When I was in college, myself and three others in my dorm pitched in to buy a new grill. Of course, we were on a budget, but that meant even more that we wanted to get the best bang for our buck. What we got was everything we hoped for, and we used it more than once a week for the whole year. It wasn’t perfect, but it had character and never failed us.
When looking for the best affordable gas grill, you should still make sure it still delivers on all the essential features that will make a great grilling experience. Cooking space, the material of the grill grates, the heating power, and of course, the value for money. Whether you’re on a budget, looking for a beginner grill, or looking for a portable one, we’ve highlighted the highest quality inexpensive gas grills that you can find in the market.
What Is The Best Affordable Gas Grill?
The best affordable gas grill should have a large enough cooking space, medium to high quality grill grates, and enough heating power to effectively and evenly distribution heat. Of course, it should also be affordable. Let’s take a look at the top 5 picks.
1) Best Affordable Gas Grill: Char-Broil Classic 2-Burner Grill
Features:
Cooking Space: 280 Square Inches
Grill Grates: Stainless Steel
Heating: 20,000 BTU’s
What Matters the Most:
- Lid is made from porcelain-coated steel, which offers a naturally better protection from harder weather conditions to keep it long lasting.
- Comes with all the essentials of an everyday grill, but a greatly affordable price.
- Suited for anyone who wants a budget everyday grill, fit to grill for a small family or a group of friends.
- Comes with a side burner for extra cooking space. Great to prepare vegetables, breakfast foods, or sauces while the meat sears!
- Great high power considering the cooking space, performs well at high temperatures to deliver a great sear.
Concerns:
- Assembly instructions are more difficult, and it’s a more lengthy process than other options.
- Although the lid is higher quality, it’s still advised to buy a cover to ensure overall quality of the grill is kept.
Overall
This takes the number one spot as the best affordable gas grill due to it being one of the only medium sized everyday grills, most other options are tabletop grills or portable because of the price. This doesn’t compromise on any of the essential features and has no troubles heating up and maintaining these high temperatures for a great sear. A greatly affordable option.
2) Best Affordable Tabletop Gas Grill: Cuisinart Petit Gourmet 180TS
Features:
Cooking Space: 145 Square Inches
Grill Grates: Porcelain-Enamelled Stainless Steel
Heating: 5,500 BTU’s
What Matters the Most:
- Very portable and compact gas grill great for table use, in an RV, camping, or travelling.
- Porcelain-enamelled stainless steel is quite durable, and the porcelain-enamelled helps keep rust off, and has non-stick qualities.
- Easy assembly, and quick to get started.
- It’s not the largest space, more suitable for smaller meats or about 3-4 steaks, but performs well.
Concerns:
- The initial thought was that it would have not enough power at 5,500 BTU’s to heat the grill. Although it isn’t as powerful, it does still heat up to 500°F, but it takes longer to get there, and the temperature is lost more easily.
- The grease pan is rather small. Not a problem if you clear the grease pan after every use.
Overall
Great price for quality. An incredibly lightweight and portable gas grill, perfect for a tabletop for everyday, tailgating, or camping. Although it only has 5,500 BTU’s, it is still capable of heating to the perfect searing temperature, but it does take a little longer, and is more prone to losing heat more easily. It’s especially important not to crowd this grill because of this. Otherwise, it’s a great contender for the best affordable gas grill.
3) Best Affordable Portable Gas Grill: Cuisinart Portable Gas Grill
Features:
Cooking Space: 176 Square Inches
Grill Grates: Stainless Steel
Heating: 10,000 BTU’S
What Matters the Most:
- Fully stainless steel construction. This means the whole unit is rust resistant, and it’s great to have the extra protection in a portable grill.
- Almost as powerful as larger, everyday grills. It’s always nice when your smaller grill still packs a punch and delivers a great sear.
- Quite a reliable inbuilt temperature gauge for better control.
- Easy and reliable electronic ignition.
Concerns:
- Great for searing meat and grilling at high temperatures, but struggles to keep the temperature low which makes it less suitable for all types of meat.
- Although it’s compact, the full stainless steel build makes it a bit heavier.
