Best Outdoor Griddles of 2024 for Perfect Pancakes and Smashburgers

They don’t have the exposed flames of a charcoal or gas grill, but it’s hard to top the versatility of the best outdoor griddles.

The best portable grills make it so fly-fishing trips and car camping excursions retain the creature comfort of a hot meal. But they can be outshined by the best outdoor griddle any day of the week. While the best pizza ovens, charcoal grills, pellet grills, gas grills, and smokers have specialties they excel in; their uses are somewhat limited. That's not the case with the best outdoor griddles, which can serve up breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

If you prefer a smashburger over a grilled one, then you know the power of griddling. If you need proof griddles are poised for takeoff, note both Weber and Traeger each released a version recently. 

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The best outdoor griddle overall is Camp Chef Gridiron 36. It has a seasoned top, clever grease management, notches on the cooktop sides to hold tools, and a hinged cover to trap heat and protect the griddle. Read on for nine more of the best of the best across a range of categories, brands, and price points.

Read more of the greatest hits from our 2024 Grilling Awards, including the best grill tools, plus pro tips on how to clean a grill, how to grill a steak, and where to find the best mail-order steaks.

Best Outdoor Griddle Overall: Camp Chef Gridiron 36

The new Camp Chef Gridiron 36 commands as much presence on the patio as a high-end gas grill. The mostly matte black steel chassis has a few dashes of red trim around the knobs and handle, which looks handsome. Its hood is a standout feature. It not only helps with trapping heat to create a steaming or convection effect, but it also protects the griddle surface. I’ve had other griddles over the years that leak water through the cover, leading to a rusty mess. And while griddles can be brought back to life from a little rust, it’s the kind of chore I’d rather avoid.

Camp Chef Gridiron 36 Overall Impressions 

The Gridiron’s four burners make it easy to carve the griddle into two heat zones. The burners ignite using pressure, not a battery, so you don’t have to worry about changing that out. But to really get the most use out of this grill, you’ll have to spring for the magnetic accessories, which range from $13 to $60. The squeeze bottle holder is almost mandatory considering how important fat is to whatever you’re cooking. While the side tables are generous, once you start crowding them with a roll of paper towels, a squeeze bottle of oil, salt ping, tongs, and a spatula, there isn’t much room to load on ingredients or take off cooked food.

Pros

• Reliable ignition that doesn’t need batteries
• Griddle arrives seasoned from the factory
• Nice styling that looks hefty
• Consistent heating across the griddle

Cons

• Does not come with any magnetic accessories
• The right shelf does not fold down because of the gas tank

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Final Verdict

With the folding shelves providing ample countertop space and a griddle surface capable of hosting about 40 standard burgers, Camp Chef Gridiron 36 is a good fit for a large family, or anyone who entertains. While I’m not giving up on my charcoal grill anytime soon, the gas-powered Gridiron is a great accompaniment for weeknight meals.

How I Tested Camp Chef Gridiron 36

The four burners under the cold rolled steel top put out 48,000 BTUs total, which is standard for Camp Chef. But max power doesn’t mean much if it’s not evenly distributed. To map the hot and cold spots I blanketed the 36 x 21-inch griddle with 40 slices of bread, and cranked the burners to high. The Gridiron’s temperature fluctuation was consistent: turning the toast dark within the three rows stretching across the very middle of the griddle. As expected, the top row, farthest away from me, and the one closest, was significantly lighter in color. In practice, this area can help act as a warm zone to hold cooked food like stacks of pancakes, strips of bacon, or fajita fixings.

When I took temperature readings of the surface with an infrared gun, I found highs of about 505 degrees and lows of 465 degrees, when the burners were on high heat for about 15 minutes. Cooking on Camp Chef was as intuitive as standing in front of the range in my kitchen.

Cleanup is a big issue with griddles since the entire surface of the steel gets gunky and you need a plan to catch grease. The Camp Chef helps here with two details. The first is a pair of chunky, hex-head bolts on the underside of the Gridiron. Adjustable even while you’re cooking, with the included wrench, you have about 1 inch of vertical height to help level off the grill or, ideally, pitch it slightly so the grease rambles to the front. 

The second is a cutout in the front of the griddle that leads to a chute, which directs the gunk to a grease bucket. That makes disposal a breeze and the bucket holds enough that you can clean the grill and squeeze the water into it and dump it all in one shot. 

