Best Portable Griddle for Camping, Tailgating and RVing

Last Updated May 30, 2022
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Grills are incredible cooking tools, and we absolutely love using them, but much as it pains us to say it there are just some foods you can’t cook on a grill. Enter the griddle, a flat-topped powerhouse that’s been making a significant resurgence among the grillmaster community of late. It’s versatile, it’s easy to use, and best of all, it’s able to cook almost anything. Today we’re covering the best portable griddles on the market to help you find the perfect model for your needs.

Best Portable Griddles

Portable griddles have been around in one form or another for a long time. It’s only recently, though, that they’ve really started to make their way into the ranks of the top grilling tools for serious grillmasters.

New models look a lot like portable propane grills, but with a searing hot flat top cook surface instead of a grill grate. That change allows you to cook any kind of seared or sauteed food on a griddle.

Our list below includes a range of different griddle types and sizes, with other options at each price point also picked out.

Best Overall Portable Griddle

Blackstone Tabletop Grill – 22-Inch Portable Gas Griddle

Blackstone Tabletop Grill
The Blackstone portable griddle product picture

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The Blackstone Tabletop Grill is a 22-inch portable propane griddle. It uses dual H-shaped burners to produce two different temperature zones that evenly distribute heat.

It has a respectable 330 sq in of cooking surface, plenty to cook up a meal for several people, and is extremely portable. It’s powered by a standard 1-lb propane tank but can also be hooked up to a larger tank with an adapter.

It needs to be set up on a tabletop or similar surface for use. That can be limiting but does improve overall portability.

It’s a good choice if you’re looking for an RVing or camping griddle or similar cook surface for portable use.

For a more complete review of the Blackstone 22 inch have a look at this article.

Pros – Things we liked
H-shaped burners
330 sq in of cooking surface
Innovative grease management system
Lightweight – 32 Pounds
Cons – Things we didn’t like
Customer support has a bad reputation

Best Portable Griddle with Wheels

PIT BOSS Portable Gas Griddle

PIT BOSS Portable Gas Griddle
The PIT BOSS portable griddle product picture

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The PIT BOSS Portable Gas Griddle is a mobile stand-up propane griddle. It offers 320 sq in of cook surface with a total possible output of 18,000 BTU.

It folds up onto two legs plus a pair of wheels, allowing you to roll it easily into place. It hooks up to standard 20-lb propane tanks through a long connector. It can also be adjusted with an adapter to hook onto other tanks as needed.

It has a 3.5 mm pre-seasoned griddle surface with plenty of space for cooking up a large meal. It comes with a grill cover and is designed with an easy-to-use grease management tray to drain cooking grease.

If you’re looking for a standalone gas griddle for RVing, camping, tailgating, or general use, the PIT BOSS Portable Gas Griddle is a great option.

Best Portable Griddle for Small Budgets

Royal Gourmet Portable 3-Burner Propane Gas Grill Griddle

Royal Gourmet Portable Propane Gas Grill Griddle
The Royal Gourmet portable griddle product picture

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The Royal Gourmet Portable 3-Burner Propane Gas Grill Griddle is a tabletop griddle with multiple temperature zones. It has three independently targetable burners, each capable of producing 9,000 BTUs.

That gives you 27,000 BTUs for the entire 325.9 sq in cook surface. When combined with the easy-to-use piezoelectric starter, you wind up with a convenient way to cook food for up to 6-8 people.

The cook surface is made from porcelain-coated steel, giving you an easy cleanup when you’re done cooking. You can cook on one, two, or all three sections of the cooktop at once.

It’s affordably priced and built to last. For those who don’t mind using a table whenever they want to break out a griddle, the Royal Gourmet Portable 3-Burner Propane Gas Griddle won’t let you down.

Best Portable Griddle for Customer Service

Cuisinart Gourmet Portable Gas Griddle

Cuisinart Gourmet Portable Gas Griddle
The Cuisinart portable griddle product picture

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The Cuisinart Gourmet Portable Gas Griddle is a stylish two-burner tabletop griddle. It offers 285 sq in of cook surface with a total possible heat output of 20,000 BTU.

