The Best Health Grills in Australia

You want a grilled steak or a pan of charred vegies on a weeknight, but there’s no barbecue, or it’s raining, or nobody can be bothered firing it up for two people. A health grill fixes that from the benchtop. For most kitchens the one to buy is the Cuisinart 5-in-1 Griddler & Deep Pan Grill. Its plates swap between a contact grill, a sandwich press, an open barbecue plate and a griddle, the deep pan means you’ll still use it on nights that aren’t about grilling, and CHOICE recommends it.

If you’d also use an air fryer, the Ninja Foodi Smart XL is the better buy and it’s the only pick here with a strong owner score behind it. If you just want a big flat plate for as little as possible, go for the Costway.

The short answer

The best health grills in Australia

• Best overall: Cuisinart 5-in-1 Griddler & Deep Pan Grill (GR-5XA)
• Best for grilling and air frying: Ninja Foodi Smart XL Grill & Air Fryer (AG551)
• Best budget griddle: Costway 70 cm Large Electric Griddle
• Best teppanyaki grill for family meals: Healthy Choice TG70
• Best for cooking two foods at different heats: GreenPan Contact Grill
• Best cheap contact grill: GreenLife Contact Grill
• Best for small households: Braun MultiGrill 7 (CG7040BK)

Product		Price
	Cuisinart 5-in-1 Griddler & Deep Pan Grill (GR-5XA)	from $188.00 at Amazon	$188.00 at Amazon
	Ninja Foodi Smart XL Grill & Airfryer (AG551)	from $269.00 at Amazon · 3 shops	$269.00 at Amazon
	Costway 70 cm Large Electric Griddle (ES10477AU+ES10478AU+ES10483AU)		Unavailable
	Healthy Choice 200W 70cm Non-Stick Electric Teppanyaki Grill (TG70)	from $69.95 at Amazon	$69.95 at Amazon
	GreenPan Contact Grill (CC006847-001)	from $249.99 at Amazon · 2 shops	$249.99 at Amazon
	GreenLife Contact Grill (CC009503-001)	from $98.10 at Amazon	$98.10 at Amazon
	Braun MultiGrill 7 Contact Grill (CG7040BK)	from $299.00 at The Good Guys	$299.00 at The Good Guys

1. Best overall: Cuisinart 5-in-1 Griddler & Deep Pan Grill

Most benchtop grills get used for a month and then go to the back of the cupboard. They only do one thing, and you can only eat so many toasties. The Cuisinart Griddler is our answer to that, because it does several different jobs.

Day to day, the plates are what you’ll notice. Close the lid for chicken breasts or a toastie, open it out flat for a barbecue-style fry-up, or run grill on one side and griddle on the other so the sausages and the eggs cook together. Then there’s the deep pan. Cuisinart lists stir-fries, one-pot meals and even cakes, so it still earns its bench space on nights you’re not grilling. When you’re done, the plates pop out and Cuisinart says they go in the dishwasher. That makes a real difference to whether you’ll get it out again next week.

CHOICE recommends it for flexible benchtop cooking in kitchens without room for a barbecue, and singles out its adjustable temperatures, grease collection and easy cleaning. That recommendation is what puts it on top, since owners haven’t scored it yet at the shops we check. It’s sold only through Amazon Australia in our data, so the warranty and returns terms are worth a glance.

The catch is the price: it costs about three times as much as the Costway griddle further down. If all you’ll ever do is fry on a flat plate, that’s money spent on modes you won’t touch.

Our verdict: For most people this is the one to buy. Skip it only if you want nothing more than a flat plate, and save the money.

2. Best for grilling and air frying: Ninja Foodi Smart XL Grill & Air Fryer (AG551)

If your bench already has an air fryer, a grill and a toaster oven fighting for one power point, the Ninja Foodi Smart XL lets you replace two of them with one box. It grills, air fries, roasts, bakes and dehydrates, and Ninja says the grate takes up to six steaks at once. That’s a family dinner in one go instead of two batches.

