Best Outdoor Griddles: 7 Propane Flat Tops and Combos Compared

The best outdoor griddle for most backyards is a full-size propane flat top on a rolling stand, with at least two burners you can set to different heats and a grease system that keeps fat off the cooking surface. Our Best Overall pick, the Blackstone 1517 28-Inch Omnivore Griddle, fits that brief: the Amazon listing gives it 517 square inches of cooking space over two burners, Blackstone’s own product page rates it at 34,000 BTU, and both describe a rear grease management system. Not everyone needs a 28-inch cart, though, so the other six picks cover tabletop griddles, a griddle on a folding stand, two grill and griddle combos, and a 647 square inch four-burner model for big gatherings.

Every griddle here burns propane, so every one belongs outdoors, even though the 1814 listing mentions kitchen and countertop use. We compared all seven on cooking area, burner count and heat output, hood or lid, grease handling, cooking surface, weight, and size. Each spec comes from the Amazon listing for that exact product or, where we name the maker, from the maker’s own US product page. Where a listing contradicts itself or the maker, we say which number we used.

Propane and charcoal grills are for outdoor use only (NFPA), and no grill should be used inside a home, garage or camper because of the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning (CDC); for pellet and wood-fired models, follow your manual.

We earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page. Commissions never affect our rankings or PelletSmokeLab Scores.

Our Top Outdoor Griddle Picks

• Best Overall: Blackstone 1517 28-Inch Omnivore Griddle. A 28-inch, two-burner propane griddle on casters with rear grease management; 517 square inches per the listing and 34,000 BTU per Blackstone.
• Best Tabletop Griddle With a Hood: Blackstone 1813 22-Inch Tabletop Griddle with Hood. 361 square inches of griddle under an integrated hood, per the listing, the largest flat cooking surface of the tabletop picks that come with a hood or lid.
• Lightest Griddle: Blackstone 1814 17-Inch Tabletop Griddle. 9 kg (about 19.8 lb) per the listing, roughly 13 lb lighter than the next lightest unit here.
• Best 3-in-1 Combo: Royal Gourmet PD1305H Grill and Griddle Combo. The only pick with a griddle, a grill grate, and a 12,000 BTU side burner in one tabletop unit, per Royal Gourmet and the listing.
• Best Folding Stand: Royal Gourmet PD3001 Griddle with Collapsible Stand. The only griddle here whose stand folds down for storage and transport, per Royal Gourmet, with three burners under a 314 square inch top.
• Most Space in a Combo: Royal Gourmet GD4002T Grill and Griddle Combo. 430 square inches and four 10,000 BTU burners, per Royal Gourmet, against 364 square inches on the other combo.
• Most Cooking Space: Pit Boss 4-Burner Lift-Off Griddle (10782). 647 square inches and 46,000 BTU across four burners, per Pit Boss, the largest surface and highest output in this guide.

Outdoor Griddles Compared

How We Chose

We started with Amazon US search results for outdoor griddles, propane griddles, gas griddles, flat top grills, and the main griddle brands, then removed what did not fit: loose griddle plates that sit on another cooker, griddles that run on household current, indoor cookware, covers, and tools. Each remaining griddle had to be sold new on Amazon US, clear our minimum average owner rating from a minimum number of owner ratings. We capped any one brand at three models, which is why Blackstone and Royal Gourmet each appear three times and no more.

We then read each listing for fuel. All seven are propane (LP) units, and none of the listings is a natural gas version. We also searched federal recall records for every brand and model number here, and none of the seven matched a recall notice. None of the seven listings carried owner review text we could quote, so the product cards stick to specs and makers’ claims rather than owner opinions.

