We Tested 11 Electric Griddles—Four Made Perfectly Cooked Pancakes and Crispy Bacon

Cooking brunch at home can be an ordeal, especially if you have several mouths to feed. The prospect of juggling multiple pans between limited stovetop and oven space, while trying to accommodate the egg-cookery and pancake-shaping requests of sleepy children or (worse) adults who haven't had their coffee yet, can make a trip to the diner sound pretty appealing. But that also has its drawbacks: You have to change out of your pajamas, leave the house, talk to people, possibly wait in a line, and drop a good chunk of change for food you easily could have made better yourself. It's a tough call.

If you like cooking classic American breakfasts in your own kitchen, it may be worth considering purchasing an electric griddle. Electric griddles are a budget-friendly, at-home version of the flat-top cooking surfaces used by short-order diner cooks. They allow you to cook greasy-spoon staples like pancakes, bacon, French toast, fried eggs, and grilled cheese sandwiches in big batches, so you don't have to spend an eternity standing by the stove flipping two flapjacks at a time in a skillet.

The Winners, at a Glance

The Best Electric Griddle

Presto Electric Tilt-N-Fold Griddle

$36 at Amazon $70 $64 at Walmart $70 at Target

Our longtime favorite griddle delivers on all fronts: It’s simple to set up and operate, its large cooking surface heats (mostly) evenly, the control dial is well-designed with clear temperature markings, and the collapsible legs make it easy to store. One of its greatest features, however, is the tilting cooktop, which allows grease to drain away from food into the drip tray while cooking. We love the price too— the Tilt-N-fold (at the time of writing) is less than $60, so even if you’re not turning your kitchen into an IHOP every weekend, you won’t be dropping a bunch of loot on a rarely used appliance.

The Best Electric Griddle Upgrade

Broil King PCG-10 Professional Portable Nonstick Griddle

$150 at Amazon $154 at Walmart $150 at Wayfair

This griddle cooked the most evenly of any model we tested, turning out batches of perfectly browned pancakes and uniformly crispy bacon. It shares one of our favorite features with our overall winner: legs that can be adjusted to pitch the cooking surface, which helps drain fat into the drip tray. It comes with a removable stainless steel backsplash, minimizing grease splatter and providing a backstop to help flip food with a spatula. This model costs twice as much as the Tilt-N-Fold, but if you’re planning on using it for more than the occasional brunch, that might not be a deal breaker.

The Best Smaller Electric Griddle

Presto 22-Inch Electric Griddle

$60 at Amazon View on Lifeandhome.com $69 at Houzz

If you’re looking for a griddle with a smaller surface area, this one delivers. It also has removable handles so it can be stored easily. Worth noting: It's editor emeritus and baking extraordinaire Stella Parks's longtime favorite griddle.

The Best Electric Griddle With a Removable Cooktop

Zojirushi EA-DCC10 Gourmet Sizzler Electric Griddle

$196 $142 at Amazon View on Bed Bath & Beyond $160 at Wayfair

We liked that this griddle from Zojirushi has a cooktop that fully separates from its electronic parts, making it easy to scrub. You can even completely remove the electrical components from the body, allowing you to thoroughly clean that as well. The Gourmet Sizzler produced among the most evenly browned batches of pancakes in our tests, and the textured nonstick surface made it easy to flip food.

The Tests

• Pancake Tests: We tested each griddle by cooking batches of Kenji’s fluffy buttermilk pancakes followed by Stella’s Light and Thin pancakes. The griddles were set to 350°F and we employed an infrared thermometer to monitor the griddle temperature throughout cooking. We used a silicone spatula to flip the pancakes and noted how they browned and if they were difficult to flip. Once cooled, we washed each griddle per the manufacturer’s instructions and noted whether they were easy to clean.
• Bacon Test: We next tested each griddle’s ability to cook bacon, which requires a good amount of flipping and releases a lot of grease. We wanted to see how each model handles grease runoff and examine its drip tray design. We used each griddle to cook bacon slices until crispy, noting how many it could comfortably accommodate at once. We also noted if the griddle leaked grease during cooking, and how well the drip tray worked. Once cooled, we once again washed each griddle per the manufacturer’s instructions and noted whether they were easy to clean.

What We Learned

Even Cooking Was Hard to Come By

Most electric griddles use a flat cooking surface heated by an electric coil on the underside. You set the desired temperature via a control dial that then regulates the heat, cycling on and off to maintain the set temperature. Because these griddles are designed to warm up and then shut themselves off to avoid overheating (much like an electric stovetop), there’s a certain amount of unavoidable temperature variation. Most models showed their highest temperature readings close to the plug, for example, which is to be expected.

