Three Grates Get Measured on the Best Indoor Grill and Air Fryer

1. Ninja Foodi 5-in-1 XL Indoor Grill & Air Fryer AG301 — Best Overall

A stated grate size, a basket and a pot each measured in quarts, and the largest rating record in the category: 4.8 across 27,709.

Key Specifications

Why We Recommend It

This is the listing that answers both of the category’s questions. Its box contents read: “Ninja Foodi AG301 Grill Base | 10" x 10" Char-Grill Grate | 4-Qt Crisper Basket | 6-Qt Cooking Pot”. That is a grill surface in inches, an air-fry basket in quarts and a pot in quarts, each tied to the part it describes. Only one other listing on the page, the EG201, gives all three. For a buyer trying to work out whether four burgers fit, or whether a bag of frozen fries goes in one batch, this is the most usable spec sheet here.

The rating record is the largest by a long way. 4.8 across 27,709 ratings is the highest average on the page on the biggest sample. It is close to double the FG551’s 15,322 and more than seventeen times the 1,592 ratings shared by all six non-Ninja machines together. 700+ were bought in the past month.

The 10 x 10 inch grate is a modest square. The “XL” in the name does not buy a larger grate than the EG201’s, which lists the same size. Expect four burgers or two to three steaks at a time; for six people, plan on two batches.

The heat claims are bold and carefully worded. The listing says “500°F rapid cyclonic air” circulates around the food while “the 500°F grill grate brands authentic char-grilled marks”. It is one of two listings that give the grate its own temperature. It also says the grill is “Engineered with the BTU cooking power of a full-size outdoor grill”, which prints no BTU figure and no wattage, so it cannot be checked from the listing. The frozen claim is specific: frozen steaks, chicken breasts, burgers and fish fillets to char-grilled “in under 25 minutes”, with no thawing.

What it leaves out. Its cleaning claim is the most complete here, with grate, basket and pot all “fully dishwasher safe”, but other things are missing. Five functions, not six: no Broil, which the EG201 has at a lower price. No smoke-control claim at all, which is odd for an indoor grill; the EG201 and IG651 both describe a Smoke Control System. No thermometer. The warranty is one year, the same as every Ninja here and two years shorter than the George Foreman’s. It weighs a stated 20.0 lb and stands 11.02 inches high, with a 14.9 x 14.9 inch footprint, the most compact of the four Ninjas. It sits well below its list price, mid-page on price and first on evidence.

Best for: Most households that want a grate and basket they can measure against their food, backed by the deepest owner record in the category.

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2. Ninja Foodi 6-in-1 Indoor Grill & Air Fryer EG201 — Best Value

The same stated grate and basket as the AG301, one more function and a smoke-control claim, at a lower price on a thinner rating record.

Key Specifications

Why We Recommend It

This is the cheapest machine on the page that tells you how big its grate is. The box contents list a “10" x 10" Grill Grate, 4-qt. Crisper Basket, 6-qt. Cooking Pot”, the same three measured parts as the AG301. Every lower-priced listing on this page either describes its grill with an adjective or not at all. If a stated grate size is your first filter, the EG201 is where the page starts, and it sits well below its list price.

It does more than the AG301 for less. Six functions to the AG301’s five: “Grill, Air Crisp, Roast, Bake, Broil, and Dehydrate”. Broil is the useful extra, for melting cheese or finishing a gratin from above. It also lists GrillControl settings of “Low, Medium, High, and Max” on an “Intuitive Display”, and the AG301 listing names no grill settings. The listing describes itself as a “New exterior look with all the great functions you love from the original Foodi Grill”; the spec table dates it to September 2022, three years after the AG301.

It names a smoke system. A “temperature-controlled grill grate, splatter shield, and cool-air zone reduces smoke”, alongside “chef-recommended grilling practices”, so part of the system is how you cook. “Reduces” is the honest verb. The AG301 listing does not mention smoke at all.

The record is the trade. 4.6 across 1,007 ratings is a good average on a sample about one twenty-seventh the size of the AG301’s. 500+ were bought in the past month. The listing shows the same “#2 in Electric Grills” rank as the AG301 and FG551, which suggests Amazon pools the Ninja grills for ranking, so the rank cannot separate them. If you want the larger crowd behind your purchase, the AG301 is the step up. If you want broil, grill settings and a smoke claim, the EG201 costs less and gives you all three.

