It’s a pretty well-known fact that just about everybody loves a barbecue or any kind of outdoor grilling event.
However, it’s not always possible to host these kinds of events when the weather turns bleak so what’s the alternative?
Have everybody huddle around a tiny umbrella and tuck into some soggy burgers?
Thankfully, there’s a much better alternative with the indoor electric grill.
These handy little appliances have the power to turn your kitchen into a full-on barbecue station without any of the dangerous flames and smoke that you’d get on an outdoor barbecue.
In this guide, we’ll be taking a look at some of the best indoor electric grills that money can buy!
OUR TOP PICK
Hamilton Beach Electric Indoor Searing Grill
EDITORS CHOICE
Maxi-Matic Smokeless Indoor Electric Grill
BEST VALUE
Gotham Steel Smokeless Indoor Grill
OUR TOP PICK
Hamilton Beach Electric Indoor Searing Grill
We’re kicking things off right with one of the best-reviewed indoor grills on the whole internet.
This product from Hamilton Beach has all the basic features you’d need for an indoor grill, plus a whole host of other ones that make it great value for money.
The grilling surface itself gives you an impressive 118 square inches of space to play around with, giving you plenty of room to cook a variety of foods at once.
In terms of cooking your food, this grill actually gives you greater control than an outdoor barbecue, thanks to its adjustable heat settings.
The Hamilton Beach grill is also one of the most convenient and user-friendly on our list as well.
It features a window on its hood which allows you to lock in as much heat as possible, while still keeping an eye on the food.
Similarly, the drip tray that sits under the grilling surface results in minimal mess and makes the cleanup after a meal so much easier.
In fact, the whole device is super easy to clean in general. All of the cooking surfaces, hood, and drip tray are removable and can be cleaned in a dishwasher, taking all the hassle out of every meal.
Everything from the preheat and power light displays to the non-stick cooking surface makes this one of the easiest and most convenient indoor grills on the market.
Pros
- 118 Square inch surface – Gives you plenty of room to cook on
- Windowed hood – Allows you to keep an eye on your food while it’s cooking
- Drip tray – This is a great feature for helping minimize mess with each meal
- Dishwasher safe – Plenty of the components of this grill can be cleaned in a dishwasher
- Great all-rounder – This product really does have all the essentials you could want from an indoor grill
Cons
- Price – This is one of the more expensive grills on our list but it is also one of the best
- Short cable – The cable that comes with the grill is pretty short, so will only be appropriate if you use the grill close to an outlet
EDITORS CHOICE
Maxi-Matic Smokeless Indoor Electric Grill
This next indoor grill product represents a significantly cheaper option than the last one but still offers a host of great features.
It uses a circular, PFOA-free, non-stick grill surface with 143 square inches to give you a decent size to work with for all kinds of different foods at once.
This grill also has a glass lid that can help to lock heat inside the grill while still giving you the chance to keep an eye on your food while it’s cooking.
The base also has a built-in grease collector which can be removed to make cleaning up after a meal even easier.
In fact, all the removable components of this grill are dishwasher-safe to make the chef’s life as simple as possible after the meal is cooked.
It also uses a thermostat-control system which allows the user to choose between 5 different heat settings and gives you full control over how your food is cooked.
You might be wondering why this grill, which offers pretty much all of the same features as the previous one we’ve looked at, is only a fraction of the price. There must be something wrong with it, right?
Well, as far as we can tell, the only issue you might have with this grill is the fact that the non-stick coating has been known to flake away and melt into the food that’s being cooked on it.
In general, this is always a risk you’ll take with non-stick coatings so it’s important to clean the grilling surface regularly and keep it in good working condition.
