Combining the practicality of electric warmers with the real flames you’d get in an outdoor fireplace or lantern, bio-ethanol tabletop patio heaters are a great addition to any garden. They’re powered by plant products including sugar and starch, so they’re an environmentally friendly alternative to options powered by electricity, gas or coal.
As a sustainable form of fuel, bio-ethanol burns without producing smoke or dangerous chemicals, so there’s no need for a chimney or flue. Plus, it doesn’t give off any unpleasant smells. As a result, you can safely use bio-ethanol heaters indoors as well as in the garden.
Make your outdoor space even more inviting with solar lights, string lights and portable lights.
The best bio-ethanol tabletop patio heaters to buy online
Here are some of our favourite eco-friendly tabletop patio heaters. Only the most beautiful, practical and highly rated designs make it onto our list.
SPIN 120 table fire
The slimline shape and warm golden tones of this bio-ethanol table fire make it a practical yet eye-catching accessory. For extra style, the flame rotates inside the borosilicate glass cylinder as it burns.
Choose between two sizes - 40.5cm and 54cm in height - both of which would look lovely nestled among serving dishes during evening meals. Each heater comes with stainless steel housing, a grippy base and an extinguisher lid to safely put out the flame.
Add 500ml of bio-ethanol fuel into the base and the tabletop fire should burn for around 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Rectangular tabletop fire
- Buy in black from Bio-Ethanol Fireplace (£99.00)
- Buy in white from Bio-Ethanol Fireplace (£99.00)
For a clean and simple look, you can’t go wrong with one of these steel patio heaters from Bio-Ethanol Fireplace. With their brick-like shape and flat glass safety panels, they’d work well as the centrepiece of a rectangular dining table or against a garden wall.
The fires can hold up to 500ml of fuel, so you should get up to three hours of flames.
The package also includes an extinguishing tool to help you stop the fire safely.
Planika Chantico Glassfire
- Buy now from Planika UK (£214.99)
Featuring a slightly more decorative design, this bio-ethanol tabletop fire comes with white pebbles around the flame. If you like, you can add your own stones from your local garden centre.
Also included in the design is a plain black base and glass lantern. And once it’s lit, it’ll burn for around 3.5 hours at a time.
Metal Tabletop Bio-Ethanol Fireplace
If you’re after a tabletop heater with a modern design, this could be the right choice for you. It features a sleek steel base combined with tempered glass to protect you from the flame above.
At 60cm wide and 24cm tall, this is a fairly large tabletop heater, so it’s ideal for hosting meals and family gatherings. Buy it in matt black or gleaming silver to match your other tableware and garden accessories.
Bio Ethanol Fireplace
Marble burners like these ones make stylish centrepieces for any outdoor table. This design comes in two sizes, 9cm and 11cm in height, so you can choose one or pair them together for extra warmth.
Inside the base is ceramic wool to encourage the fire to burn evenly, and it should stay alight for 1.5 hours once lit.
Tabletop Bio Ethanol Fireplace
- Buy now from Etsy UK (£34.99)
Featuring sleek black casing, this bio-ethanol burner is another modern tabletop heater. Both the base and the decorative grid is made from powder-coated stainless steel, so it should stay looking smart for years to come.
The entire structure is 29.5cm tall and 20.7cm wide, and comes with an extinguishing tool for the end of the night.
Blumfeldt Stainless Steel Outdoor Fire
Here’s something a little different. The Supernova fire bowl takes the form of a stainless steel ball reaching 27cm in height and 25cm in width.
Thanks to the spherical design, these bio-ethanol burners would look great dotted around the garden or lining a patio. Wherever you choose to place your heater, the silver base will reflect the flame, creating a cosy look.
Planika Dancing Flames Tabletop Bioethanol Fire
- Buy now from Planika UK (£280.00)
Planika UK has a lovely range of bio-ethanol and gas fires, and this is one of its stylish tabletop heaters.
The unusual oak cork base sets this patio heater apart from others on the market, but you can also buy a larger version with a shiny silver finish.
This design is just over 25cm wide and 36cm tall, and it’ll provide 3.5 hours of flames with a full fuel tank.
Bio ethanol fuel
Most bio-ethanol fires you buy online arrive without fuel, so you’ll need to stock up on bottles separately. Buying from Amazon is a convenient option, as you can choose the amount you need, between four and 24 litres.
Ekofuel is a popular choice when it comes to bio-ethanol fuel. It’s been around since 2011 and is made from sugar beet molasses and other plant-derived ingredients. It mainly gives off water and CO2 when it burns; there’s no smoke, ash or unpleasant odour.
Handily, each bottle has a pouring spout and safety cap to avoid dangerous spillages.
For larger heating devices, check out our favourite patio heaters - lots of our top choices use eco-friendly infrared technology to keep you toasty warm.