The details. The same “500°F cyclonic air” as the AG301, the same “BTU power of a full sized grill” with no figure, and the same frozen-to-char-grilled “in under 25 minutes”. The 75% less fat claim is footnoted “tested against hand-cut, deep-fried French fries”. Unlike the AG301, this listing does not say the parts are dishwasher safe, and its footprint is about two inches deeper. One-year warranty.

Best for: A buyer who wants the measured Ninja grate and basket, plus broil and a smoke claim, at the lowest price those numbers come at.

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3. George Foreman Beyond Grill 7-in-1 Electric Indoor Grill with Air Fry MCAFD800D — Best Budget Pick

The longest warranty on the page, a stated 500°F sear and a strong 4.7 average, from a listing that gives no size for its grill or its air fryer.

Key Specifications

Why We Recommend It

This is the strongest non-Ninja record on the page, and the cheapest strong record of any brand. 4.7 across 576 ratings matches the FG551’s average and sits just behind the AG301’s 4.8, on a sample large enough to mean something. 300+ were bought last month. It sits below its list price and costs far less than the AG301. If your budget is tight, this is the one machine at the low end with both a high average and a sample in the hundreds.

The warranty is the longest stated on the page. The spec field reads “3 year limited”. Every Ninja here offers one year, both Gourmias one year, and OLIXIS one year. Candy states none, and NutriChef says only “Manufacturer Warranty”.

The size is the gap. Five short bullets, and none of them gives a grate size, a basket size or a quart figure. The size field says “Large”. The outside measures 11.2 inches high by 12.5 by 14.9 inches, the smallest stated footprint on the page apart from the Candy, which suggests a smaller cooking area than the Ninjas’, though the listing does not let us say how much smaller. If you cook for two, that may not matter. If you cook for five, it is the first question to ask, and the listing does not answer it.

The heat claims come with asterisks. “500°F Searing: Create the perfect sear without having to flip your food” matches the Ninjas’ ceiling. “Intelligrill Technology: Cooks 65% faster with dual heating and optimized air flow**” carries a double asterisk whose footnote is not in the listing text we captured, so we cannot say what it is 65% faster than. The frozen claim, “frozen to evenly grilled in 22 minutes”, names no food or thickness.

Two functions nobody else lists. Alongside grill, air fry, roast, bake and broil come “slow cook” and “keep warm”. At 14.05 lb it is about six pounds lighter than the AG301, which matters if the grill lives in a cupboard.

Best for: A budget-minded buyer who wants a proven average and three years of cover, and cooks for two or three.

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4. Ninja Foodi Smart XL 6-in-1 Indoor Grill and Air Fryer FG551 — Best With Thermometer

The best-selling machine on the page and the second-largest record, with a smart thermometer, and a grate described in steaks rather than inches.

Key Specifications

Why We Recommend It

More people bought this grill last month than any other on the page. 3K+ bought in the past month is more than four times the AG301’s 700+ and six times the EG201’s 500+. Its 4.7 across 15,322 ratings is the second-largest record here. It sits well below its list price, the largest discount on the page, which may explain some of the buying. Whatever the reason, this is the indoor grill and air fryer most shoppers are actually choosing.

The grate is the XL, and the listing will not say how big that is. “The grill grate fits up to 6 steaks or 24 hot dogs”. That is a food count, not a measurement. The IG651 also claims 6 steaks on a stated 9" x 12" grate, so the two may be close, but this listing does not confirm it.

The quart figure is in the title only. “4 Qt Capacity”. No bullet names a crisper basket or a cooking pot, and the spec table’s size field reads “Ninja Foodi Smart XL Grill + Thermometer”. The three other Ninjas all list a 4-qt crisper basket, so the 4 Qt here most likely means the same part, but the listing does not say so. The bullet calls it “Ideal for large air fryer needs”, which a 4-quart basket is not, by the standards of standalone air fryers.

The thermometer is the reason to step up from the AG301. “The Foodi Smart Thermometer uses 4 protein presets and 9 doneness levels”, and the opening bullet calls it a “dual-sensor thermometer”. You choose a protein and a doneness, insert the probe, and the grill reports when the meat is there. For thick steaks and chicken, where the inside lags the outside, a probe takes most of the guesswork out of indoor grilling. Four machines here mention a thermometer; this one and the IG651 describe theirs in the most detail.

The rest is familiar Ninja. 500°F cyclonic air, six functions including broil, and a line calling it “Perfect for apartments or indoor smokeless grill cooking”, though no smoke system is described. No dishwasher claim, no frozen-cooking time, and a 1-year limited warranty.

Best for: A cook who wants a probe to call doneness on steaks and chicken, and trusts the biggest buying crowd on the page.