Pros
- Price – This grill offers a great set of features for a very low price
- Glass lid – This is great for keeping an eye on your food while locking heat into the grill
- Dishwasher safe – All of the removable components can easily be cleaned in the dishwasher
- 5-setting thermostat control – Gives the user full control over how they cook their food
Cons
- Non-stick coating – The non-stick coating has been known to melt into food if it’s not properly looked after
BEST VALUE
Gotham Steel Smokeless Indoor Grill
Another fantastic indoor electric grill, this product from Gotham Steel uses all the familiar, useful features in tandem with some innovative technology.
The ceramic-coated grill is reinforced with titanium and delivers a fantastic non-stick surface. This means you don’t have to use any oil or butter, making your meals even healthier.
The materials used for the grill’s surface also create a great environment for even heat distribution.
This heat can be controlled using a handy temperature dial that will maintain the same temperature across the entire grill.
However, probably the best feature of this grill over others is the carefully designed drip tray which is also coated in ceramic. This drip tray works to cool down any grease that drips into it, minimizing the amount of smoke produced as much as possible.
What’s also nice about this grill is that the surface is not coated with any kind of artificial non-stick material, meaning you can use metal utensils like spatulas and not have to worry about the surface peeling away.
The grill is advertised online to be dishwasher-safe but customer reviews have revealed that the packaging says otherwise, so it might be a little more difficult to clean up after every meal.
In fact, plenty of other customers have found that the grill doesn’t work quite as well as advertised and simply cannot hold the same amount of consistent heat as some other products on the market.
Still, this is another of the less expensive items on our list so it could still be a feasible option for a lower budget.
Pros
- Price – This is another grill on the lower end of the price scale
- Ceramic materials – The ceramic materials used create a nice non-stick coating for the grilling surface
- Smoke-free drip tray – The drip tray is cleverly designed to cool down any grease that drips into it, avoiding creating smoke very well
Cons
- Not dishwasher-safe – Despite what the online listing says, this product is not dishwasher safe
- Results vary – Some customers haven’t found too much wrong with this grill but others have sworn off it, stating that it can’t cook too many food items at once
RUNNER UP
Tectake Electric Indoor Smokeless Grill
Our next product is one from a brand you may not have heard of before but they certainly know how to make a decent indoor grill.
The Tectake grill uses the same smokeless innovation as the Gotham Steel one and minimizes the amount of smoke produced by hot grease dripping into the tray.
In fact, this grill also shares the same ceramic coating as the last one we looked at, making for great heat dispersal and non-stick qualities.
The 16″ x 11″ grilling surface is also one of the largest on the market at this price point, giving you an abundance of space to cook all kinds of different foods simultaneously.
You even have the option of cooking on a griddle or flat-pan surface, allowing you to grill meats like you would on a barbecue or even fry eggs.
This is also another grill that uses a 5-temperature dial to give you a great level of control over how you want to cook your food.
It’s even a pretty fast-heating grill, getting up to temperature in no time at all, leaving you ready at all times to get grilling!
This option does cost a little more than some of the others we’ve looked at but it does come with a very large grilling surface and all the same useful features.
Pros
- Smoke-free drip tray – Creates a much safer environment inside your kitchen
- Ceramic coating – Applies a great non-stick surface to your grill
- Griddle/flat surface – Allows you to choose how you want to cook your food and offers a great deal of versatility
- Fast-heating – Means you’ll always be ready for some grilling
- Large grilling surface – This grill has a lot more space on it than most others we’ve looked at
Cons
- Not dishwasher-safe – Unfortunately, the parts of this grill have to be washed by hand
RUNNER UP
Cuisimax Indoor Electric Grill
The last indoor grill that we’re taking a look at is one of the most expensive out there but does offer a great host of nifty features.
For starters, the smoke-free technology that this grill uses is far superior to the other ones we’ve looked at.
Instead of simply cooling the grease as it hits the drip tray, this grill has a built-in cross-flow fan that reduces 95% of smoke created by cooking.
The digital display on the front of the grill also offers a great range of features, allowing you to take full control over the temperature of the grill and turn the built-in fan on and off.
