buying-guide
Best Electric Grill for Memorial Day 2026 (What We'd Buy and What We'd Skip)
Memorial Day is the unofficial start of grilling season. If you are upgrading or buying your first electric grill before the long weekend, here is what we would buy - and what we would skip. Three grills do the work of the entire Memorial Day cookout for any budget under $1,000, and three more get cut from the recommendation list because they cannot hold up to a full Saturday afternoon of high-volume grilling. The picks below are pulled from our 200-hour test cycle, not from the marketing copy. Each one ships in time for Monday, May 25 if you order on or before May 20 with Amazon Prime, or May 18 with standard shipping. The full deadline matrix and a tested Memorial Day weekend menu are at the bottom of this guide.
Top 3 Picks for Memorial Day
Editor's Pick: the [Ninja Woodfire Pro XL OG850](/products/ninja-woodfire-pro-xl-og850) is the grill we would put on a Memorial Day patio for a family of four to six. 700F sear, 406 sq in surface, real wood-pellet smoke. Best Value: the [Ninja Woodfire OG701](/products/ninja-woodfire-og701) is the cheapest way into wood-fired flavor for first-time buyers and ships under $300 in most weeks. Upgrade Pick: the [Current Model G+ Dual Zone](/products/current-model-g-plus-dual-zone) is the only electric grill we would recommend for a backyard cookout of 10+ people, thanks to its 560 sq in surface and dual independent cooking zones. All three ship in time for Memorial Day if you order by May 20 (Prime) or May 18 (standard).
Editor's Pick: Ninja Woodfire Pro XL OG850
The Ninja Woodfire Pro XL OG850 is the best electric grill to buy for Memorial Day weekend in 2026 because it covers the full range of cooks a holiday patio actually demands - high-heat searing for the burgers and steaks Saturday afternoon, low-and-slow smoking for ribs Sunday morning, and a 406 sq in surface that handles a full 10-burger batch without crowding. You skip the Bluetooth app of the OG951 sibling and save meaningfully without losing any of the cooking capability. For most shoppers, the OG850 is the smart Memorial Day pick: enough grill for the weekend, enough left in the budget for a cover, pellets, and steaks.
Our Pick
Ninja Woodfire Pro XL OG850Serious grillers who want max heat and space without app features
Best Value: Ninja Woodfire OG701
The Ninja Woodfire OG701 is the right Memorial Day grill if this is your first real electric or you are cooking for two to four people. It is the cheapest way into genuine wood-pellet smoke flavor on an electric grill - 312 sq in surface, 700F sear, 7-in-1 cooking modes - and frequently ships under $300 the week before Memorial Day. Pair it with a 20-pound bag of [Bear Mountain apple pellets](/accessories/bear-mountain-bbq-apple-pellets) and a [Cave Tools smoker box](/accessories/cave-tools-wood-chip-smoker-box) and you have built the entire Memorial Day cooking kit for under $400. The trade-off versus the XL siblings is cooking surface, not capability.
Upgrade Pick: Current Model G+ Dual Zone
The Current Model G+ Dual Zone is the right buy if your Memorial Day cookout is closer to a block party than a family dinner. 560 sq in cooking surface (38 percent larger than the Ninja XL line), dual independent zones (one side at 250F for ribs, the other at 700F for steaks, no juggling), 3400W on a 240V circuit. This is the only electric grill we have tested that genuinely replaces a gas grill for a backyard of 10+ guests. Premium price, premium answer. If you are stretching the budget for one Memorial Day grill that will host every cookout for the next decade, this is it.
