Top 9 Best Outdoor Gas Griddles for 2023

Gas griddles (AKA flat top grills) can be a great alternative to a regular gas grill.

The flat griddle design makes them perfect for cooking items that a normal grill would struggle with.

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For breakfast aficionados, you can easily cook a large volume of pancakes, bacon, hash browns, and eggs at the same time.

For most people, the best choice is the Blackstone 36″ Gas Griddle, thanks to its solid construction, excellent heat output, and ease of cleanup. It’s also better value than the leading competitors.

We’ll also compare a range of the best flat top gas griddles for a variety of different needs and situations.

Our Top 9 Choices For Best Flat Top Gas Griddles in 2023

We’ve selected 9 of the best gas griddles with a range of different options, so whether you’re looking for a dedicated grill, something more portable, or a surface to attach to your existing grill, you’ll find a great option.

1. Best Overall – Blackstone 36 inch Outdoor Flat Top Gas Grill Griddle Station

Read our full Blackstone 36″ gas griddle review.

Blackstone is the industry leader for gas griddles. While they’ve been selling griddles since 2005, they’ve enjoyed the huge resurgence in this style of outdoor cooking.

All Blackstone products are designed and engineered in the USA.

The Blackstone 36″ Gas Griddle station uses four independent stainless steel burners with temperature settings that go Low-High to allow you to cook a variety of tasty foods for large groups of people.

720 square inches of cooking space is available to you, and there’s a large grease drain implemented to help with cleanup.

The grease trap for on the Blackstone is much better and easier to clean up than the Pit Boss or Camp Chef griddles we’ve tested.

You get two side tables for food preparation or storage. In addition, a final table can be found beneath the controls of the griddle for further storage options.

The burners are made with stainless steel to increase their rust resistance and make them less susceptible to corrosion.

If you don’t need quite as much space there’s also a 28″ model with two burners that will cost a bit less.

Blackstone 36″ manufacturer specifications

Exterior materialCooking grate material Number of burnersSurface BTUsMain grilling areaMade in USASizePrice

We appreciate design choices like this since it saves money in the long run.

In addition, the cooking surface is made with rolled steel, which isn’t quite as rust-resistant but does allow for excellent heat retention and distribution.

This is one of the most even-cooking gas grills we’ve seen.

I would still recommend investing in a good digital infrared thermometer as knowing the exact grill surface temperature will make cooking much easier.

What We Like:

• Easy Cleaning – Removing the griddle top of this model is pretty easy. This makes cleaning the griddle top less of a challenge and allows you to store it separately if your garage is cramped or you’re worried about things falling onto the cooking surface.
• Mobile – We also really like the four strong wheels, two of which are lockable. The wheels are durable enough to withstand frequent traveling in the backyard or to and from the storage shed. This makes it an ideal griddle for bringing out only for cookouts and storing a way to preserve space when it’s not in use.
• Large grill area – It’s perfect for cooking for large groups of people all at once; with 720 in.² of cooking space and 60,000 BTUs of heat, you’ll find that all your cooking challenges will be met quickly. The fact that it has 4 independent heating zones is great since it increases the amount of temperature control you have over the cooking from start to finish.

What We Don’t Like

• Clunky – Because of its size, it’s relatively clunky to move around, although the durable wheels help to offset this downside somewhat.
• Not Non-Corrosive – In addition, the biggest issue is that the griddle top isn’t made from stainless steel and is susceptible to corrosion if you don’t clean it thoroughly and apply oil after cooking.

So long as you keep the griddle clean and seasoned you’ll preserve the life span and enjoy cooking on it a lot more.

The Blackstone is the industry leader for a reason, there are really only small nitpicks you can make on an otherwise excellent griddle.

2. Runner Up – Victory 36-Inch 4-Burner Gas Griddle

Read our full Victory 36-Inch Gas Griddle review.

The Victory brand is exclusive to BBQGuys.com and has had a big launch year of products. The brand looks to shake up the market offering full-featured cooking equipment at affordable prices, and the Victory 4-burner gas griddle is as advertised.