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5. Ninja Foodi Smart XL Pro 7-in-1 Indoor Grill/Griddle Combo IG651 — Largest Stated Grate

The largest stated grate on the page, a separate flat-top griddle and a powered grate that works with the hood open, at the page’s highest price.

Key Specifications

Why We Recommend It

This is the biggest grill surface anybody states on the page. The box contents list a “9" x 12" Grill Grate, 12" Flat Top BBQ Griddle, 4-qt. Crisper Basket, Foodi Smart Thermometer”. Nine by twelve is about 108 square inches, roughly 8% more than the 10 x 10 grates on the AG301 and EG201, in a longer shape that suits sausages, kebabs and long fillets better than a square. The listing says it “fits 6 steaks, mains, and sides at the same time”. The griddle is the larger addition: a flat plate for “a whole platter of nachos, 4 sandwiches, or 6 pancakes”, foods a ridged grate cannot cook.

It heats the grate itself. “NINJA’S MOST POWERFUL GRILL: 500F independently powered grill grate creates direct, edge-to-edge high-heat searing”, with a footnote comparing it with Ninja’s FG500-series grills. The other Ninjas lead with 500°F cyclonic air, hot air blown over food on a grate. The IG651 adds a heating element in the grate, which is why it can cook “Hood up” as well as hood down: “Keep the hood up for intense high heat searing and flavors with direct bottom heat only.” Hood down adds the cyclonic air back for crisping and melting. Cooking with the lid open is how most people grill outdoors, and this is the only Ninja that lists it.

It shares the FG551’s thermometer, with 4 protein settings and 9 doneness levels, names the EG201’s Smoke Control System, and lists grate, basket and griddle as dishwasher safe. No 6-qt cooking pot appears in the box contents.

The price is the problem. With no list price shown, it is the premium option here and costs well above the AG301 and the FG551. Stock was “Only 2 left in stock – order soon”, and the rank is #71,652 overall and #44 in Electric Grills, far below the other Ninjas. 4.5 across 2,488 ratings is a solid record, the lowest average of the four Ninjas but higher than any non-Ninja except the George Foreman.

Two numbers to check. It weighs a stated 27.5 lb, the heaviest machine on the page, so it is one to leave on the worktop rather than lift in and out of a cupboard. The listed height of 7.0 inches is four inches lower than the other Ninjas’ 11 inches, which may be a hood-closed measurement of a flatter design or an error; check it before you rely on it under a low cupboard. The footprint is 15.7 by 17.4 inches. One-year warranty, like every Ninja here.

Best for: A cook who wants the largest measured grate, a griddle for breakfasts and sandwiches, and an open-lid sear, and will pay for all three.

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6. Gourmia Electric Smokeless Grill & Air Fryer 5-in-1 with Glass Lid GGA2120A — Highest Stated Temperature

The only listing to state a full temperature range for both grilling and everything else, and the highest maximum here, 510°F.

Key Specifications

Why We Recommend It

This listing states its temperatures more completely than any other on the page. “Digital controls let you select a cooking function and adjust time and temperature from 170°F–510°F”, and separately, “choose from 4 heat settings—Low, Medium, High or Max—from 400°F–510°F” on the grill. That tells you the bottom of the range for dehydrating, the bottom and top of the grill range, and that Low on this grill is still 400°F. The Ninjas print 500°F and a “wide temperature range” without numbers. No other listing here maps its named grill settings to degrees.

The glass lid is the practical difference. “Grill with the glass lid open or closed, and use the Smoke Extractor to help reduce smoke while cooking.” A clear lid lets you watch the food without lifting it and losing heat, and open-lid grilling is the outdoor habit most people bring indoors. The Candy has a viewing window; the IG651 cooks hood up; every other machine here cooks with an opaque lid shut. “Help reduce” is a modest smoke claim, which is to its credit. Air frying uses the basket “with the lid closed”.

The size is in the size field and nowhere else. The spec table says “6 Quart”. The title and bullets give no capacity and no grate size, and the bullets mention “the included air fry basket” without measuring it. Six quarts could be the basket, the pot or the cooking chamber; on the Ninjas, 6 quarts is the pot and the basket is 4. The footprint is the widest on the page, 21.0 inches by 15.5, and the height the lowest of the lidded machines at 8.0 inches, a long, flat shape that suggests a wide grill plate, but the listing does not give one.

