Best Smokeless Fire Pits of 2025

The best smokeless fire pits are fast to light and burn wood more thoroughly. These models are also easy to clean and can be used to make large and small fires. 

Our experts look for smokeless fire pits that let you build fires of different sizes while cutting the smoke. Here’s what else they have in common:

They’re quick to light. Models that scored best for both small and large fires were also the fastest to fully ignite. That reduces smoke, because a fire is smokiest when the wood is first catching.

They burn wood thoroughly. The smokeless fire pits featured here do a stellar job at burning all of the wood you feed into the fire. This also helps to reduce smokiness.

They’re easy to clean. A great smokeless fire pit, like the models featured here, make it easy to capture or clean out any residual ash, with no need to flip the fire pit upside down. 

They resist rusting. Given their cost, a smokeless fire pit should survive more than a few seasons. These options allowed users to avoid the kind of major rusting that can prematurely damage or destroy a smokeless fire pit.

At our Yonkers campus, test engineers set up each fire pit on an asphalt surface and built both large and small fires to see how each would burn fires of different sizes. For large fires, we filled each smokeless fire pit to capacity. For small fires, we used three to five logs in models that burn wood; in models that burn only wood pellets, we covered the bottom of the fire pit in a single layer. Our engineers noted not only how effectively each fire burned but also how quickly each lit. 

Next, we let multiple fires in each smokeless fire pit burn out completely and measured any wood that didn’t burn. The best is designed to funnel wood toward the center of the fire pit, resulting in a more thorough fire with less waste. We also noted how easy each was to clean out and dump the ash. Some have trays designed to capture ash, and some need to be flipped upside down to get the ash out. Lastly, we measured the capacity of each fire pit to see how big a fire each could build and noted whether any rust developed during the course of our testing. 

Most models use a double-wall design (like an insulated metal mug) to burn wood more efficiently, cutting smoke in the process. That wall is crucial—by trapping hot air against the fire chamber, it makes it easier for wood to fully light. In addition, most models feature a network of holes or vents, strategically placed to promote airflow. The oxygen in the air feeds the fire, allowing the wood to light faster and more completely, and reducing smoke in the process. By extension, smokeless fire pits put off heat, and typically burn at least as hot as a traditional fire, if not hotter. 

Note that these fire pits reduce, not eliminate, the smoke. “None of the smokeless fire pits we’ve tested produce a fire that’s truly smokeless,” says Bernie Deitrick, CR’s project leader in charge of smokeless fire pit testing. “Instead, it’s better to think of them as smoke-less fire pits, meaning they smoke less than a conventional fire.” 

All wood fires produce smoke, particularly when the fire is first lighting. You start to see the most notable reduction in smoke only once the fire is roaring. Generally, models that are faster and more thorough to light (and score higher in our ratings for small and large fires) do the best job reducing the smoke.

Any wood fire presents some degree of risk. Read the manufacturer’s instructions carefully, and follow the general guidelines below. (For more information, see our guide to fire pit safety.) 

• Never use a smokeless fire pit on a covered patio. Wood smoke contains carbon monoxide, an odorless and colorless gas that can be fatal if allowed to build up to dangerous levels. Trapping smoke or carbon monoxide under a covered patio puts you at risk. 
• Avoid decks. Wood is flammable, and some composites are prone to softening or even melting, even at temperatures as low as 175° F.
• Always place your fire pit on a hard, flat, inflammable surface, such as a driveway, patio, or concrete pad. This will keep the fire pit from tipping over and help you avoid sparking a fire from a stray ember.
• Build your fire away from flammable structures or materials. Make sure it’s at least 10 feet, and ideally 20 to 25 feet, from anything flammable, including, of course, your house. 
• Avoid grass. Stray embers can ignite any dry or dead grass, and the heat from the smokeless fire pit is likely to kill the grass directly below the fire.