One of the biggest perks of living aboard with a decent solar and battery setup is being able to run electric appliances without constantly worrying about how much power you’re using. With the growing popularity of LiFePO4 batteries on boats, more cruisers are making the switch to electric cooking, and honestly, it can make your time in the galley a whole lot easier.

On Sabado, we have 3,000 watts of solar and a 25,000kW battery bank. We’ve kept our propane cooktop, but for most of our day-to-day cooking, our galley is basically fully electric.

Over time, we’ve accumulated quite a few appliances, but only some get used daily. When space is limited and every watt matters, it’s worth figuring out which appliances actually earn their spot in the galley.

Curious whether your boat’s electrical system can handle an electric galley? Before adding more appliances, it helps to know how much power you actually have to work with. In this post, Start With the Number: Energy Budgets for Cruising Boats, Ray breaks down how to calculate your daily energy use, size your battery bank, and figure out whether your solar can keep up. It’s a great place to start before making the switch to electric cooking!

You can shop all our tried and true galley essentials on our Amazon page.

Here are the appliances we use most often, plus one honorable mention that still deserves a spot on the list, even though we don’t reach for it quite as often.

1. Electric Kettle: The Everyday Essential

If there’s one appliance that gets used constantly, it’s our electric kettle.

Whether we’re making coffee first thing in the morning, brewing tea, or just need hot water for cooking, the kettle is quick, easy, and convenient. It’s one of those appliances that doesn’t seem particularly exciting until you have one aboard and realize how often you reach for it.

The biggest thing to keep in mind is that kettles draw a lot of power while they’re running. However, because they heat water so quickly, the total energy used for a small amount of water is often quite reasonable.

Worth it? Absolutely.

If you have the inverter capacity and battery storage to support it, an electric kettle is an easy addition to an electric galley.

2. Portable Induction Burner: A Great Alternative to Propane

A portable induction burner is a great way to add electric cooking to your boat without committing to replacing your existing cooktop. We’ve kept our propane cooktop aboard Sabado, but an induction burner gives us another option when we want to cook electrically. Since they’re portable, you can tuck them away when you’re not using them, which is a big advantage when counter space is limited. Although, we use ours so often that we had a custom cutting board made to sit on top of the propane cooktop, giving our induction burner a permanent home right on top of it!

The main consideration is power consumption. Induction burners can draw a substantial amount of power, particularly at higher settings, so you’ll want to make sure your inverter and battery bank can handle the load. You’ll also need compatible cookware.

Worth it? Definitely, if your electrical system can support it. A portable induction burner is a convenient way to expand your electric cooking options while keeping your propane cooktop as a backup.

3. Air Fryer/Oven Combo: Our Favorite for Everyday Cooking

The air fryer/ oven combo is another appliance we use all the time. It’s incredibly versatile and makes cooking aboard feel a lot more like cooking in a conventional home kitchen.

We use it for everything from roasting vegetables to cooking quick meals and reheating leftovers. An air fryer is especially useful because it cooks relatively quickly and doesn’t heat up the entire salon like our old propane oven did. That’s a huge perk when you’re living on a boat in the tropics!

The downside? These appliances can draw a substantial amount of power while heating. Depending on the model, they can also take up a surprising amount of counter or storage space.

Worth it? Definitely, if you have the power system for it.

4. Instant Pot: The Set-It-and-Forget-It Workhorse

The Instant Pot is another favorite, especially when we want a meal that doesn't require much hands-on time. It’s great for soups, stews, beans, rice, and all sorts of one-pot meals. You can throw everything in, set it up, and let it do its thing while you get on with other boat projects.

Pressure cooking can also be more energy-efficient than simmering a pot on the stove for a long time. While the Instant Pot draws power as it heats up, it generally uses less energy during the cooking phase because it retains heat and moisture in a sealed pot.

It’s not necessarily the best choice for every meal, and the appliance itself takes up storage space. But when it comes to easy, filling meals with minimal supervision, it’s hard to beat.

Worth it? Yes, especially for cruisers who enjoy one-pot meals. It’s a practical appliance that earns its keep by making cooking easier, reducing the need to babysit a pot, and helping us get dinner on the table without much fuss.

5. Immersion Blender: Small, Simple, and Surprisingly Useful

The immersion blender might not be the first appliance you think of when outfitting a boat galley, but we use ours often enough that it has earned a permanent place in our kitchen setup.

It’s perfect for blending soups directly in the pot, making sauces and dips, whipping up small batch smoothies, or mixing ingredients without dirtying another container. An immersion blender also takes up very little space compared with a full-size blender or food processor, making it a practical option for a compact galley.

Power consumption is generally modest compared with larger heating appliances, and because you only run it for short periods, its overall energy use is usually minimal.

Worth it? Absolutely. It’s inexpensive, compact, easy to store, and useful for a surprising number of recipes. If you’re trying to keep your galley setup simple, this is one appliance I’d have a hard time giving up. In comparison, my full size blender is not worth it, I reach for it once a month, maybe... I also got rid of my food processor, because the immersion blender does that job!

Honorable Mention: The Bread Machine

The bread machine deserves an honorable mention because it’s particularly useful when we’re trying to conserve power or when we want a more hands-off cooking option.

One thing we’ve found is that baking bread in the bread machine can use significantly less electricity than baking it in our electric oven. Rather than heating a large oven cavity, the bread machine uses a smaller, insulated space designed specifically for baking a single loaf.

The other major benefit is convenience: you add the ingredients, select the program, and let the machine do the work. It mixes, kneads, proofs, and bakes the bread for you. There’s no need to knead dough by hand, keep checking on it, or manage multiple steps. It’s pretty much a dump-and-go setup, which is especially nice when we’re on a long passage or have a lot of other things going on.

Worth it? Yes, particularly if you bake bread regularly or want an easy, hands-off option. It does take up some storage space, and the total energy use will depend on the machine and the program you select. But for us, it’s a useful tool when we want fresh bread without running the full-sized electric oven.

What About the Appliances That Didn't Make the List?

Just because an appliance is useful at home doesn't necessarily mean it's worth bringing aboard.

On a boat, every appliance has to justify its space, power consumption, and usefulness. Something that gets used once every few months might not be worth storing in a galley where counter space and cupboards are already at a premium.

Before buying another kitchen gadget, I like to consider a few things:

  • Power draw: How many watts does it use, and can our inverter comfortably handle it?
  • Total energy consumption: How long does it run, and how much battery capacity will it use for a typical meal?
  • Storage space: Does it have a permanent home, or will it become another item we have to move every time we need the counter?
  • Versatility: Can one appliance replace two or three others?
  • Frequency of use: Will we use it regularly enough to justify bringing it aboard?

For us, appliances that cook quickly, do multiple jobs, or allow us to walk away while they work tend to be the most valuable.

We’ve also kept our propane cooktop, which gives us another cooking option when it makes sense to use it. We don't think every boat needs to go fully electric. The best setup depends on your electrical system, cruising style, available space, and how you actually like to cook.

What about you? Which galley appliances do you love aboard your boat, and which ones turned out to be a waste of space? We love to hear what's working for other cruisers!

Like this topic? Here are some other blog posts we wrote that you might enjoy:

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