Written by Terry Smith

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UK’s best electric indoor grills for a bbq experience without the smoke personally tested

This article was last updated on December 28th, 2021 at 11:12 am

The colder weather doesn’t have to mean that you go without a juicy, grilled steak or two – there are plenty of smokeless indoor grill options that’ll keep the party going. Whilst my obvious preference it to open up the charcoal bbq or the bbq food smoker for that matter, an indoor grill offers a very similar charred effect, despite the fact it’s electric, which technically shouldn’t be as good as a gas bbq, though very much is, trust me, I’ve eaten for 3 years from one of these reviews and I’ve had half a dozen grills on the top pick and also used many of the portable gas bbq’s to great effect indoors – I wish I did my research first time correctly! I would have had a far more enjoyable experience because the best indoor grill  in the UK is by far superior to my first purchase – though that said, it was considerably cheaper.

Food Party Electric Grill and Hot Pot

The best indoor bbq grills will leave you with a very authentic feel but with the added benefit of not being outside in the freezing cold. And while there’s a myriad of ways to keep yourself warm outside; a fire pit, wall mounted heater, patio heater, table top heater, and an extra layers of clothes. These just don’t work when it’s too cold even a patio heater crashing out 46000 BTU will still mar the experience and that is exactly where the best indoor electric grill without the smoke comes in.

Quest grill – superb bit of kit on a budget as I found out over the last three years

Best indoor bbq grilling machines

One of the biggest concerns you’ll face is the smoke indoors. Quite frankly the newer line of indoor grilling machines are really upping the game. You’ll find virtually no smoke at all from some models. Just take a look at my indoor bbq and how appealing it looks 🙂 as far as I am concerned it is the best indoor bbq grilling machine.

Below you will see that we have reviewed some of the best selling indoor grills for you, giving you our honest thoughts on their cooking performance, features, and who they would be best suited for. So, let’s get started helping you to make the right choice when it comes to buying the best indoor grill for your particular needs and if there’s more information you might like then the indoor grill buyer’s guide will come to the rescue!

Best indoor grill overall: Food Party Electric Grill and Hot Pot – if you want the best of the best indoor grill experience then this is it.

Worth considering: Tefal OptiGrill+ GC713D40

Best budget indoor grill: Quest 35490 Large Teppanyaki Grill Electric, 2000 W or the Multifunctional BBQ hot Pot and Grill if you want something with a hot pot

Best with a hot pot: Food Party Electric Grill and Hot Pot

Best indoor bbq experience: George Foreman Indoor Outdoor BBQ Grill 22460

Indoor grill buyers guide

Still not sure about which product to go for? Well, maybe this buyer’s guide will help you to make up your mind.

Let’s take a look at the things that make up the best indoor grills.

Size and cooking area

Indoor grills are not all built the same so be sure to check both the dimensions of the product plus the cooking area. It is possible that an indoor grill will be larger in dimensions than another but actually have a smaller cooking plate. While it is nice to have a huge indoor grill to cook on, you have to think practically. Do you have enough space on the table or kitchen side to house it? Do you really need one that size in the first place?

If there’s only two or three of you, there’s not much point in spending a lot of money on a giant indoor grill when a smaller one will suffice. With that said larger families can struggle with the smaller indoor grills, we were hard at it all two hours full steam cooking for 5 on this littler one:

Multifunctional BBQ hot Pot and Grill – smaller grill difficult for 5 hungry mouths around a table

Temperature control

This is really important if you are very particular about how your food is cooked. Some models will only have a set number of presets and often these are not labelled with the exact temperature. This is usually fine for most people, but others who like to perfect the art of grilling will want to look for something with finer controls.

Some products have built in temperature regulators too, and these help to keep the heat constant to avoid burning the food.

Some of the best indoor grills like the Tefal OptiGrill have multiple options when it comes to heat settings, really allowing you to get things how you want them; for a price of course.

Special features

Helpful features to look out for are sensors that regulate temperature, extractor fans to get rid of smoke, and high-quality, non-stick plates. Plates that can be removed for easy cleaning are very handy, as are ones that can be just washed in the dishwasher. Likewise, an easy to remove grease tray is a good feature on an indoor grill.

Types of indoor grill

There are different types of indoor grill – you got hot pots and straight flat grills. First off, we have the flat, open top type. These usually offer up a large cooking surface and make monitoring the cooking process easier. However, you can only cook one side of the food at a time so they are slower than folding grills.

Folding grills are always the quickest

Folding grills cook both sides of the meat at once, so they are obviously much faster than open grills. They are good for making grilled sandwiches too. The downside to folding contact grills is that they often have smaller cooking surfaces.