However, a good griddle should be able to maintain a relatively consistent temperature. Out of the eleven models we tested, only a handful (like the Broil King and the Tilt-N-Fold) could do that. We found that surface temperatures often swung wildly with some models, like Williams Sonoma and Black and Decker, registering variations as much as 90°F from one side of the griddle to the other. The result is a cooktop with distinct hot and cold spots, leading to uneven cooking.

Cooktop Texture Was Important 

Most (if not all) electric griddle cooktops are nonstick, however, not all nonstick surfaces are created equal. Some cooktops were so slick that we had trouble sliding a spatula underneath pancakes without pushing them across the surface. Yet others with more texture proved difficult to clean.

We found that the sweet spot is a lightly textured nonstick surface (like the one on the Tilt-N-Fold) that lightly grips food but also doesn’t have nooks and crannies for grease to hide in.

Simple Models Performed Their Job Better

Electric griddles excel at cooking large batches of food for a crowd. We find breakfast foods to be the ideal use, but you can also cook several grilled cheeses or quesadillas at once. We tested a few models with extra features (the GreenPan Ultimate Gourmet Grill and the Hamilton Beach 3-in-1 Electric Indoor Grill + Griddle, for example) but found them lacking. Some models had raised ridges on one side to mimic a grill pan, which was a cool idea in theory, but electric griddles can’t typically achieve the high temperatures necessary for getting grill marks, rendering that surface kaput. (Although you could opt for an indoor grill, but that's different altogether!)

Similarly, the griddle from GreenPan has dedicated rings built into one side of its cooking surface for corralling pancakes or eggs. While that’s a fun feature, we found it difficult to flip pancakes when there's a raised ridge in the way. Plus, models with multiple functionalities were generally bulkier, heavier, harder to assemble, and took up more storage space. The most successful models in our testing were just straightforward, good griddles.

Thoughtful Design Made a Big Difference

The composition of electric griddles was pretty simple: a cooking surface, a control dial attached to a power cord, and the body of the griddle. Because there are so few components, their design makes a big difference in terms of functionality. A well-designed temperature control dial, like the one on the Broil King, made it easier to adjust the cooking surface; having to guess how hot a griddle’s ‘medium’ or ‘high’ setting is is a game of trial and error we don't want to play while cooking.

Even better is a knob with a marking that can be lined up with a temperature reading (one on the dial itself and one on the body of the unit) so that you can be reasonably sure you’re setting the griddle to the desired temperature and not a few degrees up or down. Not every model’s control dial included an ‘off’ setting, meaning we had to unplug them to be sure they weren’t on. While this was a small nuisance, it was a nuisance nonetheless. Additionally, large heatproof handles, like those on the Presto 22-inch Electric Griddle, proved key. If we needed to shift the position of the griddle while pre-heating or cooking, sturdy handles that stayed cool and were large enough to keep our fingers from grazing the hot griddle were crucial.

The Criteria: What to Look for in an Electric Griddle

Most of the electric griddles on the market have the same basic design—a rectangular, nonstick, flat cooking surface that is heated by an electric coil on its underside. A control dial, located on the detachable power cord, regulates the heat, cycling on and off to maintain the set temperature. The majority of models come with a removable drip tray for catching cooking grease.

Since large(ish) scale cooking is the primary use for an electric griddle, a bigger nonstick cooking surface (with enough space to cook six pancakes and one package of bacon) that heats evenly is essential. The cooktop should be smooth, but not so smooth that you end up pushing food around instead of flipping it. We found that very lightly textured cooktops excelled at gripping pancakes just enough to slide a spatula underneath but also prevented any sticking.

Because it isn't an everyday appliance, we want a griddle to have a slim footprint that won't take up a ton of valuable kitchen storage space. Finally, because most of us aren't cooking huge breakfasts all that frequently, we wanted to find griddles that are affordable; spending a lot of money on an appliance that gathers dust in the cupboard catacombs is frustrating and unnecessary. 

The Top Electric Griddles

The Best Electric Griddle

Presto Electric Tilt-N-Fold Griddle

$36 at Amazon $70 $64 at Walmart $70 at Target

What we liked: This griddle, which was our previous winner, still delivers everything you need to cook a stellar brunch in a well-made package. The legs fold down, making it easier to store than bulkier models and its control dial has temperatures printed on it, with a designated ‘off’ setting.  

The cooktop was large and deep, noticeably more so than the other models we tested. You’ll have ample room for pancakes (we easily fit eight, 3-inch cakes at once) and plenty of space to flip them. Pancakes came out evenly browned, other than at the corners of the cooktop, where temperature readings were slightly cooler. The large surface area easily fits an entire package of bacon (12 slices) with room to flip them over. Indeed, the bacon test is where this griddle truly shone. The back legs can extend, tilting the whole cooktop forward, and grease funnels toward the drip tray. If you’ve ever cooked bacon in a skillet, you know it can be quite a splattery and smoky affair. Draining the fat away during cooking means less spattering grease and smoke. 

