Grill mats provide a non-stick cooking surface making grilling easier, cleaner, and ultimately much more enjoyable. For those who are regular grillers, you understand the frustration of dropping the food in between the grates and the struggles that you are faced with when it comes to cooking tender and soft foods.
Investing in a grill mat is an ideal solution to this problem.
We have reviewed our top five picks for the best grill mats on the market along with a useful buyer's guide, with all of our top tips for choosing the best grill mat to suit your cooking needs.
If you're in a hurry and don’t have the time to continue reading, we have selected our top pick for you below.
Our winner after 35+ hours of research
Best Grill Mats - Comparison Table
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Best Grill Mats - Our Reviews
For our top pick, we have selected the Chef Caron BBQ Grill mat. Working to protect your grill they can be used with a variety of foods including eggs, pancakes, fish, hash browns, bacon, vegetables, and much more.
Measuring 17" x 13", this mat is intended for professional use, however, it can be cut to size to suit the shape of your grill or cooking surface. With a thickness of 0.25mm, these mats are the ideal recommended size that are going to heat up effectively ensuring that your food is cooked evenly.
Constructed from a fiberglass cloth, coated with a few coatings of polytetrafluoroethylene, this is a durable mat of excellent quality that is easy to clean after use.
These grill mats are a great choice for camping trips too, as they are much more convenient to carry around than a non-stick pan. They provide you with a large cooking surface whilst remaining lightweight and easy to fold up after use.
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The Kona BBQ grill mat is our next choice for you. At 0.39mm thick they are likely to be the thickest mats that you will come across when browsing the market.
Free of any PFOA, these grill mats will stop heating when they reach their maximum temperature of 600 degrees Fahrenheit, and will see you through many uses on each side before requiring replacement.
Compatible with the majority of grills, they will keep them looking as good as new, whilst also ensuring that you aren't confronted with lots of mess after using your grill. Also, you can cook a variety of food including steaks, chicken, and vegetables on these grill mats.
Conveniently these mats are easy to clean after use. They can be popped into the dishwasher or hand washed if you prefer. In regards to storing the mats, they can either be kept flat or rolled up which prevents them from getting damaged.
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Our next choice is the RENOOK Grill Mats. These heavy-duty mats come in a set of six which is great if you have a larger surface to cover and you require multiple grill mats.
These grill mats aren't particularly thick, they are thin enough to leave grill marks on your food whilst keeping the flavor intact too. They also provided ultimate heat whilst remaining resistant and durable.
They are a reasonable size at 15.75 X 13 inches but they can be cut down to a smaller size, if needed, to suit your grill or cooking surface.
As non-stick grill mats, they are going to withhold their quality, even when used on multiple occasions. They aren't going to deteriorate and require replacement regularly even after a lot of exposure to greases on the grill.
Made from 100% PFOA-Free materials and premium PTFE-Fiberglass coating, no PFOA, silicone, or other dangerous chemicals, these are reliable mats that ensure that the temperature cannot exceed a certain level when used in specific time frames. When the use time exceeds 30 minutes, the maximum temperature of the grill mat cannot exceed 260 F, and when used for a short time the temperature cannot exceed 400 F. This is ideal as you don't have to worry about the mats overheating resulting in issues surrounding safety.
These grill mats are very versatile as both sides can be used many times and once used they can be cleaned easily, they simply need to be popped into the top shelf of your dishwasher.
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For our next choice, we have selected the Grillaholics grill mat. Whilst they aren't necessarily the thickest mats, they are thin enough to leave grill marks on your food, leaving it packed with flavor, but thick enough to provide heat resistance and durability.
Coming in a set of 2 with a lifetime replacement guarantee, you have all the mats that you are ever going to need.
As a multipurpose grill mat, they can be used with any kind of barbeque grill regardless of the brand, and usefully these mats can be cut down to fit any size grill, although they measure 15.75 x 13 inches when left at their current size.
These grill mats work to prevent any flare-ups whilst ensuring that you aren't faced with a lot of mess during the cooking process. They work to prevent your food from falling or sticking to the grates and are reusable too. As they are safe for the dishwasher this also makes the cleanup process much easier.
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For our final choice, we have selected the Chef Remi Grill mat that comes in a set of two. As heavy-duty grill mats, they are great for those who enjoy BBQs allowing you to cook food that is full of flavor, leaving perfect grill marks without any risk of your food falling through the grill plates.