Cleaning and the record. “place the grill grate, air fry basket, drip tray and drip tray cover in the dishwasher”, the most parts named as dishwasher safe on any listing here. 4.2 across 232 ratings is a fair average on a thin sample, with 100+ bought last month. No weight is stated. One-year warranty. It sits just above the George Foreman, which has the better record and warranty; this one has the better stated temperatures and the glass lid.

Best for: A buyer who wants to watch the food through the lid and pick a grill temperature by number, on a budget.

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7. Candy Indoor Grill & Air Fryer 7-in-1 with Ceramic Accessories CAF-502-US — Lowest Price

The cheapest machine here and the only one to state its wattage, with a 5.2-quart figure that never says which part it measures.

Key Specifications

Why We Recommend It

This is the only listing on the page that tells you how much power it draws. “1500W”, at the end of the title. Nine other makers describe heat by temperature, airflow or a comparison with an outdoor grill; Candy gives the figure an electrician or a circuit-breaker cares about. 1500W is a normal draw for a countertop appliance on a standard US kitchen circuit. It also means that, in principle, the other machines are no more powerful than the circuit allows, whatever they claim about BTUs.

It is the cheapest machine here, with the most extras for the money. It sits just below its list price and buys seven functions, a “Smart Thermometer” named in the title, a viewing window, six ceramic-coated accessories and a timer that “supports up to 540 minutes of cooking”, nine hours, long enough for slow dehydrating. The FG551 adds its thermometer at a much higher price. The Candy listing does not describe how its thermometer works, so we cannot say whether it is a probe linked to presets or a simple readout.

The size claims are adjectives and one unlabelled number. “Extra-Large Grill Space for Family Meals & Entertaining: Unlike small-capacity grills that only fit a few items at once, the enlarged grill rack and deeper cooking chamber handle steaks, veggies, and full meals in one batch”. No inches. The capacity, “5.2 QT”, appears in the title and the size field without saying whether it is the basket or the chamber. Next to the “deeper cooking chamber” wording, it is more likely the chamber. The outside is 15.43 by 13.46 inches, a smaller footprint than any Ninja, which sits awkwardly with “Extra-Large”.

The record is the weakness. 3.9 across 132 ratings ties with NutriChef for the lowest average on the page, on one of the smallest samples. No bought-last-month figure is shown, and the rank is #230,836 overall. No warranty is stated anywhere in the listing; the last bullet offers “Reliable Support” and “Clear instructions” instead. It weighs 11.02 lb, the lightest machine here. At this price it is a reasonable gamble for an occasional grill; it is not the evidence-backed choice.

Best for: A buyer on the tightest budget who wants a thermometer and a viewing window, and accepts a thin record and no stated warranty.

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8. NutriChef Indoor Smokeless Grill & Air Fryer with Smart Thermometer NCDHKNJ01 — Widest Stated Range

The lowest stated minimum temperature, a griddle function and a thermometer, capped at 450°F, with 3.9 across 169 ratings.

Key Specifications

Why We Recommend It

This listing reaches lower than any other here. “adjustable temp settings ranging from 100°F to 450°F”. A 100°F floor is 40°F under OLIXIS’s 140°F and 70°F under Gourmia’s 170°F, the only other stated minimums. For dehydrating herbs or fruit leather, a low floor matters more than a high ceiling. Seven functions include a “BBQ griddle”, which elsewhere on the page only the IG651 offers, though NutriChef does not say whether a separate flat plate is in the box.

The ceiling is 50°F below the Ninjas. 450°F against 500°F on six machines and 510°F on the Gourmia GGA2120A. A lower ceiling generally means a slower sear. If searing is your first reason for buying, these two start behind.

The capacity is in litres, and unlabelled. “6L Capacity” in the title, which is a little over 6.3 US quarts, the largest capacity figure on the page if it is taken at face value. It is not tied to a basket, a pot or a chamber, and the bullets do not mention an air-fry basket by size. The size field gives the outside dimensions, 16.14 by 15.75 by 10.55 inches, in place of a capacity. No grate size is stated.

The claims outrun the detail. The thermometer gets no presets or doneness levels, and the smoke claim, “a virtually smokeless cooking experience”, is the strongest on the page with no system described.

Price and record. It costs a little more than the Ninja EG201, which states a 10 x 10 inch grate, a 4-qt basket, a 6-qt pot and 500°F, with 4.6 across 1,007 ratings. NutriChef’s 3.9 across 169 ratings ties with the Candy for the lowest average here; no bought-last-month figure is shown, and the rank is #233,713 overall. It weighs 23.74 lb, second only to the IG651. The warranty field says “Manufacturer Warranty” and gives no term. Its case rests on the low end of the range.

