4 Best Meat Thermometers (2025): Accurate & Lightning Fast

What we love: During our tests, the Kizen proved to be a powerful thermometer for the money. It did take four seconds to read during the water boiling test, but it has a number of other nice features that make it user friendly. A button turns on a backlight for use in dark settings, another toggles between Fahrenheit and Celsius. The display automatically turns on when you unfold it and a magnet lets you stick it on to the door of your range or fridge so it’s easy to keep track of.

What we’d leave: It does take four times as long as the Thermapen to provide a reading, but that is the kind of compromise you should expect to make if you’re spending under $20. The sleep function also takes 10 minutes to turn on and isn’t adjustable.

How we tested meat thermometers

To find the best meat thermometers, we put a range of leave-in and instant-read models through hands-on testing both in the kitchen and on a grill and smoker. We evaluated accuracy, response time, ease of use, and additional features to determine which tools were the most reliable, intuitive, and helpful for optimal cooking performance. Here’s how we tested:

What makes a good meat thermometer

We only tested digital meat thermometers here. You can use an analog thermometer like this but it will be slower and more challenging to read. Here are the other things we looked for in our tests.

Other thermometers we tested and liked

These thermometers still performed well across our tests and we think you’ll be happy if you pick one of them, but they lack some of the features of our top picks.

The Typhur Sync has a lot going for it. It comes with either two or four meat probes to handle multiple cooks at once, reads quickly, and didn’t have issues dropping its signal. The five sensors in the probes provide a robust picture of temperature changes and the base offers a clear display as well as a (very loud) alarm when a cook is done. If you don’t want to use the base, which is quite large, the Typhur app is straightforward and easy to navigate. There is a prediction feature, though it wasn’t as accurate as the Combustion prediction when we cooked chicken.

Of the three Meater thermometers we tested, the Pro series was by far our favorite. It read quickly and accurately during our water tests and the improved high heat capabilities (up to 1000°F) allows use in searing cooking temperatures like a pizza oven or an open fire. It also didn’t drop signal the way the original Meater Plus did during our tests. We tested the single probe Meater Pro, but we’d also recommend the Meater Pro Duo with an extra probe.

This wireless thermometer is more basic than the RFX or the Combustion (but it is much less expensive). It doesn’t have a separate display and only has a single sensor in the tip of the thermometer. Its charging case doubles as a Bluetooth booster, supposedly extending its range up to 500 feet; however, we found getting that kind of range outdoors required optimal conditions. The companion app is simple but useful, with temperature readings for both what you’re cooking and the ambient temperature as well as the ability to set high and low temperature alerts.

The Instaprobe was a close second to the Thermapen One in our testing. It was hard to notice any difference in its read time, and its rotating, bright OLED display is easy to read no matter the angle of insertion. A magnet on the back makes it easy to stick on the stove so it’s always ready to use. Ultimately, the choice of the Thermapen was a subjective one; We thought the wider base was easier to hold and use compared to the slimmer, sleeker Instaprobe. This is still a terrific instant-read thermometer.

For around half the price of the Thermapen One or the Typhur Instaprobe, the Javelin offers many of the same features, including an automatically rotating display and sleep function. The backlight requires pressing a touchpad, and it wasn’t quite as fast to read, but this is still a good, less expensive instant-read.

Thermometers we don’t recommend

Meater Plus: The original Meater has simply been outclassed by the newer model. We found the Bluetooth signal on this thermometer dropped occasionally and, because it can only withstand a maximum temperature of 572°F, it isn’t as versatile as the newer Pro models.

Meater Block: The “Block” part of the Meater Block is an interface that is supposed to let you both monitor and set target temperatures. We found it a little small and slow to respond. We haven’t tested the Meater Pro XL, which is a version of the Meater Block updated with Meater Pro probes, and we’ll be interested to see if there are other improvements on the original design.

Chef IQ iQ Sense: The probe on the Chef IQ is quite short, making insertion easy, but it still packs three sensors inside. It doesn’t come with a display, but has an app that, in addition to providing real time temperature updates no matter where you are, offers recipes with step-by-step instructions and an Instacart integration to order ingredients. But all of that felt a little fussy for something that should just have one job.

Thermoworks Thermopop: Yes, it’s inexpensive, but Thermoworks’ Thermopop offers much less than the Thermapen One. The Thermopop took five seconds to produce an accurate reading of 212°F in the water boiling; if you are looking for a budget thermometer we think the Kizen offers much more for less money.

Taylor Dual Infrared Thermocouple Thermometer: This thermometer has the capability of reading surface temperature using an infrared thermometer, but, even after reading the instructions, we found it confusing to use. Its price tag is also in the same ballpark as the Thermapen One and the Typhur Instaprobe and we’d suggest either of those as better alternatives.