The 7 Best Grill Pans, Tested and Reviewed

Best Overall

Le Creuset Signature Square Skillet Grill Pan

Orig. $225 $184 at Amazon $225 at Wayfair $225 at Williams-Sonoma

Le Creuset's heirloom quality cookware always manages to perform at a high level, and this grill pan is no exception. With a similar enameled cast iron build as its famous Dutch ovens, this 10.25-inch square grill pan offers a sturdy design and enough heft to keep the pan from moving on the cooktop. The raised grates are high enough to keep foods lifted off the bottom of the pan, allowing liquids to evaporate for better grill marks.

We found it to deliver consistent grill marks on everything we threw at it. Due to its small-medium size, the majority of the pan had contact with our burner, allowing for even heating across the surface. We liked that the sides allowed us to easily access and flip whatever was being cooked. One drawback is that since this is solid cast iron, the handles get hot, so you'll want to keep oven mitts nearby to protect your hands if you need to move the pan while it's still warm.

Still, we found this pan surprisingly easy to clean with just a bit of soap and warm water. We also opted to season the pan after washing, noting that the oil absorbed easily, making it ready to go for its next use.

Material: Cast iron | Oven Safe Temperature: 500 degrees | Induction Compatible: Yes | Dishwasher Safe: Yes

Best Budget

Lodge Seasoned Cast Iron Square Grill Pan

Orig. $40 $22 at Amazon Orig. $36 $22 at Walmart $20 at Williams-Sonoma

If the Lodge double-burner grill is a little too large for your needs, you can get the same performance with this 10.5-inch cast iron grill pan, also by Lodge. Constructed of a durable steel and carbon alloy, this heavy-duty pan is nearly indestructible and retains heat extremely well—though as with all cast iron, you'll need to turn down the heat once it comes to temp.

The sear quality on this pan is unmatched—it's an ideal pick for making near-restaurant quality steaks at home since you can start them on the stove and finish them in the oven under the broiler. The grates on this are high enough to keep food above the grease and make it easy to flip. Food won't stick, especially after you grill meat in it a few times, but we found it slightly difficult to clean in-between the grates. You'll definitely want to get out the scrub brush.

Cast iron pans like this can be used on any cooking surface, even induction and open flames. This pan comes pre-seasoned, so it's ready to use immediately. Like with all cast iron pans, a little maintenance is required to keep up the seasoning and preserve its nonstick quality, but it can last a lifetime.

Material: Cast iron | Oven Safe Temperature: 500+ degrees | Induction Compatible: Yes | Dishwasher Safe: No

Most Stylish

Our Place Cast Iron Hot Grill

$95 at Amazon View on Fromourplace.com

The Our Place Hot Grill is not only pleasing to look at, it also performs exceptionally well. The deep ridges on the interior are great for getting picturesque sear marks, and the pan heats up evenly as well. Grilling burgers, vegetables, and fish was as easy as on the grill, and food released without sticking.

It does take a few minutes for the pan to get to a searing temperature and the manufacturer recommends heating it on medium heat to prolong the life of the pan. Once the pan heats up, it stays hot, and you can cook food in small, but quick, batches. Since we were testing them together, we had the opportunity to use the lid from the Our Place Cast Iron Perfect Pot to create some steam. The lid works well with the grill pan and makes a tagine-esque environment for food to cook–self-basting, steamy and hot. 

Baking bread with the grill pan as a base to the Perfect Pan was interesting. When used with a cold-start process—when you place the dough in a cold Dutch oven and a cold oven—the bread stuck to the grill pan and did not get enough oven spring (an additional expansion during the baking). Preheating the grill pan along with the cast iron pan resulted in much better bread. The combination of the shallow base and a large lid makes it easy to lower the bread into the pan and for the bread to rise more during baking.

Cleaning the pan is an involved process especially if cleaning after cooking things with fat in them. Gently boiling some water in the pan and allowing it to cool before cleaning helped with the process.

Material: Cast iron with enamel coating | Oven Safe Temperature: 500 degrees | Induction Compatible: Yes | Dishwasher Safe: No

Best Nonstick

OXO Square Grill Pan

Orig. $50 $40 at Amazon $50 at Target $45 at Wayfair

One of our favorite things about Oxo as a brand is that high-quality performance doesn't equate to a hefty price tag. This 11-inch square grill pan is constructed from sturdy hard-anodized aluminum and features a triple nonstick coating that lets you easily pick up whatever you're cooking. While this pan isn't induction-ready, it does work well with both gas and electric ranges.