That’s just right to cook up enough food for 3-5 people. It runs on propane gas and comes with a built-in connector for 20-lb propane tanks.

Each burner can be independently controlled with an easy knob that doubles as the starter. You can get the cold-rolled steel cook surface up to temp rapidly.

As a tabletop griddle, you are restricted somewhat in where you can cook, but the real consideration for the Cuisinart is price. It’s substantially more expensive than similar tabletop griddles.

If you’re a fan of the proven quality and customer service Cuisinart provides and are willing to pay a premium price the Cuisinart Gourmet Portable Gas Griddle is definitely a strong contender.

Editors Choice for Best Value Portable Griddle

Char-Broil 22-inch 2-Burner Portable Gas Griddle

Char-Broil 2-Burner Portable Gas Griddle
The Char-Broil portable griddle product picture

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The Char-Broil 22-inch 2-Burner Portable Gas Griddle is a compact griddle from one of the best known names in the grilling market. It uses a pair of long, straight burners to distribute heat across the whole cook surface evenly.

It has a 320 sq in cooking surface with a total potential heat output of 18,000 BTUs. That’s perfect for cooking up breakfast, lunch, and dinner for a family of four with a little extra space for more.

It’s made from heavy-duty materials with a cold-rolled steel griddle surface. That allows you to cook with impunity without worrying about scratching the surface.

If you’re a fan of Char-Broil grills, then adding a Char-Broil 22-inch Griddle to your RV, tailgating, or camping setup is a great way to take your grilling game to the next level.

Best Portable Griddle with Legs

Country Smokers Horizon Series 2-Burner Portable Gas Griddle

Country Smokers Horizon Portable Gas Griddle
The Country Smokers portable griddle product picture

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The Country Smokers Horizon Series 2-Burner Portable Gas Griddle is a standalone griddle with a generous cook surface. It provides you with 373 sq in of cooking space with two independently controllable burners for pinpoint heat control and different temperature zones.

It stands on four collapsible and adjustable legs, allowing you to get just the right height for your needs. It folds down into a much smaller package than you’d think at first.

The grill top is made from forged steel and is pre-seasoned for an easier startup. It comes ready to connect to standard 5- or 20-lb propane tanks. That makes it easy and inexpensive to fuel it up for a day of grilling fun.

The large cook surface and folding design is an excellent value-add for an RV, camping, tailgating, or just taking your griddle out to the park for a bbq. Even better is the price: It’s very attractively priced for a griddle of its size.

If you need to cook for a large family without breaking the bank the Country Smokers Horizon Series 2-Burner Portable Gas Griddle bears serious consideration.

Best Portable Griddle for Camping

Coleman Even-Temp Propane Stove & Griddle

Coleman Even-Temp Propane Griddle
The Coleman portable griddle product picture

Buy the Stove from Amazon

Buy the Griddle from Amazon

Coleman is one of the best-known names in the hiking and camping world, with a vast array of tents, chairs, lanterns, and some very high-quality stoves and cooking tools. Their Even-Temp Propane Stove is an update of their iconic classic cookstove.

It works great as a standard camping stove, with dual burners and a common-sensical pot holding system. What’s even cooler is that it can be modified with a drop in griddle tray to provide an effective, modular cooking system that lets you jump from boiling corn to searing steaks.

The griddle tray comes in a useful pouch that makes it a lot easier to store away when not in use and protects it from scratches. It slips right on top of the stove and gets up to temp rapidly. At just 285 sq in, it isn’t quite as large as most other griddles on our list, but the fact that it doubles as a full stove gives it extra points in our book.

For those of you looking to upgrade your RVing, camping or tailgating game, the Coleman Even-Temp Propane Stove and Griddle combo provide a lot of value for a very reasonable price.

