Best Indoor Smokeless Grill (10 Brilliant BBQ’s To Fire You Up)

Ah, summertime…..

The sun is shining, you’ve got a glass of your favourite iced beverage in your hand, and the unmistakable aroma of grilling meat is wafting through the air making your mouth water.

Fast forward a few months and as the winter rolls in, all this can seem like a distant memory.

For most of us, this means a long wait before we’ll get the chance to fire up our charcoal grills again.

There’s a buddy of mine though, a hardcore grillmaster, who’d never dream of using even the best indoor smokeless grill.

Rear round, rain or shine, he’s been known to brave the elements and some quite chilly temperatures to cook up a few steaks on the BBQ.

Because he knows it’s the only way to get that unique, smoky, flame grilled flavour. 

And even though the best indoor smokeless grill won’t give you that exact same charcoal flavoured effect, there is a way to cheat (more on this in a minute)

But Indoor grills do offer a good alternative for food lovers to indulge in a bit of grilling right from the comfort of their own kitchens. 

Without having to deal with the weather or any smoke. 

You might think these grills are a bit of a gimmick and you’re probably wondering….

Are Indoor Grills Really Smokeless?

So, here’s the deal.

Some indoor grills are better than others when it comes to minimizing the amount of smoke they produced.

And if you’re in a hurry here’s our top 3.

Best Indoor Smokeless Grill – Our Top 3

#1.Ninja Foodi 5-in-1

Great for keeping smoke to an absolute minimum. The ninja doesn’t just grill but can air fry, bake and dehydrate. 1760 watts of power producing maximum temperatures of 500 f.

Check price

#2. Philips Indoor BBQ

#3. Simple Living Indoor Grill

From its non-stick cooking surfaces, to its quick set up, and large cooking area the advance living is a great all rounder capable of temperatures up to 446f and weighing in at 10 pounds.

check price

But essentially, all indoor grills generate far less smoke than their conventional outdoor counterparts.

This is down to the fact they’re almost exclusively electrically powered using no gas or charcoal.

However, even the best ones will create a bit of smoke but how much depends on how well they deal with seeping oil and hot fat.

Best Smokeless Indoor Grill – Design 101

All good cooks know that fat equals flavour.

And it’s the very reason why a well marbled sirloin or a marinated pork chop tastes Sooo good when thrown on the barbie.

Because as your food cooks all that delicious fat starts to melt through the meat making it juicy and flavoursome.

And after a while, some of it will drip on to the hot coals, causing smokey flare ups which in turn helps caramelize the meat adding even more flavour.

Obviously, when you’re outside this isn’t an issue, but if you’re inside it’s gonna be a problem.

And indoor grills deal with this in a couple of ways. 

Here’s how, and some things to look for before you settle on a grill.

Best Indoor Smokeless Grill – Grills V’s Griddles

You’ll find that the grills that produce less in the way of smoke all have bars and are not solid tops.

Grill bars not only brand your steaks and burgers with those cool markings, but allow fat and oil to drain away from the food and the heat source quickly, before it has a chance to smoke and ignite.

Most smokeless griddles have some sort of drainage too, but if you’re cooking with a lot of oil, and it can’t seep away quick enough, it could cause some smoke.

So, go easy on oily marinades.

Or use oils like peanut, grapeseed, corn, or canola which have a higher smoke point. You could even think about using a dry rub instead.

Drip Trays

Nearly every indoor smokeless grill has a drip tray of some kind to catch all that trickleing fat.

And the best designed grills are quite deep. This allows the drip tray and any fat it collects to be kept well away from the heat where it can cool down below smoke point.

Some manufacturers even recommend adding water to the drip tray which cools bubbling fat quickly and can help with clean up later.

Infrared Smokeless Technology

All though this sounds like some advanced techie term the idea is really simple.

Essentially, the heating elements and/or some reflectors are mounted on sloping sids inside the body of the grill directing heat away from the drip tray towards the food.