We found it to be a pretty solid performer when it came to making pronounced grill marks on grilled cheese and pork chops (even producing some nice crust on the edges of the meat). We also liked that the silicone cover made it easy to grab the pan's handle when we needed to move it, keeping your hands safe from the heat. And, as one of the larger grill pans, it can easily handle up to five servings of food without crowding.

One thing we didn't love was that our burgers didn't achieve the dark grill marks we were hoping for, presumably because the pan's lower grates didn't allow for fast evaporation of moisture. We also wish it was safe for the dishwasher, but it was incredibly easy to clean in the sink. Overall, it is an easy to use, wallet-friendly model that we can get behind—particularly because it was also extremely easy to clean by hand.

Material: Hard-anodized aluminum | Oven Safe Temperature: 390 degrees | Induction Compatible: No | Dishwasher Safe: No

Most Versatile

Lodge Reversible Grill/Griddle

$48 at Amazon $59 at Walmart $47 at Wayfair

This pre-seasoned grill pan takes the place of two—or more. One side is a ridged grill pan and the other side is a flat griddle. Use the grill side for steaks, burgers, and anytime you want grill marks. The griddle side can be used for pancakes, bacon, grilled cheese sandwiches, heating tortillas, and even a classic British cheese toastie. Put it in the oven to use it as a pizza pan for small pizzas, too. This versatile pan can also be used on your grill, for cooking foods that might be small enough to fall through the grates, like veggies.

Though this a large pan that will fit over two burners in some kitchens, we weren't quite able to fit it over two burners during testing in our Lab. Since we had to center the grill pan over a single burner, we noted that heat was concentrated in the center of the grill, with cooler zones on the edges. We were able to achieve defined grill marks on grilled cheese and zucchini, and created consistent marks and browning on pork chops and burgers. With a pretty solid performance and an affordable price (remember, you get two cooking surfaces), this one is worth every penny.

Material: Cast iron | Oven Safe Temperature: 500+ degrees | Induction Compatible: Yes | Dishwasher Safe: No

Best Deep

Anolon Advanced Square Griddle Pan/Grill

View on Amazon $50 at Walmart $50 at Target

Most grill pans have low sides, but this one has high sides that help protect from splattering, whether you’re using this on the stove or in the oven at up to 400 degrees. The high sides also let you use the pan for sauces when grilling is done and makes it even more useful for roasting juicy chicken or roasts.

The nonstick surface is safe for metal utensils, and offers superior food release and easy cleanup, The handle is designed to be comfortable, with a secure rubberized grip that stays cool during cooking, and it has dual rivets for security. A channel around the outer edges of the pan collects and holds liquids, while the pour spouts on either side of the pan make it easy to drain those excess fats and liquids.

We found that using this pan required some trial and error to figure out where the "sweet spot" was in terms of heat. Once you've figured it out, it makes beautiful char marks on whatever you're cooking, from steaks to French toast.

Material: Hard anodized aluminum | Oven Safe Temperature: 400 degrees | Induction Compatible: No | Dishwasher Safe: No

Best Ceramic

Caraway Square Grill Pan

$145 at Amazon $145 at Target $145 at Home Depot

The worst part of using a grill pan is cleaning it after. The drips that fall into the valleys tend to brown or even burn, and cleaning that is no fun. But this ceramic-coated grill pan from Caraway makes cleaning much easier, since the entire cooking surface is super nonstick. A few simple swipes with a sponge gets the job done.

We tested this out alongside Caraway's Squareware line, and it impressed us (as did the other Squareware). When it comes to cooking, this pan did a good job producing grill marks on burgers, lamb chops, and tortillas. Since this has an aluminum interior, it heats up evenly and quickly, and there's more than enough room in the 11-inch pan. Plus, it can go into the oven, if you need.

It was less efficient than cast iron or an outdoor grill, but the results were still very good—and the easy cleanup makes it much more likely we’ll reach for this pan for everyday cooking.

Material: Aluminum, stainless steel, ceramic coating | Oven Safe Temperature: 550 degrees | Induction Compatible: Yes | Dishwasher Safe: No