The 7 Best Portable Grills of 2025, Tested & Reviewed

We look forward to grilling season every summer. As someone who lives in the Northeast, I can tell you the winter is…rough. And when you’ve got months on end of gloomy weather, you start craving smoky, fire-kissed food. It’s just a fact.  

Gas, charcoal, pellet: We love all the grills. We even love to grill on the go, like at a campsite, at the beach, or when tailgating. This is where portable grills come into play.

We tested both gas and charcoal portable grills to find the best ones that, despite their small size, actually delivered well-browned burgers, sausages, and ears of corn. Of course, our seven top picks are also easy to take with you, wherever you might be heading.

Things to Consider

Gas vs. Charcoal: What Type of Portable Grill Should You Buy?

As is the case with their full-sized counterparts, gas grills are easier to use than charcoal grills. All you have to do is hook up propane and turn the grill on. Portable propane canisters are also small, so you don’t need to worry about hauling a hefty tank around. 

With charcoal, you have to light the briquettes or lump charcoal using a chimney starter, which takes at least 15 minutes. You’ll also have to wait for the coals to extinguish at the end of cooking. That said, portable charcoal grills got hotter in our tests, resulting in burgers and bratwursts with better browning. Still, when weighing usability and performance, a case could be made for either type of grill. 

How Portable Is a Portable Grill? 

The heaviest portable grill we recommend is about 50 pounds, while the lightest is around 10. While 50 pounds isn’t light, it’s likely manageable for one or two people. The most featherweight of the grills, the 9.5-pound Weber Smokey Joe Charcoal Grill, is also the cheapest. 

The heavier portable grills we tested had added features to offset their weight, such as handles or built-in carts with wheels.

How Much Should You Spend on a Portable Grill?

Ah, a personal question! Sorry, but the answer is whatever you feel comfortable with. If you’re looking for a portable grill for a tiny backyard, you might want to opt for a pricier grill with a cart and a side table, which will make it easier to use. If you want a cheap grill to take to a campsite for a once-a-year trip, you might be happy with the cheapest charcoal-fueled option available. 

How Many People Are You Cooking For?

If you’re cooking for one or two people, a portable grill with about 100 to 150 square inches of cooking space will be fine. In our tests, grills of this size easily fit two burgers and ears of corn. For more people, we’d recommend looking at grills that offer at least 300 square inches of usable grates, like this model from Weber.

The Criteria: What to Look for in a Portable Grill

Because of their compact size, portable grills produce moderately grilled, slightly smoky results. Our top picks are easy to transport and have features, like handles or wheels, for moving and picking them up. 

Our Favorite Portable Grills

What we liked: This petite offering has a stackable design, with a bottom that houses its propane canister when not in use. During our tests, its cast iron grates delivered decent searing and browning. We liked its handle and simple, single control switch. It’s cute, works well for what it’s intended for, and is exceedingly portable at about 20 pounds.

What we didn’t like: Throughout testing, it exhibited hot spots.

Key Specs

• Cooking area: 154 square inches
• Weight: 20.6 pounds
• Features: Has a handle and lid that doubles as a cutting board
• Warranty: 3 years

What we liked: We really liked this grill. With its two side tables folded out, it’s quite the tabletop setup. Its removable drip tray made it easy to clean, and it delivered some of the best browning and grill marks of the portable gas grills we tested. To make this grill easier to move, you can buy a compatible wheeled cart. It comes in some fun colors, too.

What we didn’t like: It’s pricier than most portable grills. We recommend placing it on a tabletop; otherwise, it’s quite squat.

Key Specs

• Cooking area: 189 square inches
• Weight: 39 square inches
• Features: Two foldable side tables, electronic ignition 
• Warranty: 5 years

What we liked: This portable grill is expensive, but for the avid camper, it could be worth it. Its cooking surface is nearly twice the size of our other gas picks. Its wheels, sturdy legs, tool hooks, and easy ignition made it easy to use, too. It was another high performer, grilling burgers with aplomb. 

What we didn’t like: We found the fuel canister finicky to thread. Again, this grill is an investment. 

Key Specs

• Cooking area: 320 square inches
• Weight: 50 pounds
• Features: Built-in cart, tool hooks
• Warranty: 5 years

What we liked: We liked this portable girl from the start: It arrived nearly fully assembled. Weighing 46 pounds, it’s one of the heavier options we recommend, but its sturdy cast aluminum and cast iron construction also makes for good heat retention. As a result, burgers, sausages, and corn came off this grill with some of the best browning of the bunch. The lid can be removed entirely, and we liked the clips on the side, which keep the lid on for transport and storage. While we didn’t test this, the manufacturer says the lid can be turned into an extra grill, and the whole thing can be used as a shichirin or hibachi grill.

What we didn’t like: Because of its heat-retaining materials, it took a long time to cool down. Its handles are smaller and tougher to grip, especially given the weight of the grill.

Key Specs

• Cooking area: 204 to 400 square inches of grilling space (with lid in use as extra grill)
• Weight: 46 pounds
• Features: Lid locks
• Warranty: 20 years

What we liked: With two sizable handles and a colorful exterior, and weighing a mere 15.43 pounds, this grill is adorable. Its size makes it best for a maximum of two servings, and we thought it did a good job delivering the searing and sizzling charcoal is known for. Its rubber feet and squat construction made for a balanced grill that didn’t wobble when we added charcoal and flipped and retrieved food. While we’re so-so on using this grill’s lid as a cutting board, we liked that it came with a food storage compartment—handy for stashing spices, condiment packets, and the like.

What we didn’t like: With about 100 square inches of cooking space, this grill is small. 

Key Specs

• Cooking area: 103.9 square inches
• Weight: 15.43 pounds
• Features: Handles, food storage tray, lid that doubles as a cutting board
• Warranty: 10 years

What we liked: This supremely portable grill folds up like a suitcase—and you can carry it like one, too. Its 200-plus square inches of cooking space easily fit enough food for two and, in our tests, sausages came off the grill particularly blistered and beautiful. For slower smoking sessions, you’d just close Nomad’s lid. Its grippy, lined handle stays cool to the touch. If you want more grilling space, you can buy a second grate that fits in the lid.

What we didn’t like: This grill doesn’t have legs, so you’ll need to put it on a flat surface. It’s wicked expensive (as much or more than full-size grills).

Key Specs

• Cooking area: 212 square inches
• Weight: 28 pounds
• Features: Foldable design, locks on the grill
• Warranty: Limited lifetime

What we liked: If you want a $50 portable grill that’s incredibly lightweight and will get the job done, the Weber Smokey Joe is the one to buy. Did it get as hot as other grills in our tests? No, but it performed per our expectations, with reasonable browning on the meat. It’s practical. It’s solid. It does what it’s supposed to. 

What we didn’t like: Don’t expect rip-roaring temperatures. Of course, this grill is small. 

Key Specs

• Cooking area: 147 square inches
• Weight: 9.5 pounds
• Features: N/A
• Warranty: 10 years

FAQs

What’s the best portable grill for camping?

Any of our top picks are good for camping—it just depends on how much you want to spend. Assuming we’re going with budget options, we like the portable gas grill from Cuisinart and the charcoal offering from Weber.

What type of gas do portable gas grills take? 

Fitting with their on-the-go nature, portable grills don’t require you to haul around a giant propane tank. They’re compatible with camping gas canisters, which are generally small, 16-ounce propane cylinders.

Why We’re the Experts

• Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm is the associate editorial director of Serious Eats. She’s been with the site since 2021 and has been testing gear professionally for more than six years. 
• Riddley owns more grills than she knows what to do with—or has the patio or garage space for.