Like adding water to the drip pan this helps keep seeping fat cold and smoke to a minimum.

Fans

Some grills are even equipped with fans.

Normally they are located on the side of the grill somewhere between the heating element and the drip tray and run at quite a high speed.

This helps dissipate any smoke before it starts to become an issue.

The main problem with fans is that they’ve got moving parts that will at some stage give up the ghost.

And once this happens all bets are off.

So, if you’re thinking of going with a grill that’s got a fan make sure it’s made of metal and not some sort of plastic.

Plastic near a heat source that’s producing temperatures in the 4 to 500 degree range isn’t a great idea.

How to Choose the Best Indoor Smokeless Grill? Key Factors You Need To Consider

When shopping for the best indoor smokeless grill, there are some points that you should consider to make sure you’re making the right purchase:

Cooking Area

At the risk of stating the obvious make sure you get a grill big enough to accommodate the number of people you’re gonna feed.

A lot of indoor grills aren’t all that big because they’d be just too bulky to fit in most people’s kitchens.

Indoor smokeless grills come in a range of different dimensions with various serving capacities.

Some models provide less than 100 square inches of grilling area, such as the Philips, so it’s a good choice if there’s only 2 of you.

Other models are close to 300 square inches, such as the Caynel Professional, with enough room to cook for around 6 people.

Why Size Matters For Meat Eaters

The size you pick really begins to matter when it comes to cooking meat and steaks though.

As all these grills are electrically powered, throwing 4 large t-bones on a small grill will suck all the heat out of it.

This makes it difficult to get a good sear and it can feel like your steaks are taking an age to cook.

So, the best advice for meat lovers is to get a grill slightly bigger than what you think you’ll need. And the more powerful the grill is the less time it will take to recover heat.

And even then, consider cooking your steaks in batches until you get to know your grill.

You want to guarantee that beautiful caramelized golden crust.

Maximum Temperature

How high a temperature your indoor grill can reach is a crucial factor.

To be able to properly cook steak and chicken, the grilling surface needs to be hot enough to give a nice sear and also to shorten the cooking time.

Generally, you’ll find most of the most indoor smokeless grills offer more than 440°F maximum temperature, with brand and model variations. 

The highest ones on our list below heat all the way up to 500°F, which are the AWLLY Teppanyaki and the Ninja Foodi.

Temperature Control 

Next, you should make up your mind regarding the temperature control of your indoor grill. This means deciding if you even want to be able to control the heat at all.

Some people prefer a grill with a preset grilling temperature that you just wait for it to reach. 

With these grills, you don’t need to worry about tweaking and adjusting the temperatures which can be great when you’re cooking some foods.

Think medium rare steaks, pork escalopes, burgers, or thin fillets of fish.

With some other kinds of meat and veggies you need much more controle and to be free to choose the ideal temperature.

Here, look for an indoor grill that offers a control knob or dial, with multiple temperatures settings.

Best Indoor Smokeless Grill – Cleaning 

This is a biggie for me.

I’d hate to be stuck with a grill that takes ages to scrub clean.

If that sounds like you too, then opt for a grill that can be disassembled into the least amount of dishwasher safe, non-stick parts.

10 Best Indoor Smokeless Grills

After hours of research and carefully looking through dozens of candidates, we’ve come up with a handy list of 10 of the best indoor smokeless grills available on the market.

Each shining in a particular aspect so you can make a better-informed decision.

Best Overall: Simple Living Indoor Grill 

Kicking off our list is the highly popular Advanced Indoor Smokeless BBQ Grill from Simple Living. 

From its innovative infrared technology and it’s quick set up, all the way to its decent cooking area and impressive non-stick surface, the Simple Living Indoor Smokeless Grill definitely has got what it takes to win our best overall title.

Specs

Power: 1660 watts

Cooking area: 112 square inches.

