Electric grills take all the best parts of traditional grilling and make it more convenient and portable. Whether you intend on using them indoors, outdoors, or both, electric grilling is easy enough for every night of the week.

In search of the best electric grills, we tried out dozens of the leading models in our product reviews lab, grilling everything from bread to steak or zucchini. Our testers took note of heating capabilities, convenience, and functionality, and our overall favorite is the Weber Q1400 Electric because it achieves backyard barbecue results with the convenience and dependability of an electric appliance. Read on for more of our favorite electric grills. 

Also available at Home Depot and Walmart. 

Pros: This heavy-duty grill combines the convenience of electric gadgets with the functionality of an outdoor grill to yield consistent results with minimal cleanup. 

Cons: The lid on this grill is a little heavy. Make sure to keep it closed when not in use to prevent it from tipping over. 

This conveniently portable grill is perfect for someone with a small space like a terrace or balcony. The porcelain-enameled cast iron cooking grates can reach temperatures over 600 degrees so that it can achieve the same results as a gas or charcoal grill with the convenience of electricity. In our tests, we found that it created a deep sear and resulted in caramelized and browned foods. 

This grill gave excellent results in our tests, producing consistently cooked foods with a nice sizzle and minimal smoke. The 6-foot cord makes it easy to use outside, so it would be a great option for anyone living in an apartment or with a small yard that can't accommodate a larger grill. We love the removable drip tray that makes the grill easy to clean, and our testers were pleased with how quickly it heated up. Overall, this grill makes it easy to have a flavorful barbecue every day of the week. 

Pros: This affordable grill heats up quickly and doesn't smoke or steam. It's lightweight, convenient, and easy to store.

Cons: This machine can only reach 400 degrees, so it can't get as hot as some of the other models we tried. 

This portable grill is a fantastic option for any home cook looking to grill occasionally from the convenience of their countertop. Our testers noted that the body of the grill stays cool while the grates get hot enough to yield consistently caramelized foods with little to no smoke. As a result, it's a safe and manageable way to bring grilling projects indoors. Our testers noted that it's light and thin, which makes it very easy to store. A slide-out drip tray allows fat to drip away, and thanks to the nonstick coating, our testers found this product to be straightforward to clean. 

Keep in mind that this grill can't get as hot as a regular grill. It can reach a maximum of 400 degrees—but if you're looking to do high-heat cooking, it's best to opt for something that can accommodate a higher temperature. 

Pros: This heavy-duty option yields dark grill marks just like a gas or charcoal oven, and can reach and maintain temperatures of up to 600 degrees with minimal smoking. 

Cons: It's a bit bulkier than some of the others and takes up more space in cabinets and on countertops.

This stainless steel oven has a large cooking surface that can reach over 600 degrees in a matter of minutes. Our testers noted that it had no trouble grilling up steaks and chicken, and even the zucchini we tested developed dark grill marks and a tender center without overcooking. The grill is intended for both indoor and outdoor use. When grilling indoors, we noticed minimal smoking. This is the perfect option for someone with minimal outdoor space—like a terrace or balcony—looking for a hybrid grill that they can use both inside and outside. 

Our testers also love how easy this grill is to clean. Although it's not dishwasher-safe, the grill grates pop out of the main body and can be washed by hand. Thanks to the slick surface of the cooking area, nothing sticks, so there's no scrubbing required. Despite the high cooking temperatures, the handles on this grill stay cool for easy portability.

Related: The Best Outdoor Grills to Upgrade Your Summer Barbecues

Also available at Williams Sonoma.

Pros: This three-in-one machine uses smart technology to adjust the temperature for optimal heat control automatically. The nonstick grates are dishwasher-safe for easy cleaning. Cons: This gadget produced a bit more smoke than some of the others did.