The cleanup was also pretty simple. The lightly textured nonstick surface can be wiped down with a damp cloth, which was sufficient after the pancake test, and even the greasy bacon test.

What we didn’t like: The large surface area of the Tild-N-Fold’s cooktop is a boon when cooking, but it requires more countertop space than other models we tested. The drip tray is loosely held in place with two smallish metal brackets, and we think a drawer full of hot grease should sit securely in place without any fear of it becoming dislodged.

Key Specs

• Cooking surface area: 254 square inches
• Dimensions: 21.75 x 15 x 3 inches
• Weight: 6.51 pounds
• Wattage: 1200 watts
• Drip Tray: Yes
• Care: Dishwasher-safe (not including electrical components)

The Best Electric Griddle Upgrade

Broil King PCG-10 Professional Portable Nonstick Griddle

$150 at Amazon $154 at Walmart $150 at Wayfair

What we liked: The Broil King produced the most evenly browned pancakes and evenly crisped bacon in our testing. Temperature readings were remarkably consistent across the surface of the preheated griddle, and its large nonstick cooktop comfortably fits eight, 3-inch pancakes with room to flip. 

Set up is simple and the control dial is clearly labeled with temperatures and an "off" setting. Its large heatproof handles make it easy to maneuver, though they do add to its overall bulkiness. Like our overall winner, the back legs are adjustable, tilting the cooktop forward so grease can flow toward the drip tray. We were initially skeptical of the removable stainless steel backsplash, but it proved surprisingly useful for containing grease spatter when cooking bacon and as a backstop for pancakes when sliding a spatula underneath them.

What we didn’t like: This griddle is a bit bulky. While it’s not the largest of the models we tested, it's hefty enough that storing it in a cabinet would require a decent amount of dedicated space. While the drip tray is deep and well-shaped, grease enters it via a rather small hole. During bacon testing, we used a spatula to help the grease on its journey toward the drip tray and found the tiny holes less useful than wider openings on other models. It’s also more than twice the price of the Tilt-N-Fold.

Key Specs

• Cooking surface area: 252 square inches
• Dimensions: 29 x 12.5 x 5.5 inches
• Weight: 8.15 pounds
• Wattage: Not specified
• Drip Tray: Yes
• Care: Hand-washing recommended

The Best Smaller Electric Griddle

Presto 22-Inch Electric Griddle

$60 at Amazon View on Lifeandhome.com $69 at Houzz

What we liked: This 22-inch model from Presto performed very well. With 231 square inches of cooking space, we were able to fit eight, 3-inch pancakes and 10 slices of bacon with ample room to flip. The cooktop heats quickly and browns evenly without big hot or cold spots. The drip tray opening is long and wide, which is helpful when scraping grease into it. The well-designed, large handles (which are detachable, for easy storing) remained cool enough mid-cook that we could move the griddle without fear of burning our fingers. 

What we didn’t like: The textured cooktop did a great job of lightly gripping pancakes and bacon during testing but proved harder to clean afterward. As with our overall winner (also from Presto), the drip tray doesn’t seem particularly well secured and sticks out a little from the body of the griddle. It also has a slightly higher price than the Tilt-N-Fold and does not have a tiltable cooking surface.

Key Specs

• Cooking surface area: 231 square inches
• Dimensions: 11.5 x 26.25 x 2.5 inches
• Weight: 6.5 pounds
• Wattage: 1500 watts
• Drip Tray: Yes
• Care: Hand-washing recommended

The Best Electric Griddle With a Removable Cooktop

Zojirushi EA-DCC10 Gourmet Sizzler Electric Griddle

$196 $142 at Amazon View on Bed Bath & Beyond $160 at Wayfair

What we liked: The Zojirushi Gourmet Sizzler turned out evenly browned pancakes and well-crisped bacon. Its diamond pattern-textured nonstick surface was grippy enough to keep pancakes in place when flipping, but slick enough that nothing stuck to it. While the dimpled pattern of the cooktop might be a problem for models that can only be surface cleaned, it works well here because this griddle can be completely disassembled, removing the cooktop completely from the electrical components. That means you can wash it like any other dish, completely submerging it in soapy water without fear of damage. You can also wash the body of the griddle the same way, which is helpful if it gets spattered with grease.