Constructed out of Heat resistant technology and commercially advanced materials which are PFOA free they are going to work well, even maintaining their quality after repeated use.
Cleaning up is much easier. Regardless of the cooking surface that they are used on, they simply need to be wiped over with a damp cloth before being placed in the dishwasher.
They are 0.2mm thick and measure 16 x13 inches. These are decent sized grill mats that can be cut to any size if needed.
Using these grill mats you can cook a variety of foods including pizza, eggs, bacon, pancakes, and vegetables, along with any other food that you chose to cook on your BBQ.
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Best Grill Mats - Buyers Guide
Before investing in a grill mat there are several features that you will want to consider to ensure that you select the right one to cater to your cooking needs. We have listed some criteria below that we would recommend you consider to ensure that you purchase a good quality grill mat.
Size
The size of your grill mat is important as you will need to purchase one that is going to fit your grill correctly. We would recommend measuring your grill beforehand so that you choose the product that fits the dimensions.
Selecting a grill mat that is of an insufficient fit is going to result in the juices of the food hitting the flames and the possibility of food items falling in between the grill plates. It is better to opt for a grill mat that is on the larger side rather than the smaller side. A mat that is too small is going to result in the issues previously mentioned, whereas, a larger mat can typically be cut down to suit the size of your grill if it is too big.
However, you are going to save money if you invest in a mat that is as close to the size of your grill as possible. If you have a circular grill you do not need to spend your time getting creative by cutting a circle out of a rectangular shape, as you will find circular ones available on the market.
Thickness
Grill mats are available in varying sizes. Whilst it isn't always easy to measure this thickness by simply looking at it, this should be determined when you feel it.
Preferably you should avoid grill mats that are on the thinner side because they are more likely to heat up faster and burn through. Ultimately this is going to result in a faster deterioration in the quality of the mat.
On the other hand, a mat that is too thick isn't going to heat evenly, meaning that your food isn't going to be cooked evenly as a result.
A solution to this issue is to opt for a grill mat with a thickness of around 0.25mm. However, anything within a few mm's of this will be just fine. A mat of this thickness is going to heat up evenly, without compromising safety but maintaining those grill marks. It is also likely to last much longer too.
Double Coated PTFE
This is another very important factor and possibly the most expensive part of a grill mat. Although a double coated grill mat is going to result in an increased price, it is going to be beneficial in the sense that it increases the effectiveness and life expectancy of the mat. Double coated PTFE has good chemical and abrasion resistance.
Temperature Capacity
Before choosing your grill mat take note of the maximum temperature capacity. Although this isn't going to vary a lot between the majority of mats we would recommend choosing one with a rating of 500°F. Although one with a higher rating is going to be less likely to break in the event of an accident, a mat with a rating above this is unsafe in regards to PTFE grill mats. Anything with a lower rating is likely to be a subordinate product. Considering grill mats don't tend to come with hefty price tags, it is worth investing in the best quality product for safety and quality.
Easy to clean
The best grill mat should ideally be easy to clean. After catching all of the excess fat and grease from your food it is highly likely that your grill mat is going to be looking a little worse for wear post cooking. One that cleans easily is going to make the cleanup process much easier. Even better, is a grill mat that is suitable for the dishwasher.
The Cost
As mentioned previously, grill mats tend to retail at affordable prices, therefore it is worth investing in the best quality grill mat as this is going to guarantee safety and quality too.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a grill mat?
Aside from making soft and delicate foods easier to cook by stopping them from slipping between the grates, a grill mat can also impact the safety around a grill. They don't produce any flare-ups or spitting coals which can often be the result of grilling on a BBQ with grates.
How many times can you use a grill mat?
Almost all grill mats are washable and reusable. Simply heat your grill and use a grill mat every time that it is in use or when it is going to be the most useful. Then place your meat on the grilling surface and you are ready to go. After use, your mat simply needs to be washed ready for the next time. They tend to be durable and long lasting so are very likely to see you through many uses before needing to be replaced.
Are BBQ Grill mats worth it?
A BBQ grill mat is worth it if you often find yourself cooking food such as burgers which can be prone to sliding or sagging between the grates of the BBQ. They also prevent the occurrence of flare-ups below the chicken.