11 Best Outdoor Food Prep Tables

Searching for the perfect grill prep table may have you feeling a little lost. If you’re still trying to make up your mind, let us help you make a final decision.

Read on to see the best grill prep tables available right now.

Why You Want Need a Grill Prep Table

How many trips to the kitchen does it take before the BBQ you’ve been planning and looking forward to all week is ruined?

We’ve all been there; We get all the prepping needed for a nice family time done, but then all the jokes and stories get cut halfway through because someone has to go back inside to get something that’s probably as simple as salt. 

It could be worse, you could be away camping with friends, and everything keeps getting spilled or smeared with dirt ruining an irreplaceable meal and the mood along with it. That’s the last thing you need when you’re trying to reunite with nature and summon your hunter gatherer spirit.

I see that you’ve figured out the solution to the problem, you know you need an outdoor food prep table, but you still can’t decide which one to pick. We’ve spent hours researching the best products you can use either at home or at the campsite, and have created the following comprehensive review just to save you the trouble.

Best Outdoor Food Prep Tables For Home Use

Food Prep Stainless Steel Table – DuraSteel

This heavy-duty table is a little on the heavier side (weighs around 45 lbs), but that won’t be a problem since it’s mounted on 4 caster wheels to be able to move it around safely and smoothly, and make it stay still on any surface thanks to its locking brake. Nobody wants their grill station to roll away from them.

The Durasteel table comes with an adjustable shelf for you to customize your storage capacity. Not only that, but its use is customizable as well. When it’s not on BBQ duty, you can count on it to help you in organizing your tools in your (home as well as commercial) kitchen, garage,or laundry room.

It’s important to mention that this prep table is NSF certified, and comes in a variety of sizes for you to choose from according to your needs.

Origami Folding Kitchen Cart on Wheels

There’s nothing wrong with making a choice based on aesthetics, especially when that comes with great features. The Origami Folding Kitchen Cart is a kitchen cart, is foldable, and has wheels. How better can it get? Oh, it can also look stylish, which it absolutely does.

You can think of this table as a portable butcher block counter for you to move around and place next to your grill where you need food prepping space. 

The frame is made of scratching-resistant powder-coated steel and the top is made of 2 inches of solid wood, in addition to two steel shelves capable of holding up to 100 lbs each, that’s 300 lbs in total. You will have everything you need right next to your grill.

It weighs 38 lbs, that’s a total of 338 lbs, loaded. But you won’t have to worry about that as you have the four professional caster wheels to assist you, as well as a smart-lock function. It also folds flat, so you don’t have to worry about where to store it.

Just like the Durasteel Stainless Steel Table, the versatility of this Origami cart allows you to use it not only as an outdoor food prep table, but also as a buffet station, a portable bar or for some extra space inside your kitchen.

Blackstone Universal Griddle Stand with Adjustable Leg and Side Shelf

The Blackstone Griddle Stand comes with a side shelf to offer you enough extra space next to your griddle, you will need that space to prep your meat and vegetables. 

Thanks to its adjustable legs, you can make sure that the griddle is level no matter what surface you’re placing it on, making that one less thing for you to worry about.

The stand weighs no more than 21 lbs, its legs are collapsible and its side shelf is removable, that’s what makes it so portable and storable. All you will have to worry about is who to invite to your next BBQ! 

NUUK Double-Shelf Movable Outdoor Worktable

The NUUK Double-Shelf Worktable offers you so much room to hang your items with four hooks and three side bars. It’s also easily grabbed by an ergonomic pusher and transported on integrated wheels.

Royal Gourmet Double-Shelf Movable Dining Cart Table

It can be used as an outdoor dining table as well, with an easy to clean 33.5-inch x 20-inch stainless steel tabletop that can hold up to 100 lbs.

For a table this versatile, the price is quite affordable and we recommend you check it out.

Keter Unity Portable Outdoor Table and Storage Cabinet

It comes with a stainless-steel countertop, a resin lockable storage space, 4 hooks, a bottle opener, a paper towel holder and a spice rack. It is as versatile as it sounds and comes with adjustable legs to defy uneven surfaces.

NUUK Stainless Steel Table

There’s all sorts of hooks to keep items out of the way when you don’t need them.

With two shelves made of stainless steel themselves, you don’t have to worry about where to store your vegetables or your heaviest gadgets.

Best Outdoor Prep Tables for Camping

Cuisinart CFGS-222 Take Along Grill Stand

This table folds FLAT. So, you won’t only be able to travel with it and take it camping with you, but it also won’t be taking up space when you’re not so in the mood for a picnic. While using it, it offers you storage space with a storage shelf that can hold up to an extra 35 lbs.

Made of aluminum, the Cuisinart stand is lightweight for you to carry easily, but will pay back the favor and carry your cups and bottles for you thanks to its 6 drink holders, and offer you enough space to place your spices and condiments, season your meat and hang your utensils thanks to its two side tables and 8 tool hooks.

If you’re worried about the hassle of setting up this table, you should know that you won’t be needing any tools or extra physical effort for that since it folds and unfolds quickly and without any difficulty. It’s there to make your outdoor time more relaxing and enjoyable, and not to burden you in any way.

Coleman Pack-Away Portable Kitchen

The Coleman Pack-Away Portable Kitchen comes with a stable cooking surface where you can do all the prepping necessary, such as cutting vegetables and seasoning the meat, and a side stand where you can place your stove, griller, or cooler.

You won’t be running out of storage space with this worktable thanks to its mesh storage shelf and its hanging hooks, you won’t have to turn to your lap or the ground for help, that’s the Coleman-guarantee.

