Cooking · Gear We Love

The Best Camping Griddle (2 Ways to Get a Flat-Top at Camp)

A flat-top griddle is the single best upgrade for camp breakfast — pancakes, eggs, and bacon all going at once, plus smashburgers and quesadillas the rest of the day. There are really two ways to get one at a campsite, and they're genuinely different choices: a self-contained propane griddle that brings its own burner, or a heavy carbon-steel plate you set right over the fire (or a grill, or your stove) with no fuel of its own. Here's both, and how to pick between them.

Our picks

The propane flat-top

Blackstone 2363 Camping Griddle (20 x 14)

Blackstone makes the flat-tops everyone swears by — our permanent campsite runs one. This is their portable version: a 20-by-14-inch steel surface with its own burner underneath, so it's a complete, cook-anywhere griddle. It does pancakes, eggs, and bacon better than any grate, with room to run a whole family's breakfast at once. Honest trade-offs: it's all cooking surface with no side tables, and it's one more propane thing to feed (the small one-pound canisters keep it portable). If you want the real griddle experience with even, ready-when-you-are heat, this is it.

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The no-propane option

Lodge 18-inch Pre-Seasoned Carbon Steel Griddle

If you'd rather not haul another fuel-burning gadget, this is the move: a heavy carbon-steel plate that sits right over the campfire, on a grill grate, on your camp stove, or in the oven back home. No burner, no propane, nothing to break — just pre-seasoned carbon steel that holds heat like a champion and will outlive you. It's cheaper than the Blackstone, doubles as kitchen gear the other fifty weeks a year, and runs on the fire you've already got going. Care for it exactly like your cast iron. The catch is honest: you supply the heat and the patience — it's a plate, not an appliance.

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How to choose

Propane griddle or a plate over the fire?

The two picks are really two philosophies. The Blackstone is an appliance — its own burner, even heat, ready when you are. The Lodge is a tool — no fuel of its own; you set it over whatever fire you've got and manage the heat yourself. The Blackstone is faster and more even for a big family breakfast; the Lodge is simpler, cheaper, indestructible, and one less propane thing to pack and feed. Neither is wrong. It comes down to whether you want convenience or simplicity.

Why a griddle beats a grate for breakfast

Eggs slip through a grill grate, pancakes need a flat surface, and bacon grease has nowhere to go. A flat-top fixes all three and lets you run pancakes, eggs, bacon, and hash browns side by side on one surface — exactly what a hungry family wants in the morning. If breakfast is your favorite camp meal, a griddle is the best upgrade you can make.

Carbon steel and cast iron: same rules

The Lodge — like any carbon-steel or cast-iron flat-top — wants the same care as a skillet: heat it, oil it, don't drown it in soap, dry it completely, and the seasoning only improves with use. New to it? Our cast iron care guide covers all of it, and every word applies to a griddle too.

The propane reality (for the Blackstone)

Same rule as any camp burner: the small one-pound canisters keep it portable; a big tank with an adapter is cheaper fuel but defeats the point of bringing a camping griddle (we get into that on the stoves and grills page). Bring a spare canister so breakfast never stalls.

You might not need a dedicated griddle at all

Worth saying plainly: a cast-iron skillet does much of what a griddle does for a small group — it's just smaller. A griddle earns its place when you're feeding a family and want everything cooking at once. For one or two people, your camp skillet may be all you need.

Common questions

Do I need a propane griddle, or can I use one over the fire?

Both work. A propane griddle like the Blackstone is an appliance with its own even heat — faster and easier for a big breakfast. A carbon-steel plate like the Lodge has no fuel of its own; you set it over the campfire, grill, or stove and manage the heat yourself — simpler, cheaper, and one less thing to fuel. Pick convenience or simplicity.

What size camping griddle do I need?

For a family, about 18 to 20 inches of surface lets you run pancakes, eggs, and bacon at the same time. A couple can get away with smaller — and at that size, a cast-iron skillet may do the job instead.

How do you clean a camp griddle?

Carbon steel and cast iron: scrape it while it's still warm, wipe it out, a little hot water only if needed, dry it fully, then a thin coat of oil. No heavy soap, no soaking. A propane griddle's steel top is the same idea once it cools.

Can you cook eggs on a camping griddle?

Yes — that's the whole point. Eggs fall straight through a grill grate but cook perfectly on a flat-top, right next to your pancakes and bacon.

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