Maximum Temperature: 446 °F

Weight: 10.7 pounds

The Simple Living Indoor Grill utilizes advanced infrared technology to efficiently cook your food in grill mode. This, coupled with special built-in reflectors, works to concentrate and direct the heat towards the grid, rather than the grease tray, to evenly cook your food while minimizing oil splatter and reducing undesirable smoke from burning fat.

This electric grill is powered by a 1660-watt motor that heats up the large 14″ × 18″ cooking surface to a maximum temperature of 446 °F, so it’s able to serve around 6 people with meat seared at a perfect temperature. 

However, the Simple Living grill doesn’t have a control mechanism for its cooking temperature, instead, it heats up automatically and maintains a consistent 446 °F. 

This can be handy for people who often get confused with controls, but it may also be frustrating to cooks who like having different zones of heat.

Weighing less than 11 pounds, this unit is also quite portable which means you can easily pack it for travels or simple storage. It comes with non-slip feet to improve stability, as well as cool to touch handles and base for added safety.

Best Features: Ninja Foodi 5-In-1 Indoor Grill 

When it comes to features, this indoor grill from Ninja Foodi is a winner.

Not only is it able to grill all of your barbecue favorites with the searing heat it produces but it’s also capable of baking, roasting, and can even dehydrate.

But that’s not all it can do. There’s also an air fryer for making crisp, guilt free, and healthy fries.

And if you’ve forgotten to talk dinner out of the freezer the night before you can cook it straight from frozen in your Ninja and it only takes about 25 minutes.

Specs

Power: 1760 watts

Cooking area: 100 square inches

Weight: 14.5 pounds

Maximum Temperature: 500 °F

Right at first glance, you’ll notice the unique design of the Ninja Foodil. It’s heavier and bulkier than other grills, but that’s a small price to pay for a grill you can do so much with. 

This unit is powered by a 1760-watt motor, producing temperatures up to 500 °F. 

The hot air circulates around the grill thanks to a Cyclonic Grilling Technology to create beautiful char-grilled marks on burgers, chicken, pork chop’s, or steaks.

The front control panel displays a digital reading of the temperature with controls for the heat and time you need to perfectly cook your meal. 

There’s also buttons for you to choose different modes including Dehydrate, Bake, Air crisp, and Roast.

The frying basket is 4-qt capacity and it uses 75% less oil than traditional deep fryers, making your fries healthier. 

All the Ninja Foodies cooking surfaces are ceramic coated, non-stick, and free of PTFE/PFOA.

Best With Lid: Secura Indoor Smokeless Grill

It’s not very often you come across an indoor grill with a lid. 

Made from tempered glass and sealed with silicon, closing it traps in the heat to speed up the cooking process. Being see-through, you can also check on your food at a glance to see how it’s getting on.

On top of that, a lid allows you to cover up your meal after grilling, so it stays warm while you’re setting the table or on the phone.

This little Grill is loaded with some other handy quirks too. 

Including a non-stick cooking surface, a range of cooking temperatures, cool touch handles. and a heating indicator light.

Specs

Power: 1800 watts

Cooking area: 180 square inches 

Maximum Temperature: 450 °F

Weight: 13.6 pounds

The sucra has 2 cooking areas. Your traditional grill is on one side where you can cook steaks, chops, or chicken. While on the other side there’s a griddle where you can fry fish, grill bacon, or even cook up a batch of pancakes for breakfast.

This grill is powered by an 1800-watt motor which heats up its surface to a maximum of 450 °F. The 180 square inches cooking area gives you plenty of room to feed around 6 people, and you get to set the temperature to one of 6 levels using the digital controller on the side.

The sturdy Power grill comes with a grill and a griddle plate to let have a more versatile performance. It’s also quite easy to clean thanks to its non-stick coating, removable parts, and dishwasher safe construction.

Best For Safety: Tenergy Redigrill Smokeless

If safety is one of your main concerns when grilling indoors then this is the grill for you.

