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The Best Smokeless Grills of 2024
Are you tired of setting off smoke alarms whenever you crave a grilled meal
indoors? Say goodbye to smoke-filled kitchens and hello to perfectly
grilled burgers, veggies, and more, all year round, with smokeless grills! In this guide, you will discover the best smokeless grills of 2024, from compact
countertop models perfect for apartments to larger options for backyard
barbecues. The Ninja Indoor Electric Grill tops our list thanks to its dual heating plates, quick grilling time, and versatility. So, invest in a smokeless grill today and enjoy the sizzle and flavor of grilled food without the hassle of smoke!Our Top Picks For Smokeless Grills
View all ContentsThe Best Smokeless Grills
Best Overall
This indoor grill wins the best overall because it is an amazingly versatile appliance which can make crispy air-fried chicken, roast and bake vegetables, dehydrate sliced veggies, and grill meat! It can help you prepare 4 steaks simultaneously – you may grill, roast, air-crisp, bake, or dehydrate them.
The AG301 uses a cyclonic grilling technology to perfectly cook or char-grill your food! The set comes with a grill, grill grate, crisper basket, and cooking pot – all of them are dishwasher-safe.
Pros
- Dual heating plates in the grill mean no flipping is required to make perfectly grilled meat
- Takes only 11 minutes to deliver better-than-restaurant grilled vegetables and 25 minutes from frozen to char-grilled
- Makes fried food less harmful by reducing the oil/fat content by 75%
- High-density, long-lasting grates installed
Cons
- Heavy grates are hard to take off and clean
Best Smart-Cook System
Ninja FG551 is a robot that does the grilling while you’re chilling. It is smart and spacious, made of stainless steel, and makes scrumptious food swiftly for the whole family. The package includes a 1760-watt grill, dense grate, air fryer basket, cooking pan, a smart thermometer, maintenance brush, and recipe book. It grills the food and uses its 500-degree heated cyclonic air to cook the food evenly from all sides!
Pros
- Comes with four preset protein settings and nine levels of doneness
- A smart thermometer that manages the food’s temperature directly
- Family-sized cooking compartment capable of making six steaks and twenty-four hotdogs
- Splatter shields and some control systems make it safer than most grills to use indoors
Cons
- The thermometer that comes with this unit may not be trustworthy if you’re looking for accurate doneness
For Large Families
If you are looking for a grill large enough to cook for the whole family, then we recommend George Foreman’s electric grill. It boasts a huge 240 sq. inch surface area, large enough to cook for the entire family. In fact, it offers such a complete package that there is hardly anything relating to grilling that you can’t do! It can be used both indoors or outdoors; you can stack your food, adjust the temperature. In addition, you don’t need any charcoal, gas, or flames to cook your food to operate this grill and yet you get the same smokey flavor in a smokeless way.
Pros
- Smokeless electric grill safe to use in your apartment
- The domed lid makes it possible to stack your food on the grill
- The grill plate is non-stick and removable to be easily washed
- Temperature can be controlled using a knob
Cons
- The cord is a bit short and needs to be longer
Most Compact
Hamilton Beach’s indoor grill is a perfect grilling tool for a small family. It can prepare six servings simultaneously in a completely smokeless grilling manner. The 90 square feet surface is completely non-stick, easily portable, and dishwasher safe. It can cook your delicious steaks in less than ten minutes, that too with the preset doneness level. The fat dripping channels in the grill ensure a healthy steak by forcing the fat to drip away from the steaks while grilling. Like the rest of Hamilton Beach’s products, the safety and quality cooking is ensured using temperature control, a ready light, and a power light.
Pros
- Low-fat grilling is ensured through a dripping system and removable drip tray underneath
- The non-stick grill plates can be wiped clean with ease
- A compact and portable grilling system that easily fits into any kitchen or cabinet
Cons
- The grill plates cannot be removed
Ideal for Korean BBQ
Zojirushi promises fine dining at home by offering their top-of-the-line EB-CC15 indoor smokeless grill. Although its open design may cast some doubts over the safety of the product, the cULus tag means it is tested to meet the relevant safety standard by UL, a global safety certification company. You can detach the power cord or use a knob to change temperature when it gets too hot for the recipe you are trying. In addition, the handles are insulated from surrounding heat and power, making it safe to move and operate.
