Best electric grills

Electric grills from the likes of George Foreman, Tefal and Ninja Foodi are popular because they're a quick, convenient and healthy way to cook food and an excellent alternative to pan-frying. But they vary widely in price, ranging from £25 up to more than £150, so how do you know how much to spend to get the best? 

We put the most popular electric grills in the UK to the test to find out. Some gave us perfectly cooked food with attractive grill lines, but others cooked unevenly, squashed vegetables and squeezed all of the juice out of steaks and halloumi.

Our testing found that paying more doesn't always get better results so you need to do your research. But we also discovered it's possible to get a great value grill for less than the cost of a takeaway. 

See our full results below to find out which cooked the best food, were the easiest to use and had the most useful and effective features, as well as what to look out for if you're buying a new electric grill, plus the best way to clean your electric grill without damaging it.

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The best electric grills

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The electric grills we tested

Only logged-in Which? members can view the electric grill test results below. 

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Cuisinart GR47BU Stainless Steel Griddle & Grill

Cheapest price: £158 at Amazon also available at Cuisinart (out of stock), John Lewis 

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Size and weight: 20 x 37 x 33cm (HxWxD); 4.7kg

Removable cooking plates: Yes

Temperature control: Yes

Approx. heat-up time: 5-6 mins

Other key features: Floating hinge, timer, opens flat for grilling on both plates, detachable cooking plates, recipe book, griddle pan plates, and cleaning scraper included

George Foreman Medium Grill with Removable Plates 24330

Cheapest price: £75 at Argos (out of stock), also available at Amazon

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Size and weight: 11.8 x 36.5 x 32.4cm (HxWxD); 4.13kg

Removable cooking plates: Yes

Temperature control: No

Approx. heat-up time: 5-6 mins

Other key features: Floating hinge, detachable cooking plates, vertical storage, cable tidy, recipes included

George Foreman Medium Grill 25810

Cheapest price: £34 at Amazon Argos, also available at Asda  George Foreman Very  

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Size and weight: 7.6 x 33.5 x 28cm (HxWxD); 1.31kg

Removable cooking plates: No

Temperature control: No

Approx. heat-up time: 2 mins

Other key features: Floating hinge, vertical storage, cable tidy, recipes included

Lakeland Digital Grill 63558

Only available at Lakeland: £139.99

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Size and weight: 17.5 x 33.5 x 32cm (HxWxD); 6.8kg

Removable cooking plates: Yes

Temperature control: Yes

Approx. heat-up time: 2-3 mins

Other key features: Floating hinge, timer, opens flat for grilling on both plates, vertical storage, cable tidy, recipes included

Ninja Foodi AG301UK Health Grill and Air Fryer

Cheapest price: £199.99 at Amazon, Currys, Ninja also available at AO.com (out of stock) Argos  John Lewis (out of stock)  Very

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Size and weight: 23.5 x 35.6 x 45cm (HxWxD); 8.1kg

Removable cooking plates: Yes

Temperature control: Yes

Approx. heat-up time: 7 mins

Other key features: Air fryer, dehydrator, baker, roaster, timer, removable cooking plates, recipes included, bristle brush/scraper combo

Sage The Smart Grill Pro BGR840BSS

Cheapest price: £329.00 at Amazon also available at Sage

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Size and weight: 17 x 39.2 x 36.7cm (HxWxD); 8.6kg

Removable cooking plates: Yes

Temperature control: Yes

Approx. heat-up time: 4 mins

Other key features: Floating hinge, timer, opens flat for grilling on both plates, vertical storage, cable tidy, handle lock, recipes and temperature probe included

Salter EK2009

Cheapest price: £20 at Amazon  Asda , also available at Currys

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Size and weight: 8.9 x 26.7 x 22.7cm (HxWxD); 1.8kg

Removable cooking plates: No

Temperature control: No

Approx. heat-up time: 2-3 mins

Other key features: Floating hinge, cleaning scraper included

Tefal OptiGrill GC713D40

Cheapest price: £129.99 at Amazon also available at Argos 

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Size and weight: 16.5 x 36 x 37cm (HxWxD); 5kg

Removable cooking plates: Yes

Temperature control: Yes

Approx. heat-up time: 4-5 mins

Other key features: Floating hinge, automatic timer, recipes included, set programs for different meats

Tower T27009

Only available at Amazon: £51.27 

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Size and weight: 9.8 x 29.7 x 26.5cm (HxWxD); 2kg

Removable cooking plates: No

Temperature control: No

Approx. heat-up time: 2-3 mins

Other key features: Floating hinge, vertical storage, cable tidy, handle lock, recipes included, cleaning scraper

How we tested electric grills

In our search for the best electric grills, we bought a selection of bestselling electric grills from leading UK retailers and put them though a string of tests to see which are worth buying.

Build quality and storage

Each grill was inspected and judged for its build quality, and those with uncomfortable edges, loose parts or fiddly buttons were penalised.

Those that are thoughtfully made, clearly labelled and easy to store were praised.

Ease of use and heat-up speed

• We timed how quickly each electric grill heated up before it was ready to use
• We assessed how intuitive the buttons, dials and other controls are to navigate
• We judged how convenient the cooking experience is overall.
• Grills with lots of features were only praised for them if they worked effectively and didn't needlessly overcomplicate the cooking process.

Evenness of cooking

We cooked a medium rare steak with slices of courgette and halloumi with each grill we tested, following the cooking times in the instructions where present.

Evenness of cooking was what we were looking for in particular, so we praised grills that:

• Left defined grill lines from one side of the food to the other
• Didn't leave spots noticeably over or undercooked.

Ease of cleaning

• After cooking we thoroughly cleaned each electric grill following the instructions and considered how straightforward the task was.
• We looked out for grill plates that were difficult to clean, little spots on the grill that are difficult to reach, and any damage or stained spots we noticed after we were finished cleaning.

Interested in other cooking equipment we've tested? See our results of non-stick frying pans and griddle pans.

What we learnt testing electric grills

• A top lid that gently rests on but doesn’t squash food is desirable if you want to cook more delicate food such as halloumi and vegetables. All too often in our tests we found that grills with heavy lids squashed the life out of the food we cooked.
• Grills with slightly slanted cooking plates are desirable, as they encourage melted fat and oil to flow down to the drip trays. This reduces the amount of residual fat and oil on your food and makes cleaning an easier task.
• Detachable plates are a must if you want to avoid frustration when cleaning your electric grill. Burned-on fat needs a sponge and soapy water, but if you can't detach the cooking plates you won't be able to do much more than wipe it down with a damp cloth.
• Short cables are common in electric grills, as is the case with many small kitchen appliances, so you’ll need to think through where you’re going to set up your grill in your kitchen before you buy one.

Keen to see our test results of other small kitchen appliances? Check out our reviews of toastie makers, waffle makers and rice cookers.

What's the best way to clean an electric grill?

You'll need hot soapy water, a sponge and a cloth to clean your grill plates.

• After your grill has completely cooled, use a damp cloth or kitchen roll to wipe away any residual grease. You should wipe towards the drip tray to avoid making mess.
• Soak any burned-on bits with hot soapy water, taking care not to use too much if the cooking plates cannot be detached from the grill.
• Once soaked, use the damp cloth to dislodge and remove the burned-on bits. Bits that need some extra help being removed can be scrubbed with a sponge, but avoid using the scourer side, to protect the non-stick coating.
• Use a dry cloth or kitchen roll to dry the cooking plates completely to avoid damp and rust setting in.

Use the best cleaning tools for the job with our washing-up liquid reviews.