Then there are Raclette grills. These are just like open grills, but they have the heating filament in the middle and then an area for mini-pans to slide in underneath. These are great for preparing multiple dishes at once, and are perfect for cheese lovers.

Easy to clean

Grills don’t stay clean very long, and some can be a pain in the backside to clean, so choose wisely. As already mentioned, removable cooking plates are the best, and better still: ones that can be put in the dishwasher.

The quality of the non-stick coating on the cooking plates will also play a large factor on how easy it is to clean them after cooking – even the best pick is a big of a pig because it’s a complete fixed unit so you need to carry the whole thing. Ironically the best for cleaning is the cheapest Quest as that’s basically one big grill though you can’t put it in the dishwasher due to electrical parts.

Quest grill cleaning is easy enough but the party isn’t so fun

The size of the drip tray is important too. If it’s too small, it could overflow while you are cooking, especially if you are cooking for a lot of people, and this will cause a mess and be potentially dangerous if it leaks into electrical components.

Build quality

There are some very cheap indoor grills out there, and while there are some bargains to be had, I would advise paying a bit more for a trusted brand that you know will be durable and last a while.

This is also a safety issue. If the makers of a certain indoor grill haven’t even checked that there are screws missing, or similar, do you really think they checked that the product was safe to use? Do yourself a favour and pay a little more for some peace of mind.

How does it look?

Your indoor grill is likely to become a permanent, or at least semi—permanent, part of your kitchen so it needs to be something you don’t mind looking at all the time. Some designs just won’t fit in with certain types of kitchen that well. Let’s say you have a rustic, traditional looking kitchen. Do you really want a shiny metallic grill? It’s not for me to say, as it is all about personal taste, but looks are important.

Quest grill looks pretty good despite the price tag

Best indoor grill reviews

If you buy the Food Party Electric Grill and Hot Pot you will be absolutely over the moon. I was. What a superb way to cook your bbq indoors. Firstly the temperature controls are pretty good which is a marked improvement on the cheaper models. It comes nicely packaged and the lid is a screw to put together. Other than that it is entirely plug and play, zero hassle:

Food Party Electric Grill and Hot Pot – very easy to setup – no mucking about

 

I wouldn’t write the Quest off though on a budget as I say that. I would certainly however, pick this if I had the additional money and without question we go to this grill before the Quest now.

I know this is a bit show off but still, it’s very appealing:

Best indoor bbq grill

The soup pot is a touch of genius. It works on so many levels. Firstly you get a chance to boil off veg and make a nice soup as you go. While I prefer my meat prepped on the top of the grill. Obviously you’re only sitting down with the wife and kids eating this as the norm so you’re not worried are you about the closeness? I’m not sure I’d want this setup with friends, in fact I still would get the Quest out for them as it’s far less personal and we could have our own grills.

As far as cooking goes, it’s superb, even when in the middle of the grill there’s only a bit of steam, no smoke:

It’s great for boiling an egg too. You get the chance to make yourself perfect runny eggs time after time 😀

If I had one complaint it’s the cleaning. The grill isn’t removable therefore you have to spend a good bit of time cleaning up but being non stick it’s not the biggest hassle and it’s a huge improvement on how it cooks food compared to the Quest overall. A definite buy and my pick for best indoor bbq grilling machine.

While I really really enjoyed the food and the taste of the Multifunctional BBQ hot Pot and Grill I found the whole thing a bit difficult compared to my top pick. For a start you don’t realise the challenges of eating with 5-6 people until there’s ot enough space and with us all preferring the grill and chicken / pork taking a fair while it can be a slow process. Now as long as you don’t mind feeding the kids first you’re onto a winner – assuming you have time to burn as it’s half the price of my favourite grill I tested – the Food Party Electric Grill and Hot Pot

Multifunctional BBQ hot Pot Double Pot,Integrated Kitchen Pot,Electric hot Pot,Electric Barbecue Grill

But for us wanting to get done fast, we prefer the one we paid more for. The dials were easy enough but difficult to control – I don’t feel like the thermostat was a true gauge of what was going on with either – if I set half my bacon wasn’t sizzling, if I set whole it was flying. I found myself continually adjusting the temperature – not really that bigger deal for someone that is always mucking about with charcoal and finding the right balance. But it could be annoying for someone that expects a perfect temperature and easily the biggest weakness on this.

Multifunctional BBQ hot Pot Double Pot,Integrated Kitchen Pot,Electric hot Pot,Electric Barbecue Grill gives food a superb charred taste

In terms of cleaning it’s a doddle – if you catch the grill lukewarm and wipe it off, 95% of the grease comes off – highlighting just how healthy this method of cocking is – that’s not why I do it though, I love the charred flavour and I have to say this delivered.

