Outdoor Griddles Are the Coolest Grills to Cook on This Year

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As the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances Lab, I've tested more than 40 outdoor grills, including gas grills, charcoal grills, kamado-style grills, pellet grills and more. As soon as I started testing outdoor griddles, I understood why people love them so much. They're large, so you can cook a lot of food at once. And they get really hot, so you sear beautifully and cook quickly. (They also make the best bacon — light and crunchy but still juicy.)

Most outdoor griddles have multiple burners, so you can cook food over a high temperature on one side and a lower temperature on the other. Plus, they're completely solid and flat (hence also being referred to as flat-top grills), so you can grill veggies without worrying about them falling through the grates and even make fluffy pancakes or fried rice.

When we tested these outdoor griddles, we assessed how evenly they heated as well as how well they cooked foods like steak, eggs and veggies. We also rated their ease-of-use features to help determine which are worth buying.

5-Burner with Folding Shelves

This outdoor griddle delivers on construction, ease of use and performance. It's sturdy, has five burners and can use up to 62,000 BTUs — among the most powerful on our list. (Don't worry; the output is still manageable since those BTUs are divided between the number of burners.) Each burner ignites with a simple turn, and the control panel is clearly labeled with temperature markings and how-to-use instructions.

Dan DiClerico, director of our Home Improvement and Outdoors Lab, tested this griddle using our Kitchen Appliances Lab protocols and said it's well-designed and easy to assemble. Its folding shelves double as griddle covers once the griddle is cool and not in use. The handles make it easy to move around, and the drip tray is accessible on the side of the unit where the grease drainage hole is located.

DiClerico reported that chicken came out more crisp and juicy than on a grill. "I was a short order cook on the Jersey Shore for a couple of summers, and this brought back memories of the ease and versatility of griddle cooking," he said.

The griddle did discolor quickly, but that is quite normal for the light-colored ones. Pit Boss also offers a ceramic griddle, perfect for people who don't want to fuss with seasoning their grill, which can be a downside of using outdoor griddles. The ceramic version should be used with wooden or heat-resistant nylon or silicone tools to avoid scratching and chipping.

Daytona 4-Burner

Nexgrill's four-burner griddle offers solid performance and many ease-of-use features, all at a great price for the category. In our tests, it did a good job of cooking a variety of foods, from eggs and pancakes to burgers and grilled cheese.

This pick has two grease drainage holes — one located on either side of the griddle — which make cleanup easy but limit the cooking space a bit since small foods can easily fall through. Both drip trays are accessible from the front of the unit.

The griddle has two side shelves equipped with one set of tool holders and a condiment caddy; we feel these are two underrated and useful features. We also appreciate the storage and work area the shelves provide, as well as the inclusion of a stainless steel lid.

As is common with many outdoor griddles, seasoning the griddle took time, according to our testers. This task proved to be a pain point across the outdoor griddle category in general.

Kate Merker, our chief food director, tested this grill and said she particularly liked the size of the griddle and that she could cook an assortment of food quickly and in one batch. She noted that it's important to make sure your griddle is set up on a level surface because her eggs ran to one side during the test. A workaround is using egg molds to keep whites contained.

36" Griddle with Hard Cover

For many cooks, Blackstone is the brand synonymous with outdoor griddles. The model we tested is powerful with a large, 769-square-inch cooktop. It has four burners, folding side shelves and a bottom shelf, a magnetic tool holder, additional tool holders on the sides of the shelves, a paper towel holder and a bottle opener.

In our tests, bacon cooked up crispy, and we were able to gently cook eggs on the low setting with minimal sticking. While we cooked, we noted that grease automatically pooled to the center back of the griddle, where the drainage hole is located, which helped food brown more evenly, created less smoking and sped up cleanup. The griddle was also easy to season, but note that the lighter hue of the steel means it does discolor over time.

Overall, the frame is solid, but its material feels thin, and the lid on our sample arrived dented and is a little wobbly. It's designed to hang on the back of your griddle when it's not in use, but it does not lie flush with the back of the unit when the drip pan is in place.

Flatrock Flat Top Griddle

Though this outdoor griddle is the priciest on our list, it stands out for being the sturdiest and most decked out with features that make it easy to use. One tester, who helped put the griddle together, commented on how premium it felt right out of the box. It has a slick, easy-to-clean exterior; large, oversized folding shelves; a hinged lid and handles on either side. Its cooking surface is smaller than others we tested, but it still offers plenty of room.

