Indoor grills usually employ infrared heat rather than direct, open flames to create a smokeless grilling experience. They run off electricity, so no need to deal with a heavy propane tank, and most fit snuggly on your countertop. There are two varieties of indoor grills: open grills and contact grills. The former is a sort of scaled-down version of an outdoor grill, with an open grilling surface. You’ll need to flip your food halfway through so that everything cooks evenly. Contact grills have two cooking surfaces—one on top and one on the bottom, like a panini press. Our top choice, the Hamilton Beach Searing Grill is a contact grill with a removable hood that’s dishwasher safe. We sent a few of our top choices out for testing in real home kitchens, by testers who miss grilling but lack the outdoor space necessary for even the smallest of grills. To test, they cooked up the burger recipe of their choice in addition to making grilled romaine lettuce. They noted a few determining factors along the way like how easy or hard setting up each grill was out of the box, and how long it took to get to temperature and, if possible, checked that with an infrared thermometer. Lastly, they noted how smoky their apartments got and how cleanup went, including any greasy mess left behind on the counter. From a grill that sears to one that can handle food straight from the freezer, here are the best smokeless indoor grills. Turn this grill dial to “sear” and when it reaches the high heat searing temperature of 450 degrees after about 3 minutes, a green light will glow. That’s your signal to throw on your steaks, burgers, pork chops, or fish fillets and cook them to perfection. That’s what our tester did in a small apartment kitchen. After leaving them on the grill for a few minutes, the burgers came off with nice sear marks, though were slightly overcooked. The romaine lettuce test was a bit hard to handle. This grill sat high on the tester’s counter and when it came time to take the lettuce off, the leverage was off and it slipped out of the tongs. Cleanup afterward was extremely easy. Once cooled, the hood, plate, and drip tray are removable and dishwasher safe. During our tests, that lid did keep any smoke and heat contained in the grill. The grill is a bit bulky, so you will need dedicated storage space. Price at time of publish: $85 Dimensions (LxWxH): 16.7 x 12.4 x 6.8 inches | Cooking Area: 118 square inches | Weight: 8.1 pounds We sent this home to a tester who found that it only took a few minutes to set it up after a quick look at the instructions. When it came time to grill, the surface got to full heat within 7 minutes with the side of the grill closer to the temperature prong heating up slightly faster. That didn’t stop it from cooking up juicy burgers and beautifully charred romaine lettuce, without smoking up the tester’s apartment. After testing, the cleanup of the grill itself wasn’t an issue once everything cooled down, but, since this doesn’t have a lid, the counter did need a good wipedown. “I like the grill! I think it’s a nice substitution for an outdoor grill for those who don’t have outdoor spaces in urban environments. I’ve also grilled peppers and mushrooms so far, but I think it’d do a nice job on delicate seafood like prawns, scallops, and fish.” — Elspeth Velten, General Manager, Simply Recipes Price at time of publish: $100 Dimensions (LxWxH): 20.75 x 14 x 6.1 inches | Cooking Area: 112 square inches | Weight: 7.75 pounds This comes with a large, slightly domed lid to let you cook without splashing grease or oil, and that came in handy during our testing. After a quick set-up, our tester started prepping for a burger dinner. Setting the temperature dial to 400 degrees, it’s questionable if the grill pan got that hot. An infrared thermometer didn’t register the same temperature once the grill’s indicator light went on. Trusting the grill, the burgers went on and when some sputtering happened, the lid prevented a mess. With medium-cooked burgers, the romaine test happened. Set to sear, this performed less well than an outdoor grill. The leaves wilted and tasted great, but there were no sear marks. This all said, our tester enjoyed cooking on this, especially since the lid stopped a greasy mess and smoke in her kitchen. The handles and base did stay cool to the touch, so you can safely use this without any burns to you or your