Overall it’s a definite buy rating from me and given half the price of my top pick, deserves second place on budget behind the incredibly well priced Quest. And the very very best thing is toward the end with big patience you can slowly put a real smoky flavour on your food:

Multifunctional BBQ hot Pot Double Pot,Integrated Kitchen Pot,Electric hot Pot,Electric Barbecue Grill – you can really get some smoky flavour out of this grill

Pros:

  • Great for health
  • Super price compared to the top pick
  • Cleans easily
  • Smoke free

Cons:

  • Not big enough for 5 in my opinion (we are greedy though) 😀

3. George Foreman Large Red Steel Grill 25050

The George Foreman name has almost become synonymous with these folding indoor grills, and it’s also a name that is trusted by many, including myself. So, I was both happy and surprised to see that many of their products are currently heavily discounted on Amazon at the time of writing. This particular indoor grill is designed to cook seven portions. Now, that’s a fair old bit of food for small money!

There are also smaller versions of this very same model for people who only need to cook 3 or 5 portions, and they are obviously even cheaper, and that’s the one I’ve got – it really is small these are little bits of salmon, the very largest sashimi for a scale:

George Foreman Large Red Steel Grill 25050 – very small one

While this model doesn’t have all the fancy sensors and options that the Tefal Optigrill has, it still offers up excellent cooking performance no matter what you’re cooking. The non-stick plates seem to be built to a higher quality than my old George Foreman that was packed in after many years of use, and can be quickly cleaned.

The new improvements on this model also include an adjustable foot that lets you angle the grill in order to let fat run out into the drip tray easier. The drip tray itself fits better than on previous models, yet is easier to remove at the same time.

I tested out this indoor grill’s ability to cook sandwiches and it didn’t disappoint, and the aforementioned non-stick plates were a god-send after my overloaded cheese ran out of the sides. Here’s a tip- use baking paper if you’re going to grill cheese sandwiches.
The George Foreman Large Red Steel Grill gets its name from the colour of its lid, and I must admit while red usually isn’t my thing, this grill certainly looks better than a lot of other models.

Measuring 37.1 x 37.9 x 10.7cm, the largest version of this indoor grill would be perfect for families where there are three children or more, or for people who like to get a few friends around for dinner. It weighs 3.88kg so it is lighter than the Tefal, and features a cord wrap for easier storage.

For the price, this well-built, good looking indoor grill is hard to beat. It delivers excellently cooked steaks, burgers, chicken, and just about everything else. A real bargain at the moment.

Pros:

  • Great value
  • Can cook plenty in one go
  • George foreman quality we trust

Cons:

  • Not the best in terms of sensors and gadgets – just a grill

I have to tell you, what a well rounded bit of kit for the money. The temperature is difficult to control but the effect on bacon for the money makes this an absolute bargain and we had literally dozens of great afternoons so far on this:

Quest 35490 Large Teppanyaki Grill Electric, 2000 W, Black

What’s more, I absolutely love love love how this cooks down onions in the bacon fat – oh dear me weight gainer but so yummy it’s crazy:

Quest 35490 Large Teppanyaki Grill Electric cooking down onions to perfection

This low cost, flat plate grill is another excellent option for those who intend to cook for more than two people. The non-stick cooking surface only requires a small drop of oil before cooking, and the open style makes it easy to keep an eye on how your food is cooking.

The surface of the grill is large and gives you plenty of space for cooking on, and its streamlined design keeps the weight down to just 1.4 kilograms. This lack of weight makes it possible to take this with you to a friend’s house, or even camping if you’ve got a generator.

What I like about these flat indoor grills, is that they allow you to cook fried eggs and similar on them for a nice breakfast, however the downside is that you can only cook one side of your meat and vegetables at a time, and this does slow things down a little. A controllable thermostat is all about what you get features-wise with the Quest Teppanyaki grill. There are no preset modes or anything like that, but the thermostat does work well, and it doesn’t take long to get the hang of it, even though Quest could have made things easier by marking it with specific temperatures rather than just numbers 1 to 5. Though I have to say those numbers really don’t mean a lot it is hard to get the right temperature, one minute sizzling the next plodding, it feels like on and off, however, not that big a deal if I’m honest, main thing is hot really is hot and can crisp bacon!

