Keep the Summer Vibe Alive with the 5 Best Propane Grills of 2024

Outdoor grilling season is in full swing, so whether you’re shopping for a new propane gas grill for your backyard, deck, or patio—or one that you can easily take camping or quickly set up at your next tailgate—we’ve curated this collection of the five best options to help you celebrate this summer and beyond.

Compared to charcoal Along with wood pellet grills, propane grills offer a handful of benefits, including convenience, more precise temperature control, and ease of cleaning. Oh: And they produce tasty food, too. Depending on the model, some propane grills can cook different types of food at once, each at a different temperature. Plus, some of the latest smart grills Take all the guesswork out of grilling. It’s nearly impossible to overcook or undercook your food.

For reviews, roundups, and details on the best deals on tech, tools, and consumer gear, be sure to read our constantly updated coverage of tech and home, kitchen, and outdoors. In the meantime, if you’re looking to give your entire deck a makeover, you’ll definitely want to read 10 Ways to Modernize Your Deck With Picks from Amazon, Walmart, West Elm, and More.

Best Overall Propane Grill: Weber Genesis SPX-435 smart barbecue

Perhaps the most well-known brand in grilling offers a smart grill that takes the hassle out of preparing perfectly cooked meals, whether you’re grilling, searing, roasting, steaming or even sautéing them.

With this smart stainless steel grill, you have 994 square inches of cooking space. The Weber Connect app tells you exactly when to flip and serve your food based on your desired doneness. Plus, when you’re grilling at night, the SPX-435 features LED lighting, so you can see the entire grill surface.

There is a propane and natural gas version of the SPX-435. Some of the features we like include the built-in prep and serving table, extendable upper cooking grate, and built-in side burner.

You’ll enjoy years of outdoor grilling with this 48,000 BTU stainless steel smart grill. The mobile app provides real-time food temperature alerts, reminders, and flip and serve notifications. Of all the new smart grills on the market, this one is hands down one of the best. The problem of accidentally overcooking or undercooking food is now a thing of the past.

Best Portable Propane Grill: Monument Grills Tabletop Gas Grill

What we like about this stainless steel outdoor grill is its portability and overall compact design. Still, it offers an extra-tall lid, which is helpful for thicker steaks or ribs.

This grill offers 207 square inches of cooking space with two burners designed to provide evenly distributed heat. Between the two independently controlled burners, you’ll enjoy 15,000 BTUs of cooking power.

Convenient features include a thermometer on the lid and extra-large control dials on the front. The entire unit measures 18 x 18 x 13 inches and weighs less than 20 pounds. It comes with a four-foot hose to connect the grill to a propane tank sold separately.

Not only is this grill portable and easy to set up, but it also boasts sleek stainless steel grates and burners. Plus, the lid features travel locks to keep everything in place during transport. For easy cleaning, it comes with a drip tray. Keep in mind that while this grill is small enough to fit on a kitchen countertop, it is designed exclusively for outdoor use.

Best Value Propane Barbecue: Weber Spirit II E-210

This Weber two-burner liquid propane grill measures 48 x 26 x 57 inches, so it’ll fit right in on your porch or patio. And the built-in wheels make it easy to move around. Inside the grill, you’ll find porcelain-enameled cast iron cooking grates.

The E-210 runs on standard 20-pound propane gas tanks (sold separately). You’ll find a built-in fold-down table, as well as a fuel gauge, stainless steel heat deflector, and thermometer. There’s also a convenient warming rack. In total, there’s 450 square inches of cooking space.

You can certainly find cheaper propane grills from a wide range of brands, but we added this model to our selection because it offers very good value for money, due to its overall construction, durability, and ease of use. For the average family, it is more than adequate.

If you like the design of this grill but prefer a three-burner model, you’re in luck. The Weber Spirit II E-310 ($519) is another great grill option. It offers 529 square inches of cooking space and up to 30,000 BTUs of cooking power.

Best Propane Grill for Families: Weber Genesis E-325s

For the average family with a backyard, porch, or patio, the Weber Genesis E-325s propane grill offers a generously sized cooking area, plus plenty of room to cook multiple steaks, burgers, or other foods at once. You get 641 square inches of primary cooking space (787 square inches total), plus porcelain-enameled cast iron cooking grates that do a wonderful job of retaining heat for more efficient searing and cooking.

The three main burners can generate up to 39,000 BTUs of cooking power, while the sear zone burner provides 13,000 BTUs of power.

One of the perks of investing in a Weber grill is that the company offers a nice collection of optional accessories that can expand your cooking repertoire. The company’s custom “cookware” includes a pizza stone, a griddle, a double-sided sear rack, a Dutch oven option, and more.

This freestanding grill features two side tables that are ideal for food preparation. The built-in warming rack is great for keeping food warm, toasting buns, or grilling smaller items. As with all propane grills, the required propane tank is sold separately.

Best High-End Propane Grill: Weber Summit S-470

If you haven’t already noticed, we’re big fans of Weber grills, especially the brand new Weber Genesis SPX-435This is the smart grill we ranked among the best in our recent roundup. However, if you don’t want technology to interfere with your grilling skills, we recommend the Summit S-470.

This is a well-designed four-burner grill that offers 580 square inches of stainless steel cooking space. The grill features a side burner, a pop-up rotisserie system, an LED fuel gauge, and illuminated control knobs.

No matter what your cooking plan is, this grill gives you 48,800 BTUs of power to feed up to 10 people at a time. The grill is powered by a 20-pound LPG tank (sold separately). When closed, the S-470 measures 50.5 x 66 x 26.5 inches. Not only will it perform beyond your expectations for many years to come, it will also look great on your patio or in your backyard.

How to Choose a Propane Grill

With so many options when it comes to propane grills, here are five things to consider:

• Size: Make sure your grill fits into your outdoor space. It can pose a fire hazard if it’s too close to your home, deck, or overhanging trees.
• Cooking space:This impacts how much food you can cook at one time. Keep in mind that some grill brands include the warming rack in their calculations for overall cooking space. For a family of four, 400 to 500 square inches of cooking space is sufficient. For eight to ten people, you’ll need 650 to 800 square inches of primary cooking space. A larger cooking space is ideal for preparing a rack of ribs. If you’re planning on grilling a large turkey, also pay attention to the height of the cooking space.
• Grill grates:Most grill grates are made of stainless steel, enameled cast iron, or porcelain-coated steel. All of these options are durable and easy to clean. When cooking a steak, these grate materials create impressive sear marks.
• Materials and durability:For the main housing of a propane grill, you want a durable material that retains heat well. Stainless steel, cast iron, enamel, or sheet metal are the most common options. Of these, stainless steel is the most durable material. It stands up best to outdoor conditions.
• Easy to clean: Choose a grill that offers easy-to-clean design and materials, but be sure to follow the cleaning instructions in the owner’s manual to avoid damage or the risk of accidentally mixing harmful chemicals into your food.

Don’t forget the propane bottle

All propane grills on the market require an external propane tank, which is sold separately. You can order empty tanks from Amazon and have them refilled locally. Here are some options:

To make moving these heavy, bulky tanks easier, we suggest using the Hensita Propane Tank Dolly ($80). This is a foldable hand truck designed to carry 20-pound propane tanks. It comes with a tank fuel gauge, but the tanks are sold separately.