Skip to content

Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron Round Dutch Oven, 9 qt., Cerise

By Le Creuset · Cookware · Kitchen & Cooking · More from Le Creuset

  • Capacity 9 qt (8.1 liters per Amazon)
  • Enameled cast iron, Cerise exterior, sand-colored smooth interior enamel
  • Exterior 15.8 x 12.5 x 7.5 in
  • Oven-safe up to 500F
  • Made in France (Fresnoy-le-Grand), limited lifetime warranty

Price not listed

Stores are listed in a fixed order, never by price or commission. Prices are snapshots. Check the current price with the store.

Summary

A large enameled cast-iron Dutch oven for braising, stewing or baking bread for eight or more, safe on every cooktop including induction and in the oven to 500°F. Check the knob material for the color you choose, because it varies between stainless steel, black phenolic and the Crucible knob.

Strengths

  • The light interior enamel makes browning easy to read and needs no seasoning.
  • Le Creuset’s enamel has drawn far fewer chipping complaints than rivals over years of testing.
  • A limited lifetime warranty, and Le Creuset often offers a discounted replacement even for owner damage.
  • Works on induction and every other cooktop, and goes into the oven to 500°F.
  • Roomy handles and relatively light weight for the size.
  • A Wirecutter staffer used the 9 qt for nine years, braising for about eight people, baking bread and making confit in it.

Weaknesses

  • Weight is real: a retailer lists the 9 qt at 17.15 lb, and one consumer tester said you need two hands to lift it.
  • It is a niche size; most home cooks do better with 5.5 to 7.25 qt.
  • The black phenolic knob is limited to 480°F, not the 500°F the pot itself takes.
  • Hot enamel can chip if you shock it with cold water or scrub it with metal.
  • Le Creuset’s warranty excludes abnormal wear, and some owners report claims denied as misuse.
  • No instrumented test of the 9 qt was found, so performance data comes from the 5.5 qt.

Verified specifications

ModelLe Creuset Signature Round Dutch Oven, SKU 21177US.
Capacity9 qt, listed by Le Creuset as “9+ Servings”.
Materialenameled cast iron with a light-colored smooth interior enamel; Cerise exterior.
Heat sourcesceramic, electric, gas, halogen, induction, oven and broiler.
Oven-safeup to 500°F including the knob, but the limit depends on the knob type.
Cleaningdishwasher-safe, with hand washing recommended.
Country of originFrance.
Warrantylimited lifetime warranty on enameled cast iron.
Piecestwo (pot and lid).
Interior dimensions11.8 × 11.8 × 5.0 in.
Exterior dimensions15.8 × 12.5 × 7.5 in.
Knob materialstainless steel on the Marseille and Sea Salt colors; black phenolic oven-safe to 480°F on some colors; the Crucible knob on select colors.
Full research notes and sources

Cooking and durability

No instrumented test of the 9 qt was published, so the evidence comes from the same line. The Good Housekeeping Institute has tested more than 25 Dutch ovens, gave Le Creuset a Kitchen Award for heat distribution, and its staff report 20+ years of use without chipping. A Wirecutter staffer’s own 9 qt has braised for about eight people, baked bread and made confit over more than nine years.

Enamel care and warranty

Enamel is the part that fails, almost always from misuse: thermal shock, metal utensils, steel wool. One Wirecutter staffer’s pot chipped its interior enamel after 16 years of cold-water shocks and hard cleaning, yet still worked. Le Creuset says never use a pot once the interior enamel has chipped. The limited lifetime warranty covers defects for the original household owner but excludes abuse, commercial use and abnormal wear, and replacement in the same color is not guaranteed. Even for damage Le Creuset considers the owner’s fault, the company generally offers a replacement at a large discount, and owners report claims approved without a receipt as well as claims denied as misuse. Hand wash it, avoid thermal shock, and use wood or silicone utensils.

Size and weight

The 9 qt is the second-largest round size under the 13.25-qt pot, aimed at large-batch cooking. Le Creuset’s US site labels it “9+ Servings” and its Canadian site lists the same 8.1 L pot as “7-8 Servings”, so plan on feeding six to nine depending on portions. A retailer lists the pot at 17.15 lb empty, and a sizing guide warns it is heavy and awkward full. If you cook for two to four, a 5.5 or 7.25 qt pot will get more use.

Is it worth it?

The 9 qt is a considered buy, priced for enamel durability and the lifetime warranty rather than cooking performance. Le Creuset’s SRP for the Signature Round line runs $285.00 to $680.00 across sizes and colors. Crate & Barrel lists the 9 qt in White at $519.95, and Sur La Table lists the 9 qt in Flame at $544.95. For comparison, Good Housekeeping notes Staub’s 7-qt at $300 and Lodge’s 6-qt at $50. If you regularly cook for eight or more, the capacity earns its place; if not, the smaller sizes are the better spend.

Which model this is

This page covers the Le Creuset Signature Round Dutch Oven in the 9 qt size, SKU 21177US, in the Cerise color. The same SKU also covers the 2, 4.5, 5.5, 7.25 and 13.25 qt rounds. Don’t confuse it with the Signature Round Deep Oven, the Round Wide Oven, the oval models or the 5½-qt French Oven.

The US Amazon listing for the 9 qt is ASIN B00VA5HADO.

Sources

Manufacturer:

Independent reviews:

Owner reports:

Parts and stores:

Buying guides for this category

Compare with

Related products