Infrared Grills: 7 Reviews

Grilling is an American past-time. How you grill, though, really depends on what you are looking for out of the process. Though some swear by a natural gas or propane gas grill and others absolutely must have charcoal, there is an increasing number of buyers who are loyal to the efficiency of infrared grills. Though relatively new technologically, these infrared grills are taking the culture of cooking electric by storm. As more infrared grills come on the market, it’s become harder than ever to pick out the great buys from those that are just trying to capitalize on a trend.

Fortunately, we are here to help. With a list of the best infrared grills as well as the best places to buy them, we can help you to cut through the clutter in order to find the perfect grill for your needs. If you’re ready to get on the infrared grilling train, make sure to take a look at what we’ve put together (while you’re here, you might also want to check Tim’s recommendations for today’s top-rated electric fireplaces). 

Top Infrared Grills in 2021

Though infrared grills might seem like a relatively small product category compared to their better-known gas grill cousins and cookware, the truth is that there are a lot of infrared grills out there with wildly different features. If you’re in the market for a grill, you need to find one that’s going to suit your specific needs – and that’s why we’ve put together a list of some of the best infrared grills out there today.

Char-Broil 463370719 Performance TRU-Infrared 3-Burner Stainless Steel Cart Style Gas Grill

While there are a number of really great grills on the market that is entirely focused on infrared technology, a fair number of them really lack the heft of a more traditional propane or natural gas grill. That’s not a problem for those who are looking to cook for themselves but it can be an issue if you’re the kind of person who loves to feed everyone at a party. If you are in the market for a TRU-infrared grill that feels a lot more like a traditional propane gas grill decked out in stainless steel, you’ll definitely want to check out this model from Char-Broil to get an idea of what a full-sized infrared grill can do. We can confidently conclude that the Char-Broil Performance TRU-Infrared is the best infrared grill available today.

The first thing that you’re going to notice about this grill is the size. Exactly the same as the more traditional gas grills with which you’ve cooked in the past, it has a truly enormous amount of 450 square inches of cooking area and even a 1,000 BTU side burner and warming rack. What makes this one different from traditional grills is the infrared technology, a technology that prevents flare-ups helps to ensure an even heat across the entire 450 square inches of cooking surface that elements the usual hot and cold spots. If you’ve ever been frustrated at the fact that you can’t cook a couple of burgers or steaks the same every time you’ve used your grill, this might be the product for which you’ve been looking. 

This grill also has a lot of the little features that most have come to associate with high-end grill. It features a push-start electronic ignition system so you never have to worry about lighting your grill, a swing-away warming rack so that you can keep your food warm while you’re still cooking other things and a stainless steel finish that both looks great and that can stand up to the weather. The porcelain-coated grates and stainless steel construction also makes this unit much easier to clean. If your goal with getting a TRU-infrared grill is to enjoy all the amenities of a traditional gas grill but with better electric cooking experience, this product from Char-Broil is the grill for you.

Char-Broil The Big Easy TRU-Infrared Smoker Roaster & Grill

Grilling is great but it’s not the only way to cook food outside. If you’re looking for an excellent way to bring a little bit of diversity to the way you eat, you’ll generally need to invest in multiple products like smokers and roasters in addition to your grill. If you’re stuck for space, though, you’ll be happy to know that there is a great all-in-one alternative that still includes TRU-infrared functionality in the grill portion, which helps to prevent flare-ups. This combination unit from Char-Broil does a lot of things well, all without taking up your entire outdoor cooking area. As we’re about to discover, there are many reasons why the Char-Broil Big Easy deserves its place as runner-up for today’s best infrared grill.

One of the very reasonable fears that many have about combination units is that it’s hard to find a device that can do it all without sacrificing something in the process. The good news here is that Char-Broil really hasn’t cut any corners when making this device. The TRU-infrared grill surface prevents flare-ups and still cooks incredibly evenly, allowing you to feel confident when cooking anything that requires precise temperature control over the 180 square inches of cooking space. The roaster has space to cook up to twenty-five pounds and the smoker unit is still among the best in the industry. The secret to success here is as simple as integrated a lot of really great technology into one unit.

It’s worth noting that while this is a pretty big all-in-one unit, it’s still a lot smaller than the combined sizes of a smoker, roaster, and grill. That makes it very attractive to those who don’t have a lot of outdoor space or for those who are already squeezing everything they can into their cooking areas. If you are in the market for a really good infrared grill that’s still going to allow you the option to roast or smoke your food, you should think about giving this model a shot. 

