Do you like to grill all year long but the weather prevents you from enjoying a perfectly grilled steak?
Then a smokeless indoor grill may be the best possible solution for you.
We have put together a list with the best electric smokeless indoor grills for you to consider as your next cooking gadget.
Note: If you are in a hurry, then you can read our quick comparison table below or simply click here to jump to our Editor's Conclusion.
Table of Contents
- 1 Quick Comparison Table
- 2 How We Choose the Best Electric Indoor Grill?
- 3 How Do Smokeless Electric Grills Work?
- 4 Reviews of the Best Smokeless Indoor Grills
- 4.1 1. Hamilton Beach 25360 - Best Electric Indoor Grill
- 4.2 2. George Foreman GGR50B - Best Indoor/Outdoor Grill w/ Removable Stand
- 4.3 3. Philips Smoke-Less BBQ Indoor Grill
- 4.4 4. Hamilton Beach 3-in-1 Grill/Griddle
- 4.5 5. Delonghi BG24 Perfecto Indoor Grill
- 4.6 6. George Foreman 4 Servings - Best Cheap Contact Grill
- 4.7 7. Cuisinart GR-4N 5-in-1 Griddler
- 4.8 8. Power Smokeless Open-Style Electric Grill
- 4.9 9. Cuisinart GR-300WS Griddler Elite
- 4.10 10. Presto Cool Touch Electric Open-Style Grill
- 5 Final Thoughts
- 6 What to Consider when Picking an Indoor Grill?
- 7 Are Electric Grills Healthy?
- 8 FAQs
Quick Comparison Table
Grill Name | Cooking Area | Dimensions (in) | Price Range | Our Rating | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | (Editor's Choice) | 118 Sq. In. (Up to 8 Servings) | 6.81 x 16.73 x 12.4 | $ | |||
| | 240 Sq. In. (Up to 15 Servings) | 22.2 x 20.5 x 13 | $$ | ||||
| | 21" x 10" | 7.5 x 21.9 x 16.9 | $$$ | ||||
| | 180 Sq. In. | 12.51 x 23 x 6.71 | $ | ||||
| | 12" x 6" | 19.7 x 13.2 x 6.7 | $ | ||||
| | (Best Budget Pick) | 60 Sq. In. (Up to 4 Servings) | 12.28 x 6.5 x 13.27 | $ | |||
How We Choose the Best Electric Indoor Grill?
72 Hours of Research
60 Products Considered
10 Top Picks
After reading and reviewing more than 60+ models, we narrowed down our list to the top 10 best smokeless electric grills for indoor and outdoor use.
We decided to feature a few open-style design models, several classic contact models as well as a few products which are a combination of both.
When picking the indoor grill models for this list, we have considered their design, features, cooking space, performance, and price.
In the end, from the top 10 featured products, we picked one winner for each category, making it much easier to find the best product for your preferences and needs.
How Do Smokeless Electric Grills Work?
You may wonder how do the smokeless electric grills work and what makes them so special to not produce as much smoke as a gas or charcoal grill.
The main thing which we noticed is the difference in design and construction. In a traditional grill, the drippings fall into the bottom of the unit and eventually being burned and turned into smoke while on these grills, the drippings are trapped into a dripping tray directly under the cooking surface, without having any flame or major heat source near to make them catch on fire. Also, several models use water on the drip trays to keep them cool and to prevent from being burned.
Another thing which we noticed on a indoor grill is the solid grilling surface. These models have either a cover, just like a skillet, or have taller grill ribbing to expedite grease drainage.
Even though it may seem like two simple factors, they both contribute a lot to prevent these models from producing a lot of smoke, around 80% less to be more specific.
Reviews of the Best Smokeless Indoor Grills
1. Hamilton Beach 25360 - Best Electric Indoor Grill
Technical Details:
The Hamilton Beach 25360 is a compact size indoor grill which offers great performance at an affordable price.
It has an adjustable temperature control knob which will allow you to quickly ramp up the temperature to high heat, ideal for searing or cool it down to normal cooking temperatures to finish cooking or keep the food warm.
It has a brushed metal color design and a removable hood, plate & drip tray, ideal for cleaning up or to put them in the dishwasher. Also, it features removable, non-stick cooking grids for easy cleanup, so you don’t have to scrub or worry about cleaning the grill before cooking anymore.
