Grill mats offer a fantastic alternative to heavy grill pans. Best of all, they help keep your grill clean and grease-free. Find your new favorite grilling accessory with our best guide to grill mats.
If you’re tired of meat getting caught between the cooking grates, investing in a good grill mat is a great way to ensure you don’t lose food along the way.
Not only that, its large surface opens up a world of cooking possibilities for you. Eggs, vegetables and fish can be fried perfectly.
Here are 5 of the best grill mats that will help you grill cleanly and efficiently.
At a glance: Our top 3 tips
- The Best Grill Mat: Kona BBQ
The thick design makes for a durable accessory that can withstand temperatures of up to 600°F - Runner up: Grillaholics
Fast heating without harmful chemicals for easy and safe cooking - Best budget option: Aoocan
It comes with 5 mats to offer great value for money.
Kona Grill BBQ Mat
The Kona 2-Pack Grill Mat is a great option when cooking at high temperatures. At a whopping 0.39mm thick, these liners are among the thickest on the market. Thanks to their heavy construction, they can withstand up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit.
Kona also prides itself on the longevity of this grill mat, promising 1,000+ uses per side. The mats are also covered by a 7-year warranty which covers, among other things, reserved overheating.
The Kona Grill Mat 2-Pack is more expensive, but due to its durability it WILL likely cost less than a cheap grill mat kit in the long run.
These mats are also dishwasher safe so cleaning should be a breeze.
There is one downside to these thick grill mats: they take forever to heat up. As such, they’re not the best if you want to get started grilling quickly. But if you’re patient, you’ll have a chance to enjoy the results of high-heat cooking.
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- MUCH SUPERIOR than other grill mats. The only and PFOA free with a maximum temperature of 600 DEGREES…
- KONA IS THE THICKEST AT 0.39mm. That’s 4 times thicker than the Yoshi Grill Mat and 2 times thicker than…
Grillaholics Grill Mat
If you don’t grill at a high temperature, the Grillaholics grill mat may be a better option for you. Grillaholics does not provide thickness measurements but this grill mat appears to be around 0.25mm which is a standard thickness for grill mats.
Thanks to its slimmer profile, the Grillaholics mat heats up much faster than the Kona grill mat. Cannot withstand such high temperatures: Grillaholics recommend cooking at no more than 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
Amazingly, Grillaholics covers this grill mat with a lifetime replacement warranty, so you can expect years of service from this package. Besides durability, this pack of grill mats is free of silicone, PFOA, and other harmful chemicals that can leach into your food.
The Grillaholics Grill Mat Bundle also includes two grill mats. The grill mats are dishwasher safe, so you can get them ready for the next barbecue party in no time after each use.
- PERFECT – Thicker doesn’t mean better. We tested several thicknesses before we…
- MULTIPURPOSE – Our grill mat works with any type of grill – Weber, Charbroil, Big…
- NO MESS – No more grilling on a nasty dirty grill. Prevent your food between…
Aoocan Grill Mat
Aoocan grill mat pack is a good choice if you are on a budget or don’t need grill mats that often. This value pack contains five grill mats and is great value for money.
In terms of specifications and quantity, Aoocan grill mats are similar to Grillaholics mats. They are 0.25mm thick and are said to withstand up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Aoocan grill mats are also the same size as the Grillaholics mats, real food and washable.
It goes without saying that YOU should not expect the same durability and performance from these mats as you would expect from Grillaholics grill mats. Less than half the price of Grillaholics grill mats, Aoocan grill mats take over and you won’t get hundreds of uses either.
These mats are also a bit harder to clean as they tend to stick to food.
Aoocan advertises that the grill mats can be reused 100 times, which is nice enough, but not so much if you’re going to be grilling a lot. Underneath, the five grill mats will serve you for a long time.
