What Can You Cook on a Griddle? – Cooking Tips & Guide

Outdoor griddle cooking is lots of fun. Primarily reserved for camping or tailgating, it’s growing in popularity in backyards across the country as well. While the idea of griddling conjures up images of pancakes being cooked on electric griddles in your kitchen, gas grills are versatile enough to accomplish this fun and easy way of cooking in an outdoor setting, too.

While charcoal grills are generally considered favorites for barbecuing, baking, roasting, or braising, substituting a griddle top for the grill racks allows outdoor chefs to add extra flavor to their pancakes or eggs by infusing wood flavors into the food.

Griddles are specialized grill tops that excel at cooking a variety of foods. They’re large, flat surfaces that feature heating elements under them to cook the foods placed on the surface quickly. 

There are different types of griddles. Some grills only feature griddle tops, like the ones you often see in restaurants. Others are cast-iron inserts that can be placed over stove burners or grill burners, while portable options are electric for easy countertop cooking.

When it comes to the price of a griddle, it depends on what type of griddle you’re purchasing. Larger gas grills with griddle tops can be in the thousands, while simple countertop gas grills may only cost a few hundred dollars. Cast-iron griddle pans and small, non-commercial countertop griddles cost even less.

Delicious foods don’t always need to be flame-licked on charcoal grills. Sometimes grilling your favorite food using a griddle is more effective than pan cooking over your stove. It can be easier to retain moisture in your food while providing enough room to cook for more than 4 or 5 people at one time. 

Griddles provide consistent heat across a large surface, and upgraded models often feature more than a single burner under the griddle surface, making temperature control super easy. You can cook anything on a griddle that you’d cook on a regular grill plate.