Slotting into the #2 spot in our rankings, the Victory 36-inch 4-burner gas griddle is a true contender in the griddle market. Boasting 48,000 BTU’s to heat the 665 square inches of cooking surface, you can fit 28 burgers at once to feed your crew.

Victory 4-burner Gas Griddle Specifications:

The Victory griddle offers above-average prep and storage space with two foldable side shelves, two middle shelves, and two shelves on the right end cap. The porcelain-coated cooktop and the fully enclosed grease management system make this griddle stand apart from the crowd.

You won’t need to season the cooktop as you would carbon steel, and the grease is fully contained, so you won’t have to deal with fat running down the side or leg of your griddle.

Stainless steel construction and a removable grease tray make clean up the easiest out of all griddles tested.

What we like:

• Porcelain-Coated Griddle Top – Scratch-resistant porcelain-coated steel is made to last and makes cooking and cleaning this griddle a breeze.
• Fully Enclosed Grease Management System – Fully enclosed tube guides grease and fat into a removable tray. Easy clean-up and low maintenance.
• Shelving and Storage Space – Two folding side shelves, two mid-cart shelves, and two shelves on the right side are convenient and helpful when cooking for a group. Minimizing the trips and and out of the house to get supplies.
• Stainless Steel Construction – Full-body stainless steel construction makes this griddle easy to clean and long-lasting corrosion and rust resistant.

What we don’t like:

• Hard Plastic Casters – The casters make it easy to move, but moving it over coarse concrete and blacktop makes for some wear and tear that you wouldn’t get with a denser material.
• Doesn’t Fold Up – This is more for the travel cooks out there, but you won’t be folding this up like the PitBoss or the Blackstone.
• No Wind Guards – A lot of griddles have a space between the burners and the cooking surface that allows wind to affect the burner flames. High winds can make it difficult for the griddle top to heat up appropriately. If it’s a particularly windy day, you may have to adjust where you’re placing the griddle to cook effectively. Some griddles, like the Camp Chef 4-burner griddle have a built-in means of guarding against high winds.

A couple of things kept it out of the top spot. It’s not especially mobile compared to the Blackstone Original 36-Inch Griddle, which can fold up and be easily transported.

It does have a gap between the burners and the griddle top which allows a lot of cooking heat to be lost. There are wind guards available for Blackstone and other brands, but most companies are starting to design with wind resistance in mind, saving fuel and cooking temperature.

After putting the Victory griddle through rounds of cooking tests, I can confidently recommend this to both the novice and experienced flat-top connoisseur.

If you’re looking for a full-featured, high-performing griddle at a reasonable price point, then the Victory 4-burner griddle should be considered.

3. Best Splurge – Traeger Flatrock Griddle

Read our full Traeger Flatrock review.

After focussing on wood pellet-fired grills for decades, Traeger finally branched out with a gas griddle.

Like everything Traeger makes, the Flatrock isn’t cheap. When we first saw the price, we thought it would be a total rip-off. But after testing the griddle out and experiencing some of the clever design choices and premium build quality we can say that the price is mostly justified.

I have a video on Blackstone VS Traeger where I go through my experience cooking on the Flatrock and how it compares.

The griddle surface on the Flatrock is sunk down into the main chamber, which helps avoid b”blowouts” when cooking in windy conditions.

The cooktop is made out of carbon steel, and measuring 33 by 18 inches is more than large enough to cook for a big family.

Thanks to three horseshoe burners you get incredibly even temperatures across the entire cooktop. I’ve tested a lot of griddles and never used a griddle that didn’t have hot and cold spots.

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If you need to move the griddle around, you’ll appreciate the quality 360 degree lockable caster wheels.

The only real thing I didn’t like is the position of the grease drain causes some heat exhaust at the front, so you have to be careful where you place your hands while cooking.

What I liked:

• No hot or cold spots – The U-shaped burners give consistent temperature across the whole surface
• Wind protection – Sunken position of the cooktop protects the burners from the wind.
• Fuel sensor – Never run of out propane mid-cook.
• Huge side shelves – These give you plenty of prep area and fold down easily to minimize storage space.

