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12 Best Toy Grills For Pretend BBQs This Summer

toy grills

Grilling season is here, and if your kids are like mine, they’re going to want to join you outside by the grill. Luckily, there are plenty of options when it comes to toy grills for kids to pretend to BBQ with.

Below, you’ll find a list of the best toy grills you can buy for your kids right now. We’ve done all of the extensive research for you, so all you need to do now is pick the best toy BBQ grill for you and your budget.

Pretend play is an absolutely vital component for your child’s development, helping self-regulation, reducing aggression, and promoting empathy. And one great way to fuel their interest in pretend play is if they’re modeling your own behavior — like by the grill!

So whether you’re looking for the best value, the most popular, or the premium-tier option, you’ll find an awesome toy grill that your child will absolutely love this summer in the list below.

What Are the Best Toy BBQ Grills Available Right Now?

outdoor cook n play Amazon Customer Reviews
  • Lots of Room for Play
  • Big Grill, Oven, and Sink
  • Includes Play Food Set
Price: $69.99 Shop at Amazon Shop now Read our review
little tikes get out n grill Amazon Customer Reviews
  • Brick Aesthetic
  • Accessories Included
  • Made in the USA
Price: $69.99 Shop at Amazon Shop now Read our review
Step2 Grand Walk-in Kitchen and Grill Amazon Customer Reviews
  • Ultimate Set
  • Includes Grill, Oven, Fridge, and More!
  • 103 Accessories Included
Price: $299.99 Shop at Amazon Shop now Read our review
Hape gourmet grill Amazon Customer Reviews
  • Premium Option
  • Supreme Quality Paint Job
  • Awesome Shish Kabob Toys
Price: $159.99 Shop at Amazon Shop now Read our review
melissa and doug grill set Amazon Customer Reviews
  • Melissa & Doug Quality
  • Premium Look
  • Wooden
Price: $44.99 Shop at Amazon Shop now Read our review
step2 fixing fun outdoor grill Amazon Customer Reviews
  • Great Value
  • Fun Stackable Hot Dog
  • Brick-Oven Aesthetic
Price: $90.39 Shop at Amazon Shop now Read our review
little tikese cook n grill Amazon Customer Reviews
  • Convertible 2-in-1
  • Comes with Accessories
  • Sink and Burners As Well
Price: $37.99 Shop at Amazon Shop now Read our review
theo klein weber kettle grill toy Amazon Customer Reviews
  • Realistic-Looking
  • Portable
  • Lights and Sounds
Price: $39.99 Shop at Amazon Shop now Read our review
hape 2 in 1 Amazon Customer Reviews
  • High Quality Wood
  • Comes With Stainless Steel Pots
  • Comes With Spatulas
Price: $36.48 Shop at Amazon Shop now Read our review
step2 sizzle and smoke toy bbq Amazon Customer Reviews
  • Most Realistic Look
  • Grill Noises
  • Cool Vapor Effect
Price: $84.99 Shop at Amazon Shop now Read our review
black and decker jr bbq grilll Amazon Customer Reviews
  • Black and Decker Look
  • Food "Sizzles" When on the Grill
  • 50 Accessories
Price: $39.99 Shop at Amazon Shop now Read our review
step2 grillin up goodness grill Amazon Customer Reviews
  • Bright Red Color
  • Great Price
  • Wood
Price: $37.53 Shop at Amazon Shop now Read our review
Our Unbiased Reviews
  1. 1. Little Tikes Cook ‘n Play Outdoor BBQ

    Pros:
    • Lots of Room for Play
    • Big Grill, Oven, and Sink
    • Includes Play Food Set
    Cons:
    • Stickers Wear Easily
    • Pricey
    • Smaller Than Pictures Make it Appear

    We all know the Little Tikes brand and their never-ending stream of new toys every year, and they’ve got a bunch of awesome outdoor toys. One of our favorite grills for kids is the Little Tikes Cook ‘n Play Outdoor BBQ.

    It provides a more traditional outdoor, full-size kitchen complete with a toy grill, a play food set that includes barbecue essentials, a sink, and an oven. It’s one of the best-looking toy grills available.

    One thing we love about Little Tikes toys is that they’re all proudly made in the USA.

    Size: 29.2″ x 12.1″ x 35.2″

    Recommended Ages: 2 years and Up

  2. 2. Little Tikes Backyard Barbeque Get Out ‘N Grill

    Pros:
    • Made in the USA
    • Accessories Included
    • Brick Aesthetic
    Cons:
    • Small
    • Not As Many Accessories as Other Options
    • Only One Color

    Another awesome Little Tikes toy grill is the Get Out ‘N Grill set. What sets this apart from most of the other grill sets on this list is its brick-oven aesthetic. It uses red brick as the base with cupboards in the front, a sink on the left side and a burner on the right.