Tenergy Redigrill Smoke-Less Infrared Grill

One of the worst parts of living in an apartment is that you are limited in what you can use insofar as outdoor cooking is concerned. Many complexes have banned propane gas grills and charcoal grills for safety reasons, while some have banned outdoor cooking altogether. If you live in an apartment and still want the convenience of being able to grill, you’ll have to get creative. Fortunately, this indoor grill from Tenergy does leverage the technology of infrared cooking to give you an excellent grilling experience that will still allow you to follow the rules of your lease. 

Indoor grills have become a lot more popular in recent years and what you get here shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise if you are familiar with the product category as a whole. The big goals with this unit are to ensure that there is absolutely no smoke while cooking and to ensure that a maximum amount of safety is provided despite the open cooking surface. Fortunately, the grill manages to do both by separating out the fat of your meats into a drip tray and not using an open flame. This really is the perfect grill for those who have to cook indoors. 

Not only is this unit safe, but it’s also incredibly useful for grilling. It only takes a few minutes to get up to its maximum temperature and it cooks much faster than a stovetop. The infrared grilling surface ensures that you will get an even heat across the board, allowing you to feel comfortable cooking anything from chicken to vegetables. The unit is even easy to set up to cook and to clean when you’re done, allowing you to stow it away and preserve your space. This is one grill that makes indoor grilling feel like a reasonable choice, and that’s why its a top contender for today’s best infrared grill.

Char-Broil Grill2Go X200 Portable TRU-Infrared Liquid Propane Gas Grill

Grills are an important part of the outdoor experience. Another important part of the outdoor experience, though, is being able to move around and see new things. Whether you’re going camping at a new part or visiting a new football stadium to tailgate, being outside, and being on the go just go together. If you want to grill, though, your options have typically been fairly limited. If you’re interested in moving beyond this limitation, you can pick up a portable infrared propane gas grill. In this case, Char-Broil has managed to take everything that’s great about a TRU-infrared grill (including it’s resistance to flare-ups) and shrink it down to a portable size. 

One of the big things to realize about this TRU-infrared grill is that it is actually designed to be portable. Unfortunately, a fair number of infrared grills are marketed as portable and what the company really means is that you can move the grill around if you really try. This portable infrared propane gas grill, with its easy lifting handles and incredibly durable porcelain-coated design, is made to easily fit in a car so that you can take it on the go with you. If you’re the kind of person who loves to grill out at a game or at a park, you’ll find this grill to be an excellent addition to your gear.

Portability is great, but only if the grill in question actually works. Powered by propane, this grill leverages TRU-infrared technology to provide the kind of grilling experience that you don’t usually get in portable units, while minimizing flare-ups. Not only does it produce a great deal of heat, but it does so evenly across the surprisingly-large 200 square inches of cooking surface. That makes cooking much more efficient for the average user and also ensures that you’ll be able to reliably cook all of your favorites. With its combination of portability and utility, this grill is a real winner. While it doesn’t have quite what it takes to top our list, It may just be today’s best infrared grill when it comes to portability.

Philips Kitchen Appliances HD6371/94 Philips Smoke-less Indoor BBQ Grill

If you’re using any kind of indoor cooking appliance, you probably put it in one of two categories – the tools you can put away and those that have to take up counter space. The latter tends to be a problem for many with smaller kitchens, leading them to avoid some of the better appliances on the market and forcing them to pick and choose from among those they already own. If you want an indoor cooking grill, it’s a good idea to make sure that it falls into the former category – something that this grill does very well.

A lot of what makes this grill very special comes from the basics of the design. It’s made to be both setups and taken down in about a minute, making it far easier to use than the average indoor grill. In fact, the tear-down time also includes cleaning so you’ll never have to dread using the grill because of the mess that it will make. This might be a small thing for some, but it’s the kind of issue that can make a break a grill for those who have limited space.

Though the grill is certainly easy to store, that’s not the only reason you should take a look at this product. It has the same infrared technology behind it that larger infrared grills use, which means that it heats up very quickly without the need for an electronic ignition system and that it won’t develop any cold spots while you are cooking. This will, in turn, allow you to feel more comfortable cooking multiple servings at once and while cutting down on the amount of labor that you have to do while cooking. If you’re looking for a reliable grill that won’t take up much space, this might be the best choice for you. 

Camplux Propane Infrared Steak Grill

One of the biggest factors in choosing a grill should always be ease of use. It’s not just the space that the grill takes up or how long it’s going to take to clean, but also how efficiently the grill can cook your food. If you’re looking for something that is going to leverage the power of propane with the infrared technology that cooks most evenly, you’ll want to take a look at this excellent infrared gas grill.