What we didn’t like: Though the Gourmet Sizzler has a large surface area, it is hampered by its rimmed edge. The cooking surface is inset by about 1.25 inches, making it akin to cooking pancakes in a large casserole dish. We found it more difficult to maneuver a spatula to flip pancakes than on models with flat cooktops. This griddle does not have a drip tray either. Set up is a bit more involved than with other models since the griddle disassembles into four large pieces, plus a lid, and it's also quite heavy at 12 pounds, which is around double the weight of our other top picks.

Key Specs

• Cooking surface area: 237.5 inches
• Dimensions: 15 x 23.62 x 4.38 inches
• Weight: 12 pounds
• Wattage: 1000 watts
• Drip Tray: No
• Care: Hand-washing recommended

The Competition

• Hamilton Beach 3-in-1 Electric Indoor Grill + Griddle: You can flip the removable cooktop on this bulky griddle, with a flat cooking surface on one side and raised griddle lines on the other. It's also split into two pieces so you can cook on half of a flat cooktop and half of a griddle top. However, this versatility did not make up for the drastic drop in temperature during cooking.
• Black + Decker Family-Sized Electric Griddle: Pancakes cooked on this griddle were very unevenly browned.
• Bella Electric Ceramic Titanium Griddle: The least expensive of the models we tested, the temperature reading fluctuated quite a lot throughout cooking batches of pancakes and bacon, which led to them being unevenly cooked.
•  Mueller HealthyBites Electric Griddle: The control dial on this model is labeled from ‘1’ to ‘5’ with no temperatures. There is a guide in the manual as to what number on the dial specific temperatures correspond to, but we prefer not to have to dig out the manual every time the griddle needs to be set to a specific temperature. 
• Open Kitchen by Williams Sonoma Griddle: This griddle consistently ran hot during multiple tests. While the pancakes were evenly cooked, they were very dark. 
• GreenPan™ Ultimate Gourmet Grill: GreenPan’s attempt to make an electric griddle into a multi-functional appliance is admirable, but unfortunately, we found this griddle less useful than others with simpler designs. The reversible cooktop is divided in half on one side, smooth on one half, and ridged on the other. The opposite side has eight ringed divots in the cooktop surface for pancakes or eggs. Sadly, the pancake cups are more of a hindrance than a help, getting in the way of the spatula, leaving you with—at best—half of the cooking space on the other side of the cooktop if you’re trying to cook other foods. 
• GreenLife 20" Electric Griddle: Though it’s a fun shade of pink, this inexpensive griddle delivered unevenly cooked pancakes, and we found the 1/4-inch gap between the body of the griddle and the cooktop hard to clean.

FAQs

Can you use metal utensils on an electric griddle?

Since most electric griddles feature a nonstick cooktop, you should never use metal utensils, which can scratch and ruin the nonstick coating. We recommend using silicone or wooden cooking tools with any cookware with a nonstick surface.

What can you cook on an electric griddle?

An electric griddle is particularly helpful for cooking several pancakes at a time, but you could also use one to make bacon, eggs, French toast, grilled cheese, and many other things, like Colombian-style arepas.

Are most electric griddles nonstick? 

Yes. Though some professional models have stainless steel cooktops, the overwhelming majority of models designed for the home kitchen have nonstick cooking surfaces. If you’re looking for a different option, stovetop griddles come in a wide variety of materials including cast iron and carbon steel. 

How do you clean an electric griddle?

The cooktop of most electric griddles cannot be separated from the electrical components (though we did test a few with removable cooking surfaces), so for the most part you’ll need to clean them by hand and never fully submerge them in water. After use, unplug the electric griddle and let it cool down completely. After removing their heat control, you can carry the griddle's surface over to the sink and wash it with a sponge and soapy water. The griddle's separate drip tray is most likely dishwasher-friendly. However, we suggest checking the manufacturer's care instructions to be safe. Before storing the electric griddle, dry it completely.

Which is better: an electric griddle or a flat-top grill?

They are quite different, and we do like both! Electric griddles are, as the name implies, used by plugging them into an outlet. They are smaller than a flat-top grill, which is meant to be used outside and which uses propane as fuel. Flat-top grills can likely get hotter than electric griddles, though they do, obviously, take up more space and are more expensive, too. Deciding between the two comes down to if you want a huge surface area, use a griddle a lot, and have outdoor space.

Why We're the Experts

• Andrea Rivera Wawrzyn is a writer and recipe developer.
• She's written multiple stories for Serious Eats, including reviews of grill presses and potato ricers
• She has developed recipes for multiple New York Times bestselling cookbooks, including an IACP award winner.
• Sasha Marx was the senior culinary editor at Serious Eats.
• For this review, we tested 11 electric griddles by using them to cook bacon and pancakes; we also examined how easy they were to set up and use, and if they cleaned up nicely.
• We first tested electric griddles in 2019 and compared our previous favorites against newer griddles for this review.