An apartment lease usually means no charcoal, no propane and a smoke detector ten feet from the stove. An indoor electric grill is the workaround: it plugs into a wall outlet, gets hot enough to mark a steak, and the good ones catch the grease before it turns into smoke. We went through the electric grills in our home and kitchen catalog and kept five that owners rate 4.5 stars or higher, each with thousands of reviews behind it.
We have not cooked on every grill here ourselves, so the verdicts lean on the specs and on what long-term owners report. Picks were chosen using price data at the time of writing. Prices are not printed because they change daily; every button opens the live Amazon page.
How we picked
- Owner ratings first. Every pick is rated 4.5 stars or higher; four of the five have more than 12,000 reviews.
- Real searing heat. We favored grills that reach 450°F to 500°F. Anything cooler steams meat instead of browning it.
- Grease has somewhere to go. A drip tray or sloped plate is what actually limits smoke, so every pick has one.
- Cleanup you will do. Removable, dishwasher-safe plates on four of the five; the fifth wipes clean.
- Distinct types. A smokeless open grill, a contact grill, a large lidded grill, a budget grill and one for the balcony.
The picks
Ninja Sizzle Indoor Grill & Griddle, 14-inch, 500°F, Grey/Silver, GR101
The Sizzle is an open grill with a twist: the lid is perforated mesh, so it knocks down splatter and smoke while letting steam escape, which is why the food tastes grilled rather than steamed. It reaches 500°F, hotter than most indoor grills, and the 14-inch plate fits six burgers. The second plate is a flat griddle for eggs, pancakes or smash burgers. Owners rate it 4.6 stars across 3,800+ reviews, and most complaints are about size and price, not performance. It is the grill we would put in an apartment kitchen that has the counter space.
- Hits 500°F for proper char marks
- Grill plate swaps for a flat griddle plate
- Mesh lid controls smoke and splatter without steaming the food
- Dishwasher-safe plates; 3,800+ ratings at 4.6 stars
- Still smokes a little with fatty meat on high
- Takes up 15 inches of counter
- Costs more than the contact grills here
This is the George Foreman most people picture, updated with removable plates and a tougher nonstick coating. As a contact grill it heats from both sides, the fastest way to cook a burger or chicken breast and the reason it doubles as a panini press. The plates slope so fat runs into the drip tray, and they pop out for the dishwasher, which fixes the biggest complaint about older Foremans. There is no temperature control, so it is a one-speed tool for lean proteins and sandwiches. With 32,000+ owners at 4.6 stars and a three-year warranty, it is the safe buy.
- 32,000+ ratings at 4.6 stars, the most on this page
- Cooks both sides at once, so a chicken breast takes about 6 minutes
- Removable plates go straight in the dishwasher
- Sloped plates drain fat into the tray
- 60 sq in fits four burgers, not a cookout
- No temperature dial, just on and off
- Uneven results if thick food keeps the lid from sitting flat
Hamilton Beach Electric Indoor Searing Grill With Lid & Viewing Window
When you need to feed more than two people, the Hamilton Beach offers 118 square inches under a hinged lid, enough for six burgers or a batch of chicken thighs. The dial runs from warm to a 450°F sear, and the lid window lets you check food without opening it. The grate is PFAS-free nonstick and removable, and owners repeatedly praise how easy it is to clean. The lid holds in heat, which speeds cooking but softens the sear compared with an open grill. With 21,000+ reviews at 4.5 stars, it is the best-proven large indoor grill in our catalog.
- 118 sq in is the largest true grill surface here
- Adjustable dial with a 450°F sear setting
- Grate and drip tray both go in the dishwasher
- 21,000+ ratings at 4.5 stars
- Lid traps steam, so grill marks are lighter than on the Ninja
- Single grill pattern, no griddle side
- Almost 17 inches wide
The Elite Gourmet is the grill to buy if you want to find out whether indoor grilling suits you before spending more. It is a round plate over a circular element with five heat settings and a removable grease tray, and the whole thing comes apart for the dishwasher. At 1,200 watts it is slow to bounce back after you load it with cold meat, so cook in small batches. Owners rate it 4.5 stars across 12,000+ reviews, which is unusual at this price. Treat it as a weeknight tool for chicken, shrimp and vegetables rather than a steak searer.