This counter-top model does something that the vast majority of infrared grills on the market just can’t do. It uses a pilot ignition system rather than an electronic ignition. While most infrared grills take a few minutes to get up to five hundred degrees, this one can hit 1600 degrees in just two minutes. That means that you’re able to cook meats that require higher temperatures relatively quickly and you’ll definitely be able to get your general cooking work done in a timely manner. In fact, it’s one of the rare infrared grills that puts out this much heat without taking the space of a standard model.

The heat isn’t the only selling point, though. This grill is still incredibly easy to set up and clean, and you can even take it with you on the go. It’s as modular as you’re going to get with something that has this level of power and it absolutely earns its keep as a primary cooking device. If you are serious about grilling but know that you have a very limited amount of available space, you should absolutely give this compact countertop grill a look. You might be surprised by just useful it can be.

ChefWave Smokeless Stainless Steel Indoor Electric Grill & Rotisserie

When it comes to finding the very best infrared grill, this handy model is a shoo-in. The new ChefWave Smokeless Stainless Steel Indoor Electric Grill & Rotisserie has been created by experts in order to provide the safest and most effective grilling experience possible. If you’re looking for a top-quality unit, this one comes highly recommended. 

This handy new electric grill and rotisserie model comes complete with a full range of features that are guaranteed to satisfy even the most finicky customers. These include a rotisserie spit, 2 forks, kebab set with 7 skewers & 2 round plates, a fish basket, fries cage, grill rack, and drip tray. 

One of the biggest concerns that users have when making use of an electric grill is the clean up that comes after. This is why you will be glad to learn that this handy new unit is made of one hundred percent stainless steel. Grease and grime just slide off the stainless steel body in a quick and easy fashion, making clean up a painless process. 

We should also mention that this unit features a very large 9” x 13” grilling space (117 square inches). It also comes with easy to use controls that will quickly adjust the temperature from 150f to 450f degrees. 

You can also use them to control the timer and choose between the included rotisserie or grill functions. It’s a regulation 90-minute timer with auto shutoff to ensure your safety. The unit comes with a full warranty of guaranteed quality direct from the ChefWave corporation. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best infrared grill to buy?

No single infrared grill stands above the rest as the best of the best simply because people often need very specific things out of their infrared grills. Instead of looking for the best infrared grill for the wider market, try to look for the best infrared grill for your own needs. Taking some time to look at the various features allows you to determine if a given grill is worth your time or money, so try to do your homework. If you can pick a grill that has everything you need, there’s a good chance that you’ll end up considering it to be the best one out there. 

Is an infrared grill better?

This one largely depends on the grill. Is infrared cooking better than typical cooking? Given that the surfaces reach their top heat more quickly and that they tend to distribute heat more evenly, it feels like an objective ‘yes’ is the only answer to which one can come. With that said, there are definitely infrared grills that lack the kind of functionality that’s present in other high-end grills. Notably, many don’t come with a side burner or a warming rack, though some do.

The real question to ask isn’t whether an infrared grill is better, but rather if it’s better than a similar grill at the same price point. After looking at the various features, it should be fairly easy to tell which one is a better fit for you. 

Are infrared grills worth the money?

Whether or not an infrared grill is worth the money is going to come down to the individual user and the individual model of the grill. If you are the kind of person who cooks out frequently or who cooks for large groups, you’re going to love this technology to pay the premium. Even if you’re the kind of person who only grills once or twice a year, you’ll probably look at the inclusion of the infrared surface as a selling point.

The only people who won’t like these grills are people who don’t cook more than one or two pieces of meat at one time. If you’re not worried about consistent or quick heat, you might find it hard to justify paying extra for infrared functionality. 

What is the advantage of infrared grilling?

The main advantage that most people see in infrared grilling is the consistency of the heat across the cooking surface. If you’ve ever cooked on a typical grill or even a stovetop, you know that most grills cook fairly unevenly. The hot and cold spots make it tough to cook consistently, especially when you are working on large batches of food. Also, those Char-Broil products featuring TRU-infrared technology are designed to prevent flare-ups. By providing consistent heat across the board, infrared grills solve a lot of problems.

The other big selling point for infrared grilling is that it heats quickly. Many grills can reach their maximum temperatures in under two minutes, allowing you to get cooking faster. These grills are simply more efficient and provide easier surfaces on which to cook. 

