that covers you for almost every dish.