We independently evaluate all of our recommendations. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Product Reviews and Buying Guides Grill & BBQ Tool Reviews We Tested 20 of the Best Electric Grills so You Don't Have To Have a barbecue in the summer or winter, indoors or out. By Nick DeSimone Updated on February 26, 2024 In This Article View All In This Article Our Top Picks Reviews About Our Tests Our Takeaway How to Pick The Leftovers Common Questions Why Take Our Word for It? Photo: Allrecipes / Morgan Hunt Glaze So you want that charred, grilled burger flavor, but it's the dead of winter, or you live in an apartment, or you just don't have the time to deal with finicky charcoal. Enter electric grills, self-contained appliances with grill grates that heat via an electric coil rather than gas or charcoal. Electric grills offer all the benefits of traditional gas or charcoal grills but without costly and time-consuming fuel. Generally, they're smaller and more portable so cooking up enough hot dogs for a crowd or even just getting a nice set of grill marks on a single piece of chicken no longer requires cumbersome equipment. They're also way less smokey, so you can use many of them inside. This means that grilling isn't just for summertime, and let's be honest—sometimes leaning over sizzling coals or plumes of fire and smoke when it's already scorching out isn't actually that fun or appetizing. Electric grills bring the heat, but just for the food. About Our Tests We took a deep dive into the world of electric grills, leaving no stone unturned and no grill lid unopened. After amassing 20 of the best-rated grills we could find, the real work began. Our team of professional testers spent days putting each grill to the test, grilling bread, chicken, steak, and zucchini. Then, we meticulously compared their performances, making sure to focus on: Assembly and Cleanup: How easy is it to put together and take apart? How easy is it to clean? Is it dishwasher-safe?Portability: Can it be taken apart and moved? Is it heavy? Does it take up a lot of space?Design and Usability: Is it difficult to use? Are there multiple buttons, gauges, and settings? Does the exterior get hot? How is the grease handled?Cooking Performance: Does it heat evenly and constantly? Are the grill marks defined, dark, and even? Does it create a lot of smoke? Our Top Picks Our Top Pick: Weber Electric Grill at Amazon $399 Jump to Review Best for Beginners: Presto Cool Touch Electric Indoor Grill at Amazon $65 Jump to Review Best Grill-Griddle Combo: Hamilton Beach 3-in-1 Grill/Griddle at Amazon $70 Jump to Review Most Versatile: Ninja Foodi 5-in-1 Indoor Grill at Amazon $170 Jump to Review Our Top Pick Weber Electric Grill PHOTO: Amazon $399 at Amazon $614 at Walmart $399 at Wayfair Why It's Great: Large capacity; easy to assemble; portable; dishwasher-safe grates Grain of Salt: Smokey; expensive With a staggering 280 square inches of cooking area, this grill has the largest capacity of our recommendations. That's enough to cook burgers for an entire kid's soccer team, plus a few more. One downside is the massive size makes it difficult to store because it takes up so much space. The grates are made of porcelain-enameled cast iron, the same material that most commercial grill grates at restaurants are made of. Porcelain-enameled cast iron is different from the usual nonstick coating in that it's slightly more durable but also more prone to sticking, especially on maximum heat. In my experience, the trick to avoiding sticking is to make sure you start with meat that has been patted dry and your grill is ripping hot before putting anything on it. Cast iron does create more smoke and some uneven grill marks. We did experience some sticking during testing and had to put in slightly more work to thoroughly scrub off the food that had gotten stuck. The good news is that the grates are dishwasher safe. This grill was easy to set up and break down, so it's a great choice to take on the road as well (tailgate, anyone?). Weber sells an optional stand, making it even easier to set up outside. We also tested the smaller version of this grill, the Weber Q 1400. While it's another solid performer., it does have a smaller cooking surface (189 square inches). The Details: Outdoor; 31.5 x 25.1 x 26 inches; 280 square inches of cooking space Allrecipes / Morgan Hunt Glaze Best for Beginners Presto Cool Touch Electric Indoor Grill PHOTO: Amazon $65 $62 at Amazon $58 at Walmart $56 at Wayfair Why It's Great: Inexpensive; no assembly required; portable; easy to cleanGrain of Salt: Not as hot or as consistent If you're new to the fast-paced world of electric grills, all the extra bells and whistles can feel overwhelming. We chose the Presto Cool Touch Electric Grill because it's pared down and straightforward; there's no assembly required and no extra buttons or gauges. This electric grill is basically an electric grill pan with an easy-to-use temperature control ranging from 200 to 400°F plus a "warm" setting. We noticed that this pan just didn't get as hot as others, which was fine for our tests with chicken, steak, and especially