What I didn’t like:

• Heat from grease drain – Heat exhaust does come out of grease drain port on the front so I had to be careful where I put my hands.

3. Best Tabletop/Portable Griddle – Blackstone Table Top Grill 17″ Portable Gas Griddle

This is a portable griddle that offers 260 in.² of cooking space.

The Blackstone table top grill is ideal for small families or groups of travelers who are only cooking for a handful of people.

We recommended it in our guide to the best tabletop grills.

It utilizes 1-pound propane bottles for fuel and an electric igniter, so starting the griddle takes very little effort.

It’s made of stainless steel and the griddle cooking surface can be removed for ease of cleaning and storage. Controlling the single burner is accomplished via a lone knob at the center of the control panel.

Blackstone 17″ Tabletop manufacturer specifications

Cooking grate material Surface BTUsMain grilling areaFuelMade in USASizePrice

It’s incredibly easy to store since you can remove the top and flip it so that it’s upside down to protect the cooking surface. At 17 inches wide, it’s not too unwieldy to be carried to and from various cooking locations.

What We Like

• Good Size – It’s a perfect outdoor griddle for camping or portable cooking needs.
• Easy Cleaning – This griddle is also super easy to clean since the surface is removable so you can adjust the angle at which you scrape off grease and residue. The built-in grease catcher is another solid bonus that reduces the stress of clean up after cooking.
• Powerful -Despite being small and portable, this griddle still outputs over 12,000 BTUs of heat, which is comparable to the heating power of the Blackstone griddle. This means it will be able to heat up quickly and get the cooking thoroughly within just minutes.
• Corrosion-Resistant – Finally, the griddle’s cooking surface is made from stainless steel, which is already corrosion resistant. Even better, it’s been coated with black powder to further increase its overall durability and rust resistance.

What We Don’t Like

• Concentrated Heating Area – The biggest downside is that this griddle utilizes an “H”-shaped heating implement beneath the surface. This makes the cooking zone relatively uniform but contained; the edges won’t be very hot in comparison, and this limits the amount of food that you can cook at the same time.

This minor limitation isn’t enough to overcome all of the good that comes with this model. It’s an ideal choice if you need a small, portable gas griddle.

4. Best Griddle to Fit Your Existing Grill – Little Griddle Professional Stainless Steel Griddle

If you don’t want to invest in a dedicated griddle, the Little Griddle is a great option.

You can simply place this onto any appropriately sized grill.

The Little Griddle measures 25”x16”x6.5” so you should make sure your grill is big enough.

It’s a lightweight and durable cooking surface that rests about 2 inches above your grill’s surface. It’s both easy to use and made from 100% restaurant grade stainless steel.

Thanks to the handles implemented on its side, moving the griddle to and from the surface of your grill is safe and fast.

It’s an excellent choice if you plan to use a griddle for cooking sparingly or only want to add some egg or pancake-cooking ability to your normal grill cookouts.

What We Like:

• Even Heating -One great innovation with this griddle is that its underside utilizes cross bracing as part of its construction; this ensures that the cooking surface is going to be heated evenly. It allows the griddle surface to fully take advantage of the excellent heating from your existing grill.
• Easy to Handle/Clean -The detachable side handles are a nice touch since you can attach them when you need to move the griddle and remove them so they’re not in your way when cooking is ready to begin. There’s also a really convenient grease well that spans the entire width of the griddle; this keeps cleanup super easy.
• Stainless Steel -Finally, the best part of this griddle is that it’s made from stainless steel. This is such a great aspect because it ensures that rust corrosion isn’t something you’re going to have to worry about, provided you maintain the griddle with thorough maintenance and cleaning after each cookout session.

What We Don’t Like:

• Size comparability -It’s too wide to be used for a lot of smaller backyard grills, so you’ll need to measure your existing grill surface thoroughly before making a final purchase. They do make a smaller model that would be better suited to some grills.
• Slow to Heat -Depending on your grill’s heating power, it might take a little longer than you anticipate for the griddle to fully heat across its surface. We wouldn’t recommend this griddle if speed cooking is your primary objective.

