The 7 Best Electric Grills, According to Lab Tests

Best Overall: George Foreman GFO240S Indoor/Outdoor Electric Grill

4.8

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Our Ratings

• Ease of Assembly
  4/5
• Performance
  5/5
• Design
  4/5
• Cleanup
  4/5
• Portability
  5/5

If you want a freestanding electric grill, you can’t go wrong with the George Foreman GFO240S Indoor/Outdoor Electric Grill. This model features a removable stand that lets you use it outside on a patio or indoors on the countertop, plus its spacious 240 square inches of cooking space means you can make around 15 servings at a time. 

The sleek-looking George Foreman grill has several features that make grilling an enjoyable experience. The nonstick grill plate has the iconic sloped grilling surface that helps drain the fat off meat, and the grill's 1440 watts translates to an adjustable temperature control that offers five heat settings. There’s also a dishwasher-safe drip tray that collects excess grease, but keep in mind that the grill plate is not removable.

When our team tested the GFO240S in the Lab, the consistency among the tests stood out. All seven slices of white bread toasted evenly to a nice golden brown with picture-perfect grill marks. That uniform grilling and well-defined grill marks continued when we tested strips of fresh zucchini and a flank steak, with neither test producing extreme amounts of setting-off-the-fire-alarm smoke. The only test with some slight inconsistency was with fresh chicken breasts, though they still grilled up nicely when set to 450 F.

Besides the built-in grill plate, the unstable stand is another downside to this model. Our testers found that it felt a little unstable during all the tests, though it ultimately didn't break or fall off the stand. We also wished there was a hook for the lid to hold it while you're cooking—a feature some other George Foreman indoor/outdoor grills do have.

Dimensions: 10.88 x 20.5 x 21.25 inches | Cooking Area: 240 square inches | Power: 1440 watts | Use: Indoor/outdoor

Best Portable: Weber Q 1400 Electric Grill

4.5

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Our Ratings

• Ease of Assembly
  5/5
• Performance
  3.5/5
• Design
  4/5
• Cleanup
  4.7/5
• Portability
  4.5/5

One of the best electric grills you can buy today is the Weber Q 1400 Electric Grill. This tabletop model has a 1560-watt heating element and 189 square inches of cooking area, as well as a 6-foot grounded cord.

The Weber Q 1400 has a sleek exterior design featuring a cast aluminum lid and body, as well as a large grip handle and control knobs, and ergonomic side handles. You can adjust the inner temperature via the infinite heat control settings, and the porcelain-enameled cast-iron cooking grates will put a delicious sear on your food.

We've tested this model both in a home kitchen and in our Lab. Overall, our home reviewer was incredibly happy with the sleek design and performance of this electric grill, saying that it’s ideal for those looking to save space and that its cast-iron grates deliver beautiful sear marks. After it burnt a few pieces of toast, our Lab testers found that the Q 1400 performed better on certain types of food, leaving defined sear marks on both zucchini strips and flank steak. It didn't perform as well with chicken breasts, with the tester noting that raised grates might've worked better in that experiment.

If you're looking for a larger electric grill, Weber also has the Q 2400, which boasts 280 square inches of cooking space for a slightly higher price.

Dimensions: 14.5 x 27 x 16.5 inches | Cooking Area: 189 square inches | Power: 1560 watts | Use: Outdoor

Best Indoor: PowerXL PG-1500FDR Smokeless Grill

4.5

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Our Ratings

• Ease of Assembly
  5/5
• Performance
  4/5
• Design
  4/5
• Cleanup
  5/5
• Portability
  4.5/5

One of the major problems with grilling indoors is that it can create quite a bit of smoke, setting off your fire alarm—and no one wants to deal with that! However, the PowerXL Smokeless Grill promises to solve this common kitchen woe, thanks to its built-in smoke-extracting fan, making it great for grilling indoors. The grill can achieve temperatures up to 450 F, and it includes a tight-sealing lid to lock in moisture while you cook.

This indoor grill offers a 13.75 x 8-inch cooking surface that's spacious enough for eight large hamburgers, and its nonstick ceramic surface ensures your food is easy to flip and remove. There's an oil-drip tray below the cooking surface to catch drippings, and the unit even comes with an additional griddle plate in case you want to whip up some breakfast.

Our home tester did just that and found that this is truly smokeless when making bacon and eggs. It wasn't as smokeless in our Lab though, with a moderate amount wafting in the air when we grilled flank steak and chicken breasts. There was also some inconsistency with grill marks (it doesn't achieve the high temperature necessary for true sear marks). Cleanup does entail a lot of pieces but is shockingly easy, even when there are caramelized bits on the grill.