bread, but it didn't cook the zucchini quite as well. The grill marks came out mostly caramelized but didn't necessarily get a deep sear due to its somewhat inconsistent heating. As some reviewers note, this is a good grill for things like burgers and hot dogs. The plus side, though, is that the body of the grill stays relatively cool to the touch, so accidental burns are a non-issue. This grill also earned high marks for ease of cleaning, as well as for portability since it's so lightweight. The Details: Indoor; 19.25 x 13 x 3 inches; 160 square inches of cooking space Allrecipes / Morgan Hunt Glaze Best Grill-Griddle Combo Hamilton Beach 3-in-1 Grill/Griddle PHOTO: Amazon $70 $60 at Amazon $60 at Walmart $70 at Wayfair Why It's Great: Dual plates; doesn't get smokey; portable and lightweightGrain of Salt: Issues with the grease trap; some hot and cool spots By far, the biggest selling point for this model is the dual plates that make it both a grill and electric griddle in one. It's an excellent choice if you're cooking for a crowd or just making a meal that you would usually need both a grill and a pan. Every year for Father's Day, I make my dad steak and eggs, which requires a grill pan for the steak and a nonstick pan for those sunny eggs. This year, I'm buying him this Hamilton Beach 3-in-1 Electric Grill so I can do fewer dishes and make everything for his breakfast all at once. This grill performed well for us, yielding deep brown grill marks with no smoke at all, making it perfect for that classic grilled steak look. The design of this grill-griddle combo is particularly unique: Two plates sit on either side with a reservoir in the middle for fat to run into and drip into the below grease trap. Unfortunately, we found that the fat didn't always run down into the middle and sometimes just pooled under the item being cooked. While this grill did heat well, the area in between the plates was noticeably cooler than the plates, while the exterior body got extremely hot. Overall, the cleanup for this grill was relatively easy. Both the plates are removable and dishwasher safe, as is the drip tray, but a bit more elbow grease was required to scrub off some more stubborn, cooked-on food, The Details: Indoor; 23 x 12.5 x 7 inches; 180 square inches of cooking space Allrecipes / Morgan Hunt Glaze Most Versatile Ninja Foodi 5-in-1 Indoor Grill PHOTO: Amazon $170 at Amazon View on Pcrichard.com $170 at Home Depot Why It's Great: Grill-air fryer combo; small footprint; user-friendlyGrain of Salt: Loud; hard to clean Part air fryer, part grill, the Ninja Foodi 5-in-1 Indoor Electric Grill does a little bit of everything. If you're looking to get the most bang for your buck or working with a smaller space but want both an air fryer and grill, this is for you. This works like your standard air fryer, but with the grate inserted, it turns into a grill, though there's no option to turn the air fryer fan off, so it can be very loud. It's an awkward shape, but it has an overall small footprint and takes up much less space than two separate appliances would. Plus, it's easy to pick up and move around—although exercise caution because it gets incredibly hot on the outside after use. We loved the user-friendly controls and temperature gauge, as well as features like the loud beep that lets you know it's preheated. However, if Instagram-ready grill marks are a priority for you, this might not be the best choice. Our tests yielded acceptable marks without much smoke or sticking, but the swirl design on the grill plate led to inconsistent marks without the classic crosshatch pattern. The temperature settings were also less reliable than traditional grills; the actual temperature readings were incongruent with what the gauge read, which can lead to inconsistent grill marks as well. Upon breaking down, we noticed that it was a bit more difficult to clean, especially since some brushes can scratch the nonstick coating. The Details: Indoor; 17 x 14 x 11 inches; 100 square inches of cooking space; 90-square-inch air fryer basket Allrecipes / Morgan Hunt Glaze We Tested the Best Air Fryers—Here Are the Ones Worth Buying Our Takeaway If you entertain a lot or have a lot of family barbecues, the Weber Q 2400 Electric Grill, is the one for you. It's a bit on the pricey side, but you really get your money's worth with the massive cooking area. How to Pick the Right Electric Grill Indoor or Outdoor When grill shopping, the first thing to consider is where you plan to use your new grill. Inside? Outside? Both? Some grills are indoor only, while others are more versatile and can be used nearly anywhere. Make sure to check where your grill can be used, especially if you plan to leave it outside. A portable grill is a good option if you think you might want to use it indoors and outdoors. Allrecipes / Morgan Hunt Glaze Ease of Use Are you an aspiring pitmaster who has moved into an apartment that bans charcoal grills? Or maybe just someone new to the grilling game? When shopping around, how easy a grill is to use based on your personal needs and skill level is an important factor. A casual user who is