One small feature which we liked are the indicator lights on the side. These lights will tell you when the grill is heating up and when it is ready to use.
Overall, it is one of the most sold indoor grills on Amazon, with a great combination of features and price ratio.
Pros
Cons
2. George Foreman GGR50B - Best Indoor/Outdoor Grill w/ Removable Stand
Technical Details:
Next, we have a more traditional style cooking grill. The George Foreman is an electric grill for outdoor and indoor use, offering tons of cooking space with no smoking at all.
It features about 240 square inches of circular cooking surface, more than enough for up to 15 servings of food. The surface is made of George Tough Nonstick Coating material, which is durable, easy to clean and doesn’t need any butter or oil to be cooked on.
The adjustable temperature control allows you to choose from five heat settings to get the perfect cooking temperature for any kind of food.
The removable drip tray and grill plate are both dishwasher safe for a quick and easy cleaning process.
What we liked most about this model is the removable indoor & outdoor stand, which allows you to transform this model from a countertop unit to a full patio grill in just a few minutes.
Pros
Cons
Technical Details:
This Philips smokeless indoor grill uses an advanced infrared technology and heat reflectors to send the heat to the indoor grill grid for an even and delicious cooked food. This technology offers up to 80% less smoke than a traditional grill. Underneath the grid, there is a drip tray which remains cool to prevent any smoke which may occur.
It has several temperature settings and on the highest setting, it can reach up to 446°F, which is enough to sear meat or cook any other food.
It features a simple 2 piece design, which makes it very easy to set-up and use; you only need to put the grill on the unit base and turn it on. Its patented grid design makes it very easy to clean and offers minimal splattering during cooking. To clean it up, you simply can wipe it with a paper towel or place it in your dishwasher and you are good to go.
One thing worth considering is that it is a bit more expensive than its competitors, but overall, this grill is one of the best smokeless grills out there, with great design and amazing performance.
Pros
Cons
Technical Details:
Next, we have another product from Hamilton grills. It is an open-style indoor grill, offering restaurant quality results with 3-in-1 versatility.
It works as an indoor grill, as a griddle or as a griddle and grill combo. It is divided into two halves and you can use both plates to make it a large grill, snap them both into griddle side or combine together, with one side griddle and one side grill.
The 2 cooking areas make a total of 180 square inches of cooking space, more than enough to cook any type of food. Both reversible cooking plates have their own adjustable heat controls on each side, so you don’t need to turn on both sides when you only need one.
On the center of both plates, there is a grease channel and tray to collect the excess grease. It can be easily removed and is dishwasher-safe, so the clean-up is very easy too.
Just like the drip tray, the nonstick plates quickly snap in or out for cleaning up or putting them into the dishwasher.
Unlike other models which offer these features and versatility options, this Hamilton product comes at an affordable price too, making it a good budget pick.
Pros
Cons
Technical Details:
The Delonghi BG24 Perfecto is the perfect all year long indoor grill, offering delicious results and consistently grilled foods.
It features an extra-large indoor cooking surface to satisfy your needs all year long. The 12 by 6-inch surface is more than enough to grill food for the whole family or a large group of people. The cooking grid is made of die-cast aluminum for evenly cooking and long-lasting use. The M-shaped embedded heating element ensures heat coverage for the whole surface, offering evenly cooked food without hot or cold spots.
The adjustable thermostat will make sure that you don’t burn your food while grilling which will cause extra smoke and the included tempered glass lid will ensure to keep your meal warm after you finish cooking.
As for cleaning, this product is very easy to clean-up, thanks to its nonstick surface and the removable non-stick drip pan. They are both dishwashers safe or you can just use a paper towel to wipe the surface clean.
Some people have complained about the unit taking a bit longer to heat up but considering the low price it comes, we still think it is a great choice.
Pros
Cons
6. George Foreman 4 Servings - Best Cheap Contact Grill
Technical Details:
This George Foreman model is one of the best selling contact grills on the market. It comes with a very affordable price and doesn’t feature fancy options like removable thermostats or timers.