Certified by the ELT of North America, the Tenergy REDIGRILL features an overheating protection system which works via a heat detector that automatically shuts off power if the internal temperature gets too high.

Specs

Power: 1660 watts

Cooking area: 102 square inches 

Maximum Temperature: 446 °F

Weight: 13 pounds 

Powered by a 1660 watt motor, the Tenergy REDIGRILL heats all the way up to 446 °F to let you cook all sorts of veggies, meat, and fish. 

The cooking surface is 12.8 × 8 inches which should give you enough space to feed around 5-6 hungry mouths. 

Setting up the grill is a simple 2-piece process. You only need to place the grilling rack on top of the body, insert the drip tray, plug it in, and you’re good to go.

Clean- up is also a breeze as there are just 2 parts to wash and their non-stick and dishwasher safe

What’s more impressive, is the infrared technology adopted by the REDIGRILL to minimize smoke production as the heat is only guided towards the grilling tray, while the grease tray collects the fat before it gets the chance to turn into smoke.

This grill takes only about 6 minutes to reach its maximum temperature, but you also get to set it on a “keep warm” setting using the side control knob. 

It does come at a higher price point, but for folks seeking safety and reliability, it can be well worth the money.

Best Stovetop: LavoHome Premium Indoor Grill 

If you’re looking for a lightweight indoor grill that you can pack on vacations and still cook a storm? Well, the Premium Healthy Indoor Smokeless Grill from LavoHome could be the one for you.

Specs

Power: not electric powered

Cooking area: 9.75 inches diameter – approx

Maximum Temperature: depends on your stove

Weight: 2 pounds.

Made of durable stainless steel, the lavohome does a great job of transferring and maintaining heat for a beautifully caramelized sear on meat, fish, veggies, and poultry.

However, since this grill is a stove-top type, you won’t be getting any control over the temperature from the grill itself. Instead, you manage it with your burner.

This grill consists of 2 pieces; a silver-colored outer pan that is responsible for heat conduction and an inner black tray where the magic happens. 

You can use this unit over gas, electric, and propane stoves just fine, but it’s not compatible with convection hobs.

Weighing only 2 pounds, the LavoHome grill is perfect for trips, dorms, and small apartments. 

It’s very affordable, so it makes a good option if you’re searching for a backup grill, or if you’re on a really tight budget, and aren’t too bothered by the lack of features.

Best Budget Option: New House Kitchen Indoor Grill 

The New House Kitchen Indoor Grill is designed to keep your wallet free of dents.

For a bargain price, you get a generous non-stick cooking area measuring at 14.5″ × 8.5″ 

(or enough space to feed 6 or 7 guests)

The whole unit disassembles into 3 sections and you can simply place the grease tray and grill rack in your dishwasher for easy cleanup.

Specs

Power: 1200 watts

Cooking area: 115 square inches

Maximum Temperature: 460 °F at high zone

Weight: 6.7 pounds

Powered by a 1200-watt motor, this grill can heat all the way up to 460 °F to efficiently sear all sorts of meat. 

There’s also a medium and a low zone with lower temperatures suitable for grilling burgers, hot dogs, fish, and veggies.

The Grill is also equipped with a control knob to let you adjust the temperature from warm to sear, so you can get those cool looking grill marks on your steaks and burgers

It’s recommended that you add water to the drip tray to prevent the fat from burning and turning into smoke.

For your safety, this indoor electric grill features cool-to-the-touch handles to avoid accidents. It also shuts off when the temperature exceeds the max limit, and it’s backed up by a 1-year warranty.

Best Heat Distribution: Philips Smokeless Indoor Grill 

The goal of every grill lover is to get that beautiful brown sear on their meat while cooking it as evenly as possible.

And while all grills try to give you just that result, some just do it better than others. 

So, for our Best Heat Distribution category, we’ve found that the Philips Smoke-less Indoor BBQ Grill does a wonderful job providing a nice evenly spread grilling temperature across the cooking plate, thanks to its reflectors and preset settings.

