That expression about best laid plans always seems to come true when you’re about to throw an epic BBQ.
Suddenly the good weather you’ve been counting on evaporates and dark clouds gather, but you’ve still got a crowd of hungry friends and family coming over. What to do?
It’s time to crack out the indoor grill, of course. Offering the same delicious charred flavour without the flames, faff or anywhere near the level of mess, an indoor electric grill can help you whip up a feast indoors while you wait for the sun to put its hat back on and do its thing.
They’re also great for cooking smaller meals without firing up a traditional barbecue - so if you fancy a ‘cookout’ on a weeknight, it’s as easy as flicking on a switch.
Whether you’re a carnivore or veggie, grilling your ingredients is the healthier option to frying, provided you’re watching how much oil and marinade you’re using. It can also infuse more flavour into your meals, and be cheaper to run. Plus, without a traditional grate, there’s no losing precious ingredients to hot coals underneath. They’re great for the usual BBQ fare - think burgers and bangers - as well as delicate cuts like seafood, halloumi and veg skewers, toasted sandwiches - even fruit!
It’s a sound investment to have in the kitchen; an insurance against temperamental weather for summer - and beyond. And if you’re looking for a thoughtful gift for a foodie friend who has a kitchen armed to the teeth with everything else, it’s the jackpot.
Best indoor electric grills at a glance
- Best for students on a budget: George Foreman Medium Health Fit Grill - £55, Argos
- Best for big crowds: George Foreman Medium Steel Grill - £89.99, Boots
- Best for nuclear families and flatshares: Ninja Foodi MAX Health Grill & Air Fryer AG551UK - £265, Amazon
- Best for versatility: George Foreman Grill & Griddle Variable Temperature Black - £60, Argos
- Best for flitting between rare, medium and well done: Tefal OptiGrill+ GC713D40 Intelligent Health Grill - £119.99, Amazon
- Best for keeping your smoke alarm happy: CUSIMAX Electric Grill with Large LED Display - £119.99, eBay
- Best for year-round flame-grilled flavour: George Foreman Smokeless Grill - £64.88, Amazon
- Best for griddle theatre: COSTWAY Smokeless Electric Grill - £58.95, Amazon
- Best for contending with iffy weather: George Foreman Indoor Outdoor BBQ Grill Black - £79, Amazon
We’ve rounded up the best indoor electric grills to spend your money on. From small models suited to single-person households to large devices that will make multiple portions at once, get ready to become a serial griller.
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George Foreman Medium Health Fit Grill
Best for: students on a budget
- Fuel type: electric
- Weight: 1.3kg
- Dimensions: H7.6 x W33.5 x D28cm.
With a small footprint and compact design, you’ll have no trouble finding a home for this Fit Grill from George Foreman.
There’s enough cooking space to whip up healthy meals for the whole family and a speedy heat-up time means you can get your dinner ready on the non-stick plates far quicker than by using a conventional oven - the brand claims up to 160 per cent faster. There is only one heat setting though, so you’ll need to adjust cooking times accordingly.
While it looks fairly flat, the grill features a floating hinge so you can adjust the top to accommodate thicker cuts of meat or chunkier veggies. There’s also a sloped element to the grill to drain excess fats and oil. Truly a lean, mean grillin’ machine.
Buy now £55.00, Argos
George Foreman Medium Steel Grill, Bronze
Best for: big crowds
- Fuel type: electric
- Weight: 2.66kg
- Dimensions: 32.4D x 12.8W x 33Hcm
Very similar to the brand’s Medium Fit Grill, this 1650W version has enough space to cook five portions of food, making it ideal for families with an eye on fitness.
The grill can be stored upright once you’ve wiped down the non-stick plates. That’s about all the cleaning you’ll need to do, unless you’re making high-fat dishes - then you’ll need to wash the drip tray which clips in and out with ease. It’s also easier to see how your food is cooking thanks to the steel handle on the front that makes for easy lifting. Great for grilling chicken, burgers and bacon as well as making cheese toasties.
Buy now £89.99, Boots
Ninja Foodi MAX Health Grill & Air Fryer AG551UK
Best for: nuclear families and flatshares
- Cooking functions: 6; Grill, Air Fry, Roast, Bake, Dehydrate and Reheat.
- Weight: 10.18kg
- Dimensions: 27 x 39 x 41cm
Slightly lighter and smaller than its big sister, the AG651UK, this model is the middle child in Ninja’s Health Grill line-up. It has one less feature than the larger model (no flat plate here), but with so many other functions, you’ll barely miss it.
For those for love a good grilling and want sides lighter in oil to go with them, this machine delivers big. With air fry technology integrated, there’s no need to lift the lid and flip your food either, although there is a digital cooking probe to ensure everything is cooked to perfection.
Monitor and change the cooking mode via the LED screen on the front. This, along with pre-sets, means the MAX grill really couldn’t be easier to use.
From healthier Sunday roasts to making nuturious fruit snacks by way of the dehydrating function, the AG551UK is worth its weight in gold.