Next, we opened the makers’ US product pages. Blackstone’s page for the 1517 lists it in its Original Series with 34,000 BTU and a one-year manufacturer’s warranty. Royal Gourmet’s pages confirm the cooking areas and burner figures we use for the PD1305H, PD3001, and GD4002T, and Pit Boss’s page confirms the 647 square inch surface, 46,000 BTU, weights, and dimensions of the 10782. Blackstone lists the 1813 and 1814 model numbers on its product manuals page, but we could not find a product page for either, so their specs come from the Amazon listings alone. The Pit Boss listing describes a five-year warranty in one place and two years in another; Pit Boss says two years, so we use that, and the inconsistency counts against the listing in its PelletSmokeLab Score.

Best Overall has to clear a higher owner-rating bar with a large base of owner ratings of its own, and match the keyword: a propane griddle you cook on outdoors. The Blackstone 1517 met every requirement, its maker still lists it, and it is sold and shipped by Amazon. The other six follow our research order for this guide. The PelletSmokeLab Score on each card is a separate measure and does not decide that order; our method is explained on our How We Review page.

How to Choose the Best Outdoor Griddle

Most griddle regrets come from buying the wrong size or the wrong format: a 28-inch cart for a small balcony, or a 17-inch tabletop for a family that hosts every weekend. Work through these points in order.

Size the cooking surface to your household

Cooking area is the single most useful number on a griddle. The picks here run from 268 square inches on the 17-inch Blackstone 1814 to 647 square inches on the Pit Boss. Makers translate that into food counts, which help more than square inches when you picture a real meal. The 1814 listing says its top fits 9 burgers, 9 pancakes, or 12 eggs, which it calls enough for a family of four. The 1813 listing says its 22-inch top holds up to 14 burgers. Blackstone’s product page puts the 28-inch top of the 1517 at 25 burgers or 15 pancakes.

As a rough guide: a couple or a family of three cooking breakfast on a small patio will be fine on 17 inches. A family of five that wants pancakes, bacon, and eggs ready at the same time needs the 22-inch class or larger. If you host neighbors or feed a team, look at the 28-inch Blackstone or the Pit Boss, which gives you about 130 more square inches than the 1517.

Count the burners, not only the BTU

Each burner is a heat zone you control with its own knob. With one burner, as on the 1814, the whole top runs at roughly one setting. With two or more, you can sear burgers on one side and keep onions or buns warm on the other. The 1813 listing describes two independently heated zones; the 1517 has two burners; the PD3001 has three; and the GD4002T and Pit Boss have four each.

Total BTU tells you how much gas the burners can burn, not how hot the top gets, and the totals here scale with size: 12,000 BTU on the 17-inch 1814, 34,000 on the 28-inch 1517, and 46,000 on the 647 square inch Pit Boss. Compare BTU between griddles of similar size, and treat burner count as the better guide to how flexible the top will be. On the two combos, remember that some of that output goes to the grill side: the PD1305H puts 12,000 of its 29,000 BTU into the side burner, per the listing.

Decide whether you want a hood or lid

A hood or lid has two jobs: covering the top between cooks and trapping heat when you melt cheese or steam vegetables. The 1813 listing says its integrated hood protects the griddle top from scratches when it is not in use. The PD1305H listing describes a griddle lid that also acts as a wind guard, and the PD3001 listing describes a lid held shut by two latch buckles for transport. The 1517 and GD4002T ship without one; Royal Gourmet sells a newer hooded version of the GD4002T. The 1814 listing contradicts itself on whether a hood is included, and the Pit Boss listing names a lid that Pit Boss’s own page does not mention, so confirm with the seller if a lid matters to you.

Without a hood, a cover does the protective part of the job. Blackstone’s griddle care guide recommends a heavy-duty canvas cover to shield the griddle from scratches, dust, and rust.

Look closely at grease handling

A griddle has no grates for fat to drip through, so every design needs a path for grease off the plate. Blackstone’s rear grease management on the 1517 and 1813 lets you push grease and food bits to the back edge, where it collects for disposal. The 1814 uses an integrated tray that slides out, per the listing. The Royal Gourmet units use removable grease cups, and the GD4002T adds a grooved drip tray that channels oil into its cup. The Pit Boss uses a removable front-side grease trap, which Pit Boss says is built for quick cleanup.