The Philips Smokeless Indoor BBQ Grill uses advanced infrared technology to help cook your food.

It’s equipped with built-in reflectors underneath the grill rack which are responsible for directing all the produced heat towards the cooking surface. 

This helps create an evenly heated grill plate without losing any of the generated energy. It also allows the grease tray to stay cool enough so that none of the fat will burn and turn into annoying smoke.

Powered by a 1660-watt motor, it heats all the way up to 446 °F on its own, it’s a preset grilling temperature that you just wait for your machine to reach without having to adjust anything. 

The process takes about 6 minutes and you also get a “keep warm” option for when you need to do something else and don’t want to come back to a cold burger.

Setting up this grill is a pretty quick task where you slide in the drip tray, prop the grill plate on top, plug it in, and you’re done. 

The grill also comes with non-slip feet on the bottom to make sure it doesn’t budge.

Best For Parties: Awlly Teppanyaki Smokeless Indoor Grill 

If your hosting a party, cooking for a crowd, or just need more space to cook on than the AWLLY Teppanyaki Grills Smokeless Electric Oven could come to your rescue.

Boasting dual cooking areas that you can use simultaneously to grill and roast it should give you enough room to prepare food for a large gang.

The AWLLY Teppanyaki Grills Smokeless Electric Oven is a handy unit to have around whether it’s dinner for two or lunch for a group of friends. 

This indoor grill features not one, but two areas for you to cook all sorts of food, whether it’s meat, seafood, or veggies.

The thick top tray is a non-stick surface with half smooth and half ribbed to give you versatility in your cooking style. You can use it to grill, sear, or warm up your food. 

The bottom is where you get to do some roasting, frying, or even toast up some bread buns.

The AWLLY grill lets you adjust the temperature via a control knob according to your cooking requirement. The 1500-watt motor can heat this unit up to a sizzling 500 °F with both levels individually controlled. 

There’s also a separate switch to activate the rotation function of the roast forks.

This non-stick grill unit is equipped with an oil drip tray where all the grease from cooking is collected for less smoke production and easier cleaning. 

It’s not too heavy for the number of features it offers, which makes the AWLLY an excellent choice for trips. The built-in handles are a nice touch to make the unit more portable.

Best Value: GoWise Indoor Smokeless Grill 

If you’re searching for an indoor grill that won’t break the bank but still offers amazing value for your hard-earned cash, then this grill from GoWise might be for you

Specs

Power: 1300 watts

Cooking area: 133 square inches

Maximum Temperature: 482 °F

Weight: 10 pounds 

With 133 square inches cooking area, the GoWISE comes with 2 removable grill and griddle trays so you pick your preferred style according to your mood. 

Both racks are coated with a non-stick ceramic layer to let you pick up, turn, and move your food without hiccups, leaving you with an easier cleaning task. Not to mention, the parts are dishwasher safe.

This indoor grill heats up to an impressive 482 °F, already higher than most competitors on the market. It does a decent job maintaining a constant temperature, with a side knob to let you control the heat.

The GoWISE USA Indoor Grill and Griddle is equipped with a built-in fan specially designed for reducing smoke and minimizing cooking vapors. 

There’s also a dishwasher safe drip tray to which water should be added to help keep things cool.

To get you started, this unit even throws in a book with 10 recipes for each of the grill and griddle plates.

Best Large Size: Caynel Electric Smokeless Indoor Grill 

Last but not least, the Caynel Professional Electric Smoke-less Griddle has managed to rightfully snag the best size title with its premium-quality non-stick surface and large cooking area.

Specs

Power: 1700 watts 

Cooking area: 270 square inches 

Maximum Temperature: 460 °F

Weight: 7.8 pounds

The Caynel Professional Griddle offers almost 300 square inches of cooking space, which is plenty for you to feed about 7 people. 