But that’s not the only detail the griddle offers that makes life easier. On each corner, the steel is notched to accommodate a resting spatula or tongs that stay put even when the lid is closed.  

A pair of 16 x 21-inch folding shelves are each dimpled with nine circles. Those recesses are designed to hold onto a series of magnetic accessories Camp Chef offers, including a paper towel holder, hooks to hang tools, and a two-squeeze bottle caddy. This can keep essentials close at hand—once you’ve experienced the ease of having squeeze bottles of oil, dressings, or hot sauce nearby there is no going back. My only knock here is the right shelf, situated above the propane tank, can’t fold down completely.

The caster wheels below make this 150-pound griddle easy to move around a patio and the bracing between the legs keeps the chassis quite stiff. The lid, which is a newer design element on griddles, can help with basics like melting cheese on a bunch of burgers or cheesesteaks, but it can also help keep the griddle surface clean between uses. While it will never replace the char charcoal brings, a griddle might just become your go-to for meals during the week while you work towards that big, weekend cookout. — Sal Vaglica

• Cooking area: 700 square inches
• Size: 31 x 69 x 40 inches
• BTUs: 48,000
• Fuel: Propane
• Warranty: 1 year

Best Budget Outdoor Griddle: Blackstone 17" On the Go Cart Griddle with Hood

The Blackstone On the Go Griddle is a compact grill-height flat top grill that's an affordable addition to your outdoor kitchen and which doesn’t require you to dedicate as much permanent space as larger grill-sized griddles. The telescoping legs keep it at grill height when in use, but allow you to shrink it and get back your deck space, if desired. The smaller cooking surface isn’t a replacement for a full-size family grill, but is great for smaller households and spaces or as an auxiliary griddle in combination with a full-size grill.

There are plenty of small, tabletop griddles for less, but you’ll need a counter or table to effectively use them. It has an integrated, hinged hood, so you can leave it outside protected from the elements and debris. And because it’s relatively light and is collapsible, it also can double as a camp kitchen appliance. The rolled steel griddle top doesn’t come pre-seasoned, so keep in mind you’ll need to follow instructions for seasoning the steel before cooking in order to create a non-stick surface.

• Cooking area: 267 square inches
• Size: 24 x 22 x 22 inches
• BTUs: 12,500
• Fuel: Propane
• Warranty: 1 year limited

Best Outdoor Griddle for Camping: Camp Chef Pro 14

Camp Chef’s Pro 14 two-burner stove forms the base of a versatile camp cooking system on which you can swap in not only a one-burner or two-burner griddle, but a variety of other accessories such as a grill top or pizza oven. You can also use pots, cast-iron skillets, and other cookware directly on the burners. With standalone griddles, you’re stuck cooking on the griddle only unless you bring other appliances. With the PRO60X, you can cook almost anything, providing maximum versatility at your camp spot.

If you know you just want a rock-solid camp griddle solution, the portable Camp Chef Flat Top 600 is a great choice as well, but you keep your options open with the Pro 14. Because it collapses for transport and storage, the Pro 14 also works just as well at home and adds a lot of capability placed next to your grill or smoker for cooking veggies, breakfasts, and other items that aren’t easy to manage on a traditional grill grate.

• Cooking area: 448 square inches
• Size: 15 x 10.5 x 39.4 inches (folded: 35.2 x 9.1 x 14.2 inches)
• BTUs: 60,000
• Fuel: Propane
• Warranty: 1 year

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Best Portable Outdoor Griddle: Blackstone 17” Griddle

Whether camping or tailgating, your vehicle can fill up fast, especially when gear has to vie with people for space. Blackstone 17” Griddle offers the same 17-inch cooking griddle as our top budget option from Blackstone above, but in a lighter, smaller, tabletop package that eats up less space and weighs only 18 pounds. It’s also wildly affordable if you get the hood-free version which costs about $100 less. The hood is useful for retaining heat, especially on windy days, and the carry bag allows cleaner, more totable transport. 

• Cooking area: 267 square inches 
• Size: 22.25 x 22.25 x 12.25 inches
• BTUs: 12,500
• Fuel: Propane
• Warranty: 1 year limited

Best Outdoor Grill/Griddle Combo: Royal Gourmet Gas Grill and Griddle Combo

While a griddle offers more cooking versatility than a grill, many people want the best of both worlds: searing, sautéing, and stir-frying on a griddle and the ability to flame-broil (with grill marks) for burgers, sausages, and other meats. While you can pair a griddle with a gas grill, the combination eats up outdoor space quickly and requires multiple propane tanks. The combination grill/griddle from Royal Gourmet is a relatively affordable way to get both in the footprint of a normal two-burner griddle or small grill.