Our Pick
Current Model G+ Dual Zone Electric GrillPremium buyers who want the most advanced electric grill on the market
Shipping Deadlines for Memorial Day Delivery
Memorial Day 2026 falls on Monday, May 25. To grill on the long weekend, the safe deadlines are: Wednesday, May 20 for Amazon Prime members on most grills (2-day delivery, with Saturday and Sunday delivery available in most metro areas). Monday, May 18 for standard non-Prime shipping (5-day window, gives a buffer if a regional carrier slows down during the holiday rush). Premium grills like the [Current Model G+ Dual Zone](/products/current-model-g-plus-dual-zone) and the [Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL OG951](/products/ninja-woodfire-pro-connect-xl-og951) sometimes ship from a regional warehouse, so the standard 2-day Prime estimate can slip to 3 days during the gift rush. Add a day of buffer and order by Tuesday, May 19. Confirm exact dates on the Amazon product page at checkout, since regional carrier capacity changes year to year. If you miss the cutoff, the recovery move is the same as Father's Day: switch to an accessory order. A [ThermoPro TP20 thermometer](/accessories/thermopro-tp20-wireless-thermometer) and a 20-pound bag of pellets ship overnight as late as Friday afternoon for Saturday delivery.
Memorial Day Weekend Menu
We tested a four-cook Memorial Day menu on our top pick. Sunday afternoon: [Memorial Day BBQ ribs](/recipes/memorial-day-bbq-ribs) - 5 hours total cook on the spare-rib 2.5-1-0.75 method, the canonical kickoff-of-summer cook. Monday morning: [BBQ chicken wings for a crowd](/recipes/bbq-chicken-wings-crowd) - 4 pounds of wings in a single batch on the OG850's 406 sq in surface, 30-minute cook plus 10 minutes of saucing. Monday lunch: [July 4 burgers for a crowd](/recipes/july-4-burgers-for-a-crowd) (the recipe is calibrated for 10 people but works fine on Memorial Day) - 5-6 burgers per batch, hold-at-200F oven keeps batch one hot while batch two finishes. Monday evening: [grilled vegetables](/recipes/grilled-vegetables-electric) and [grilled corn on the cob](/recipes/grilled-corn-on-the-cob) - the side dishes that make a Memorial Day plate feel finished. The full recipe-cluster guide is at [memorial-day-bbq-ideas-electric-grill](/guides/memorial-day-bbq-ideas-electric-grill).
What to Serve
If you are building a Memorial Day plate from scratch, the proven combinations from our recipe library are: [perfect electric grill burgers](/recipes/perfect-electric-grill-burgers) plus [grilled corn on the cob](/recipes/grilled-corn-on-the-cob) plus [grilled vegetables](/recipes/grilled-vegetables-electric) for the family-of-four cookout, [BBQ chicken wings for a crowd](/recipes/bbq-chicken-wings-crowd) plus [smash burgers](/recipes/smash-burgers-electric-grill) plus [grilled peaches](/recipes/grilled-peaches-dessert) for the 10-person backyard, and [Memorial Day BBQ ribs](/recipes/memorial-day-bbq-ribs) plus [grilled salmon](/recipes/grilled-salmon-electric-grill) plus [grilled zucchini](/recipes/grilled-zucchini-electric) for the Sunday-into-Monday slow cookout where you want to feed people in waves. The full recipe library is at [/recipes](/recipes).
Skip List: What Not to Buy for Memorial Day
Three grills consistently come up in Memorial Day shopping searches and we would skip all three. The Hamilton Beach 31933 indoor searing grill is fine for a kitchen counter in February but does not survive an outdoor Saturday afternoon - calling it a patio grill is a stretch. The Cuisinart CEG-980 outdoor electric grill is a perfectly reasonable product but lands in a price bracket where the [Ninja Woodfire OG701](/products/ninja-woodfire-og701) is better in nearly every measurable way. Anything sub-1500W from a no-name brand is not real-world capable - wind on a patio steals enough heat that you never hit a sear. Save the $80 and put it toward a [grill cover](/accessories) for the grill you actually keep.
