The 5 Best Raclette Grills

Best Overall

Boska Raclette Party Set

$124 at Amazon $100 at Food52 View on Boska.com

If you’re looking for a party-perfect raclette grill, then this is the one for you. Much like fondue, raclette grills are all about bringing people together for a delicious food-centric experience. Its large capacity, beautiful design, and high-quality materials make this the stunning centerpiece every party needs.

This grill's stylish design is entirely a metal base with wood around the edges to protect against burns and act as a resting place for scrapers when not in use. The eight trays are versatile and can either hold raclette cheese or sliced accompaniments, such as vegetables and cured meat. Though the set doesn’t come with a grilling surface, the trays make up for it by allowing non-cheese items to be cooked inside. Plus, they’re easy to clean and are dishwasher safe. This reasonably priced set will have your friends and family begging you to throw another raclette party.

"I grew up enjoying raclette served by my family in Quebec, and they always used electric grills, which are super convenient and heat more quickly than candle-powered models," says Alexandra Jones, author of "Stuff Every Cheese Lover Should Know. "But when it was time to buy my own, I went for the Boska Raclette Party Set for a couple of reasons: one, the look is so simple, sleek, and elegant, and two, I love not having to worry about where I'll plug the thing in or creating a trip hazard with the cord. Plus, since it's cordless, you can use it pretty much anywhere."

Cooking Power: N/A | Cooking Surface: 18 x 7 inches | Material: Stainless steel

Best Budget

Swissmar Nordic Foldable Candlelight Raclette

$22 at Amazon $20 at Walmart

Sometimes simple is best. This compact raclette grill is under $30 and performs exactly as intended: melting raclette. It comes with a nonstick top, steel foldable base, one scraper, three tealights, and a plastic lid.

Not only does it perform as intended, it’s also lightweight and compact, and because it’s powered by candles, it’s convenient to take along in a backpack, on a picnic, or camping. It’s the perfect size raclette grill to serve two people for dinner, and would also be a tasty addition to a charcuterie board for appetizers. The heat-resistant scraper makes getting the cheese onto your plate a breeze, while the nonstick surface keeps the raclette from sticking. You can use the plastic lid as a serving tray for crackers, vegetables, and cured meats.

Note, that the longer the candles burn, the hotter the surface will get, and the faster you’ll be eating melted raclette. The handle isn’t heatproof and can get hot as the night goes on. The cooking surface and scraper are dishwasher-safe for easy clean up.

Cooking Power: N/A | Cooking Surface: 7 x 3 inches | Material: Alloy steel

Best for a Crowd

The Rock by Starfrit Raclette 17-Piece Grill Set

$61 at Amazon $86 at Wayfair $63 at Home Depot

The Rock raclette grill makes cooking for a crowd stress-free. This 17-piece set includes everything you need to grill for 8 people. It comes with 8 individual trays and scrapers so that no one has to wait.

But what really sets it apart from the rest is the reversible cooking surface. One side is a grill plate, allowing for you to get grill marks on meats and vegetables. The other side is a griddle plate. The surface is made of cast aluminum and is coated in a patented nonstick coating. The Rock.Tec technology ensures that food doesn’t adhere to the surface.

The 1500-watt grill features a knob for adjusting the temperature. It heats up quickly and can easily grill meats and vegetables, while also melting the raclette to the perfectly pourable consistency. The electric grill does require a plug-in and an extension cord if you are putting it in the middle of a table. Once dinner is over, let the dishwasher handle clean up, and, since it only weighs in at 10.2 pounds, the grill is easy to move from the table to a cupboard until next time.

Cooking Power: 1500 watts | Cooking Surface: 16 x 9.5 inches | Material: Aluminum

Best Compact

Boska Mini Raclette Cheese Melter & Grill

$45 at Amazon $60 at Walmart View on Boska.com

While most raclette grills feed eight people, this mini version is just the right size to feed two. Its 1000 watts are powerful enough to cook thinly sliced meats and vegetables or to keep cooked potatoes warm. The enamel trays have a stay-cool handle for easy handling. 

Conveniently, the grill has an on-and-off switch so that you don’t have to unplug it if you need time between uses. The power switch is also a good way to cool off the grill if you find that the outside of the cheese is melting too quickly. Similarly to the candle-powered units, there isn’t a way to control the heat of the surface but it heats up quickly and evenly. The nonstick grill plate is removable and dishwasher-safe, and the trays and scapers can also be washed in the dishwasher. This mini grill is easy to store and weighs a mere two pounds for easy carrying. 

Cooking Power: 500 watts | Cooking Surface: 8 x 4 inches | Material: Metal

Best Old-School

Boska Copper and Concrete Raclette Melter

$250 at Amazon $200 at Williams-Sonoma $199 at Food52

If you’re looking for the classic melty raclette experience, then the Boska Copper and Concrete Raclette Melter is for you. Though this is electric, the charm of scraping the melting raclette onto your plate will leave you feeling like you’re feasting at a chalet in the Swiss Alps.

How it works is the heating unit is connected by copper to the concrete round base. The requisite wedge of cheese rests in a copper holder and the ceramic top angles the heat directly onto the side of the wedge. The holder swivels away from the heat and then you use a knife to scrape the melted cheese onto your plate. The nice part about this system is that no cheese is wasted because you’re only melting what you need. Another plus of this raclette melter is that it can hold a quarter round of cheese at a time, which saves you from having to slice beforehand like other grills.

The concrete base is heavier than metal, which may make it harder to move from one spot to another. You may find that keeping it out on a counter is easier than storing it. 

Cooking Power: 400 watts | Dimensions: 16.5 x 15.75 x 15 inches | Materials: Ceramic, concrete, copper, stainless steel