Infrared Grill Buying Guide

While there are certainly some great infrared grills discussed here, it can be hard for even a seasoned consumer to figure out which one to buy. Instead of just looking at price points or even reviews, you have to look at what each individual grill can do for you. Below are some of the most important factors considered by other buyers who are looking for the perfect grill. While a few grills can do it all, the best fit for you is going to prioritize all of your most important features. 

Size

Size matters when it comes to grills. Anyone who wants to grill knows that he or she has a limited amount of space in which to work, so picking the grill that’s going to accomplish your goals in the least amount of space. Outdoor grills come in all shapes and sizes, so try to figure out the one that’s going to do the most for you. Going big can have benefits, as discussed below, but try to keep in mind the actual restrictions of your property.

If you’re looking for an indoor electric grill, space might be even more of an issue. You need to find something that’s not only going to fit on your countertop but also something that’s going to be able to fit in your cabinets when it needs to be put away. Try to remember that a smaller grill will necessarily mean less grilling area, so don’t compromise too much if you are planning on cooking big meals. This is one of the hardest lines to walk when you’re looking for a good infrared grill but it’s also one of the most important. 

Cooking Area

One of the reasons that size tends to matter in the grilling world is because big grills tend to have more square inches of cooking area. If you find that you’re cooking for big parties, having a lot of cooking area is what’s going to allow you to cook quickly and get to mingling. You’ll also find it helpful to have a side burner and a warming rack at your disposal. If you find yourself cooking for yourself most of the time, though, you might feel like too much cooking area and even a side burner is just a waste of space. Knowing where you really stand is going to be your first step towards determining how important this factor is for you.

Generally speaking, it’s a good idea to go with a larger number of square inches in cooking area than a smaller one unless you absolutely know that you’re never going to cook for anyone else. This doesn’t mean you need a jumbo-size stainless steel grill by any stretch of the imagination, but that you should have enough square inches of space to throw on a few more entrees when you have guests. Try to think about the biggest conceivable situation in which your grill could really be used when shopping – that will give you a good idea of the maximum square inches of cooking space and/or the availability of a side burner that you’ll actually need. 

Fuel Source

Infrared grills tend to come with two different types of fuel sources. If you’re looking for an outdoor model, you’re almost always going to be working with something that involves propane. Clean-burning and very efficient, propane has long been a top choice among those who grill out. The only problem with propane gas grills is having to pay for the propane tank and getting gas refills, both expenses that might be higher than you imagine. It’s not necessarily cost-prohibitive for most, but it’s never fun to run dry of gas when you are getting ready to cook. 

The big alternative to propane gas grill in the world of infrared grilling is electricity. Electricity is the fuel source for almost one hundred percent of the indoor grills you’ll see on the market and a few of the outdoor grills as well. Electricity doesn’t tend to give you exactly the same type of grilling experience as you’ll get with a propane gas grill, generally leaving you with lower maximum temperatures and a slightly different flavor. With that said, you can keep using an electric grill any time you have access to an outlet. Electricity is a good choice for casual grillers but it tends to run into problems if you want to take your grill on the go. 

Portability

Some people absolutely love to take grills with them on the go. They might be fans of cooking out in nature or just people who love to tailgate, but having a portable infrared grill that can be moved is a must. This is a factor that is only going to matter to some people, but specially-crafted portable infrared grills are a huge seller for those who don’t want to be tied down to one location when they cook.

Portability is one of those factors that you need to be careful about, though. There are plenty of grills out there that bill themselves as portable, but what they really mean is that the grills aren’t quite as big as standard grills. At the same time, there are other grills that really are small enough to take on a trip but that aren’t actually built solidly enough to survive the journey. You’re best off with a model that has a stainless steel construction, as stainless steel is not only more durable for transport, but resistant to rust as well. While stainless steel might cost a bit more money, its worth it in the long run. Plus, stainless steel simply looks better to boot. As a consumer, you want to look for a portable infrared grill that’s small, durable, and that will be useful when you decide it’s time to take your grill out on the road. 

Extra Features

The extras are just that – extras. They aren’t the features that most people need but they may be the features that you want. A great example might be a grill that has an adjustable height, stainless steel construction, or one that has a built-in smoker box. Char-broil grills featuring TRU-infrared technology helps to prevent flare-ups. None of these are necessary features for the process of infrared grilling but they can be very important to a certain kind of consumer. If your goal is to pick up an infrared grill that has a special feature, try to find one that also satisfies all of the other factors before addressing that one needs. This will leave you with a better overall grill that’s better tailored to your tastes.