Best Camping Griddles: Our Researched Picks for Campsite Cooking
Looking for the best camping griddle? We compare five propane and campfire griddles for RV trips and campsite cooking — sizes, burners, and honest tradeoffs.
Carlos Lopez
8/1/20266 min read
Which Camping Griddle Is Best for RV and Campsite Cooking?
For most RV and campsite cooking, a 22-inch tabletop propane griddle is the best choice — enough surface for a full meal, small enough to travel. We chose the Blackstone OTG 22 Inch for our own setup. Bigger crews do better with a 3- or 4-burner model, and fire cooks should skip propane entirely.
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Here's where we are. Nancy and I rent RVs — we don't own one yet — and we've got a rental booked for Labor Day weekend. Somewhere in the middle of planning that trip, we also started building a cedarwood outdoor kitchen on our screened-in porch, which means the griddle question stopped being theoretical and turned into a thing we actually had to buy.
So we bought one. It's sitting in a half-finished outdoor kitchen right now, still waiting on its first seasoning coat. We haven't cooked on it yet — that's coming, first at home and then on the trip.
What follows is the research that got us there, plus the four other griddles we seriously looked at. We'll be honest about which one we picked and why, and equally honest that we can't tell you how any of them perform until we've actually used them. Macie and Mindy have no opinions on BTU output but very strong opinions about bacon.
What to Look for in a Camping Griddle
A camping griddle is a flat steel cooking surface — usually propane-fired — designed to travel. Unlike a grill grate, the solid surface means eggs, pancakes, and chopped vegetables stay on the griddle instead of falling into the fire.
Four things actually matter when you're choosing one:
Cooking surface. Measured in square inches, not the headline size. A 22-inch tabletop griddle runs around 330 square inches, which feeds two to four people comfortably. Larger 3- and 4-burner models push past 400.
Burner count and BTU. More burners means independent heat zones — bacon on one side, pancakes on the other. Total BTU tells you how fast it recovers when you drop cold food on it.
Portability versus capacity. This is the real tradeoff, and it's sharper for RV renters than for anyone else. Tabletop models fit in a storage bay. Cart-style griddles do not.
Fuel type. Propane is the default. But a charcoal or wood-fired griddle removes the propane supply chain entirely, at the cost of speed and burn-ban flexibility.
The Best Camping Griddles We Researched
Five griddles, five different jobs. All of these are in our Campsite Griddles & Accessories list on our Amazon storefront.
Best Overall: Blackstone OTG Outdoor Tabletop Griddle with Built-in Hood, Black, 22 Inch
This is the one we bought.
Why we chose it: 22 inches is the size most people land on for good reason — it cooks a full breakfast without dominating a picnic table. The built-in hood matters more than we expected; it traps heat for faster cooking and covers the surface when you're done. Piezo ignition means no lighter to lose.
Honest tradeoffs: It's stainless steel and it is not light. In a rental RV with limited storage, that's a real consideration — it's our griddle to haul and maintain, not the rental company's problem. Carbon steel griddles also need seasoning before first use and oiling after every cook.
Who it's for: Couples and small families, car campers, RV renters who want one griddle that also earns its keep at home.
Most Cooking Power: SKOK 3 Burners Outdoor Tabletop Gas Griddle with Hood, 45,000 BTU Output, 23.3 Inch
Why it's on the list: Three independently controlled burners and 45,000 total BTU is a genuine step up in capability. The 326-square-inch surface is comparable to the Blackstone, but three heat zones give you far more control — a hot searing zone and a warm holding zone at the same time. It also comes in 2- and 4-burner versions.
Honest tradeoffs: More burners means more propane draw. And the hood, while it disassembles, adds bulk.
Who it's for: Campers who cook multi-component meals and want zone control without moving to a cart.
Best Griddle-Grill Combo: Royal Gourmet GD4002T 4-Burner Tailgater Grill and Griddle Combo
Why it's on the list: Half flat-top griddle, half cast iron grill grate. If you've ever argued about whether to bring a griddle or a grill, this ends the argument. Four burners, 40,000 BTU, 430 square inches total.