You don’t get a lot of cooking surface on either, so if you need to cook for crowds, you might want two separate appliances, each with more cooking surface area. But for small spaces and smaller households, the combination provides versatility without hogging deck space and the castor wheels allow you to move it out of the way easily.

• Cooking area: 606 square inches (292, griddle; 314, grill)
• Size: 66.1 x 21.6 x 36.6 inches
• BTUs: 48,000
• Fuel: Propane
• Warranty: 1 year full, 5 years limited

Best Tabletop Griddle: Zojirushi Gourmet Sizzler

While grill-style outdoor griddles minimize kitchen mess and are a great addition to an outdoor kitchen setup, not everyone has the room or the year-round climate to justify an expensive outdoor flat-top grill purchase. Luckily, electric griddles such as Zojirushi’s Gourmet Sizzler provide an indoor-friendly option at a lower price point and lower space requirements.

The electric heating also provides more precise, knob-controlled temperature regulation than gas and lets you dial in specific griddle temps from 176 to 425 degrees. The shortcoming here is the high-end, which won’t be as well-suited for searing meats, but for everything else, the electric control will be easier to use and more energy-efficient that outdoor-only gas griddles.

• Cooking area: 237.5 square inches
• Size: 15 x 23.62 x 4.38 inches
• BTUs: N/A
• Fuel: Electricity
• Warranty: 1 year

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Best Indoor Grill/Griddle Combo: Ninja Sizzle

If you have a small space, especially, limited or no outdoor space, but still want the grilled and griddled food experience without needing a kitchen remodel, the Ninja Sizzle brings grilling and griddling inside in one compact appliance. Like the once-ubiquitous electric grills from George Foreman, the sizzle uses electric power to super-heat elements up to 500 degrees. Like the Foreman Grill, there’s a lid you can close to retain heat on top of the grill surface, but the Sizzle adds in a non-stick griddle plate you can swap in for the grill surface.

The cooking surface is slightly angled to allow for grease run-off, but it’s closer to flat than a Foreman grill which means you can cook and effectively manage more foods such as eggs and pancakes which would impractically roll down a Foreman grill. The 14-inch cooking surface isn’t massive, but it’s enough to cook a meal for a family without needing to cook in shifts, and it doesn’t require propane tanks and lots of outdoor space.

• Cooking area: 210 square inches
• Size: 14.7 x 15.2 x 6.1 inches
• BTUs: N/A
• Fuel: Electricity
• Warranty: 1 year

Best Outdoor Griddle for a Campfire: Bayou Classic Cast Iron Camper's Discada

While it is much less predictable than using gas or electric griddles, there’s something rewarding about building a campfire and cooking a meal start-to-finish over a simple wood fire. While you can position pots, pans, and grill grates over open flames, the heat is often too high, too unpredictable, and often results in meals that are charred outside and undercooked inside. Bayou Classic’s built-for-campfires 17-inch diameter griddle has 20-inch legs to let you position it over top of a smaller campfire, ideally one with strong coals to radiate heat rather than the more variable energy of a fire with high flames.

You can also pair the Bayou Classic griddle with a small camp stove or high-pressure propane burner for home use or when you just don’t feel like managing a campfire or need the more precise control of a fuel-driven heat. This simple griddle top isn’t the answer if you want a griddle for convenient, everyday use, but it’s a low-cost option for adding griddle capabilities to your camp or outdoor kitchen.

• Cooking area: 17-inch diameter
• Size: 17 x 20 inches
• BTUs: N/A
• Fuel: Charcoal, wood, iso butane, propane
• Warranty: 1 year

Best Solo Stove Outdoor Griddle Add-On: Solo Stove Ranger Cast Iron Griddle Top + Hub

If you’re one of the many folks who’ve decided to stop running from campfire smoke and opted for the smokeless fire pit experience from Solo Stove, the Griddle Top and Hub is a griddle solution that comes in different sizes and works with multiple Solo Stove fire pits. We've featured the mid-range Ranger version, which has  large, 17.75-inch diameter griddle top sits on top of the Hub and extends the cooking surface about 9 inches above the intense flames which would otherwise scorch your food. Their Hubs are also compatible with a Grill Top and Wok, so you can expand your setup to a more full-featured outdoor cooking setup.