Dimensions: 20 x 12 x 5.5 inches | Cooking Area: 110 square inches | Power: 1200 watts | Use: Indoor

Best for Patios: Char-Broil Patio Bistro TRU-Infrared Electric Grill

4.2

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Our Ratings

• Ease of Assembly
  5/5
• Performance
  3.5/5
• Design
  4/5
• Cleanup
  4.8/5
• Portability
  4/5

If you have a dedicated outdoor space where you can place a grill, the Char-Broil Infrared Electric Patio Bistro is a highly rated outdoor electric model. This electric grill features infrared technology that heats food directly to minimize hot spots, and it has 240 square inches of primary cooking space to hold around eight to 12 burgers at a time. There's an additional removable warming rack for a total of 320 square inches of cooking space.

This electric grill delivers 1750 watts of power and plugs into a standard outlet. It features a porcelain-coated cast-iron cooking grate, as well as a lid-mounted temperature gauge and wheels for increased mobility. You can infuse your barbecue with a smoky flavor by heating wood chips on the grate while cooking.

Our home tester said this electric grill has a small learning curve if you're switching from charcoal or gas grilling, but overall, controlling this device was pretty intuitive. In the Lab, our testers did observe some uneven heating, with more heating consistency on the back and center of the grill. Those are the areas where more caramelization and searing occurred, though everything that was grilled cooked up nicely.

Note: The model tested by The Spruce Eats' home tester included folding side shelves, which the most recent models do not have. 

Dimensions: 26 x 38.5 x 24.2 inches | Cooking Area: 320 square inches | Power: 1750 watts | Use: Outdoor

Best Budget: Presto 09020 Cool Touch Electric Indoor Grill

4.6

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Our Ratings

• Ease of Assembly
  4.5/5
• Performance
  4/5
• Design
  4.7/5
• Cleanup
  4.5/5
• Portability
  4.8/5

If you need a tabletop grill that's also easy to store, the very affordable Presto Cool Touch Indoor Grill has everything you could want. This features a nonstick grilling surface that's raised away from the cast aluminum base and slightly tilted, so fat drains into the removable drip tray. That base remains cool-ish to touch, even if you crank the grill all the way up to 400 F. The grill itself only weighs 5 pounds, so it can be set up anywhere.

We say "cool-ish" since the base did get warm when we maxed out the temperature in the Lab. Our testers also observed that though the gauge was set to 400 F, we got thermometer readings of up to 480 F in certain spots on the grill itself. The hot spots did translate to a little bit more golden coloring on our toast and a tiny bit more caramelization on our flank steak and chicken breast. But every test came out with impeccable grill marks, and none of them caused enough smoke to set off the alarm.

Cleanup is easy too. Once the heating element is removed, the grill can be cleaned with warm, soapy water and placed in the dishwasher. This does come with a specially designed spatula that doubles as a scraper if anything does get stuck on.

Dimensions: 18.43 x 11.25 x 2.18 inches | Cooking Area: 160 square inches | Power: 1300 watts | Use: Indoor

Best Smokeless: Hamilton Beach 25361 Electric Indoor Searing Grill with Viewing Window

4.5

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Our Ratings

• Ease of Assembly
  5/5
• Performance
  4/5
• Design
  4/5
• Cleanup
  5/5
• Portability
  4.5/5

While the Power XL grill, our best indoor pick, claims to be smokeless with the help of a water tray, this countertop grill from Hamilton Beach is actually smokeless thanks to a lid that keeps the smoke and grease inside. This option comes with a ceramic nonstick grill plate, and the heating element can produce temperatures up to 450 F. You'll know when the grill's ready by a green light.

Out of the box, this is pretty simple to put together; though it is large enough to need a dedicated space. When we tested this in our Lab, we found that it does take an extra minute or two to come to temperature, and there does seem to be some cool spots on the grill. Cool spots can be used to your advantage, so you don't end up with hockey-puck burgers. Thankfully, this model has a window in the lid so you can monitor the food's progress while keeping all the smoke away from any sensitive alarms. Once you learn its quirks, it can grill up whatever you want with appetizing grill marks, as we found with our steak and chicken tests.

When you're done, the lid does come off for a wash in warm, soapy water, and the grill plate can go in the dishwasher. The extra-large, removable drip tray is almost the whole width of the grill, so you can be sure that there won't be any mess.

Dimensions: 16.73 x 12.4 x 6.81 inches | Cooking Area: 118 square inches | Power: 1200 watts | Use: Indoor