How To Best Clean A George Foreman Grill (3 Ways To Make Your Indoor Grill Practically Clean Itself!)

I love cooking with the George Foreman grill. I make sure I cook something healthy at least once a week with it.

However, having to clean the grill afterward can be really frustrating!

So… how are you supposed to clean a George Foreman grill?

What’s the PROPER way to clean it? What’s the BEST way to clean it?

Today I’m going to show you how to clean a George Foreman grilling machine 3 different ways. (And with very little effort!)

How To Clean A George Foreman Indoor Grill

A George Foreman grill has two grilling surfaces that close together like a clam shell. Your meat, veggies, or whatever else you want to cook up gets sandwiched between the two grill plates — to cook up a crisp, tasty meal.

A huge benefit of cooking with the “Lean, Mean, Grilling Machine” is that it grills virtually all the fat out of your food and forces it into a drip pan.

While it’s safe to put the plastic drip pan from a George Foreman grill into the top rack of a dishwasher, cleaning the grill itself is another story.

Newer George Foreman grills have removable grilling plates. However, mine does not.

Alas, with a little trial and error, I’ve come across 3 simple tricks to make cleaning the George Foreman grill easier than ever!…

#1 – Place aluminum foil on the grill plates before cooking.

This is, hands down, one of the best ways to keep your George Foreman grill clean.

You simply lay one long piece of aluminum foil across the two grilling surfaces.

You can safely use the foil on the grilling surfaces to thoroughly cook your food. (Use the same cooking times that you would ordinarily follow if you were grilling your food without the foil.)

When you’re done grilling, simply remove your food and turn the grill off.

Then, once the foil has cooled off, lift the foil off the grill plates (be careful not to drip any back onto the grill!) and throw away the foil.

The only downside to using aluminum foil to line your George Foreman grill grates is that you don’t always get those fancy-looking dark brown grill marks – you know, the ones that make grilled food looked “grilled.”

As you can see in the photo above, I did happen to achieve a few uneven grill marks on some turkey burgers that I made with the foil-lined George Foreman grill. But, if you want nice, even grill marks, you may not want to use the foil method.

Voila! Cleaning your Foreman grill is as simple as not getting it dirty in the first place — by lining the entire cooking surface with aluminum foil.

This video shows how to clean a George Foreman indoor grill using parchment paper:

#2 – Put moist paper towels on warm grill plates after cooking.

Want to make cleanup of your George Foreman grill easier without using aluminum foil or parchment paper?

I like to place damp paper towels on the grilling surfaces after I’ve finished cooking — to help lift the grease.

Grill your food on the George Foreman grill as usual. Then, after you’re done cooking and the surface has cooled down a bit (but not too much), layer a few slightly damp paper towels on the grill plates and close the grill.

Let the paper towel absorb and loosen the grease while you’re eating.

Once you’re ready to clean up, remove the damp paper towels from the grill plates. Then, use mild dish soap and a wet rag to wipe away any remaining residue.

Sometimes, the steam from the paper towels is so effective at removing everything, you don’t even need soap & water!

The secret is to NOT place paper towels across the surface when the grill is still very hot. (And technically, that could cause a fire anyway.) Instead, let the grill cool down to the point that it is still a bit warm, but not anywhere near as hot as when you were grilling your food.

The mild warmth, along with the moisture in the paper towels, is a necessary combination for gently lifting away the grease left behind on the grill plates.

#3 – Spritz water on hot grill plates immediately after cooking.

Another method I’ve used many times to clean my George Foreman grill is to spritz the grilling surfaces with water immediately after cooking. (Just remember to turn off and unplug the grill first!)

Then, after the grilling surfaces have cooled, wipe the grill plates using a moist rag or a wad of paper towels lightly laced with mild dish soap.

Use the plastic scraper that came with your George Foreman grill to clean the grill plates and lightly chip away chunks of fat and food left behind.

Some gentle scrubbing is enough to remove the remaining grease, leaving behind a lean, mean – and CLEAN – grilling machine!

The Bottom Line

So, THAT’s how to clean a dirty George Foreman grill with very little effort!

Those are the 3 different methods that I’ve found work best.

As you can guess, the cleaner you keep your indoor grill over the long haul, the easier it will be to clean after each use.

That’s why I recommend taking the time to wipe up whatever splashes, spills, and burnt on food you happen to notice after each grilling session.

But if you haven’t cleaned it properly in awhile (or if you acquired a used George Foreman grill that hasn’t been cleaned very well), then start here: How To Clean A George Foreman Grill When It’s Filthy.