5. Best Grill and Griddle Combo – Grilla Grills Primate

A lot of the grill and griddle combos we’ve tested use a split design where you get a small grill and a small griddle.

While this is good in theory, I find that when I want to griddle, I’m always running out of space.

That’s why I love the design of the Grilla Grills Primate. The Primate looks and cooks like a regular gas grill but can be converted by swapping out the stainless steel grates for the griddle surface.

The exterior of the grill is made from stainless steel and looks and feels premium.

What We Like

• Easily convert from traditional grill to full-size griddle
• Magnetic cabinet doors with an area for propane bottle and storage
• Heavy-duty stainless steel construction with double-wall insulation

What We Don’t Like:

• Stainless steel feels shows spots and grease
• Slightly hot spots, especially in the center
• Costs more

If you can stretch your budget, I highly recommend going for the Grilla Primate compared to a more budget 50:50 split design like the Royal Gourmet, which you often see recommended.

6. Camp Chef Flat Top Grill

Read our full Camp Chef Flat Top Grill review.

The Camp Chef is a strong competitor for best flat top griddle with the Blackstone and Pit Boss we reviewed earlier.

It has a griddle surface of 604 in.², which helps keep the size of the overall unit down a little bit.

It still uses 4 stainless steel burners with matchless ignition for ease of use and features two wheels instead of four to allow for transportation to and from a given storage area.

It’s not quite as powerful in terms of BTUs but with the smaller surface area you won’t notice much difference.

The side tables are a little larger, great if you like having a lot of extra food prep space during your cooking.

These side tables can be folded down, as an added bonus.

The griddle top has a nice thickness and feels high quality. The main body of the griddle is stainless steel, an upgrade over the powder coated steel you often see.

One big advantage with the Camp Chef is that you can swap the griddle surface for grill grates, so this can also double as a grill.

Unlike the Royal Gourmet Portable Propane Gas Grill and Griddle Combo you can’t do both at the same time though.

Unlike the Pit Boss and Blackstone options, this griddle doesn’t fold up so I wouldn’t recommend it if you want to take it on the road.

7. Pit Boss 4 Burner Gas Griddle

Read our full Pit Boss 4 burner gas griddle review.

Pit Boss is more well known for their range of affordable pellet grills, but with their 4 burner gas griddle, you get similar or better specs than industry leader Blackstone.

At the time of writing the Pit Boss was almost $100 more expensive, enough to keep Blackstone at the number one spot.

You get 748 square inches of cooking surface which is enough to fit roughly 36 burgers at once and slightly larger than the Blackstone.

Heat adjustments are made via four independent stainless steel burners which put out 62,000 BTUs of heat.

If you want more space there’s also a 5-burner griddle that bumps your cooking surface up to 750 square inches, and moves the grease catch to the side.

Everything we cooked on the Pit Boss tasted delicious, whether we were making smash burgers, fried rice or bacon and eggs.

Pit Boss Standard Griddle Specifications:

The griddle surface is made out of 4.7mm thick cast iron, which holds heat well and distributes heat evenly. You can also upgrade to a ceramic griddle top for better performance.

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The grill arrives pre-seasoned but we found it was still worth doing a few rounds of seasoning with vegetable oil and then frying some bacon to give it an even better finish.

Clean up and maintenance is easy, with a small hole in the bottom corner to scrape grease and debris into and a removable pot for dumping.

What we like:

• Powerful stainless steel burners for even heat – Temperature stays nice and hot even after adding a lot of food
• Portable – Side trays and legs fold in to make the griddle easy to transport which makes this an excellent choice for camping or tailgating.
• Generous 5 year warranty – The Pit Boss warranty is one of the best in the business.