It’s also the only pick in this guide that owners have scored, and they score it very well: 4.9 out of 5 from 130 owners at The Good Guys. That’s a decent number of people, not a handful, and it counts for more than any feature list. It’s ranked number 10 in Air Fryers on Amazon Australia as well.

Ninja calls it “virtually smoke free”. The word “virtually” is there for a reason, so keep the rangehood on for a fatty steak. Ignore the litre figures in the listing too. The title says 5.7 L and the feature text is garbled, so go by the steak count.

The objection is price. It’s the dearest pick here. If you’d never air fry a thing, it’s an expensive grill. If you would, it does the job of two appliances and takes up one spot on the bench instead of two.

Our verdict: Buy it if air frying and roasting are part of your week as well as grilling. That’s where it pays for itself. If you only want to grill, the Cuisinart does that for less.

3. Best budget griddle: Costway 70 cm Large Electric Griddle

Sometimes you don’t want a clever appliance. You want a long hot plate on the table so everyone can cook their own prawns and pancakes. The Costway Electric Griddle is that, for the least money in this guide.

The split plate is the useful part: smooth on one side for eggs and vegies, ridged on the other for meat, so breakfast can go on all at once. Costway also lists it for outdoor use, so it can go out to the patio table or come camping.

It earns its spot on sales: number 2 in Outdoor Electric Grills on Amazon Australia at our last check, with no independent owner rating at the retailers we check. And there’s one thing to sort out before you order. The product is called a 70 cm griddle, but Costway’s feature text describes a 100 × 22 cm cooking area. Those can’t both be right, so measure your bench and cupboard and confirm the size with the seller. Amazon is its only stockist in our data, so read the warranty and returns terms while you’re at it.

Our verdict: It’s the value buy if you want a big open plate for group meals. Settle the size with the seller first, and skip it if you’re after a contact grill.

4. Best teppanyaki grill for family meals: Healthy Choice TG70

Cooking for five on a two-steak grill means the first person has finished before the last one sits down. The Healthy Choice TG70 gives you a long 70 × 23 cm plate, so the whole family’s dinner cooks at the same time.

It costs about the same as the Costway. Where it differs is one more heat setting, cool-touch handles for moving it when it’s hot, and a listing that gives one size the whole way through. The name says 200W, which is a low figure for a plate this long. If you’re hoping to sear steak, check the wattage on the box before you rely on it.

Like the Costway, it’s here because people buy it: it was ranked number 18 in Countertop Cooktops, Electric Pans & Hot Plates on Amazon Australia at our last check, and we found no independent owner rating at the retailers we check. Amazon was the only place we found it, so the warranty terms deserve a read.

Our verdict: Pick this over the Costway if you want a size you can trust and an extra heat setting. Skip it if your bench is short.

5. Best for cooking two foods at different heats: GreenPan Contact Grill

Fish wants gentle heat and steak wants it hot. On most grills you have to pick one. The GreenPan Contact Grill lets you set the time and temperature for each plate separately, so you can open it flat and cook both properly at once.

The lid locks at four heights, which matters for a thick sandwich you want to melt, not squash. The ceramic coating is the other reason people look at GreenPan. The company says it’s free of PFAS, PFOA, lead and cadmium. Waffles are on the feature list, but the waffle plates cost extra, so don’t count them as part of the deal.

Its Amazon Australia rank, number 36 in Heating at our last check, sits in an odd category for a grill and doesn’t tell you much. There’s no independent owner rating for it at the retailers we check either, so it’s here for that split heat control.

It costs more than the Cuisinart, which has a recommendation behind it and a deep pan this one doesn’t have. So the separate plate controls are what you’re paying extra for.

Our verdict: Buy it if you often cook meat and vegies or fish together and want each one right. If not, the Cuisinart is the better buy for less.