countertop. Everything was on the easier side of cleaning, though you might need to wipe down the nonstick pan a little extra as the grease tends to cling to it. Also, since the pan is very wide, you might need to find room to store this. Price at time of publish: $40 Dimensions (LxWxH): 17.5 x 16.5 x 4 inches | Cooking Area: 14-inch diameter | Weight: 6 pounds Note that this is cooking outdoors, not inside, as it uses charcoal. It comes with a fire basket, charcoal grate, heat shield, and a multifunction cork lid that doubles as a base and hot pad. Simply turning the grill around on the base controls the airflow to your charcoal. All elements are removable to allow for easy cleaning. Price at time of publish: $500 Dimensions (DxH): 15.75 x 11 inches | Cooking Area: 15.75-inch diameter | Weight: 16.75 pounds The grill features separate temperature controls for the lid and base plate so you can customize your cooking or multitask since the grill fully opens up to double your cooking space. Its extras fulfill all kinds of cooking desires—from the dishwasher-safe griddle, waffle, and grill plates to a broiler function that allows the lid to float for gorgeously melted cheese atop your burgers. Price at time of publish: $300 Dimensions (LxWxH): 18 x 14 x 7.5 inches | Cooking Area: 130 square inches | Weight: 20 pounds The biggest downside is that there isn’t anywhere for the oil to drain into, so if you have an oily burger, the clean-up might be a bit of a mess. Backed by a 1-year manufacturer warranty, the 350-watt Dash Mini Grill is also perfect for grilling up breakfast sandwiches, paninis, and hash browns. Price at time of publish: $13 Dimensions (LxWxH): 5 x 6.4 x 2.8 inches | Cooking Area: 4-inch diameter | Weight: 1.6 pounds Named for its five (!!) functions, this sleek machine is a panini press, contact grill, full grill, full griddle, and half grill/half griddle. Flip the reversible grill plates to cook chicken, veggies, and quesadillas, or make a panini— the height adjusts to accommodate various thicknesses of bread. Its LCD screen shows function, temperature, and timer, while the removable and reversible dishwasher-safe nonstick cooking plates mean easy storage. Price at time of publish: $120 Dimensions (LxWxH): 13.25 x 12.5 x 8 inches | Cooking Area: 99 square inches | Weight: 9.4 pounds
What to Look for in an Indoor Grill
Capacity
When it comes to the cooking surface, bigger isn’t necessarily better. An 80-square-inch grill is a great fit for a single person or a couple, while a 100-square-inch can easily grill enough food for families of three to five. Need more? Get ready to grill up a few batches (or move the party outside, as you’re unlikely to find an indoor grill larger than 150 square inches.)
Power
Higher wattage means two things: your food will cook faster and you will pay more. If you want to cook more food faster, it’s worth investing in a higher watt grill. It also helps if you want the option to sear your meat since that can only be achieved at a high temperature.
Features
If your kitchen doesn’t have the best ventilation, a grill with a built-in filter will cut the smoke levels way down (despite the name, even these smokeless grills produce some smoke). Removable grill plates are also a great feature—they make cleaning up many times easier—especially if they’re dishwasher safe. If not, you’ll have to carefully wipe the whole thing down with a damp cloth.
Do you need a grill brush to clean an indoor grill?
Yes, it’s helpful to use a grill brush to clean an indoor grill. “Indoor grills can utilize the same equipment one would typically use for an outdoor grill, such as tongs and a grill brush,” says Chef Tim Hastings. Our testers found that indoor grills with nonstick grates were fairly easy to clean without a brush, though one would help with heavy use.
Are cooking times different on indoor grills?
No, cooking times should be similar on indoor grills and fairly comparable to outdoor ones. To determine how your indoor grill heats up, cook something familiar like burgers, chicken, or veggie kebabs, on it the first few times
Why Trust Simply Recipes?
Hannah Howard has been writing about food and cooking for over a decade, including the memoirs “Feast” and “Plenty.” She feeds her little family, including a grilled-cheese-loving toddler, a lot of paninis, grilled veggies, and a burger. Read Next: The Best Grill Brushes