Whatever the design, empty and clean it often. The NFPA grilling safety tip sheet says to keep a grill clean by removing grease or fat buildup from the grills and from the trays below. A cup you can reach without moving the griddle makes that habit easier to keep.

Match portability to where you will cook

Outdoor griddles come in three formats. Tabletop units sit on a table, tailgate, or stand: the 1813, 1814, PD1305H, and GD4002T. Blackstone’s guide to choosing a flat top suggests a smaller one or two-burner griddle if you plan to cook on the go, set on a picnic table, the tailgate of a pickup, or a collapsible table. The PD3001 sits in the middle: it stands at cooking height on its own legs and wheels, and Royal Gourmet says the stand folds down in seconds for storage. Full-size carts like the 1517 and Pit Boss are built to stay on the patio, and the 1517 rolls on two casters.

Weight decides how often a portable griddle actually leaves home. The 1814 weighs about 19.8 lb, per the listing, and the PD1305H 32.7 lb. The 1813 is 37.5 lb and the GD4002T 40.6 lb, and the PD3001 weighs 52 lb even though it folds. The Pit Boss top lifts off its cart to work as a tabletop griddle, but Pit Boss puts that top alone at 89 lb, so plan on two people. Measure the space before you order too: the 1517 is 44 inches wide per the listing, and the Pit Boss is 62.7 inches long per Pit Boss.

Check the propane setup

All seven griddles run on propane (LP). Blackstone’s choosing guide says smaller griddles can run on one-pound propane bottles, or on a larger tank with an adapter hose, while the larger griddles require a 20-pound tank. The 1814 listing follows that pattern: a 1 lb bottle, or a 20 lb tank with an adapter hose and regulator sold separately. The GD4002T listing says it operates on a 20 lb cylinder. If you camp with small bottles, confirm the connection before you buy.

None of these is a natural gas model. Blackstone says natural gas needs a different fuel supply line from the one that came with the griddle and that some of its griddles are not compatible with its conversion kits. If you want to run a griddle off a home gas line, buy a model the maker sells or approves for natural gas, and follow its manual.

Plan for rust protection and storage

The cooking surface decides how much care a griddle needs. Blackstone’s tops are steel, and its product page describes seasoning as heating the top and spreading a thin layer of oil, repeated three to four times at first, then oiling the top before and after each cook. The Royal Gourmet tops are coated, ceramic on the PD3001 and GD4002T and porcelain enamel on the PD1305H, yet Royal Gourmet still says to season the PD3001 before first use. The Pit Boss is the exception: Pit Boss says its ceramic surface is ready to use straight out of the box and needs only a gentle wipe after use.

Storage matters as much as seasoning. Blackstone’s care guide says to keep a griddle in a cool, dry place under a cover, and to be extra careful if you live somewhere humid or near the beach, where steel rusts faster. If your griddle will sit outside year-round in a damp climate, a coated surface or a hood plus a fitted cover will save you work.

Flat Top Griddles vs. Grill and Griddle Combos

Five of our picks are flat top griddles: one continuous plate over the burners. The other two are combos that pair a griddle with grill grates. A flat top gives you the most unbroken surface for pancakes, smash burgers, fried rice, and cooking a whole breakfast at once, which is why all five flat tops offer at least 268 square inches of griddle. A combo trades some of that plate for grates.

The trade-off is easy to see in the numbers. The PD1305H gives you 211 square inches of griddle and 153 of grill grate, plus a side burner for a pot of coffee or beans, per Royal Gourmet. The GD4002T offers 430 square inches across its griddle plate and cast iron grates, but Royal Gourmet does not say how that total splits. A combo makes sense when you camp or tailgate with one cooker and want grill marks on a steak as well as eggs in the morning. If griddle cooking is the main event, a flat top of the same size gives you more plate to work with.