Honest tradeoffs: Splitting the surface means neither half is full-size. Nearly 40 inches wide, so measure your storage bay first. And a griddle plate plus cast iron grates is two cleaning routines instead of one.
Who it's for: Groups, tailgaters, and anyone who wants burgers over grates and pancakes on steel in the same trip.
Premium Pick: Weber 28" Rust Resistant Liquid Propane Gas Griddle
Why it's on the list: It arrives pre-seasoned, which removes the single most intimidating part of griddle ownership. Rust-resistant carbon steel, three burners with independent heat zones, and it reaches over 500°F for real searing. A detachable hard cover slides back and hooks to the cooktop.
Honest tradeoffs: This is a cart, not a tabletop — 53 inches wide with wheels and side tables. It is not going in an RV storage bay, and it's the most expensive griddle here by a wide margin.
Who it's for: Home patios and outdoor kitchens. We're including it because "camping griddle" searches often come from people building a permanent outdoor cooking setup — which, given our porch project, we understand completely.
Best for Fire Cooking: Petromax Campfire Griddle and Fire Bowl, Steel with 3 Removable Legs
Why it's on the list: No propane at all. A steel bowl on three removable legs that you either set over a fire or build the fire directly inside. The center runs hotter than the outer edge, so you can sear in the middle and hold food warm around the rim — a genuinely different way to cook.
Sizes: Available in several diameters. Smaller bowls suit a couple; larger ones handle group cooking but get heavy fast in steel.
Honest tradeoffs: Fire cooking is a skill, and heat control over coals takes practice. Burn bans shut it down completely, which is not hypothetical in late-summer Tennessee. Building fire to cooking coals takes an hour-plus.
Who it's for: Campers who want the fire to be part of the meal, and anyone tired of hauling propane.
Accessories Worth Having
A griddle alone will frustrate you. Our storefront list also carries a griddle tool kit with spatulas and scrapers, a silicone griddle mat for storage and transport, a cleaning kit for post-cook scraping, and a propane regulator and hose for running off a larger tank instead of the small green bottles.
That last one matters more than it sounds for longer trips. Small propane canisters run out at inconvenient times.
What We're Doing Before Labor Day
The Blackstone gets its seasoning coats as soon as the cedarwood counter is finished. Then a few test cooks at home — the point is to learn the hot spots and how fast it recovers before we're doing it at a campsite with two dogs underfoot.
Then Labor Day weekend, the real test. We'll come back and update this post with what actually happened, including whatever we got wrong.
If you want to read how we decided between a griddle, a campfire grate, and the RV's built-in stove in the first place, that comparison is where this whole thing started.
Camping Griddle FAQ
What size camping griddle do I need?
For two to four people, a 17–22 inch tabletop griddle with roughly 300–330 square inches is the sweet spot. Larger groups benefit from 3- or 4-burner models above 400 square inches. Measure your RV storage bay or vehicle cargo space before sizing up — capacity you can't transport isn't capacity.
How do you season a griddle?
Seasoning means baking thin layers of oil onto the cooking surface to create a non-stick, rust-resistant coating. Heat the griddle, wipe on a very thin layer of high-smoke-point oil, let it burn off until it stops smoking, then repeat several times. Most carbon steel and cast iron griddles need it before first use and periodically after. Some, like the Weber, arrive pre-seasoned.
Can you use a camping griddle in an RV?
Propane griddles should only be used outside — never inside an RV, awning-enclosed space, or any area without full ventilation. Most RVers cook outside anyway to keep heat and food smells out of a small living space. Always follow the manufacturer's clearance instructions.
How many BTUs do you need for a camping griddle?
For a 2-burner tabletop griddle, 20,000–25,000 BTU handles typical camp cooking. Three- and four-burner models run 40,000–45,000 BTU. Higher BTU mainly improves recovery time when cold food hits the surface — useful for searing and cooking for groups, less important for a couple making breakfast.
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