    It has a two-tier grill on the top with a lid that opens and closes.

    It comes with 8 accessories, including a burger, hot dog, ketchup, and utensils.

    Size: 24″ x 11″ x 28″

    Recommended Ages: 2 Years and Up

  3. 3. Step2 Grand Walk-in Kitchen and Grill

    Pros:
    • Ultimate Set
    • Includes Grill, Oven, Fridge, and More!
    • 103 Accessories Included
    Cons:
    • Price
    • Might Not Have Room For It (It's big!)
    • Might Ship in Separate Boxes

    If you’re looking for a bit more than just a toy grill, you should take a look at the Step2 Grand Walk-in Kitchen and Grill set — which is clearly the ULTIMATE grill toy for kids.

    Essentially, it’s like a mega outdoor kitchen with not only a grill but also burners, a fridge, a sink, an oven, a microwave, and all the accessories your kids could ever want (103 pieces to be exact!).

    It also has great storage areas that will keep all of these pieces hidden when playtime is over, so you won’t have to worry about losing them.

    The Grand Walk-in Kitchen also has lights and sounds, including illumination from the grill and the burner.

    It’s great for indoor use or outdoor use if you have the room for it. It’s the perfect large kitchen playset for parents looking for something more versatile than just a grill.

    Size: 47.2″ x 36.6″ x 50.8″

    Recommended Ages: 2 Years and Up

  4. 4. Hape Gourmet Grill

    Pros:
    • Premium Option
    • Supreme Quality Paint Job
    • Awesome Shish Kabob Toys
    Cons:
    • Price
    • No Noises or Effects
    • No Spatula? Come on, man!

    Like Melissa & Doug, Hape is well-known for making super high-quality wooden toys for young kids. In fact, they’re one of the largest producers of toys made from sustainable materials. The company typically leans toward the premium side of things, and the Hape Gourmet Grill & Shish Kabob Play Kitchen does just that.

    This is the premium toy grill option on the market (yes – with a price tag that goes along with it). However, you’re really getting the highest quality grill toy you can buy. First, it has a premium look, with a realistic-looking grill that’s well-painted. Secondly, it comes with these awesome little shish kabob toys that your kids can put together and take apart as they see fit.

    It also includes mustard and ketchup bottles, as well as grilling tongs. It’s on two wheels for easy transport.

    Size: 23.1″ x 21″ x 8″

    Recommended Ages: 3 Years and Up

  5. 5. Melissa & Doug Rotisseries and Grill BBQ Play Food Set

    Pros:
    • Melissa & Doug Quality
    • Premium Look
    • Wooden
    Cons:
    • Better for indoor use (although you can certainly use it outside)
    • No Base
    • No Lid

    We’ve been raving about the quality of Melissa & Doug toys for years now, so it would be a crime to not include one of their toy grills in our list of the best. The toymaker has a brilliantly-designed wooden grill set, the Melissa & Doug Rotisseries and Grill Wooden Barbecue Play Food Set, that’s of the highest quality.

    It’s quite possibly the cutest toy grill you can buy in 2019! It’s a deluxe wooden BBQ and rotisserie set that comes with 24 pieces, including wooden BBQ food items, utensils, a basting brush, and more. The meats are held together with self-stick tabs so that they can easily be cut apart with the included wooden knife, encouraging fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

    The grill has an awesome look to it, too, with an all silver base, black grill grate, and knobs on the front of it. If you’re looking for a great indoor grill toy, this set is a great option.

    Size: 5″ x 5″ x 5″

    Recommended Ages: 3 Years and Up

  6. 6. Step2 Fixin’ Fun Outdoor Grill

    Pros:
    • Great Value
    • Fun Stackable Hot Dog
    • Brick-Oven Aesthetic
    Cons:
    • Batteries Not Included
    • Stickers Wear Easily
    • No Grilling Noises

    Step2 has one of the best toy grills that’s similar to the Little Tikes Backyard BBQ set, in that it has that similar brick-oven grill aesthetic. With Step2, the bricks are brown, not red, and it also has an oven in the front (instead of a cabinet).

    This toy BBQ grill has a textured brick design and uses neutral colors so that it matches most outdoor furniture.

    It comes with a 10 piece Stack N Stay Hot Dog Set so that your child can attempt to grill the ultimate hot dog.

    It also has two turnable knobs on the top and comes with other utensils like grilling utensils, a plate, and condiments.

    The grill also lights up at the push of a button.

    Size: 24.9″ x 11.7″ x 26.4″

    Recommended Ages: 2 Years and Up

  7. 7. Little Tikes Cook ‘n Grow BBQ Grill

    Pros:
    • Convertible 2-in-1
    • Comes with Accessories
    • Sink and Burners As Well
    Cons:
    • Not As Many Accessories As Some Other Options
    • Small
    • Not super colorful

    What sets the Little Tikes Cook ‘n Grow BBQ Grill apart from other grills on this list is that it’s convertible so that it can be shorter and wider or taller and thinner. Brilliant. The point of this is so that it can grow with your kids, and they can use the shorter one until they’re tall enough to turn it on its side.