What we don’t like:

• No side handle – I missed the side handle on the Blackstone when it came to lifting the griddle into my truck.
• Grease trap design – Some grease runs down the frong legs, doesn’t work as well as the Blackstone
• Loose some heat through gaps – There are some gaps between the burners and the top of the griddle that let some heat escape. Not a huge problem but on windy days it can take a bit longer to get up to temp.

While Pit Boss has designed this grill so you can pack it up and take it camping, it’s a large grill that can feed a lot of people. If being super portable (and fuel-efficient) is important you may want to consider a smaller tabletop grill.

With a larger heating surface, hotter stainless steel burners and better warranty than the competitors you can’t go wrong with the Pit Boss 4 burner griddle.

8. Cuisinart CGG-501 Gourmet Gas Griddle

An alternative for a portable griddle is this model. It uses two stainless steel burners instead of an “H-shaped” burner in the center, giving you a little more fine control over your cooking area.

The surface is 285 in.² and is made from extra thick cold rolled steel, which helps dissipate heat evenly even if it doesn’t protect against rust quite as effectively.

It uses a hose that’s fitted for larger, 20 pounds propane tanks, so consider this fuel requirement before you make a final purchase.

Get the latest price on Amazon.

9. Camp Chef Professional Fry Griddle

This model has a 16″ x 38″ cooking surface and includes a grease strain and a grease cupholder, allowing you to keep everything neat and tidy throughout the process.

The griddle is made from heavy-duty steel and is finished with Camp Chef’s patented “True Season” process to extend its lifespan and durability.

One major downside is that it only has one handle near the front and this is not removable, so be sure to let the griddle cool down fully before you try to handle it and remove it from your grill’s surface.

Get the latest price on Camp Chef.

What Makes Gas Griddles Different?

Griddles make use of flat, open cooking surfaces commonly made from a kind of steel. Hence the name “flattop” grill.

These surfaces are then heated via gas burners that rest directly beneath the cooking surface.

Griddle surfaces provide a uniform cooking area that doesn’t leave marks on your food or require as much cleanup as a traditional grill.

Since there is no direct flame contact you don’t have to worry about flare-ups.

Griddles let you cook everything from eggs, pancakes, and other fragile foods that would fall straight through a gas griddle surface.

Commonly thought of as breakfast grills, you can still cook everything you would on a normal grill.

If you enjoy outdoor cooking, being able to prep breakfast for a large number of people is a great feature.

Flat Top Griddle vs. A Standard Gas Grill

There are a few differences between these two cooking implements that we’ll go over.

• Taste and texture – grills give cooked food a slightly-charred texture that adds a smoky flavor to a lot of meats. Griddles provide cooked food with more of a fried flavor. Many foods might taste a little “fried” as a result of the smooth cooking surface.
• Time – Grills cook faster than griddles, generally, since grills can go to higher cooking temperatures. The open flames will provide more heat more quickly to most food items than the burners of a griddle. However, griddles can still cook reasonably fast for most occasions.
• Convenience – Grills are harder to move or carry around, as they are dependent on their thin legs or wheels for locomotion. Griddles are generally smaller or more portable and certain models can easily fit on table tops or onto your existing grill.

Keep in mind that you’ll see the term griddle and flat top thrown around. They mean the same thing.

Different Types of Gas Griddle

Let’s go over the major types of gas griddles on the market.

• Dedicated: These are the largest type of gas griddle and can even be placed next to your regular outdoor grill. These often have wheels for easy transportation and storage. They can cook more food at the same time than smaller griddles due to their increased surface area. These griddles also tend to be the most expensive, but they can provide good value for money if you run a small restaurant or do frequent cookouts for many people at once.
• Tabletop/Portable: These have less cooking surface area and are more affordable in general due to their smaller size. These griddles are designed to be small enough to be placed on a tabletop or counter, although there are smaller standing varieties around as well. These standing griddles can be easily moved throughout a kitchen or backyard. Portable griddles typically use 1-pound disposable propane tanks or canisters. Due to their small size, they are excellent choices for cooking while camping.
• Placed on Existing Grill: These are innovative plates that you place over the top of your existing grill. These griddle covers then warm from the heat of the grill. These retain the same versatile benefits of a griddle but heat up quickly thanks to the grill being its source of heat. Because they’re so small and compact, they’re often extremely lightweight and affordable and are great attachments if you enjoy grilling frequently but would like to add eggs or a similar food to your backyard cookouts, for instance.