This convertible indoor grill can adapt to three settings: an open grill, a flat griddle, or a closed panini press. It produced beautifully browned and caramelized foods in all of our tests and our testers love how portable and easy it is to use. It comes with two cooking grates that connect to form one larger cooking surface, and both plates are dishwasher-safe. The aluminum grates create a nonstick surface, and we found that the unit heated up quickly and maintained a consistent temperature. It can reach temperatures of up to 450 degrees, and the smart heating technology recognizes temperature and adjusts power accordingly. This is a great option for someone looking for an efficient, functional machine that doesn't take up too much space on the countertop. 

Overall, Weber's Q1400 electric grill produced high-quality results with minimal smoke and a soft sizzle. This portable grill is a great option for anyone who wants to cook up delicious barbecue recipes with the convenience of an electric appliance.

In our quest to find the best electric grills, we ran each product through a series of tests to determine functionality, portability, and convenience. We first noted size, weight, and temperature settings to help us determine ease of use and storage for each product. Next, we assessed how long each grill took to heat up by turning on each grill and recording the temperature after three minutes. Lastly, we tested each product's ability to efficiently cook some of the most commonly grilled items like steak, chicken, and vegetables. Our testers recorded everything from how much smoke was produced to how much each ingredient stuck to the surface. We paid close attention to grill marks—the sign of any successful grilling attempt. Throughout our tests, we made sure to note if the grills heated evenly or if there were certain hot spots or cold spots. 

When choosing an electric grill, one of the most important things to consider is the size of the cooking surface. Some are small enough to only accommodate four burgers or two large steaks. Some are large enough to do a dozen burgers. Thinking about how many people you are most likely to serve and how you most often intend to use the machine will be a good indicator of which units to explore. If you are just one or two people in your household or plan to mostly use it for smaller scale items like burgers, hot dogs, or chicken parts, a smaller grill will likely be ideal for your needs. If you have a larger family or want to use the grill for entertaining, scale up.

Few of us have enough counter space as it is, which means unless you intend to use an electric grill daily, you will want to store it effectively between uses. Take careful measurements of the cabinet or closet where you want to store your grill before purchase to check that the unit you want to buy will fit where you want to store it. Most units can be safely stored where there are temperature fluctuations, like in a garage, basement, or attic, just be careful that wherever you store your grill is safe from water.

An electric grill will only fit seamlessly into your daily cooking practice if it is easy to clean. Look for units that have dishwasher-safe parts, use disposable foil pans to capture drippings, and have nonstick or seasoned grill plates that clean up easily. Then just follow the directions that come with your unit to keep properly clean.

Related: The Best Portable Grills, According to Chefs and Pitmasters

We chatted with John Somerall, Editorial Project Manager, Food for Dotdash Meredith about these convenient additions to your home grilling arsenal. He was happy to weigh in on some of the key questions we had about working with these machines.

Somerall admits, it is not an identical dining experience. "Food prepared on an electric grill tastes similar to food prepared on a gas grill, but the main difference has to do with the heating element. Gas grills provide more heat which aids in the caramelization process and gas grills also allow flare-ups to occur during grilling. The open flame, although generally flavorless and odorless, has a noticeable effect on the flavor and aroma of the food being grilled. An electric grill is not going to be able to mimic these properties commonly found with open-flame cooking."

"Charcoal grills add a very distinct aroma and flavor when used for grilling foods." Somerall says. "Two easy ways to make food cooked on your electric grill taste similar to foods cooked on a charcoal grill would be to marinate your food with a small amount of liquid smoke prior to grilling, or to wrap soaked wood chips in aluminum foil and place them near the heating element so they can steam and smoke while grilling. These two methods won't make your grilled foods taste identical to foods grilled over charcoal, but they will surely add flavors that will make them taste similar."

This all depends on your unit, Somerall says. "It really depends on the wattage of the electric grill and the food being grilled. Most electric grills require 1000-1500 watts to operate which is also the amount of energy required for adequately searing and cooking proteins including steaks, chicken, and fish. This amount of energy might be considered a lot if you used your electric grill all day, every day, however, given the frequency in which electric grills are used and how they are used, electric grills are still considered an efficient and inexpensive tool to operate."

