Match the Part Number: The Best Grill Drip Pans

A grill drip pan is a small thing that gets ignored until the bottom of the grill turns into a mess. The word also covers several different parts: a foil liner, a metal catch pan, a tall smoker liner, a bucket, and a steel pan that sits inside a kamado.

So this guide is sorted by the grill you own. Fit matters more than anything else with these, and each pick below says what it fits and what it doesn’t. Grease is also a fire question, which is why we think a clean pan is worth a little bother.

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Quick verdict: which drip pan to buy

Five drip pans at a glance

Five picks, one for each kind of grill owner. All eight are reviewed below.

Product images from Amazon. Details come from the listings named in each pick. Always check your own grill’s part number.

Our picks for the best grill drip pans

These are ordered by how much of the fit question the maker answers for you, so grill makers’ own parts come early. Two are third-party brands, and we say so in each. Each pick rests on its listing and its maker’s details, and no independent review is cited here.

Drip pan, catch pan or grease tray?

People use these words loosely, and it causes wrong orders. On many gas grills, a slanted grease tray sits under the burners and sends fat to a catch pan at the bottom, and a thin foil liner or drip pan sits inside that catch pan. Weber’s care article describes that routine in order: scrape the grease tray into the catch pan, empty the pan, toss the aluminum liner and put in a new one.

A pellet grill has one wide tray and a bucket. A vertical smoker has a tall pan at the bottom. A kamado has no drain at all, so its pan is something you set on the deflector for each cook. Before you shop, work out which of these you have.

How to choose a drip pan for your grill

Start with your manual’s part number. It is the only sure way to match a pan. Weber’s 6498 and the 6415-size pans in this guide fit different grills, even though both are sold as drip pans.

Measure the pan you have. If you can’t find a number, measure the length, width and depth of the old pan or the space it sits in, and compare it with the listed size. Not every listing gives one.

Choose foil or metal by how often you clean. Foil saves scrubbing but you keep buying it. Metal lasts, but it has to be emptied and washed.

Follow the maker’s advice on third-party parts. Traeger says foil or alternate liners are not advised for its grills, so a cheaper liner goes against that advice. For brands that don’t say either way, a third-party pan is a fair choice if the size is right.

Read the claims on cheap packs closely. Some sellers call disposable pans reusable or add non-stick claims in the same listing. We passed over one pack whose listing said both in a confusing way.

Keeping grease from becoming a fire

The National Fire Protection Association’s grilling safety tips say to keep the grill clean by removing grease or fat buildup from the grills and in trays below the grill. Weber’s care article is blunter, reminding owners that grease is flammable. So a drip pan helps only if you empty it.

A sensible habit, in our view, is to look at the pan before you light the grill. Empty or swap it when it is cool, never while it is hot, and check that it sits where it should. Don’t pour grease in the garden or down a drain.

How we picked these eight

We have not used these pans. We looked for plain in-stock listings with a new lead offer, stated fit and identifiable makers, and we allowed two Amazon-first brands where a grill maker’s own part was out of plain stock. We read Weber’s care article and the NFPA tip sheet, and took all product details from Amazon listings. We passed over several Char-Broil, Oklahoma Joe’s liner and Cuisinart listings because they were scarce or had long waits. We also searched the saferproducts.gov Recall API by brand. Weber returned two gas grill recalls from 2003 and 2007, and Traeger returned a 2018 pellet grill recall and a 2023 flat top recall. None names these parts. Pit Boss, Oklahoma Joe, SmokeWare, Firsgrill and Fig & Leaf returned none.

Drip pan questions, answered

Do I need a drip pan on my grill?

If your grill has a grease system, a pan or catch pan is part of it, and you shouldn’t run without one, in our view. A foil liner is optional, and it just saves cleaning. On a kamado or kettle, you only need one for indirect cooks.

Can I use foil pans from the grocery store?

For a kettle or kamado, where the pan just sits on the grate or deflector, a grocery store pan of the right size can work, in our view. For a slot in a gas grill, the size has to match. Traeger says foil or alternate liners are not advised for its own grills.

How often should I change a drip pan liner?

None of these listings gives a schedule. Weber’s care article treats it as a job to do before you grill, and we would look each time you light up. Change it when it is getting full.

Are third-party drip pans safe to use?

We can’t speak for every one. They are simple foil pans, but they aren’t made by your grill maker, and the claims on the listing come from the seller. If your maker offers its own, that is the plainer choice.

What goes under a roast on the grill?

A foil pan set under the meat and away from direct flame is the usual setup. Weber suggests its 6498 pans for roasts, turkeys and gravy drippings.

Our last word on catching the drips

Start with your grill’s own part, and buy third-party only when the size matches. While you are cleaning, our grill cleaner guide covers what to use on the cookbox, and the under grill mat guide covers the deck below. If the grates themselves are past saving, go next to our gas grill grates guide.