I found this particular model very easy to clean, the grease and fat from the food you cook enters the grease tray through a drainage hole, and then the tray just pulls out. It’s really simple and works well. There isn’t much more to say about this indoor grill really. It is good for what it is: a basic flat grill that doesn’t cost too much. It feels like it has been put together well, and is not too flimsy, although the power cable isn’t the bet and isn’t very long either. Still, for the bargain price you can’t really grumble too much.

Pros:

  • Cheapest by miles
  • Enjoyable experience
  • Big grill space – never complaining about waiting

Cons:

  • Thermostat isn’t the best
  • Non stick wears and becomes a chore

5. Tefal OptiGrill+ GC713D40 Intelligent Health Grill, 6 Automatic Settings, Stainless Steel, 2000W, 4-6 Portions

Without a doubt, our pick for best indoor grill has to go for the Tefal OptiGrill XL. This thing is incredible, and completely eliminates all the guesswork that is usually involved when trying to cook meat perfectly. The Tefal OptiGrill has some amazing features that can turn anyone into a master chef and produce the kind of steaks that you pay an arm and a leg for down the high street.

For starters, there are 9 automatic programs pre-programmed into the machine, all clearly marked on the buttons with easy to understand pictures of the different kinds of foods that program is supposed to be for. All you have to do is pop in the relevant food option, press the button, and that’s it. The machine will do the rest.

This smart machine has been fitted with multiple sensors to assure that your grilling goes off without a hitch. Let’s take the load calculator for example. This tells the machine how many portions of meat are on the grill so that it can better calculate cooking times.

Then there is the thickness sensor. This works automatically when you close the grill lid, and is accurate to decimal point of a centimetre. Combined with the load calculator, this gives the OptiGrill all the information it needs to adjust temperature and cooking times for the different stages of cooking. Yes, you heard that right, different stages. This indoor grill will go through pre-heating, searing, and then inside cooking stages automatically, delivering your meat just how you like it.

How does OptiGrill know how you like your steaks? Well, it doesn’t, but the clear LED display changes colours to let you know when the meat is rare, medium, or well done. You just have to decide how you want it. The grill comes will die-cast aluminium grease tray and plates that are easily removed and are dishwasher safe, making cleaning up a doodle too.

There is 800 square centimetres of cooking space, and this would be easily enough to cook for six adults, and maybe one or two kids on top of that. It is large (48 x 38 x 25cm approx.) and will take up a lot of space. It is also quite heavy at 5.2kg, but this is not something you’re going to be swinging around, so I don’t think it matters too much.

The Tefal OptiGrill XL is the most expensive of our featured indoor grills, but at just under 160 pounds at the time of writing this, it is not unaffordable, and in my opinion: it is worth every single last penny if you intend to use your indoor grill a lot. A simply outstanding product, and I don’t say that often.

Pros:

  • Probably the best technical indoor grill
  • It’ll calculate cook times for you
  • Healthy way of cooking

Cons:

  • Some may not appreciate the digital factor

6. Raclette Grills Indoor Raclette Machine, Grill for 8 with Non-Stick Coating Plate, 8 Mini Pans, 1500W Adjustable Temperature Control for 8 Person

Raclette grills are so much fun, and add an extra element to your dinner party, or just to enjoy with the family. If you’ve never seen or used a raclette grill, allow me to explain. Basically, you have a cooking plate on top where you can grill your meats and vegetables, and this is heated from underneath by a heating filament. Then, below that filament is another level that houses a number of mini pull out pans.

These pans are meant to be used for melting cheese in, but of course you can use them for cooking any side dishes or sauces that you like. This set includes 8 of these mini pans, but I only ever used 4 a time. This is because the pans can get melted cheese stuck on them as it dries, so I chose to scrape ones that I had just used to clean them, while others were cooking the next batch.

Generally, people cook smaller pieces of meat when they use a Raclette grill, but that isn’t to say you can’t cook a full steak or two on there. The 44.7 x 33.5 x 19.5cm dimensions give you plenty of room on the grill plate to cook just about anything you like. The grill plate is non-stick and a decent size, so it should be fine to keep four people fed. It doesn’t require a lot of oil either, which makes cleaning easier.

Talking of cleaning, I liked the fact that the grill plate can be completely removed so I could take it over to the sink and give it a good rinsing.

A couple of little gripes though. First is the thermostat, which is not marked with temperatures so using this indoor grill properly will take some getting used to, and secondly, the power cable is not very long. Again, there aren’t many controls or special features on this indoor grill. You basically turn it on, select the heat level you want, wait for the light to come on to let you know it’s ready, and throw your meat on the grill plate. There is a temperature control that kicks in at 260 degrees, and that helps to stop things from burning, but apart from that, it’s a pretty basic machine to operate.