Overall
- This is the best affordable & portable gas grill because of its durability, power, and portability. Although it’s compact, because of it’s full stainless steel quality, it’s also a bit heavier. This really is a high performing gas grill.
4) Best Affordable Small Gas Grill: Martin Porcelain Gas Grill
Features:
Cooking Space: 354 Square Inches
Grill Grates: Porcelain Coated Stainless Steel
Heating: 14,000 BTU’s
What Matters the Most:
- For a portable or table top grill this has one of the largest cooking spaces.
- Comes with a warming rack to keep meat, bread or vegetables warm.
- Designed for maximum support for extra safety when grilling as a portable unit.
- Very affordable considering the heating power and size, and overall performance.
Concerns:
- The only main concern is that the grill struggles in the mid temperatures. That is, you can grill at 250°F or 450°F but hard to keep it around 350°F. This isn’t ideal as there are plenty of meats you may prefer to grill at his temperature, such as chicken breasts, sausages, or vegetables.
Overall
- Martin isn’t a leading brand in the market of grills, however this really does perform well, and has as much space as 2 or three burner grills. This makes it a great option even for the everyday griller, and is certainly the largest, and highest performing small grill. With the only criticism is the difficulty to hold mid temperatures, this is a great choice for the best affordable gas grill.
5) Best Affordable & Versatile Gas Grill: Cuisinart Petit 180 with Versastand
Features:
Cooking Space: 160 Square Inches
Grill Grates: Porcelain-Enamelled Stainless Steel
Heating: 5,500 BTU’s
What Matters the Most:
- This is a similar model and brand as number 2 on this list, the Cuisinart Petit Gourmet 180TS. This model has a slightly larger cooking space, but is just as lightweight and compact.
- The VersaStand is well made and sturdy. It allows you to use this as a table top grill, or as an everyday option for the backyard.
- Very portable and compact still.
Concerns:
- Due to it’s lightweight design the VersaStand maximum height only comes up to hips. Any taller and it would risk the grill falling too easily. The outcome at least, is it’s more safe and sturdy this way.
- One of the more expensive choices, and if you’re looking for affordability the other options are better.
Overall
- This is the same make as number two on the list, so it’s features are almost identical. Although the cooking space is slightly higher on this model, and it comes with a very convenient stand, it’s more expensive than the others on the list. A great option for grilling on your patio, balconies or camping.
What Makes The Best Affordable Gas Grills?
Cooking Space
The size of the cooking space is a vital part of any grill, whether it’s for everyday use, camping, tailgating, or traveling. Think about what you want to cook, and how many people you are cooking for. For reference, a 200 square inch cooking space will accommodate up to 4 steaks, 6 burger patties, or 10 sausages. Remember, it’s important not to overload and crowd the grill. Keeping a comfortable space between the meat will help it cook more evenly and help the edges get a better sear.
With larger grills you can also convert them to a smoker, to make your favorite wood smoked chicken wings, or smoked brats for example.
Quality
If you’re looking for a grill that will perform as well as last, it’s important to consider the material of the grill grates. For example, cast-iron grates retain heat well, and radiate it more effectively than stainless steel grates. You may also see the steel is porcelain enamelled. This refers to the coating applied to the steel and is naturally non-stick and rust proof. For an affordable gas grill, you’ll want at least stainless steel, and preferably have it porcelain enamelled.
Heating
Heat energy output is measured in Bristish Thermal Units (BTU’s) per hour. The higher the BTU”s, the more likely it will stay at higher temperatures more evenly, and heat up faster.
However, higher BTU’s require more fuel, so you’ll want enough power for the amount of grilling space, but not too much more to be fuel efficient. For an affordable gas grill , you would want to have about 50-60 BTU’s or more. This will mean it could take slightly longer to reach the higher heats, but it will still deliver a great sear.
If you’re finding your gas grill has hot spots, try using high-quality ceramic briquettes for grilling with. They absorb and radiate the even evenly.
Cost
Before making any decisions, compare the cost with what features the grill has. Take note of the cooking space, grate material, BTU’s. Make your decision according to what you’ll be using it for and the qualities of the grill. If you’re looking for the best gas you’ll want the best quality you can get, but at an affordable price.
