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21 Outdoor Kitchen Ideas That'll Make You Want to Eat Outside All Season Long
Make cooking al fresco even more delightful with these amazing outdoor design ideas.
Cooking and eating a meal outside is a lovely, good-weather activity—you're preparing the best grilling recipes with the most refreshing seasonal cocktails or spritzy summer wine in hand as you enjoy the views. But with all that loveliness comes a few headaches (and bugs!). Case in point: hauling food and supplies out from the kitchen can be a huge hassle, especially when you realize halfway through cooking that you’ve forgotten a must-have ingredient you need right now. If cooking outside with all the essentials wares at your fingertips is your idea of domestic bliss, then consider building a functional outdoor kitchen of your own that caters to your unique culinary needs.
The cost of building an outdoor kitchen, much like an indoor kitchen renovation, varies depending on the materials and appliances you choose. Pro tip: Outdoor products should be built to weather the natural elements, so durability should be at the top of your list. Enlist a trusted general contractor to provide a thorough estimate for building the outdoor kitchen of your dreams. If you’re not all in on a built-in outdoor kitchen, you can create a makeshift space by curating readily available, inexpensive items like a table with a flat surface for prepping food, a tiered bar cart or shelf for storage, a grill, and a cooler. Shop in a tight colorway for a cohesive and polished look.
Take your best backyard ideas to a sizzling new level with all of these dreamy outdoor kitchen ideas and practical tips!
Party-Ready Cabin Kitchen
Mallorie and Jim Rasberry of HGTV’s Home Town serve up ample Southern style at their family cabin outside of Laurel, Mississippi. Pops of patriotic reds add to the party feel, while the (made in America) Lynx grilling station sets up Jim for serious culinary success.
Backyard Party Pavilion
This 500-square-foot covered structure hosts alfresco feasts, football-viewing parties, and even Thanksgiving dinners. A pair of 8-foot wooden doors hides additional storage and a powder bath.
Wood-Fired Outdoor Pizza Oven
If there's one thing your family can always agree on, it's pizza night. Make summer Friday nights all the more special by whipping up your own savory pies in the backyard.
See more at The Green Eyed Girl.
Grain Silo Outdoor Kitchen
It doesn't get more wonderfully rustic than this outdoor grain silo bar in Topeka, Indiana. Repurpose your own galvanized backyard structure for the best food and drink station around. Just don't forget the tractor seats!
See more at Lakeside Occasions.
Cozy Patio Outdoor Kitchen
This gorgeous space-saving setup boasts bar stools beside the grill and a family-friendly table that seats a crowd.
See more at Pure Style Home.
Stone Outdoor Kitchen
We're loving this entertaining spot for its sleek stone fireplace and grill station. Contrasting wood trellises and pergolas provide a change in material as well as added privacy.
See more at Michelle Derviss Landscape Design.
Poppy Patio Kitchen
Lean into pops of color to make your kitchen stand-out. Here, an eye-catching sign and complementing chairs make a statement over this streamlined outdoor kitchen.
Rustic Outdoor Kitchen
Situated between troves of shady trees, this outdoor entertaining space, which belongs to actress Candace Cameron Bure, features a pizza oven, a gather-round dining table, and lots of spots for lounging.
Built-In Outdoor Kitchen
This California home's built-in concrete cook space dazzles with shades of black against the modern farmhouse exterior. This space was inspired by a photo featuring the work of Dutch designer Piet-Jan van den Kommer of WWOO.
Creative Ice Cream Bar
Take a note out of HGTV's Mallorie and Jim Rasberry's design book and use a vintage baby tub as a creative way to keep ice cream cold on hot summer days. Layer in fun pennants for a stylish touch!
Open-Air Kitchen
The owner of this Rhode Island home enlisted a contractor to build an open-air kitchen and an enclosed living room—both outfitted with electricity and water—alongside his vegetable garden. A patio of bluestone pavers links the two cedar structures.
Outdoor Dining Patio
Inside this cabin in Ohio, an 8-foot-long bar lines the back wall. Dinner is often served on the patio outside at a huge table made with wood reclaimed from a bowling lane.
Under-Awning Dining Space
The 250-square-foot kitchen cottage from Country Living's 2012 House of the Year took outdoor cooking to exhilarating new heights. Weathered barn doors from Tall Cotton Supply slide wide open and "allow the indoors to merge with the outdoors, so the cook doesn't feel isolated," explains Top Chef Masters winner Marcus Samuelsson. Architect Ruard Veltman further blurred the boundaries with a dining area shaded by an awning of Sunbrella fabric and furnished with a picnic table and benches.
DIY Grill Station
Feeling ambitious? You can build your own outdoor kitchen space from stacked stones and a DIY wood structure.
Get the tutorial at Lowe's.
Summer Entertaining Area
This Nantucket outdoor kitchen is the ultimate place to entertain—this one includes a grill, cooktops, a refrigerator, a sink, and even a pizza oven.
See more at outdoor kitchen tips at House Beautiful.
Backyard Refrigerated Drawers
Tucked away in a small Chicago backyard, this outdoor kitchen set-up proves you don't need a lot of outdoor space for a stylish and functional kitchen. A stacked two-refrigerator door keeps an assortment of drinks at the ready.
See more at Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet.
Chalkboard Backsplash
This freestanding outdoor kitchen unit, designed by the bloggers behind The Horticult, was built on wheels so it could easily be moved. A giant chalkboard wall is the perfect place to write menus and to-do lists.
See more at The Horticult.
Outdoor Kitchen Materials
Cedar cabinetry and stainless steel countertops give this outdoor kitchen a modern feel. Herb gardens in stylish planter boxes and filled with lavender, yucca, and juniper give the space a natural feel.
See more at New Eco Landscape Design & Build.
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