These types of indoor grill have a fun factor that is hard to put a price on, and with everyone popping their own food onto the grill and managing their side dishes, there is a sort of happy energy that comes with it. Definitely worth a try if you’ve never one it before.

Pros:

  • Great value
  • Cheese melting pan a nice touch

Cons:

  • Complete unit so difficult to clean

7. George Foreman Indoor Outdoor BBQ Grill 22460

The strength of the George Foreman indoor outdoor BBQ lies in its versatility. Designed to look just like a charcoal BBQ (more or less) but with the ability to be taken apart so that you can use just the top section as a table top indoor grill, this product gives you the best of both worlds.

The round cooking plate can fit a ton of food, so people with a few kids should certainly give this more than a passing glance. I think at one point I had teaks, sausages, burgers, and a few shish kebabs all going at the same time. Like all George Foreman grills I’ve tried, the non-stick cooking plates are high quality and very easy to wipe clean. The fat runs off nicely into the grease tray without issue too. What’s more, you can remove the cooking plate completely and give it a good washing in the sink. As well as the removable and collapsible stand, this model also comes with a cover with a built in thermometer. I really liked this, as on a windy day I could pop the lid on to keep dust and debris from blowing onto the food while still monitoring what’s going on inside.

The controls are extremely simple and easy to use, with a simply numbered dial to select the heat level. This thermostat is removable and acts as a sort of safety cut of switch as well as regulating temperature, as the grill won’t work without this being plugged in. Apart from this plug in device, there aren’t any other controls and this makes it great for people who don’t like to think too much about their cooking, but for all you ‘professional garden chefs’ out there it might not give you enough control over the cooking process. I personally found it very easy to get the food cooked how I wanted it, but I have experience with this brand.

At 6.26kg this isn’t a light indoor grill, but that extra weight does make you feel like this thing has been built solidly, so I wasn’t complaining. The George Foreman indoor outdoor BBQ grill is on sale at the moment, and can be yours for just shy of 80 pounds. While not the cheapest indoor grill on the market, it is very large and would suit larger families or people who entertain a lot.

George Foreman Indoor Outdoor BBQ Grill 22460

Pros:

  • Very nice indoor bbq experience and probably my favourite for authenticity
  • Well made, plenty of heat
  • Easy to adjust temperature
  • Plenty big enough for a large family

Cons:

  • Hard to fault at this money

The thing with indoor grilling is that you have to deal with smoke. Now, you can cut down on a lot of that by simply keeping the grill spotlessly clean so no old bits of food can start to burn, but the fat from the meat will still produce some smoke.
A lot of people will either set the indoor grill up near a door or window, or under their extractor fan, but with this model, you don’t have to worry about that.

Fitted with specially designed fans, the Kczazy smokeless grill has been designed so that most of the smoke produced by cooking is taken away from your face while you are standing in front of the grill.

This is an optional feature that can be switched on or off with a simple press of the button on the user interface. Next to this button you will also find an LED temperature control which has a lot of different settings, all marked with temperatures, so you can really dial in how you want to cook your food. Found just above the temperature controls is the ready light which will come on when the grill has reached the selected temperature and tells you it’s time to cook.

At 55 x 40.5 x 22 cm and 8.56 Kilograms, this is a sizeable bit of cooking kit, although the cooking area itself isn’t that large (35 x 20cm). It would be enough for two to three people though. The Kczazy indoor grill comes complete with two different cooking plates: one with ridges and one completely fat. I thought this was a nice touch as you can use the ridged grill for cooking meat, but the flat one for breakfasts. Both plates are dishwasher friendly, so you can just wait for them to cool then throw them in there and forget about it. The non-stick coating on both plates is excellent too, there wasn’t even any real need to add a little oil before cooking. Top marks for that.

This product feels well built and nothing gave me any reason to worry about how long it would last under normal cooking conditions and use. Then again for the price, you would expect that to be the case.

To sum this indoor grill up, I would say that it is a very good product. It offers good temperature control, heats up quickly, is dishwashers safe, so it’s easy to clean, and best of all, you can choose to get rid of the smoke and odours if you wish. All in all, a great little product.


About Terry Smith

I’m Terry Smith from gardentoolbox.co.uk, a professional landscape designer, hobbyist gardener, and barbecue fanatic with 20 years experience building and restoring. So as you go through my site you'll watch me document some of the professional garden installs I make as well as the major projects I take on at home. While sharing those experiences and guiding you, I'll be recommending some great tools I use to enable this along the way so you can really buy in confidence. Always feel free to pop me a message: info@gardentoolbox.co.uk

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