Various embodiments of a collapsible charcoal starter are shown, described and claimed herein. In one embodiment, the charcoal starter includes six panels being hingedly interconnected to form a closed loop. The charcoal starter is configured to have an expanded position and a collapsed position, and can be moved therebetween without any disassembly of the charcoal starter. In the expanded position, the six panels form four walls or boundaries, whereby the walls define a volume for receiving charcoal briquettes. In the collapsed position, the six panels are oriented generally parallel. Moreover, four of the panels are sandwiched in between the two remaining panels. In this manner, the depth of the charcoal starter can be significantly reduced as compared to the expanded position, while the width is substantially the same in both the collapsed and expanded positions.