Who Should Look Elsewhere

Skip all seven if you want to cook indoors or in a garage: these are outdoor propane appliances. Skip them too if you need to run off a natural gas line, since every pick here is an LP model. If your lease, building, or community has rules about open-flame cookers on balconies, check them before you buy any of these.

Skip the Blackstone 1517 if you want a hood or a tabletop griddle you can pack for a trip. Skip the 1814 if you regularly cook for more than four people. Skip the two Royal Gourmet combos if griddle space matters most: the PD1305H has 211 square inches of griddle, less than any flat top here, and Royal Gourmet does not give a separate griddle area for the GD4002T. Skip the Pit Boss if you need to lift and carry the griddle on your own, or if you are short on patio space. And if you want a surface that needs no seasoning at all, the Pit Boss is the only one here that its maker says is ready to cook out of the box.

Outdoor Griddle FAQ

What is the best outdoor griddle for most people?

For most households with a patio or backyard, a 28-inch, two-burner propane griddle on a cart is the most flexible starting point. That is why our Best Overall is the Blackstone 1517, with 517 square inches per the listing, 34,000 BTU per Blackstone, and rear grease management. If you cook on the road, a tabletop model like the Blackstone 1813 is the better fit.

Is a flat top griddle the same as a griddle grill?

People use both names for the same thing: a gas-fired steel or coated plate you cook on directly. Some brands also use “griddle grill” for combo units that add grill grates, like the two Royal Gourmet combos here. Read the listing to see whether you are buying one flat plate or a plate plus grates.

What size outdoor gas griddle do I need?

Match it to the number of people you feed at once. The 17-inch Blackstone 1814 listing says its top fits 9 burgers and suits a family of four. A 22-inch top like the 1813 holds up to 14 burgers, per its listing, and Blackstone puts its 28-inch top at 25 burgers. Above that, the Pit Boss offers 647 square inches.

Does a propane griddle need to be seasoned?

Bare steel tops, like Blackstone’s, need seasoning before the first cook and a thin coat of oil after cleaning. Coated tops vary: Royal Gourmet says to season its ceramic-coated PD3001 before first use, while Pit Boss says its ceramic surface is ready to use out of the box. Follow the manual for the griddle you buy.

Can I connect a propane griddle to natural gas?

Not by simply attaching a gas line. Blackstone says natural gas needs a different fuel supply line and that some griddles are not compatible with its conversion kits. All seven picks here are propane models, so if you want natural gas, choose a griddle the maker sells or approves for it.

Final Thoughts

Pick the format first, then the size. Our picks by need:

• Best Overall: Blackstone 1517 28-Inch Omnivore Griddle. For backyard cooks who want a full-size propane flat top on wheels.
• Best Tabletop Griddle With a Hood: Blackstone 1813 22-Inch Tabletop Griddle with Hood. For small patios and tailgates where a hood keeps the top covered.
• Lightest Griddle: Blackstone 1814 17-Inch Tabletop Griddle. For couples and small families who want a griddle that fits in the trunk.
• Best 3-in-1 Combo: Royal Gourmet PD1305H Grill and Griddle Combo. For campers who want a griddle, a grill grate, and a side burner in one box.
• Best Folding Stand: Royal Gourmet PD3001 Griddle with Collapsible Stand. For cooks who want standing height without a permanent cart.
• Most Space in a Combo: Royal Gourmet GD4002T Grill and Griddle Combo. For tailgaters who want four burners across a griddle plate and grates.
• Most Cooking Space: Pit Boss 4-Burner Lift-Off Griddle (10782). For large families and regular hosts with room for a big cart.

No griddle fixes a spot that is too small or a surface you will not maintain. Measure the space, count the people you cook for, and decide how much seasoning you are willing to do; the shortlist gets short quickly after that.

Related Picks

• Griddle vs Grill: Which Should You Buy?
• How to Clean a Griddle: Outdoor Flat Top Steps by Brand
• How to Season a Griddle: First-Time and After-Cook Steps

About the author