BACKGROUND: Recently the use of colloidal carriers as drug delivery systems is gaining more attention. Evaluation of the in vitro drug release is considered an important step during the development and quality control of such systems. Therefore, there is a need for a standard test technique to study in vitro drug release from colloidal systems. METHODS: The glass basket dialysis method was performed by a modification to the USP dissolution apparatus I by replacing the baskets with glass cylinders closed at the lower end by dialysis membrane. This method was characterized for the essential test parameters and compared to the dialysis bags technique using different types of colloidal drug carriers, namely liposomes, polymeric, and lipid nanoparticles. RESULTS: The method proved to be more discriminating than the conventional dialysis bag method and allowed for better comparison between different formulation parameters or experimental conditions. In general, the design is easy to perform, simple, and available in all pharmaceutical laboratories under the same setup. CONCLUSION: The described method is a step toward standardized dissolution tests on colloidal drug delivery systems and the possible comparability of results.