Buy now £265.00, Amazon
George Foreman Grill & Griddle Variable Temperature Black
Best for: versatility
- Fuel type: electric
- Weight: 3.67kg
- Dimensions: H13.3 x W31.7 x D57.4cm
If you’ve got a small kitchen or limited cupboard space, you may want more bang for your buck from cooking appliances. Enter George Foreman’s non-stick Grill & Griddle which allows you to multitask like a pro. A six-portion griddle is attached to the side of a four-portion grill, allowing you to make things like a full English for the whole family in one go.
This machine also offers dual variable temperature control so you can tune the heat for each section independently of each other or just use one side. Other features include a floating hinge to adjust to thicker cuts and clever angles to drain excess fat and oil. It’s a better option than the grills, but trickier to store.
Buy now £60.00, Argos
Tefal OptiGrill+ GC713D40 Intelligent Health Grill
Best for: flitting between rare, medium and well done
- Fuel type: electric
- Weight: 5kg
- Dimensions: 14.57 x 14.17 x 6.5cm
One of the smarter health grills in Tefal’s line-up, the OptiGrill operates like a light symphony, with an automatic sensor function going from purple for preheat, green to signal it’s ready for cooking, yellow for rare cooked cuts, orange for medium and red for well done.
It also emits a sound as it moves between settings, so if you can’t see those flashing lights, you’ll still know how far along you are in the cooking process. It’s an extra that’s helpful if you’re busy doing other things or have trouble identifying colours. There’s also a manual mode and it can cook straight from frozen, a time-saver when you want to get dinner on the table quickly after work. A plastic tray comes with the device to catch excess oils.
What’s most useful are the guides; there’s everything from shortcuts, visual versions, coloured versions, long versions and a tips/hacks table – to grill vegetables, for example, one should opt for the sausage setting.
Buy now £119.99, Amazon
CUSIMAX Electric Grill with Large LED Display
Best for: keeping your smoke alarm happy
- Fuel type: electric
- Weight: 4.86kg
- Dimensions: 50 x 34 x 19cm
Great tasting grilled food needn't be reserved solely for the summer months. With Cusimax's indoor grill, you can enjoy it all year round.
Running on 1600w, this fire engine-red electric grill can adjust through heat settings from 0-230oC, all evenly radiated thought a non-stick cast iron plate and all monitored on the LED screen. Fumes are a thing of a past too, thanks to the turbo smoke extractor which cuts down smoke by 95 per cent.
Sear steak, ribs, chops, sausages and more without worrying about clean up as the removable plate can be put in the dishwasher once you've finished. It's small enough to be kept on the dinner table which saves on running back and forth to the kitchen to keep an eye on your grub.
Buy now £119.99, eBay
George Foreman Smokeless Grill
Best for: year-round flame-grilled flavour
- Fuel type: electric
- Weight: 3.68kg
- Dimensions: 13.19 x 19.57 x 3.07cm
No smoke doesn’t mean an absence of flavour, as this indoor BBQ from George Foreman proves. Made from hard-wearing plastic and metal, the 1606W machine is what to reach for when you want that delicious barbecued taste but the weather won’t play ball.
Set it up in the kitchen and sizzle and grill your way to great grub, while enjoying up to 80 per cent less smoke and 70 per cent more energy saved when compared with using a regular oven.
Whether your kitchen is particularly poorly ventilated or not, you should still crank open a window but can expect to avoid the plumes of smoke that you’d get from a usual BBQ. Perfect for the usual cookout fare and delicate ingredients like filleted fish, there are three heat controls to ensure everything is cooked nice and evenly. Comes with a two-year manufacturer’s guarantee.
Buy now £64.88, Amazon
COSTWAY Electric Teppanyaki Table Grill
Best for: griddle theatre
- Fuel type: electric
- Weight: 2kg
- Dimensions: 62.2 x 29.2 x 13cm
For dinner party hosts who want to add theatre to their meals, this electric teppanyaki-style grill is an exciting way to bring the griddle to the table.
Hold the centrepieces and set this up along the centre of your dining table, so that all diners can easily reach the 48 x 27cm non-stick cooking space. Distribute the spatulas and egg rings and your guests are ready to cook raw ingredients exactly to their liking. This is a scaled down version of what goes on at a traditional Japanese steakhouse, only with your crew playing the part of the entertaining chef.
This model also boasts temperature control so you can adjust the heat depending on what you're cooking. Even fatty foods can be on the menu with a drip tray ready to catch excess grease and siphon it away from the other ingredients. Non-slip feet ensure that the grill stays secure on the surface.
As well as for home use, it's a great gadget to take on camping or caravan trips where you'll have access to mains power.
Buy now £58.95, Amazon
George Foreman Indoor Outdoor BBQ Grill Black
Best for: contending with iffy weather
- Fuel type: electric
- Weight: 6.26kg
- Dimensions: H100.2 x W72 x D72cm
It feels like this George Foreman appliance has been designed specifically with the British weather in mind because you can use it both indoors as well as outside - great if dark clouds start looming.
Taking the form of a classic BBQ, the electric grill can sizzle up to 15 portions in one go, with removable non-stick plates to make cleaning up less of a chore. Fats are drained away from food too, helping to make traditionally calorific grub that bit healthier.
Adjust the temperature through five settings but there is no timer, so you’ll have to keep an eye on it to ensure things are just lightly charred instead of singed to a crisp.
Buy now £79.00, Amazon