Best for: A buyer who will dehydrate and cook low as often as they grill, and values the 100°F floor over the 500°F ceiling.

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9. Gourmia Smokeless Indoor Grill & Air Fryer FoodStation GGA2100 — Thinnest Listing

A single bullet, a third-party seller and no stated temperature, on a grill that describes a different heat method from everything else here.

Key Specifications

Why We Recommend It

This listing has one bullet. “SMOKELESS GRILL: indoor grills electric smokeless extraction with direct contact heat from below onto an inlaid heavy duty cast-metal grate for the perfect indoor electric barbecue grill”. Everything else is in a long title: “Smokeless Indoor Grill & Air Fryer raclette grill with Smoke Extracting Technology Extra-Large Nonstick Cooking electric grill indoor Korean BBQ Style 6 Quart FoodStation”. No temperature, no functions list, no wattage, no description of the air fryer. It is the thinnest listing on the page.

Treat the silence as information. The one bullet that exists describes a grill, not an air fryer. The words “raclette” and “Korean BBQ Style” in the title suggest a tabletop grill for cooking at the table, and the 7.2-inch stated height is among the lowest here. How the air-fry function works, what the basket holds and how hot anything gets are all unanswered. A buyer can check the manual or the questions section; this listing does not help.

It describes a different kind of heat. Contact heat from below into a cast-metal grate is how a grill pan works: the metal itself is hot. The listing does not say how hot.

The seller and the price. It is the only product on the page not sold by Amazon.com: the buy box went to “Deal – O – Rama”, with delivery quoted for “Oct 8 – 13”. It costs noticeably more than its Gourmia sibling, the GGA2120A, which states a 170–510°F range, a glass lid and dishwasher-safe parts and is sold by Amazon.com.

The record is better than the listing. 4.0 across 475 ratings is the second-largest non-Ninja sample on the page, behind only the George Foreman’s 576, and a reasonable average. Owners have evidently found something to like. The warranty is “1 Year Manufacturer”, and the capacity, “6 Quart” in the title and “Air Fryer Grill 6 QT” in the size field, names no part. No weight is stated. We include it because it was in stock and verified and has a real owner record. We would not buy it on this listing alone.

Best for: Only a buyer who already knows this model and wants a tabletop contact grill, after checking the seller and price at checkout.

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10. OLIXIS Electric Grill Indoor & Outdoor 8-in-1 Multifunctional BBQ Grill — Least Evidence

Eight ratings, one unit left, and a ranking that beats most of the page: a new listing whose numbers are still mostly promises.

Key Specifications

Why We Recommend It

Eight ratings is not a record. 4.2 across 8 ratings tells you that a handful of early owners were mostly content. It does not tell you much more, because one unhappy buyer would move the average by a large step. Every other machine here has at least 132 ratings. We include OLIXIS because it is sold by Amazon.com, was in stock at capture and ranks well, but a reader should weigh everything below as claims that have not yet been tested by a crowd.

The rank says it is selling. #9 in Electric Grills is a better category rank than the George Foreman’s #18 and far better than either Gourmia, the Candy or the NutriChef. 50+ were bought in the past month. A good rank on very few ratings is the usual pattern for a new listing that is being bought faster than buyers review. Stock was “Only 1 left in stock – order soon”, so the price and availability may well have changed by the time you read this.

It states its range, and the range tops out at 450°F. “Uniform Heating 140-450℉: Consistent heat across the entire cooking surface, from 140°F to 450°F.” That is one of three listings with a stated minimum. The ceiling ties with NutriChef as the lowest on the page, 50°F under the Ninjas and the George Foreman. Four settings, “Low, Med, High, Max”, power eight functions: air fry, bake, roast, vegetable, steak, reheat, broil and dehydrate. Vegetable and steak sound like presets rather than separate methods.

The size claims are words. “Large capacity”, with no grate, basket or wattage figure. The first bullet calls it a “steamer”, which is not among the eight functions. It is also sold for balcony and campground use, a real difference, though an electric grill outside still needs a suitable outlet and dry weather.

The price and the verdict. It sits below its list price and is the second-cheapest machine here, just above the Candy. Warranty is “1 Year Manufacturer”. If it holds a 4.2 average across a few hundred ratings, it may become a fair budget alternative. Today the evidence is too thin to recommend it over the George Foreman, which costs a little more and has 576 ratings and a three-year warranty.

Best for: An early adopter who wants a cheap grill that can also go out on the balcony, and accepts that 8 ratings prove very little.

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