We found this machine to be efficient, functional, and easy to store and use. However, we noticed that it cooked foods on the lighter side, so our dishes came out pale and less caramelized. The large gaps between the grill grates created some hot spots and cold spots, which made for inconsistent heating.

This grill has a clear lid that makes it easy to see the foods you're grilling while keeping any smoke contained. However, we noticed that the lid created condensation, which made for inconsistent cooking results. It's lightweight, but the shape makes it feel bulky when moving and storing it. Nevertheless, our testers were pleased with how easy it is to clean—thanks to the removable lid, drip tray, and heating elements.

Our testers love that this grill is completely nonstick, and it caramelizes foods with little to no smoke. However, they found a sizable cold spot in the center of the grill that affects cooking performance. Additionally, the grill can only reach 425 degrees, which is a bit low compared to some of the other models we tested. We also recommend caution when moving this grill—the body gets hot to the touch.

Our testers found that this grill performed inconsistently. It gets hot, but it doesn't get as hot as some of the other grills we tested, and controlling the temperature was difficult. In terms of design, the edges of the grill are lower than the grates, so it's easy to burn yourself and drop food between the crevices. It's heavy but slim, which makes it easy to store.

This 5-in-1 gadget can grill, crisp, dehydrate, roast, and bake. However, our testers noted that with the fan running during the grilling function, it ends up working more like a convection oven than a grill. Therefore, temperatures aren't accurate, and heating is inconsistent. We also noticed that the body of this grill gets very hot, so be careful when moving it after each use.

Although we were pleased with the performance of this grill, our testers felt that it was too small to accommodate two servings. It's extremely portable, very lightweight, and easy to store. Keep in mind that this grill doesn't have a temperature setting; the only control options are on or off.

This grill is intended to be used outside, and it took a particularly long time to heat up. It didn't produce enough heat to yield dark grill marks and the food stuck to the grates. Our testers do not recommend it.

This option is a larger version of the Weber Q 1400, and considering its size, our testers don't recommend it for use in an apartment. It gets very hot and produces a considerable amount of smoke, which means it isn't ideal for use indoors. It's large, heavy, and isn't a feasible option to use on countertops or under cabinets.

In terms of portability, our testers didn't like how hot the body of the machine gets, which makes it difficult to move. We found that fat splattered everywhere when cooking meat, which made for messy, dangerous cooking. It operates like a panini press, which we found squished our ingredients and produced inconsistent results.

Our testers were impressed with how well this grill works—it produced deep, defined grill marks on all the foods we tested. No food stuck to the grates and it produced minimal smoke. We love that it has the option to be placed on a stand but found it to be slightly wobbly and unsteady. Though it wasn't one of our top picks, overall, we were pleased with this grill and would recommend it for its efficiency and functionality.

We noticed inconsistent results when cooking food on this grill. The middle of the grill gets considerably hotter than the outer edges, and foods barely showed grill marks from even the hottest parts. We had trouble achieving a deep sear and defined grill marks and noticed that condensation starts to build when the lid is closed, which affects cooking results.

This portable grill is lightweight, easy to move, and stores nicely inside cabinets. However, we found that the food comes out inconsistent. It stuck to the grates and didn't achieve the charred grill lines we'd hoped for. In fact, the meat we cooked had barely any caramelization. Our testers don't recommend this grill.

This piece was written by Laura Denby, a food writer and product reviewer with a degree in Culinary Arts from the Institute of Culinary Education. A former chef, Laura has worked in professional kitchens for over five years. She uses her culinary knowledge to guide her product reviews, which you can find more of in FoodNetwork.com, Real Simple, Southern Living, and more. Our expert product testers John Somerall and Jasmine Smith tested each grill in our lab. Somerall is a Recipe Tester and Developer in the Meredith Food Studios and has worked in various fine dining restaurants for ten years. Jasmine is also a Recipe Tester and Developer in the Meredith Food Studios, and she holds a degree in Culinary Arts from Johnson and Wales. As part of the Meredith test kitchen, Jasmine tests and develops recipes for sites like Better Homes & Gardens, Real Simple, and Southern Living.