- A BBQ LOVERS FAVORITE. Our grill mats can prevent food from between…
- EASY TO CLEAN AND HIGH TEMPERATURE RESISTANT. Our grill mat is very easy to clean. When you’re done…
- SAFETY GUARANTEE. It has passed LFGB food certification which is food safe and…
Kitchen + Non-Stick Home
This 2-pack from Kitchen + Home seems to fall somewhere between the Aoocan and Grillaholics grill mats in terms of quality and durability(although it’s closer to the former).
Kitchen + Home offers these grill mats for about half the price of Grillaholics mats. Exact thicknesses are nowhere to be found in the product description, but again these mats appear to be 0.2-0.25mm thick. They are advertised as suitable up to 500 degrees, just like the grill mats from Aoocan and Grillaholics.
When it comes to performance and durability, this 2-pack looks a little better than the Aoocan set, but it’s nowhere near Grillaholics mats. Cleaning grill mats after use can sometimes be a challenge and you need to be very careful about temperatures to keep the mats working for a long time.
With this in mind, we again recommend Kitchen + Home grill mats to buyers who will not grill too often.
- MULTIPURPOSE: Grill your meat, vegetables, fish, shrimp, pizza, skewers, even pancakes, bacon…
- DURABLE – Don’t settle for flimsy grill mats made from inferior materials that will curl, tear,…
- REUSABLE: Stop wasting money on aluminum foil or other disposable grill covers! Our BBQ…
Chef Caron Grill BBQ Mat
Chef Caron grill mats rank third on our list for quality and durability, behind Kona and Grillaholic mats. They also don’t cost much, so you could go for them if you’re looking for a middle ground in terms of price and quality.
Specifically, these grill mats are approximately 17″ x 13″ in size, while other mats on this list were approximately 16″ x 13″. Since a single package contains two grill mats, you get an extra 2 inches of length(when using both grill mats at the same time), which is quite a lot.
The thickness of Chef Caron grill mats is 0.25mm. It used to be 0.20mm and was recently updated to 0.25mm, although Chef Caron hasn’t updated the product description to additionally match the thickness.
In terms of performance, expect these grill mats to be fairly easy to clean, heat up quickly, and withstand moderately high temperatures. Chef Caron mats will also likely serve you longer than Aoocan and Kitchen + Home mats.
- PROTECT YOUR GRILL – Prevent food from falling through the grates and get rid of the unpleasant work…
- SIMPLIFIES YOUR KITCHEN CLEANING TASKS. Grill mats can be custom made to any size and shape to create a…
- PERFECT FOR CAMPING – Much easier to pack and carry than a non-stick pan. PTFE-Is…
What is a grill mat for?
Grill mats provide a large surface area for cooking fish and vegetables. These foods are often loose or can crumble while cooking, making them difficult to keep intact when grilling or when pieces fall between the grates.
This makes them a great alternative to roasting baskets, and you can use them for any food that doesn’t need grill marks.
They’re a useful shield from the effects of grease and can help minimize post-cooking cleanup.
When you’re done, just clean it in the sink. It’s a lot easier than brushing the grill down to clean it or reaching between the grates to degrease it.
They’re also easy to take with you on the road, making it easy to clean your camp grill or tailgate later. Or if you get a cheap, dirty grill at a campsite, using a pad is a great way to ensure you’re cooking hygienically.
While your food may not have the same charred or smoky flavor, it’s cooked in its juice on the mat. It is less dried out and has cooked longer in its own juice.
So use a grill mat
Before first use, wash the rug directly from the packaging. Use hot, soapy water and wipe vigorously to remove any chemical manufacturing residue.
Once your grill has reached a stable cooking temperature, simply place the mat on the grates, grill surface facing up.
Do not use the mat when cooking at temperatures above 450-500°F. Most mats are not designed for this. They can spoil and contaminate your food and pose a fire hazard.
Use plastic or silicone coated tools when handling food. This protects the mats from being scratched or cut by steel tools or utensils.
Wash the mat in hot, soapy water immediately after use. Avoid using harsh chemicals or thick material. Some mats are dishwasher safe, but be sure to check your mat’s instructions before washing.
Writer & content creator. BBQ fanatic!