Compare the Best Portable Griddles

Table Comparing the Top 7 Portable Griddles
Image Title Price Rating Buy
OpenBlackstone Tabletop Portable Gas Griddle Compare Blackstone Tabletop Grill Portable Gas Griddle
$$$
96
Buy on Amazon
OpenPit Boss Portable Gas Griddle Compare PIT BOSS Portable Gas Griddle
$$$$
82
Buy on Amazon
OpenRoyal Gourmet Portable Propane Gas Grill Compare Royal Gourmet Propane Grill Griddle
$$
92
Buy on Amazon
OpenCuisinart Gourmet Two Burner Gas Griddle Compare Cuisinart Gourmet Portable Gas Griddle
$$$
90
Buy on Amazon
OpenChar Broil Portable Tabletop Griddle Compare Char-Broil 2-Burner Portable Gas Griddle
$$$$
92
Buy on Amazon
OpenCountry Smokers Portable Gas Griddle Compare Country Smokers Portable Gas Griddle
$$$
92
Buy on Amazon
OpenColeman Eventemp Griddle Compare Coleman Even-Temp Propane Stove & Griddle
$$$$
90
Buy on Amazon

Buyer’s Guide to Buying the Best Portable Griddle

Picking out the best portable griddles comes down to how you intend to use it and what kind of power you need. The most significant factors to consider are price, griddle surface area, and portability.

Price

Griddles are pretty consistently priced. Entry-level tabletop models hover around the $50-$60 mark while higher-end standalone models can go north of $200.

You can get a very good griddle that will serve you well for right around $100.

Griddle Surface Area

The surface area determines how much and what kinds of food you can cook on your griddle. Basic models are about the size of a portable camping stove and can handle cooking up pancakes, bacon, sausage, burgers, etc, without issue.

As you get into the larger range of griddles, they begin to approach the size of traditional propane grills and are closer to celebrated Japanese ‘teppanyaki’ style cook surfaces great for cooking almost anything. They can, of course, cook up a mess of hotcakes, bacon, and eggs, but also excel at making things like fried rice, steaks, burgers, okonomiyaki (Japanese savory cabbage pancakes, check them out, they’re delicious), and so much more.

Size, Weight & Portability

For portable griddles, portability is a key factor to consider. The most portable of all are simple metal plates designed to go over open coals or slot on top of a camp stove.

We didn’t cover these here, but they’re not a bad option. Next up is the purpose-built propane and butane griddles about the size of a camp stove but with a permanent griddle surface. These are light, portable, and easy to set up, but restrict what you can cook.

The very best portable griddles are the size of standard propane grills and can be used to cook just about anything. The downside to this is that they’re larger, heavier, and generally more annoying to pack/unpack and move around.

Number of Burners

The number of burners is directly related to the evenness and strength of the heat. Some griddles are little more than drop-in trays on top of standard multi-burner camp stoves, while others use a single long burner.

Single burner stoves distribute heat more evenly across the griddles surface but can also be more difficult to clean/maintain. Multi-burner stoves are generally cheaper but also less flexible in how they can be used.

The bulk of modern griddles are multi-burner models. They come in a variety of burner shapes and sizes to help distribute the heat as evenly as possible.

Heat Distribution

The number of burners, their shape, and their location play a significant role in heat distribution. Some griddles have noticeable hot spots where the gas hits more strongly and rely on the heat to spread through the grill surface.

The best use longer burners with a broader spread of flames that heat the griddle more evenly. It allows them to cook more food, more effectively.

Bar-style burners are used often on the larger griddles, as are H-style. These help cover more of the total cooking surface without increasing the number of burners.

Temp Ranges & Temp Control

Most griddles lack precise temperature controls but have a relatively stable temperature range. Smaller tabletop models generally have a spin dial style control with a basic up/down arrangement and can go from a low (that’s still usually pretty hot) up to a high setting.

The best portable griddles, and especially the largest ones around the size of grills, sometimes offer finer controls and a larger temperature range. Those features allow you to more precisely adjust the temperature to cook your food to at the perfect speed.

Top Portable Griddle for RVs & Camping

Final Thoughts

Griddles are one of the best tools out there for cooking a wide range of food quickly while out in the RV, camping, tailgating, or hanging out at the park.

The best griddles are portable, easy to use and provide enough cooking space to get the job done.

So long as you know roughly how many people you’ll usually be cooking for and keep the basic features we mentioned above in mind, it’s easy to pick out the best portable griddle for your needs.