Unlike many other outdoor griddles, the cooktop is recessed, i.e., it sits inside the frame of the unit right above its three U-shaped burners. The design is intended to make it better at evenly distributing heat than its competitors, which situate the griddle atop the burners — with room between the cooktop and frame — and are susceptible to wind.

It has one of the largest rectangular drainage holes we tested; it's located on the front center of the griddle. The hole directs the grease below into a large, enclosed container with an oversized handle that helps it slide in and out easily. The container can be lined with disposable trays that the brand sells for the easiest cleanup. You can also buy additional accessories for the frame to hold your tools or paper towels.

In our tests, we were able to cook all sorts of food with no trouble at all. Eggs cooked up great as did veggies and steaks. The cooktop got nice and hot but never burned our food nor was it too hot to work with.

One unique detail to note about this griddle is that the ignition is electric and needs to be plugged in or powered by a battery to turn on. When plugged in, the griddle features flame and fuel sensors that confirm which burners are on and how much propane you have in the tank.

Griddle 36"

Weber's griddle delivers on the performance you'd expect from the brand, which has a strong reputation for quality grills. It comes with oversized shelves, tool holders, a generously proportioned storage shelf and a hinged lid. One particularly neat feature: The burners ignite with the turn of each knob (i.e. you don't need to press a separate button simultaneously to ignite them).

Our tester noted that the griddle provided excellent browning when used to make burgers, steak and mushrooms. He particularly liked how flavorful the mushrooms turned out, likely because they were cooked on the same surface as the meat — a great benefit of griddles in general.

The griddle's drainage hole is located on the front left corner, and the drip tray is easily accessible on the front of the unit. Our tester appreciated the size and effectiveness of the cooktop and praised how easy this model was to use. He did note that the lid felt a little wobbly though.

This outdoor griddle won a recent Kitchen Gear Award. One tester said: "For years I was intimidated by grills and never used them. I would see people scrubbing the grills before and after using, scraping off all the hardened-on drippings. This design of a griddle is genius — so much better! I don't mind not having the grill marks on the meat and veggies. They're still delicious! Now I'm a convert."

Weber just came out with a rust-resistant model that we can't wait to get our hands on this season for testing.

Tabletop Griddle

This outdoor tabletop griddle is great whether you have a small outdoor space, are looking to make a quick meal or need something powerful to cook on when you're camping or on a picnic. It's compatible with a small propane tank and is powerful at 22,000 BTUs. It has two burners so you can cook with high heat on one side (for, say, sausage) and low heat on the other (great for pancakes).

It has a sturdy build that helps you feel confident while you're cooking, but it's just 32 pounds, so you can move it around easily.

Like the large Blackstone we tested, the drain hole is in the center back of the griddle, giving you ample cooking space. The drip pan is small compared with the full-sized model, so just remember to empty it often. The cooktop stands up to the durability and performance of similar full-sized models.

Genesis Full-Size Griddle 300 series

Weber makes it super easy to turn your gas grill into a griddle with this full-sized insert. It comes in several sizes that are designed to fit right into the brand's Spirit II 300, Genesis II 300 and Genesis II 400 line of gas grills when you remove the grill grates.

While the griddle insert comes pre-seasoned, we seasoned it before using as recommended by the manufacturer. In our tests, it evenly toasted bread, though the results were light compared to others tested over medium heat. It performed well cooking bacon, chicken breasts, steak, eggs and veggies like asparagus. The drainage hole is located in the back corner and is easy to push grease into. The grease falls into the grill's drip pan below, which is easy to clean out.

Our favorite thing about this insert is that it allows you to griddle with the benefits of a gas grill: Being able to use the grill's warming rack was neat, as was being able to griddle with the lid closed, a task that most outdoor griddles can't handle. As a result, we were able to cook thicker foods, like a thick chicken breast, more easily than we would have been able to by using a cloche on an outdoor griddle.

One downfall is that the insert is bulky to store if your grill doesn't come equipped with a storage area.

How we test outdoor griddles

We tested all of the full-size outdoor griddles on this list. Our team of experienced product analysts, mechanical engineers and food editors assembled the griddles, cooked on them repeatedly and stored them outdoors the way a home user would.

We assessed how evenly each griddle cooked, how well each seared foods like steak and chicken, whether it could handle low-temperature cooking and how easy it was to clean up.