    It also comes with a handful of accessories including tongs, a spatula, a hamburger and bun, a hot dog and bun, and a bottle of ketchup.

    It has extra burners on the left side and a sink on the right, giving them multiple options for pretend play.

    Recommended Ages: 2 to 8 years

  8. 8. Theo Klein Weber Kettle Grill Toy

    Pros:
    • Realistic-Looking
    • Portable
    • Great for Days at the Park
    • Lights and Sounds
    Cons:
    • Quite small
    • Not a massive amount of accessories (but everything you'll need)
    • Not super colorful

    Theo Klein also has a great-looking, hyper-realistic toy grill that your kids will absolutely love: the Weber Kettle Grill Toy. It looks like a classic Weber charcoal grill; in fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if you mistake it for a real one once or twice!

    It comes with light up charcoal, a lighter, 2 grates, and tongs, as well as some play meats for your kids to grill up!

    Recommended Ages: 3 to 8 years

  9. 9. Hape 2-in-1 Kitchen & Grill Set

    Pros:
    • High Quality Wood
    • Comes With Stainless Steel Pots
    • Comes With Spatulas
    Cons:
    • No Legs
    • Doesn't have loads of accessories, but the ones it does have are metal
    • Not super colorful

    Another great Hape wooden toy is their 2-in-1 Kitchen & Grill Set, which is ultra portable and comes with stainless steel pots and pans for ultra realism. It’s perfect if you don’t have a lot of extra room in your house, as it can sit right on any table.

  10. 10. Step2 Sizzle & Smoke Toy BBQ Grill

    Pros:
    • Most Realistic Look
    • Grill Noises
    • Cool Vapor Effect
    Cons:
    • Higher Price
    • Batteries Not Included
    • Only One Color Available

    We absolutely adore the Step2 brand. In fact, you’ll find many of their products on our list of the best kitchen playsets as well. And if you’re looking for a toy grill that looks like the toy version of a real grill, your best bet is the Step2 Sizzle & Smoke Toy BBQ Grill.

    It not only has the most authentic grill look, but it also has realistic sounding grill noises like sizzling, a cool water vapor effect that makes it look like smoke is coming from the grill, and a fake propane tank.

    With this sizeable grill, they can pretend to cook-up two steaks and two ears of corn. The grill also comes with a 15-piece accessory set, including utensils, steak sauce, a grill mitt, plates, and a pot for the side burner.

    The burner knobs turn for added effect, and it has built-in wheels for easy transporting. On top of all of that, there’s a storage cabinet under the actual grilling part where you can store all of the accessories.

    Note that you’ll need 3 AA batteries for the noises and vapor effect, but they’re not included.

    Size: 13.2″ x 38.5″ x 26″

    Recommended Ages: 3 Years and Up

  11. 11. Black and Decker Jr. BBQ Grill

    Pros:
    • Black and Decker Look
    • Food "Sizzles" When on the Grill
    • 50 Accessories
    Cons:
    • Small
    • Heavily Branded (Some People Don't Like That)
    • Food is slippery, so hard to stack while playing.

    One of the best branding decisions Black & Decker has made was to go into the toy space to sort of ship their brand to young kids so that they’ll have the brand familiarity when they get old enough to buy tools. The toolmaker (now toymaker) has an awesome kids BBQ grill toy that’s perfect for grilling alongside dad or mom.

    It’s the Black and Decker Jr. BBQ grill, and it comes with over 40 pieces, including a Black & Decker apron, play food, and utensils.

    What makes this grill extra special (and why we included it on our list of the best toy grills) is that food “sizzles” while they’re pretending to cook with the press of a button. It also sports the classic Black and Decker colorway, so it looks less like a kid’s plaything and more like the family grill.

    I’ll also note that it’s one of the easier grills to put together, with easy-to-follow instructions that take less than 10 minutes.

    It requires 3 AAA batteries that are not included.

    Size: 20″ x 6″ x 14″

    Recommended Ages: 3 Years and Up

  12. 12. Step2 Grillin’ Up Goodness Wood Grill

    Pros:
    • Bright Red Color
    • Great Price
    • Wood
    Cons:
    • Small

    Another awesome Step2 toy grill your kids will love is the Grillin’ Up Goodness Wood Grill Playset. It looks like something you’d find in a gourmet kitchen, complete with a hooded grill that opens and shuts with ease, a burner, and a storage cabinet.

Toy Grills You Should Avoid

Here are a few kids toy grills that you should definitely avoid:

See Also:

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