The 1700-watt motor heats the griddle up to 460 °F, with an adjustable thermostat to let you pick from a range of temperatures.

The non-stick coating is durable to let you enjoy cooking your favorite meals for long periods, and the heavy aluminum cast construction resists warping.

The handles of the Caynel are removable for extra convenience during storage and they’re also cool-to-the-touch to keep you safe while moving it around. 

The drip tray is designed to allow for simple detachment just by sliding it out, so cleaning becomes easier.

This griddle isn’t dishwasher safe, but you can swiftly run it under your kitchen faucet with some soap and it’s as good as new. 

The Caynel Professional Electric Smokeless Griddle is available in black or color options, backed up by a 1-year warranty.

Other Features You Might Want To Consider

Indoor smokeless grills come equipped with a whole host of features some of which are handier than others. Here’s some of my favorites.

Interchangeable Cooking Surfaces

Having the option to swap out your contact surfaces and use either a grill or a griddle is a great option to have.

Your indoor grill becomes more versatile and you’ll find you get a lot more use out of it.

Think pancakes in the morning on the griddle for breakfast and a juicy steak on the grill for dinner in the evening.

Temperature Indicator Light 

Cooking with electricity can be problematic. It’s not like gas because there’s no instant heat. 

All indoor girls take a while to heat up, anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes. And the more powerful the grill is the quicker it will heat.

An indicator light that lets you know when the grill is good to go without any guesswork is a handy feature.

Non-Slip Feet 

Indoor grills get hot and the last thing you need is one sliding around your expensive marble or quartz countertop especially if you’ve got kids around.

A grill equipped with rubber feet will hold it firmly in place and give you peace of mind.

Auto Shut-Off 

Another safety feature, this is a failsafe mechanism that shuts off the grill once it exceeds a certain temperature. 

Lids

You don’t really need a lid but they do offer a few advantages. 

They allow your grill to heat up quickly. They can speed up the cooking process by trapping heat inside the grill. And they can help keep food warm and allow meat to rest once you’re done grilling.

Glass lids are great if you want to see what’s going on but a metal one will trap more heat.

Handles

A lot of Indoor smokeless grills are designed to be compact and lightweight.

And a grill with handles make it just that little bit more portable and easier to take on the road. This makes them a wonderful choice for trips, camps, vacations, and even college dorms.

Adding that Missing Flame Grilled Flavour With Liquid Smoke

Most indoor grills are capable of cooking up a decent piece of meat but they’ll never be able to replicate the same authentic flavour you get from wood or charcoal.

And that’s where liquid smoke comes in.

It’s made by condensing the smoke produced from burning wood it’s a completely natural product and consuming it is not something you need to worry about.

In fact, you’ve probably already eaten it as it’s used as an additive in a whole host of foods from BBQ sauce to cheese (including 2 of my favourites smoked gouda and applewood)

Liquid smoke comes in a whole host of flavours like pecan, hickory, and mesquite. And to cheat with it use it just brush a little on your meat before cooking or add a few drops to a marinade.

Go easy though, cause it’s strong stuff…you can get some here.

Managing Expectations

It’s important not to expect miracles from an indoor grill. Evan the very best ones produce a little smoke.

It’s to be expected when you mix a heat source with oil.

And choosing the best indoor smokeless grill that’s gonna create the least amount of smoke can surely get confusing, especially with so many models and features available on the market. 

That being said, if you’re looking for a reliable indoor smokeless grill that offers a decent cooking area, hot enough maximum temperature, and comes at a price that won’t break the budget, then the Simple Living Advanced Indoor Smokeless BBQ Grill should be right up your alley.

But if you don’t mind splurging a bit to land a grill that’s totally loaded with features for a highly versatile cooking experience, then be sure to check out the Ninja Foodi 5-in-1 Dehydrate Indoor Electric Grill.

What will you grill up first?

Disclosure

cocklesandmussels.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates.