The 6 Best Infrared Grills of 2024

Napoleon Prestige 500 Propane Gas Grill on a blue background — The Spruce Eats / Lecia Landis

Traditional gas and charcoal grills are pretty standard options, and for good reason—but heating the air surrounding the food inside the grill can result in a drier texture than necessary. And that’s where infrared grills come in. The way they cook food and the resulting flavor is unlike any other method. Infrared grills create radiant heat that cooks food without taking away moisture. In addition, they offer heat evenly and at the high temperatures needed for getting the perfect sear—even in cooler weather.

Summer may be coming to an end, but infrared technology in grills is gaining steam, and there are lots of options available in every size and price point. We found some varieties for all your needs—and even spent weeks testing some—so you can confidently pick the one that’s right for you, no matter the season.

Our Top Picks

Best Overall:

Char-Broil Signature Series Amplifire 2-Burner Gas Grill at Amazon (See Price)

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Best Charcoal:

Char-Broil TRU-Infrared Kettleman Charcoal Grill at Amazon ($202)

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Best High-End:

Napoleon Prestige 500 Propane Gas Grill at Amazon ($1,499)

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Best Compact:

Big Horn Outdoors Portable Infrared Broiler Propane Gas Grill at Amazon ($200)

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Best Portable:

Solaire Portable Infrared Propane Gas Grill at Amazon ($399)

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Best Infrared Side Burner:

Victory 3-Burner Propane Gas Grill at Amazon ($600)

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In This Article

Our Picks
What to Look For
FAQs
How We Selected
Why Trust The Spruce Eats

Best Overall

Char-Broil Signature Series Amplifire 2-Burner Gas Grill

Char-Broil

View On Amazon View On Wayfair $430 View On Charbroil.com $530

What We Like

Grates are close together
Food does not stick to grates
Not too big, not too small

What We Don't Like

Can get extra smokey

The CharBroil Signature Series Amplifier 2-Burner Gas Grill was one of the 99 grills we tested for weeks. While these tests were centered around fuel type, several had infrared capabilities, including this one; it received high marks for its performance, ease of use, and design.

The grill has space in its 325-square-inch cooking area for up to 16 burgers or eight steaks at a time. We tested it with fish filet and steak, as well as grilling onions, and were impressed with the charred grill marks on each. The heat is distributed evenly, and none of the food we cooked stuck to the grates, which are close together to minimize dripping. However, some fat did get through the cracks and produced decent smoke off of the infrared plates.

Overall, we found this grill to be a little hard to assemble, but it is the perfect size for a family or a beginner. It isn’t too big but also isn’t too small. You can’t go wrong with this grill, it is a good price and quality for the technology that comes with it.

Person using tongs to remove grilled onions from Char-Broil Signature Series Amplifire 2-Burner Gas Grill — The Spruce Eats / Russell Kilgore

Best Charcoal

Char-Broil TRU-Infrared Kettleman Charcoal Grill

Amazon

View On Amazon $202 View On Wayfair $141 View On Charbroil.com

What We Like

Lightweight and easy to move
Even heating
Long burn time

What We Don't Like

Can be hard to add charcoal into

Charcoal and infrared technology combined into one makes the combo for one grill, but we found this one to be a suitable option for any grill master looking for both. It has a long burn time and two racks that allow for 360 square inches of cooking space. Prior to testing, it took us about 17 minutes to assemble the grill out of the box and was easy for one of us to move it around via the wheels on the legs.

As for the actual grilling, we found that the heat was distributed evenly throughout the grill, but also that it was slightly difficult to keep a firm control over the temperature. The manual says to oil the meat rather than the grates when cooking, and we found that to be a great method for making sure nothing stuck. It also made nice grill marks on the steak we made, but there were a few flare-ups when we flipped it.

We also tested the charcoal burn time when making ribs, and didn’t necessarily have to rotate because of the infrared’s even heat distribution. Although it can burn for a while, it is hard to add more charcoal or wood—to do so you have to remove the two racks, which can be difficult while you are cooking.

When it was time to clean this grill, it was harder than expected thanks to the grate lines being pretty close together. Char-Broil does sell a nylon bristle grill brush that should help with this.

Tongs grasping steak on flaming Char-Broil TRU-Infrared Kettleman Charcoal Grill — The Spruce Eats / Russell Kilgore

Dimensions: 29.9 x 27.4 x 14.8 inches | Cooking Area: 360 square inches | Burners: 1 | Fuel: Charcoal | Warranty: 10 years (lid); 2 years (all other parts)

Best High-End

Napoleon Prestige 500 Propane Gas Grill

Amazon

View On Amazon $1,499 View On Wayfair $1,549 View On Walmart $1,499

What We Like

Lots of cooking area
Easy to operate
Additional infrared side burner

What We Don't Like

Heating distribution not even

This Napoleon gas and infrared grill has significantly more cooking power and space than others on this list and on the market—about 900 square inches total. During testing, we thought the assembly was tricky because of the size, despite that it is very beginner-friendly. The lid is a little bit heavy and could slam down if you aren’t careful, but it has a large handle and is easy to maneuver. The temperature dials are clear and light up when turned.

A con we discovered is that the large cooking space does not heat evenly. The right side of the grill was consistently 50 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than the left while we cooked fish and steak. We did place both in the middle of the grill, so if you are cooking a lot of food at once then it may not be as big of an issue as you can space things out.

All in all, there were not many flare-ups when moving things around, and we think this grill is best for low-and-slow cooking. If you want a good sear, use a cast iron pan in the main area or the infrared side burner. After 34 minutes on the grill, we took the temperature of a cast-iron pan in the main cooking section and it was 655 degrees Fahrenheit.

Hand pushing button on Napoleon Prestige 500 Propane Gas Grill — The Spruce Eats / Russell Kilgore

The Best High-End Gas Grills Include a 6-Burner Behemoth

Best Compact

Big Horn Outdoors Portable Infrared Broiler Propane Gas Grill

Amazon

View On Amazon $200 View On Walmart $199

What We Like

The small boxy frame can fit lots of places
Two levels of cooking area
Removable grates are easy to clean

What We Don't Like

Heavier

This Big Horn Outdoors infrared grill is technically portable but weighs more than 30 pounds. This may make it difficult to maneuver it in and out of cars or trucks or to carry. However, it does have a unique shape that makes it ideal for any backyard or patio. All you need is a little over two feet of table space and you’re ready to grill—it is rectangular but is almost as tall as it is wide, so it doesn’t take up a lot of surface area. There are two grates that slide in and out for easy access to food inside the grill, and there are 10 levels they can rest on. The closer to the top of the grill, the closer to the infrared burner. These grates also can be removed for easy cleaning.

We like this infrared grill because it can reach a temperature of 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit in just a few minutes. That is significantly hotter than most grills on the market, and while there is a bit of a learning curve associated with such high heat, amateur to professional-grade grill masters can get the hang of it fairly easily thanks to this grill’s size. That plus its price makes it a great option for anyone looking to get into infrared grilling.

Best Portable

Solaire Portable Infrared Propane Gas Grill

Solaire SOL-EV17A Everywhere Portable Infrared Propane Gas Grill

Amazon

View On Amazon $399 View On Walmart $399 View On Bbqguys.com

What We Like

Only weighs 15 pounds
Not a lot of assembly required
Heats up in three minutes

What We Don;t Like

Can be tough to clean

Backyard barbecues are great, but when you want to grill on the go, there are portable machines for you to pack up and take with you, and yes, that includes ones with infrared technology. This one from Solaire weighs 15 pounds and has two side handles, so one or multiple people can easily load it into a separately sold carrying bag and put it into a trunk or carry it to the right spot while camping, boating, tailgating, or wherever the grilling party is. Speaking of handles, those are the only features of the grill that need assembling—everything else is ready to go. Although a propane cylinder is not included with the purchase of this infrared grill, the one AAA battery it uses is.

We love this portable grill because its technology heats up in less than five minutes, and can reach temperatures of 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. With how hot it gets, there’s bound to be some food baked onto the grates, but its specially designed v-shaped grates reduce flare-ups and catch drips. Yet, they are not as easy to wash. Luckily they come out effortlessly so you can clean them as well as the bottom of the grill.

We Seared 52 Pounds of Meat to Find the Best Portable Grills

Best Infrared Side Burner

Victory 3-Burner Propane Gas Grill

Amazon

View On Amazon $600 View On Walmart $600 View On Bbqguys.com

What We Like

Best of both worlds
Great for searing
Makes multitasking easy

What We Don't Like

Harder to fully cook on just a side burner

For those who want all the traditional features of a gas grill combined with infrared capabilities, a grill with an infrared side burner is a great option. This 3-burner grill from Victory has a huge main cooking area of 464 square inches and a 162-square-inch warming rack. But it's the large infrared side burner we want in our backyard. The 12,000-BTU burner is big enough to sear two steaks at once.

We don’t recommend cooking an entire meal on this infrared side burner, but that is not a deal breaker for us considering there’s so much space next door to the left in the main cooking area. In fact, having two cooking spaces makes multitasking super easy. Sear and char meats on the side burner while you cook veggies and fish on the other side.

Other features of this grill include a left-side shelf that the company says is great for a spot to put a beer while grilling, eight built-in grill tool hooks, storage space underneath, and more.

Final Verdict

We tested the Char-Broil Signature Series Amplifire 2-Burner Gas Grill and found it to be a trifecta—easy to use, easy to clean, and makes food charred and moist. For the best of both the typical grilling and infrared grills worlds, the Char-Broil Kettleman TRU-Infrared 22.5-Inch Charcoal Outdoor Grill is a great option.

What to Look for in Infrared Grills

Size

The size of the infrared grill you should buy depends on what foods and how much of those foods you want to cook. The grills on this list range from 140 to 900 square inches of cooking space, and that is good for a couple to dozens of burgers or steaks all at once. Smaller infrared grills are better for smaller patios and for taking with you on the go, while the larger ones are more stationary but can take care of cooking for big backyard gatherings with ease.

The size of the grill also determines how many burners it has. If you want to multitask and cook more than one type of food at once, look for an infrared grill that has multiple burners and a larger cooking area.

Grates

The grates on any grill are just about the most important feature, and that goes for infrared grills, too. This type of grill reduces flare-ups that come from open flame, but it does not mean that there are no drippings and other parts of food that fall through the cracks in the grates. Like other types of grills, most infrared grills (and all on this list) feature grates that can be removed and cleaned.

BTUs

When looking at the features of a grill, you likely will see a number followed by “BTUs”. This stands for British Thermal Units and shows you how much energy is created by the grill. For infrared grills, the BTUs are lower than other grills, because the technology heats up fast.

Unique Features

Infrared grills are different than other grills to begin with, but they also can be outfitted with other components to further improve the user experience. For example, hooks for grill tools, side shelves and burners, handles, wheels, and more are features that may be a deal breaker for grill masters with specific tastes.

FAQs

What is the difference between an infrared grill and a gas or charcoal grill?

Gas, charcoal, and infrared grills all get their heat from different sources. While gas and charcoal grills have an open flame, infrared grills emit energy that heats up food instead of heating the air. It’s like how sunlight feels warm to us, even when it’s cold outside. This also allows infrared grills to heat up and cook food quicker than other types of grills.

How do you clean an infrared grill?

Like with other types of grills, you can clean the grates of an infrared grill by using a brush or by scraping off burned bits. Most infrared grills have removable grates so you can clean them somewhere else besides on the grill.

How do you sear steak on an infrared grill?

One of the main appeals of an infrared grill is the fact that they get so hot, searing is easy. All you need to do to sear a steak just like professional chefs at high-quality restaurants do is to put it directly on the grates or on a cast-iron pan once the grill has preheated. Keep it there for about a minute per side. When it is properly seared it should be easy to pick up, not stick to the grates.

Are infrared grills safe?

Since infrared grills can reach temperatures above 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, it can be assumed that they are not as safe to use as other types of grills. That isn’t true, however, you should keep a close eye on foods cooked on an infrared grill. With high-heat cooking, burning and charring can happen more easily, and you should try to avoid consuming burnt food.

As we tested, we noticed that infrared grills can also produce more smoke. Placing the grill outside in an area with a lot of ventilation or wind is a good way to keep smoke moving so you don’t breathe it in.

How We Selected

To compile this list, we evaluated the results of rigorous testing on 99 total grills done by our testing team in Birmingham, Alabama, and selected several infrared options to recommend. Our team of editors and contributors then spent hours researching the best infrared grills on the market, evaluating their key features—like ease of use, heat distribution, and price—in addition to our personal experience, as well as reviews from customers and other trusted sources. We then used this research to assign a star rating from one to five (five being the best; one being the worst) to certain grills on the list.

Why Trust The Spruce Eats?

Amanda McDonald is an editor at The Spruce Eats and has over seven years of experience researching, writing, and editing about all things food—from what new products are at the grocery store to chef-approved hacks that keep tricky leftovers fresh for days. She grew up in the south grilling burgers, hot dogs, and steaks with her dad, but now opts for grilling vegetarian versions. She wrote and updated this story to include the most accurate information.

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