Don't Forget the Accessories
The grill is half the cookout. The other half is the prep kit. For Memorial Day specifically: a wireless thermometer (so you can host while a brisket runs), a 20-pound bag of wood pellets (for the smoke flavor that turns ribs from competent to memorable), a smoker box (for grills that do not have a built-in pellet hopper), and a real grill brush (the dollar-store bristle brush is the number-one cause of a Memorial Day ER visit, swap it for a coiled-stainless or bristle-free model). The under-$50 picks below cover the full Memorial Day kit.
Ninja Woodfire owners who want better pellets than the bag in the box.
Adding real wood smoke to grills that did not ship with it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: When should I order an electric grill for Memorial Day delivery? A: Order by Wednesday, May 20 for Amazon Prime 2-day delivery, or by Monday, May 18 for standard non-Prime shipping. Premium grills like the [Current Model G+](/products/current-model-g-plus-dual-zone) sometimes ship from regional warehouses, so add a day of buffer and order by Tuesday, May 19. If you miss the deadline, switch to an accessory order - thermometers, pellets, and smoker boxes still ship overnight as late as Friday afternoon for Saturday arrival. Q: Are electric grills allowed at Memorial Day cookouts in apartments and condos? A: Yes, in most cases - electric is the only grill type allowed in most apartment leases and HOA rulebooks because it produces no open flame. The [Weber Lumin Compact](/products/weber-lumin-compact) was designed for balcony grilling and is the apartment-safe Memorial Day pick. Always read your specific lease or HOA rules - some buildings restrict grilling to designated common areas regardless of fuel type, especially during the high-traffic holiday weekends. Q: What is the best electric grill for a Memorial Day party of 8-10 people? A: The [Current Model G+ Dual Zone](/products/current-model-g-plus-dual-zone) is the only grill we have tested that comfortably hosts 10+ guests on a single batch - 560 sq in surface and dual zones let you sear burgers on one side while ribs hold at low heat on the other. The runner-up is the [Ninja Woodfire Pro XL OG850](/products/ninja-woodfire-pro-xl-og850) at 406 sq in, which fits 10 burgers in two batches with a hold-at-200F oven bridging the gap. Skip anything under 300 sq in for a 10-person Memorial Day cookout - the bottleneck stops being the grill and starts being the patience of your guests. Q: Do electric grills work for traditional Memorial Day BBQ like ribs and brisket? A: Yes, the modern smoker-grill electrics handle low-and-slow BBQ as well as a dedicated pellet smoker. The [Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL OG951](/products/ninja-woodfire-pro-connect-xl-og951) holds 225F precisely for the 6-hour smoke phase of a brisket or rib cook, and the Bluetooth app means you can step away from the grill (this matters on Memorial Day, when nobody wants to spend the entire holiday watching a probe). Our [Memorial Day BBQ ribs recipe](/recipes/memorial-day-bbq-ribs) and [pulled pork shoulder recipe](/recipes/pulled-pork-shoulder-electric) are both tested on electric smoker-grills and produce results that match what you would get on a Traeger or a stick-burner.
The Bottom Line
The [Ninja Woodfire Pro XL OG850](/products/ninja-woodfire-pro-xl-og850) is the best electric grill to buy for Memorial Day 2026 for most shoppers - it has the cooking surface, the heat range, and the smoke capability to handle the full long weekend without breaking the budget. If you are shopping under $300, the [Ninja Woodfire OG701](/products/ninja-woodfire-og701) is the value pick. If you are hosting 10+ people, the [Current Model G+ Dual Zone](/products/current-model-g-plus-dual-zone) is the upgrade. Order by Wednesday, May 20 for Prime delivery in time for the Monday cookout, or shift to the [last-minute accessory list](/guides/electric-grill-deals-memorial-day-weekend) if you are reading this on May 22 or later. For the recipe playbook, our [Memorial Day BBQ ideas guide](/guides/memorial-day-bbq-ideas-electric-grill) maps the existing recipe library into a four-cook menu for the long weekend.
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