As you’d expect from a grill at this price point, all of the removable parts like the grilling surface and the drip tray are dishwasher-safe, as well as the glass lid that comes with the setup.
This glass lid is great for locking in heat and still letting you watch over your cooking food. It’s even made with tempered glass which is much less likely to break, even under excessive heat.
This is also the largest grill on our list in terms of the overall cooking surface, meaning you can easily get enough food for multiple people cooking on it at once.
The 1500W power source that gets this grill going is also one of the best we’ve seen so far, meaning it will get up to much higher temperatures with ease and shouldn’t lose heat easily.
Overall, this is easily the best indoor electric grill on our list in terms of the features it offers. However, it is also the most expensive we’ve looked at, so your budget should ultimately be the deciding factor over whether you get it or not.
Pros
- Large grilling surface – This grill gives you complete freedom to cook pretty much whatever you want in terms of quantity and size of ingredients
- Tempered glass lid – Great for keeping an eye on food and you won’t have to worry about it breaking
- 1500W power – The most powerful grill we’ve seen on this list
- Built-in cross-flow fan – Great for getting rid of 95% of smoke created by grilling
Cons
- Price – Yes, this is the most expensive option on our list but it’s certainly the best in terms of quality.
Buyer’s Guide
If you’re still not convinced by any of the grills on our list, there are plenty more options out there that might be better for your needs.
Here are some of the things you should look out for when doing your own shopping:
Smoke-Free Technology
You’ve probably noticed how some of the grills on our list are advertised as ‘smoke-free’ or ‘smokeless’.
The common problem with electric indoor grills is that grease will drip down into the grease tray and produce smoke which is obviously not good for indoor use.
Some grills will use a drip tray that naturally cools the grease down and reduces the amount of smoke produced.
However, the best ones will have a convection fan or similar system to do an even better job of getting rid of smoke and these are the ones you should prioritize.
Dishwasher Safe Components
You don’t realize it until you have an indoor grill, but cleaning them by hand can be an absolute nightmare.
Because of all the greasy foods that tend to get cooked on grills, you’ll end up with slimy, sticky pieces of food stuck hard to every surface of the grill.
Even if you don’t own a dishwasher, any product that is labeled as ‘dishwasher-safe’ tends to be a lot easier to clean and is less likely to be damaged by abrasive cleaning products.
For that reason, it’s definitely best to look for one that is suitable for use in a dishwasher.
Grilling Surface
You’ll come across a lot of different shapes and sizes of grilling surfaces when it comes to indoor electric grills and there’s no single best option for everyone.
Naturally, you should try to get as large a grilling surface as will reasonably fit in your kitchen and your budget.
However, when it comes to the shape of the grill, there’s no difference between round ones and rectangular ones.
The material of the surface is far more important and ceramic coatings tend to be best.
These offer a more natural non-stick coating for your grill, which tends to be much better than artificial non-stick coatings.
The artificial materials can create problems with flaking away or melting into your food so these are usually best to avoid.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Electric Grills Be Ssed Indoors?
Yes, there are plenty of electric grills out there that are designed specifically to be used indoors. The best ones will often use some kind of smoke-free technology to ensure that grilling your food doesn’t end up filling your kitchen with smoke.
It’s a great way to recreate the effects of an outdoor grill or barbecue, even if the weather is lousy.
What’s The Best Indoor Grill To Cook Steaks On?
A good indoor grill for steaks would be one that has a high maximum temperature, as this will allow you to properly sear the exterior of the steak and create a variety of textures.
Something like the Cuisimax indoor electric grill is a good example of this because its 1500W power supply allows it to get up to some seriously high temperatures.
Conclusion
Of course, there are plenty of electric indoor grills that you can buy online, as well as in stores, that we didn’t have time to look at in this article.
However, we’re pretty confident that if you go for anything on our list, you’re in for a whole lot of grilling fun.
Don’t let bad weather get in the way of a good old-fashioned get-together with friends and family. Take the barbecuing and grilling experience indoors!