6. Best cheap contact grill: GreenLife Contact Grill

Some people want a lid that closes on a chicken breast, a dial, and nothing else to learn. The GreenLife Contact Grill is that, and it’s the cheapest contact grill in this guide. One knob sets the temperature. It opens flat when you need more room. The coating is ceramic, which GreenLife says is free of PFAS and PFOA.

Where it falls short is information. The listing gives no cooking-surface size, so you can’t tell how many burgers fit. And GreenLife only says the plates wipe clean. It doesn’t say they come out or go in the dishwasher, the way the Cuisinart’s and GreenPan’s do.

Its price and its sales are why it’s here: number 86 in Countertop Cooktops, Electric Pans & Hot Plates on Amazon Australia at our last check, with no independent owner rating at the retailers we check. It’s an Amazon-only buy in our data, so check the returns terms.

Our verdict: It’s the budget contact grill for toasties and quick lunches. If you want plates you can put in the dishwasher, spend more on the Cuisinart.

7. Best for small households: Braun MultiGrill 7 (CG7040BK)

In a small apartment kitchen, a 70 cm griddle is a non-starter and a grill-air fryer takes up half the bench. The Braun MultiGrill 7 is for that kitchen. The Good Guys’ product notes describe it as compact, with interchangeable plates and adjustable temperature, suited to two to four people.

The plates come out and go in the dishwasher, and that’s the main thing that decides whether a contact grill gets used or ends up in a cupboard. The Good Guys’ notes also say it’s built for indoor use and isn’t meant for big gatherings, which is fair for a grill this size.

There’s less to go on here than anywhere else in the guide: no owner score at the shops we check and no sales rank in our data. That’s why it sits last, not because anything counts against it. It’s stocked by Braun’s own Australian online store and The Good Guys, and costs about the same as the GreenPan.

Our verdict: It suits a couple or a small household who want a tidy contact grill that’s easy to clean. Families of five or more should skip it and look at the Ninja or a long griddle.

How we chose

These picks are based on owner ratings where they exist, independent recommendations, maker specifications, and price and stock checks at Australian retailers. Picks with an owner rating or an independent recommendation come first. The rest are ordered on their Amazon Australia sales rank, features and price. Ranks from different Amazon categories aren’t directly comparable. Live prices are shown in each product box, so compare today’s prices there.

Health grill buying guide

If you just want grilled dinners without a barbecue

First decide what kind of grill you want, then look at features. A contact grill closes over the food and cooks both sides at once, which is quick for steaks, chicken and toasties. An open griddle is a flat hot plate, better for eggs, pancakes and cooking for a crowd. If you want both, look for one that opens flat, like the Cuisinart or the GreenPan.

If everyone’s waiting on the next batch

Look at the cooking area, not the box. A long teppanyaki plate cooks a family dinner in one go, but it needs a long stretch of bench and somewhere to live afterwards. Measure both spots before you order, and if a listing gives two different sizes, ask the seller which is right.

If cleaning up is why the last one went in the cupboard

Plates that come out and go in the dishwasher are the feature that matters most. A non-stick coating helps food come away, but a fixed plate still means wiping around hot hinges and gaps. Check the manual before putting anything else in the dishwasher.

If you cook foods that need different heat

One temperature dial is fine if you mostly cook one thing at a time. If you often do fish and steak or meat and vegies together, separate controls for each plate are worth paying for.

If “health grill” is the reason you’re buying

The name sells a lot of these. A drip tray catches the fat that runs off, and that’s about all the “health” there is to it. What you put on the grill matters far more than the grill. Choose on the meals you’ll cook and the cleaning you’ll put up with, not on promises about weight loss.

If you want to spend as little as possible

Most people buy more grill than they need. If you want a flat plate for barbecue-style cooking, the Costway or the Healthy Choice does that for a fraction of the price of the multi-function models. If you want a lid for toasties and chicken breasts, the GreenLife is the cheapest way in. Only pay for air frying, deep pans or split heat if you’ll use them every week.

If you’re unsure about support after you buy

Before ordering, check who provides the Australian warranty, what it covers, and the seller’s returns terms, particularly for models with only one stockist.

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