It has a 60 square inches of cooking surface, large enough to prepare food for up to 4 people. George Foreman says that their non-stick coating on the plates is improved and much better than the one found on previous models, making the cooking experience much more enjoyable.
Its patented Foreman sloped grill design gives you the ability to cook with minimum fat buildup or splatter all around. There is a one-inch adjustable hinge on the top to let you grill different cuts of foods or paninis.
Even though it is not very powerful, this product is capable of heating up pretty fast, for around 3 minutes, making it ideal for a quick dinner or breakfast.
Just like a few other models on this list, we still find the cord being too short but cannot complain when compared to the price this model comes.
Pros
Cons
Technical Details:
This Cuisinart product is one of the most versatile models you can find on the market, offering you 5-in-1 different positions and cooking methods.
You can use it as a traditional contact grill, like a Panini press, you can use it as a full two surface open grill, as a griddle since the plates are reversible to a flat surface and the fifth option as half-grill and half griddle for cooking and grilling at the same time.
Thanks to its two cooking surface design, there is room for up to 8 pancakes as a full griddle, 2-3 steaks when used as a full grill and 4-5 burgers when you use it as a contact grill.
This model is capable of maintaining temperatures up to 450°F across the entire surface and also has a 500°F searing option to give your food the finishing touches.
Other small touches worth mentioning are the metal clamps to lock the top in place, the grease-catching cups and that the plates and grease trays are both dishwasher safe.
There are additional attachments to purchase, such as waffle plates if you plan to cook some home-made waffles.
Cuisinart GR-4N Video Review
Pros
Cons
Technical Details:
The Power Smokeless is an open-style grill with a tempered glass top. While a contact grill may cook more quickly and evenly thanks to its upper and lower plates, this model cooks the food from only one side and you have to turn it. Another drawback of the open-style design is that it makes this model not ideal for cooking a Panini. One benefit of open style design is that has a large cooking surface and you can cook oddly shaped meat cuts or seafood, which you may not be very suitable for a contact grill. The surface is around 14x8 Inches, which is big enough to fit up to 8 large burgers, 3 large steaks or an entire chicken.
Except that, the Power Smokeless Grill does a great job cooking almost every other type of food. It has a 1200 watts power and the smart temperature control can go as high as 450°F.
The grill plate is removable and this grill is quite easy to clean as long as you don’t use an extensive amount of oil or butter.
Pros
Cons
Technical Details:
The Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe is an advanced indoor smokeless grill, offering impressive performance in a sleek brushed stainless steel finish. It is a countertop style grill, with capabilities to grill, griddle, half griddle, and half grill, panini press or top melt sandwiches, meats and appetizers. The upper top cover has 6 presets to choose from.
It features an electronic LCD display which shows you the timer and the set temperature. Also, there is dual-zone temperature control, for you to choose the desired temperature for each half of the grill. This means that you can use one half as a grill and the other half as a griddle.
The 240 square inches cooking space can heat as high as 500°F for searing and finishing up your cook.
The removable nonstick grill plates and the integrated drip tray are dishwasher safe for easy and simple clean up after a cheesy sandwich.
This model comes with a limited 3-year warranty from Cuisinart.
Overall, this product is an impressive indoor grill, with great performance, tons of features and durable construction.
Pros
Cons
Technical Details:
The last product we reviewed is the Presto 09020 Cool Touch. It is a simple yet effective full electric indoor grill, which comes at a very affordable price.
It has a compact 13x19.25x3 Inch design, with a premium nonstick cooking grate, suitable to cook almost any kind of food. Thanks to its open-style design, you can cook odd shaped vegetables or meats without any issues, much more different than the classic contact press grills.
The temperature is controlled by the control master unit, which maintains the proper cooking temperature without any issue. The unit is capable of reaching temperatures of up to 400°F and has several adjustment levels.
On both sides of the unit, there are two cool-touch bases to prevent the heat from reaching the surface of the table and the cooking plate is raised a little bit to help the fat drips away.
The dripped fat is found on the drip tray, which thanks to its slide-out design can be removed and cleaned very easily.
This product comes with a spatula included and is completely dishwasher safe after you remove the heat control unit.
Pros
Cons
Final Thoughts
After we took a look at all the models on this list, we think that the best smokeless indoor grill is the Hamilton Beach 25360. It offers you up to 8 servings of food, adjustable temperature controls, great performance, removable dishwasher safe parts and an affordable price.
