Best Pellet Grills of 2026
Wood pellet grills and pellet smokers, from compact patio models to large cabinet cookers.
A pellet grill is the easiest way into real wood smoke. You set a temperature and it feeds itself.
The best ones hold that temperature steady through wind and cold, and still get hot enough to sear.
Look hard at the hopper and the controller, as our pellet grill reviews do. Those two decide whether a long cook goes smoothly.
We tested 23 pellet grills for this guide. Most of them do well on how easy they are to use. Where most fall short is how long they last, so that is where the picks below stand apart.
Our picks
- Best overall
Broil King Regal Pellet 400 Gas-cabinet material on a pellet cooker: 2 mm steel body, cast iron grids, double-wall lid closing on an oven-grade gasket. $825.89 at Amazon - Best pellet grill for the money
Traeger Tailgater Pellet Grill $1.48 per square inch against $2.73 for the Ranger, and $35.11 less money than that smaller grill. $499.95 at Amazon - Best pellet grill for searing steaks
Weber Searwood XL 600 Pellet Grill A 180 to 600 span with no large sheet diffuser is unusual reach for an auger-fed cooker. $1,299 at Amazon - Best pellet grill for beginners
Nexgrill Oakford 875 Pro Pellet Smoker Grill Full-color PID controller with Wi-Fi, two probe channels, a rear pellet dump and a fuel gauge that counts hours, not inches. $649 at Amazon - Best pellet grill under $500
Traeger Ranger Pellet Grill 60 lbs of steel, a cast iron griddle and two lid latches inside a case 21 in across. $479.99 at Amazon - Best pellet grill under $1,000
Traeger Westwood Wood Pellet Grill The same WiFIRE controller, app and probe support as Traegers costing twice as much, in the cheapest grill that has them. $699.99 at Amazon
Prices are what the retailer charged when we last checked. More on each pick below.
Best pellet grill overallBroil King Regal Pellet 400
Broil King built a pellet grill its gas customers would recognise. Heavy, gasketed, cast iron, with the rotisserie already in the box. What it did not build is a line saying how hot Grill goes. Buy it for the mass and the upkeep, and treat searing as upside.
Good to know: Heavy steel and rated paint last well, yet auger, fan and controller carry the risk, and no warranty term is published.
Best pellet grill for the moneyTraeger Tailgater Pellet Grill
The Tailgater is a patio grill with a hinge in its legs. At $444.87 that is a lot of pellet smoker. Believe the parts table, not the number on the cover. Get the manual from Traeger's index, not its buy page.
Why it won this award: $1.48 per square inch against $2.73 for the Ranger, and $35.11 less money than that smaller grill.
Good to know: Seven years on the body, one on the fan, hot rod and auger motor, which are the parts that stop a pellet grill.
Best pellet grill for searing steaksWeber Searwood XL 600 Pellet Grill
The range is real and the cabinet is serious. The one loose end is which metal the searing happens on. On a grill named for searing, that is the wrong thing to leave vague. Buy it for reach, and confirm the grate metal first.
Why it won this award: A 180 to 600 span with no large sheet diffuser is unusual reach for an auger-fed cooker.
Good to know: Weber covers the cook box for five years, and everything that burns or fails for three.
Best pellet grill for beginnersNexgrill Oakford 875 Pro Pellet Smoker Grill
The Oakford 875 Pro is a well-equipped pellet barrel, and its controller leads the class. Read the area figure carefully, because two fifths of it is a wire rack. Nexgrill built a cooker that counts your remaining hours of fire, then hides its low end.
Why it won this award: Full-color PID controller with Wi-Fi, two probe channels, a rear pellet dump and a fuel gauge that counts hours, not inches.
Good to know: The auger, igniter, fan and controller carry 3 years while the plain steel firebox gets 5, and you pay shipping on every claim.
Best pellet grill under $500Traeger Ranger Pellet Grill
The Ranger keeps the smoke and gives up the sear. Traeger admits as much by packing a griddle beside the grate. At $479.99 that is a fair trade for the smallest real Traeger. Just do not believe the word portable, or a fuel figure Traeger states three ways.
Good to know: $479.99 buys 176 sq in and no connectivity, with Traeger's own Tailgater sitting $20 further up the same selector.
Best pellet grill under $1,000Traeger Westwood Wood Pellet Grill
The Westwood keeps every part you touch. It drops every part that would watch the grill for you. That is a fair trade when cooks last an afternoon. When they last a night, the money saved here gets spent one model up.
Good to know: A 450 F ceiling, no Super Smoke mode and no added insulation, against a swing Traeger's own manual puts at 25 F.
Questions people ask
What is the best pellet grill?
Our top pick is the Broil King Regal Pellet 400. Broil King built a pellet grill its gas customers would recognise. Heavy, gasketed, cast iron, with the rotisserie already in the box.
What is the best value pellet grill?
The Traeger Tailgater Pellet Grill. $1.48 per square inch against $2.73 for the Ranger, and $35.11 less money than that smaller grill.
How much should I spend on a pellet grill?
Most of the pellet grills we tested cost between $550 and $1,300. Our top pick costs about $826. Across all our scores, paying more buys a little, and much less than the price tag suggests.
Which brand makes the best pellet grills?
Of the brands we tested at least twice here, Broil King did best across its 2 models, ahead of Weber. A single great model matters more than the badge, so judge each pellet grill on its own.
Is a pellet grill a smoker or a grill?
It is both. At low settings it smokes like a dedicated smoker. Turned up high, it grills and roasts like an outdoor oven. Searing is its weaker side, so many owners add a hot cast iron pan.
Do pellet grills need electricity?
Yes. A pellet grill plugs into a standard outlet to run its controller, fan and auger. Without power it cannot feed pellets or hold a temperature. Plan where it will sit near an outdoor outlet.
Can you use a pellet grill in the rain?
Light rain is usually fine, but wet pellets swell and can jam the auger. Keep the hopper lid shut and the grill covered when not in use. Empty the hopper if the grill will sit unused in damp weather.
Do pellet grills have an open flame?
They burn pellets in a small fire pot, so there is a real fire inside. The flame is enclosed, but many fire bans still count it. Check your local rules before lighting one during a burn ban.
How we picked
Every pick comes from our own testing, scored the same way across six things that matter to an owner. The overall pick is the highest Avid Griller Score. For the money, for searing steaks and for beginners go to the top Value, Heat Performance and Ease of Use scores. The price picks are the top scorer priced under $500 or $1,000 at the retailer we checked. How we score.
Looking for something else? See all our best grill guides.