- Cheapest open grill here with a real temperature dial
- Round 12-inch plate fits four burgers or a pound of shrimp
- Every removable part is dishwasher safe
- 12,000+ ratings at 4.5 stars
- 1,200 W is slow to preheat and recover
- Plastic base and dial feel like the price
- Grease tray fills quickly with fatty meat
If your building bans charcoal and gas but allows electric, this is the grill that turns a balcony into a cookout. The 200-square-inch domed plate takes 12 or more servings, the removable stand puts it at a comfortable height, and the temperature probe gives five heat settings. Indoors, pull the stand off and it sits on the counter, though it is 22 inches wide. It uses the same sloped nonstick surface as the smaller Foremans, so fat runs into the drip tray instead of flaring. Check your lease and your outlet first; 18,000+ owners rate it 4.6 stars.
- 200 sq in cooks for a crowd, the largest here
- Fully electric, so it passes most apartment and condo grill rules
- Stand lifts it to waist height outside; remove it for the counter
- 18,000+ ratings at 4.6 stars
- Needs an outdoor outlet or a heavy-duty extension cord
- No lid vent, so it steams a little with a full load
- Big to store in a small apartment
Compare the picks
| Product | Surface | Max heat / power | Type | Owner rating | Our score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ninja Sizzle GR101Ninja | 14 in, grill + griddle | 500°F, 1,450 W | Open, mesh lid | 4.6 / 3.8k+ | 9.2 | See price |
| George Foreman 4-ServingGeorge Foreman | 60 sq in | 1,800 W | Contact | 4.6 / 32k+ | 9.2 | See price |
| Hamilton Beach Searing GrillHamilton Beach | 118 sq in | 450°F, 1,500 W | Open, solid lid | 4.5 / 21k+ | 9.0 | See price |
| Elite Gourmet EMG6505GElite Gourmet | 12 in round | 5 settings, 1,200 W | Open, no lid | 4.5 / 12k+ | 9.0 | See price |
| George Foreman Indoor/OutdoorGeorge Foreman | 200 sq in | 5 settings, 1,500 W | Open, stand | 4.6 / 18k+ | 8.8 | See price |
Smokeless is a marketing word: what actually limits smoke
No electric grill is smokeless. Smoke comes from fat and marinade hitting a surface hotter than about 400°F, so anything that sears will smoke a little. What the good grills do is keep the drippings away from the hot part: the Foreman plates slope so fat runs into a tray, the Ninja and Hamilton Beach put a drip tray under the plate, and a mesh lid like the Sizzle’s traps splatter without trapping steam. Your part is simple. Trim visible fat, pat marinades dry, keep the drip tray clean and run the range hood. Do that and any of these five will grill a steak without setting off the alarm.
Contact grill vs open grill
A contact grill (the George Foreman 4-Serving) has a heated lid that presses on the food. It cooks both sides at once, so it is about twice as fast, it presses paninis, and it takes the least counter space. The trade-off is that everything must be a similar thickness, and you cannot flip or baste. An open grill (the other four) works like a real grill: one hot surface, you flip the food, and a thick steak can sit next to thin asparagus. Open grills need more room and make a little more smoke, but they give better grill marks and more control. Cooking for one or two and want speed? Go contact. Want a grill? Go open.
Will an indoor electric grill set off my smoke detector?
It can if you grill fatty meat on the highest setting with no ventilation. Trim fat, empty the drip tray, run the range hood or open a window, and start on a medium setting. All five here have a drip tray or sloped plate, which produces far less smoke than a frying pan.
Can I use the George Foreman Indoor/Outdoor grill on an apartment balcony?
Many leases allow electric grills where charcoal and propane are banned, but check yours and any HOA rules first. It needs a grounded outdoor outlet or a heavy-gauge extension cord rated for 1,500 W or more, and it should stay out of the rain.
Which of these is best if I also want an air fryer?
None of the five air fry. The Ninja Foodi Smart XL grill and air fryer combo in our catalog does both, but it is a lidded countertop oven rather than an open grill. If air frying is the main use, start with our air fryer guide at /reviews/best-air-fryers.
What if the grill arrives damaged or I do not like it?
All five ship through Amazon with its standard 30-day return window, extended during the holiday season. Keep the box for the first few cooks. George Foreman adds a 3-year limited warranty on the 4-Serving grill; Hamilton Beach and Elite Gourmet give one year.
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