In case you’ll be grilling or cooking outdoors at night where there’s no natural or easily accessible artificial light, this table comes with a built-in lantern hook where you can hang a light without burdening anyone with the task of holding the light for you while you cook.

You might think that this table must be heavy enough to come with all these features, but you’ll be relieved to know that you’re wrong. Since it’s made of aluminum for the frame and medium-density fiberboard for the top, it weighs as little as 13 lbs, and it folds up easily enough to pack and store sans souci. All this makes it a perfect travel-friendly option.

Lifetime Height Adjustable Craft Camping and Utility Folding Table

Its 48-inch x 24-inch molded tabletop offers enough space for you to prep your meat and vegetables without getting anxious about it. Once the food is ready, the same space can be used as a dining table with a seating capacity of 4.

Its use is not limited to outdoor food prepping, you can use it as a regular table for any other tasks you might need it for, especially that it’s height-adjustable, which widens its use-range. Whether you want to do some painting, writing or crafting, there’s no table-suitable activity you’ll worry about with this versatile prep table.

Constructed of powder-coated steel and high-density polyethylene plastic, the Lifetime table weighs only 19 lbs and comes with a carry handle for you to be able to carry around fairly comfortably, but that doesn’t stand in the way of its impressive weight capacity of evenly distributed 200 lbs.

With a stain-resistant surface that makes it easy to clean and a storing-friendly design that enables it to fold in half, the Lifetime Craft Camping and Utility Folding Table is a practical choice that not only frees up space in your storage, but also in your mind, especially that it’s the most pocket-friendly option in our list.

Camp Chef Sherpa Camp Table & Organizer

There’s a reason why the Camp Chef Sherpa Table is also called an organizer, and that reason is that when you pack it in the back of your van or truck, you’ll also be packing your grilling tools and ingredients inside of it.

The 25.5-inch x 16.5-inch table top is made of aluminum and it’s easily stowed inside a side pouch for transportation. This table can be used as a food prep space as well as a dining table subsequently.

It comes with four removable padded storage bags that fit inside the lower divider. Using the internal zippers, the storage of this lower divider can be customized to accommodate a stove, oven or a cooler.

One of the greatest things about this table is that it comes with a sink. In fact, one of the four storage bags (the blue one) comes with a waterproof lining that makes it suitable to be used as a sink. Who ever thought they could use their sink as an organizer?

Once you’re ready to pack your organizer/prep table, all you have to do is compress the legs and zip the pouches after placing the storage bags, grab by the carry handles and you’re ready to go! (It only weighs 13 lbs, so don’t you worry about that.)

How To Choose The Best Prep Table

Now that we’ve listed our favorite products and explained our choices, we’re aware that you might still be a little hesitant. So we have made a small guide with the key features you should be looking for in an outdoor food prep table. Please read it thoroughly and it will surely help you in your search for the perfect table for you.

Size

The main purpose of a prep table is to add some work space. If a table is too small to chop a  vegetable, it’s too small to buy. You need to make sure that you have all the space necessary for your specific needs. 

Just like it’s important to have enough space, it’s important to not have space that’s too big to store. Once the BBQ is over, you don’t want the storing of your table to be a hassle that will make you less excited for the next BBQ. 

Getting a foldable is always the smarter choice, even though it may not be necessary if you can repurpose your table for day-to-day use.

Capacity

Kitchen appliances are usually fairly heavy. Getting a table that won’t stand the test of weight is not a very wise decision, that’s why you should be looking for a weight capacity that will match your intended use.

Grills for example are relatively safe to place on tables with a lower weight capacity, since they’re not so heavy unlike stoves and ovens, which call for a more heavy-duty table.

If you’re not sure about what kind of appliance you’ll be using, and you want to be safe, try to get the table with the highest weight capacity possible, that way you won’t have to worry about your table giving out.

Storage (of other necessary items)

Even if a table offers you the work space you need, you will still need some extra space to store all the other necessary items, such as utensils, spices, and coolers.

Shelves are the more important option, they can be used to store anything from condiments to cutting boards. Anything that you need to keep out of the way for now but know you will need later.

For the utensils, you need hanging hooks placed somewhere easily accessible on the table, these hooks can also be used to hang other items such as aprons and towels.

Material

Some tables are made of aluminum, others are made of steel or plastic. The right material to choose depends on three factors : 

•    Do you want a table that will last you a lifetime? If the answer is yes, then you should go with stainless steel. Stainless steel stands the test of time, gives you the durability you need and is easily cleanable as a bonus.
•    Do you want an affordable table? If so, go with high-density polyethylene plastic. It is a great value option that will save you some money while still getting the job done.
•    Do you want a lightweight table? If you nodded your head, then you can either go with aluminum or plastic, these tables are fairly lightweight and usually weigh around 15 to 20 lbs.

Portability

It might not come naturally to you to think of portability as a key feature, but it really is. An outdoor prep table that’s hard to maneuver is extra work you don’t need.

This feature is essential if you’re looking for a table you can take to camp, but it’s still recommended even for home tables. Your back will thank you later.

A lightweight table that’s foldable and easily packed up is exactly what you need for camping.

A table that’s mounted on wheels to be comfortably pushed inside or outside is all you need in a home prep table–portability-wise.

What’s the take-home message?

An outdoor food prep table will be a part of your family and social events for a while. It’s important that you choose the right companion for that!

Please keep the following in mind:

• You should make your choice according to your specific needs.
• Size, capacity, portability, material and storage are the most important features you should be looking for.
• More expensive doesn’t always mean better for you.

Versatility is a feature you should consider, you might need a table that’s good for both the kitchen and the garage.