The drawback is the cost, since while the griddle itself is fairly affordable, you’ll need a Hub—available for multiple Solo Stove fire pits—which can push the total cost to over $200. And if you don’t already own Solo Stove, the entire setup could easily exceed $500. But if you’re already in the Solo Stove ecosystem and want to add outdoor cooking without fitting another appliance into your outdoor space, the Griddle plus the Hub is a versatile option for cooking over the centerpiece that’s already there.

• Cooking area: 14.25-inch diameter
• Size: 14.25 x 7.5 inches
• BTUs: N/A
• Fuel: Charcoal, wood, pellets
• Warranty: Liftetime

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What to Look For in a Griddle

A flat-top grill or griddle gives you more versatility for outdoor cooking than grills and smokers, and can be a great replacement for or addition to a traditional grill for an outdoor kitchen. If you’ve ever tried cooking vegetables, eggs, bacon, or potatoes on a grill or smoker, you were probably let down and ended up with uneven results and frustration.

A well-seasoned outdoor griddle provides a large, flat surface that cooks a wider range of food more reliably and behaves more like a pan on a stove, making it easier for non-pitmasters to get the hang of.

There are a lot of options out there, so here are the key factors to consider when shopping for an outdoor flat top grill or griddle.

Size

One of the most important things to consider is the size of the grill or griddle. How much cooking space do you need? Do you plan on cooking for a large group of people? Make sure to choose a grill or griddle that is large enough to accommodate your cooking needs. For example, for a family of four or for entertaining often, you'll want something in the 500- to 700-square-inch range, while anything below that is fine for small families or occasional use.

The cooking area is usually listed in square inches, though some only list a single number for the width, i.e. “14-inch grill,” so check dimensions in product listings to be sure you understand what size griddle you’re getting.

Material

Look for a model that is made of high-quality materials like cast iron or stainless steel. These materials are durable and can withstand heavy use and high heat.

Griddle tops will either come pre-seasoned or not. If the griddle surface is not pre-seasoned, you’ll need to put it through a seasoning process which normally involves applying a light coating of oil and bringing the griddle to high temperatures to polymerize the oil into a more non-stick coating on the metal. This process isn’t rocket science, but it’s a time-consuming setup task that some folks may prefer to avoid.

Heat Source and Output

Griddles can be powered by multiple sources like an open fire—wood, charcoal, or pellets—propane gas, and electricity. Go with whichever fuel source fits your needs the best. Another factor to consider is the heat output of the grill or griddle. You want a model that can cook food evenly and quickly. Look for high-powered models that can reach temperatures of at least 500 degrees. You can also use British Thermal Units (BTUs) to more objectively compare the relative heat outputs of different griddle burners if the manufacturers list that in their product specs. The general rule of thumb is about 80 BTUs for every square inch of cooking surface, so simply divide BTU output by square inches.

Portability

Some folks will plant their griddle outside and not move it for years (in which case, consider buying a cover), but if you’re looking for a griddle that can go camping or tailgating, features such as collapsible legs, locking lids, or included carry bags are welcome.

Few griddles are ultralight since they use heavy cooking surfaces made from cast iron or steel, but you can find models that shave pounds in the materials used outside of the cooking surface itself. More portable models may have smaller overall cooking surface area, so be careful to buy a big enough grill for the number of mouths you plan to feed.

Versatility

Consider the versatility of the grill or griddle. Can it be used for a variety of cooking techniques, such as grilling, frying, or sautéing? Does it have a built-in griddle or can it swap in other surfaces such as open burners and traditional grill tops? If you don’t already own a regular grill with grates, there are combo options that let you combine grill and griddle in the same unit, sometimes simultaneously.

Why You Should Trust Us

As a journalist, Sal Vaglica been covering and testing outdoor cooking equipment for about 20 years. His yard is filled with just about every style of cooker you can imagine, including a classic Weber Kettle he’ll never part with. Forever skeptical of companies that release new products annually, part of covering this category means keeping in touch with brands about new gear and technical advancements and checking in with professional cooks (not ambassadors or influencers) to see what they think about the equipment.

When summer rolls around, Justin Park does most of his cooking outdoors via grill, smoker, flat top griddle, and pizza oven. He takes his portable flat top with for car camping and hunting trips when feasible, so Park knows what he values in a flat top grill in a variety of settings. Park has tested several of the top models, including stovetop griddles, so he can keep his griddle habit going through the winter.