We also noted how easy the griddles were to assemble and what the seasoning process was like. We scored ease-of-use features — such as shelves, wheels, tool holders and more — and evaluated whether the propane tank and grease collector were easy to access.

What to look for when buying an outdoor griddle

✔️ Size: For the most part, we tested 36-inch outdoor griddles. This popular size allows you to feed a crowd. Keep in mind that these large surfaces get quite hot, so a smaller option might feel more manageable for new griddle cooks. Smaller sizes are also great for smaller spaces and more affordable. So if you're willing to work in batches (or you're not cooking many folks at once), a smaller model will save you money while not demanding a lot of cook time.

✔️ Griddle material: It's common for griddles to be made of carbon steel, which is highly durable and can reach high temps. Carbon steel is quite good at retaining heat, too, so we recommend starting with different temperature zones vs cranking all of the burners up to high and turning them down later on.

Most griddle surfaces require seasoning to help prevent sticking and rusting. Some may be ceramic-coated for easy cleanup but you want to be more gentle with the tools you use on this style cooktop.

✔️ Lid: Many outdoor griddles now come with lids. For the most part, the lids cannot be used during cooking — they're intended to cover the griddle for storage. Lids are helpful in creating a barrier between your used griddle and the grill cover so the cover can stay clean. We prefer hinged lids versus lids that hang off the side of the griddle when not in use.

✔️ Grease drainage hole: A large, strategically positioned drainage hole makes cooking and cleanup easier. Griddles accumulate a lot of fat during cooking, and it often needs to be pushed away from the food and into the hole. You'll likely get used to whichever style you opt for, but we've found that ones that are big enough to scrape your spatula against are quite helpful.

✔️ Extra features: As with all outdoor grills, it's smart to look for outdoor griddles with features that will make your cooking experience easier. We like strong, oversized shelves with tool holders. And we value propane holders and grease traps that are easy to access.

Are griddles as good as grills?

Griddles and grills are different. Griddles can be used to cook almost all of the same foods a grill can, but you won't get grill marks. Unlike a grill, they're great for cooking small foods like rice and shrimp as well as runny foods like pancakes and eggs.

Griddles don't typically have covers, so they're ideal for foods that are thin and cook quickly but less suited to large cuts of meat, like a pork butt or whole chicken. You can use a cloche to help thicker foods cook evenly and quickly, but cloches limit the size and quantity of food you can fit.

Griddles offer a lot of versatility, but some people will miss cooking food over a direct flame, which lets you achieve the charred, smoky taste you get with a grill. It's common for people to have both a griddle and a grill since they're each good at different things.

Do I need to season my outdoor griddle?

Most outdoor griddles need to be seasoned before the first use because they're often made of carbon steel. Carbon steel is a durable material but it must be cared for properly. When you season it, aka cure it with oil at a high temperature like you would a cast iron pan, the coating helps prevent rust and helps make the surface nonstick.

Some outdoor griddles come preseasoned, which is helpful, but you'll want to keep up with the seasoning to extend the life of the surface. Refer to your outdoor griddle's user guide for the best way to season it.

Outdoor griddles that have nonstick coatings do not need to be seasoned, but they're more prone to wear and won't last as long as your common outdoor griddle.

How do I maintain my outdoor griddle?

At the end of every cook, I make sure to scrape the flat-top clean with a griddle scraper. I like to use water from a squeeze bottle to help remove stubborn bits from the griddle (be careful when you squirt water onto a hot griddle, because it will steam); I then use paper towels and long BBQ tongs to wipe up residue. Be sure to fully dry or cook off any remaining water to help prevent rusting.

If I've cooked something greasy like bacon or burgers, I generally can skip seasoning the griddle. But in other instances, I use the cleanup as an opportunity to re-season my griddle. I squirting the surface with vegetable or canola oil from a squeeze bottle and carefully spreading it across the entire surface with fresh paper towels and long BBQ tongs.

Once the oil starts to smoke and the smoke dissipates, I turn off my griddle and let it cool completely before covering it with my griddle's lid and then a griddle cover. The ones I've used, like this griddle cover from Blackstone, have been weatherproof, but you could always move your griddle under a shelter to help keep it looking like new even longer.

Why trust Good Housekeeping?

Nicole Papantoniou is the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, where she oversees all testing and content related to kitchen appliances, tools and more. She's been the team's lead grill tester since she joined in 2019 and has tested more than 40 outdoor grills. She led the testing on these outdoor griddles and continues to use three of them to assess long-term data. They've become one of her favorite ways to cook.

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