often just having a few burgers in the kitchen will have vastly different needs than someone who enjoys regularly making perfectly seared steaks for a crowd on the patio. Considering features like temperature, heat controls, and portability in regard to your specific needs will help you make the best decision in the long run. Size and Capacity When looking for a new grill, it's important to think of where you're planning to store it and what you plan to do with it. For our tests, we measured the actual usable area, not necessarily from one edge to the other. If you're someone who is planning to host the next backyard barbecue, you'll probably need a much larger outdoor grill so look for something with over 200 square inches of cooking space. But someone who wants to grill just one or two pieces of chicken in a small kitchen without a lot of storage space might opt for a smaller, more versatile indoor model. You might also consider whether the grill contains storage for grilling accessories and tools, too. The Leftovers: Other Electric Grills We Tested The outdoor-only Char-Broil TRU-Infrared Patio Bistro Electric Grill looked promising but it took unreasonably long to heat up and food stuck to the grates. Zojirushi EB-CC15 Indoor Electric Grill and T-Fal GC7 OptiGrill XL also performed poorly in our tests. The main grill area on the Zojirushi didn't get hot enough, while the edge of the grill was too high and presented a safety hazard. The T-Fal, meanwhile, cooked inconsistently and sometimes crushed our food. Another countertop model the Cuisinart GR-4NP1 5-in-1 Griddler, is really more of a panini press than a grill, and its hot exterior also presented a few safety concerns. Allrecipes/Morgan Hunt Glaze Common Questions Are electric grills any good? Maybe we're biased, but we think electric grills are great! They're so much easier to use than traditional grills, they require little to no maintenance, they can be used inside, and generally, they're much cheaper. Electric grills can get just as hot as gas or charcoal grills and deliver the same classic grill marks. You sacrifice that nostalgic "grill" flavor that you usually get from a traditional grill, especially charcoal. But make no mistake, electric grills can get the job, any job, done. Does food made on an electric grill taste like food made on a gas grill? If you're looking to replicate the smoke and flavor of a charcoal grill perfectly, an electric grill will, unfortunately, probably let you down. But if you're a little bit more flexible with your expectations, an electric grill may fit the bill. They can get just as hot as their gas or charcoal counterparts, so they are up to the task of those classic grill marks and charred flavor. If smoke is the flavor you crave, there are a few tips for electric grilling that can help you achieve it. Using barbecue rubs or marinades and sauces with those classic barbecue flavors can help simulate the experience. Things like smoked paprika, liquid smoke, or even a premade bottle of barbecue sauce can instantly replicate that flavor. How do you clean an electric grill? Regardless of what model you have, step one in cleaning an electric grill is always to turn it off and unplug it. The sweet spot for the easiest cleaning is when the grill is cool enough so that you don't burn yourself but not so cool that everything is set and crusted on. For most grills, this is after about 10 minutes. Always follow the manufacturer's instructions for cleaning. If your grill has a nonstick coating, it's imperative not to use metal tools like a grill brush or steel wool. Some grills have removable grates that you can wash right in the sink. Allrecipes/Morgan Hunt Glaze If not, a good trick is to start with a wet rag or paper towel and wipe off the big pieces and any visible grease. Next, unravel enough paper towels to cover the entire grill surface for two or three layers. Get the paper towels damp and cover the grill with them. If the grill has a lid, close it. Let the paper towels sit for about 20 minutes, and carefully wipe everything down. If there's any stubborn, stuck-on food, try a bit of dish soap on the scrubby side of a sponge. Make sure to use a dry paper towel and dry everything thoroughly. Why Take Our Word for It? Our team is made up of culinary experts with years of experience professionally testing products like these. We started by researching the most loved grills we could find to start with the best of the best, and once we had them in our hands, we compared them side by side to test their performance against each other. Nick DeSimone compiled the results into this list. They have nearly a decade of professional cooking experience across a range of cuisines and styles, from vegan fine dining to fast-casual English pub food. Nick has worked the grill station for years and knows what makes a grill good, and what makes a grill great. They have worked with every type of kitchen equipment imaginable for home and commercial purposes during this time. At home, Nick can frequently be found hosting friends for barbecues and making whole grilled eggplants and halloumi for weeknight dinners.