Pros
- The grilling surface has double non-stick layers of ceramic and titanium for an industry-leading durable life
- The crevices in the grill drip the excessive oil and fat from the food into the drip pan underneath
- The drip tray is non-stick and safe to clean in the dishwasher
Cons
- The handles are on the griddle part so once you’re done cooking, you have to wait till it cools or you have to get your hands under the base
A Buyers’ Guide To Finding Indoor Smokeless Grills
Smokeless grills were introduced in the mid-90s but they’re still considered new, of course, because their counterpart has been around since the beginning of time. This perceived newness casts a lot of doubts in consumers’ minds.
We are here to answer these questions and help you list all the relevant and important factors to consider when buying a smokeless grill. We have analyzed several factors below that can guide you more about what to look for in smokeless grills when purchasing one for yourself.
Are Smokeless Grills a Replacement of Charcoal or Propane Grills?
Like conventional charcoal grills, smokeless grills are used for grilling food of all kinds, but mostly indoors. They’re different from traditional propane or charcoal grills because they do not produce any chargrill-like carbon-based smoke or flame during the grilling process. It keeps the environment clean, and most have a certification to be used in apartment buildings. Nothing is burning, producing carcinogens, or emitting carbon-filled smoke to heat the iron cooking the food.
Outdoor vs. indoor
Consumers usually choose smokeless grills for indoor grilling, although they can also be placed outdoors. Charcoal or gas grills can only be kept outdoors and grilled by an open fire. Open and live-fire produce smoke and flare-ups and give a smoky flavor to your food. Both smokeless grills and charcoal or gas grills have grates for grilling the food.
How Do Smokeless Grills Work?
Electricity-powered grills produce heat through infrared rays. You can set the temperature through temperature control knobs. They do not make a mess like charcoal grills that need to be cleaned after you are done grilling your food.
Food is grilled and cooked the same way as charcoal or gas grills, but a strong smoky flavor might be missing because smokeless grills have no smoke production.
Most Important Functions of a Smokeless Grill
Temperature control
There are two types of temperature controls available in smokeless grills. First, controlling the temperature of the food directly or through the iron temperature underneath. Furthermore, this temperature control can be exercised through buttons or knobs or managed smartly by the grill.
Dishwasher-safe plates
You should always prefer grill grates that are non-stick and safe to be washed in the dishwasher over any other option. There are many levels of this non-stick coating, such as a single ceramic coat, PTFE, silicon, and enamel.
We highly recommend ceramic coating because it is PFOA-free, organic, good-looking, durable, an excellent heat conductor, and lightweight. In addition, the latest trend of infusing titanium with ceramic is amazingly effective in enhancing the life of the cookware.
Number of servings
They come in varying sizes to accommodate the grilling needs of all families. Even if your kitchen is not spacious, a small-sized smokeless grill will be your perfect cooking companion. They come in as small as 4-serving to up to 15-serving grill sizes. The 15-serving grills are mostly multi-purpose machines that can also bake, air fry, and roast.
Add-on features
The latest electric smokeless grills are more than just a grill. Add-on functions mainly stem from the air frying unit installed inside the grill. The hot air flow helps with the grilling because it heats the food quickly. In turn, these hot air cyclones do more than just air frying – you can also roast, bake, broil, dehydrate, and more!
Another great add-on is the smart functionality to pre-set recipes in the smokeless grill. They are in preset settings for beef steak, chicken filets, roasted vegetables, fruit chips, etc.
The drip tray is also one of our favorite design features. It is achieved by simply inserting holes in the grates, so the fat dripping from the meat drains through them in the drip tray underneath. It is a very mechanical way of making the food healthy but very efficient.
Cleaning a smokeless grill
Before cleaning your smokeless grill, make sure you have unplugged the device completely. Then, gently take out all the individual parts and place them in the sink or dishwasher. Filling them with hot water and soap helps soften the grease for easy scrubbing later on.
People Also Asked
Do I need to put oil on the grates before grilling food on a smokeless grill?
Smokeless grills do not require putting oil or butter on the grates. They usually have porcelain-enameled, non-stick grates so your food doesn't stick. If you need to make your food crisp, you can use butter spray or oil spray in a small amount.
Can I cover the grates of smokeless grills with aluminum foil before grilling?
You should not cover your smokeless grills with aluminum foil because heat needs to escape from the grill. Covering the grates with aluminum foil can cause the grill to overheat.
What can I cook on a smokeless grill?
A smokeless grill is versatile and can cook a variety of foods including burgers, steaks, chicken, seafood, vegetables, and even sandwiches. Its adjustable temperature control and even heat distribution make it suitable for a wide range of grilling options, indoors or outdoors.