Buying Factors to Consider

Before you make a final decision concerning an outdoor gas griddle, keep these key aspects in mind so you can choose the best one for your needs.

Griddle Size

Obviously, the size of the griddle impacts how many folks you can cook for, and where. Smaller griddles can be used both indoors and outdoors and can be implemented relatively easily with an existing cookout layout.

For instance, you can combine them with existing grills with no trouble at all. Smaller griddles usually have surface areas of around 300 in.² or less and are perfect for cooking for a small family. Larger griddles will require dedicated space but can cook more food. They usually have cooking surface areas of 500 in.² or more and can cook for a large family.

Number of Burners

Griddles have hot and cold zones due to their burners. Essentially, the space directly above the burner will be hotter while spaces near the edges will be cooler. Having more burners beneath your griddle surface will let you heat the entire surface area more quickly and thoroughly. This can be important if you plan to cook a lot of food at the same time.

More burners is always a good thing since you can always turn burners off to keep a “cooler” or warming area. You get more temperature control over the griddle with more burners.

This is especially useful when doing outdoor cooking, as you don’t want those scrambled eggs to go cold while the sausages finish.

Material

Gas griddle surface areas can be made from a variety of materials. Stainless steel or chrome griddles are excellent picks, as these are very resistant to rust damage. However, these often tend to be more expensive.

Cheaper options can be made from regular steel or aluminum, but you should check to see if there’s any additional coating of heat-resistant material to ensure that the surface will function effectively for a decent period of time. Also, check out what else the griddle has to offer in terms of storage space or shelves; these add value for money to any individual griddle and can make your cooking tasks a lot easier.

Price

Finally, keep an ideal budget in mind when searching for your perfect gas griddle. Smaller griddles will be around the $100 to $200 mark, while larger griddles can easily go upwards of $300 or $400. The best way to determine your ideal budget is to predict how much you’ll be using the griddle in the weeks and months to come.

If you plan on cooking for a lot of people frequently, a more expensive griddle will be well worth the cost. On the other hand, if you only use the griddle sparingly, perhaps a cheaper option is in order.

Care and Maintenance

Let’s go over how to keep your new griddle running smoothly for years to come.

The two most important things to do are season your new griddle and invest in a cover.

We’ve got a written guide, or the video below from Blackstone does a great job showing you how to season your griddle.

After cooking, it’s imperative that you clean your griddle to preserve its surface and avoid rust formation, even if you have a rust-resistant surface like stainless steel.

• After the grill has cooled down, scrape away any hard debris or larger chunks of grease with your grill spatula.
• Then use a paper towel with a little water to get rid of the rest of the residue.
• A nylon scouring pad is a great idea after using a paper towel, as this will get even more of the grease and debris off the cooking surface.
• Rinse the cooking area thoroughly once this is all done and dry the griddle with a soft cloth. Finally, add a little oil over the surface and spread it with another paper towel to stop rust from forming.

When it comes to storing your gas griddle, try to find a place that is dry and cool so that your propane tanks will not be in danger blowing their tops off and leaking propane. You can use a propane tank gauge to check if you have enough fuel in the tank before each cooking session.

A garage or storage shed is a great idea, provided that you have a cover for the griddle so that dust and other debris doesn’t fall onto the cooking surface and scratch or damage it.

Don’t stack anything on top of your griddle, as this can damage the cooking surface and the griddle as a whole and will lower the tool’s overall lifespan.

Wrapping it up

If you’re still on the fence about your choice, you can’t go wrong with the Blackstone 36″ Gas Griddle

It’s a fantastic gas griddle that’s perfect for a variety of different types of cooking thanks to its excellent working space, smart griddle top construction, and powerful burners.

Source: https://gardencourte.com
Categories: Outdoor