If you are looking for the best budget pick, we think that the George Foreman 4 Servings Panini Press is probably the best option.
What to Consider when Picking an Indoor Grill?
Before you make your decision, there are several things you should consider before finding what is the perfect model for your needs and preferences:
Grill Style
There are currently two styles of indoor grills: Open-Style and Contact Models. They both have covers but one is known as open style because the two sides of the grill don’t touch the food and the other one, the contact type, presses against the food that it’s inside the grill to provide a more even cooking.
Open style models are usually larger in size and you can cook larger cuts of meat or oddly shaped vegetables, just like a traditional gas grill, except much smaller in size.
As for contact grill, they are faster and the food is cooked on both sides at the same time. They are ideal for sandwiches and are mostly used to prepare breakfast or a quick snack. Even though their design may seem like there is not much mobility, these models come with fully removable plates and are dishwasher safe, just like the open-style models.
Grill Size
Just like any other type of grill, you should consider the indoor grill size before picking one. You may want a model which has space to cook food for a small family or group of people, preferably up to 4 persons.
Much different from a natural gas grill, an indoor grill is designed to be used inside, so they don’t come in large dimensions however most models are capable of cooking food for up to 4 persons without any issues.
Power
The electric heating element is the unit which produces the heat and burns up to cook the food. On these grills, it is powered by electricity and the maximum temperature can vary from 400-500°F. Higher temperature means that you can cook your food more easily as the unit is more powerful, especially when it comes to meat such as steak or roast.
Also, the heat should be evenly distributed across the surface, so you get a well-cooked food.
Other Features
The cooking size and the grilling power are the two main factors to consider when picking a smokeless indoor grill. Other worth considering features are:
Are Electric Grills Healthy?
Grilling food is proven as a way to reduce the amount of fat in your diet, which can result in a healthier lifestyle. Another way to contribute to a healthier lifestyle is by reducing the cooking fumes.
The airborne pollutants released from cooking, mostly by gas and a little bit by electrically produced heat, can be harmful to your health. The British newspaper, ‘Independent’ reported that Cooking fumes produced during high-temperature frying cook are known to cause cancer. Actually, in China, high lung cancer rates among chefs are linked to the practice the tossing food in a wok, often in a confined space, which concentrates the hot oil in a small breathing zone.
There are other studies who show that cooking fumes create high levels of particulates who are suspected to be the cause of different illnesses. Although nothing is 100% proven, it is always good to cut down the smoke and fumes in your home.
The reduce of smoke during cooking can also make your home easier to clean as smoke residues are known to create dirt on ceilings, walls and other surfaces, which will require plenty of work later to fully clean them. The smoke leaves a sticky residue behind which requires a little bit of effort to be cleaned afterward.
So, in conclusion, electric grills, and grilling foods, in general, is healthy. The only thing you may want to prevent and reduce is the cooking smoke and fumes, which in electric grills are at the lowest levels.
FAQs
What is the Best Indoor Electric Grill?
Based on our reviews, the Hamilton Beach 25361 is the best electric indoor grill. It is a well-built grill, with great performance and affordable price.
What are the Benefits of a Smokeless Indoor Grill?
First, you can grill food all year long, no matter the weather. Second, they are faster to set-up and get ready to cook. Third, they are designed to be simple to use and can be cleaned without much effort.
Does an Indoor Grill Produces Smoker?
Every grill will produce a little bit of smoke at first, especially if you are grilling fat-rich cuts such as pork. No grill is complete smokeless but an electric grill for indoor use come pretty close, with up to 80% less smoke than gas or charcoal grills.
How to Clean an Indoor Grill?
Cleaning an indoor grill is a pretty easy and simple process. First, you have to remove the cooking plate and drip tray. Throw any extensive grease in the garbage and then you can use a paper towel to do a quick cleaning in the surface. Also, most parts are dishwasher safe, so throwing them into the dishwasher is always a good idea. After they are cleaned and completely dry, put them back to the grill.
Very pleased with this electric grill.
It is sturdy and works well .
I fill the pan with water which makes clean up easy. Food cooks well and no smoke. I highly recommend it.