5 Best Toaster Ovens for Every Kitchen
These top-tested countertop toasters blow the competition out of the water.
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There's many reasons why someone may want to invest in a quality toaster oven for their kitchen. Not only do they take up minimal space so you won't have too much trouble fitting them on the counter, but they're great all year-round, especially in the summer months when you'll appreciate that they don't heat up your whole kitchen quite like full-size ovens and stoves do.
Here are our top picks for the best toaster ovens you can buy in 2023, based on extensive testing.
Our top picks:
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A good replacement for several different kitchen appliances in one, like your toaster or air fryer (as long as you've got a combo air fryer toaster oven!), toaster ovens can also cut cooking times thanks to the fact that they don't require any preheating and use as little as half as much energy as a conventional oven, and many can still do most things from cooking a whole chicken to roasting veggies.
Our experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab have tested about 60 toaster ovens in the past 10 years. To make our picks, we test a variety of machines to see which ones can produce the most even, golden brown toast in the shortest amount of time. We also melt cheese on open-faced sandwiches, bake cakes and air fry chicken wings if there is an air fry setting.
Head to the bottom of this article to learn more about how we test toaster ovens in our Lab — plus everything you need to consider when shopping for one. Check out our guides to the best pizza ovens and top kitchen gadgets for more helpful appliances.
Breville Compact Smart Oven
Pros
- Heats foods quickly and evenly
- Easy to use and clean
Cons
- Fits fewer slices of bread compared to other models tested
Upgrade your kitchen with this easy-to-use Compact Smart Oven by Breville. Electronic controls and preset cooking programs for bagels, cookies and pizza (up to an 11-inch pie) make it simple for even the most cooking-challenged people to get it up and working.
It browned toast quickly, baked a beautiful cake and had no trouble roasting tender potatoes and chicken in our tests. Its nonstick interior makes cleaning a breeze. While testing, our experts liked that the control panel was very intuitive and also appreciated how solid the stainless steel design felt. We're not the only ones that think so — this toaster oven has a 4.5-star rating on Amazon from more than 4,900 reviews. Plus, it ships within two days if you have Prime.
Take note that this toaster oven only fits four slices of bread, compared to other models we tested with six- to nine-slice capacities. If you're looking for a larger capacity, the Breville Smart Toaster Oven Air, which can hold nine slices of bread or a 5-quart Dutch oven, also performed well in our tests.
Or if you're looking for something a little more advanced (and versatile), we like the Joule Oven Air Fryer Pro that easily connects to their Joule Oven app to view a variety of pre-loaded air frying recipes developed by chefs.
| Dimensions | 10.2" x 16.7" x 15.6" |
|---|---|
| Weight | 22.7 pounds |
| Bread capacity | Four slices |
| Settings | Toast, bagel, bake, broil, pizza, roast, cookies and reheat |
Hamilton Beach Sure-Crisp Air Fryer Toaster Oven
Pros
- Great air fryer function
- Fits a 13-inch frozen pizza
Cons
- Timer only goes up to 30 minutes
This pick from Hamilton Beach may seem a bit basic, but that's what makes it such a great option for less experienced cooks and those that just want a classic model to toast, bake and roast. It has easy-to-use controls, and it toasted bread and baked pizza very evenly in a relatively short amount of time. The small footprint won't take up too much space on your countertop but can still fit six slices of bread and a 13-inch frozen pizza, so you won't sacrifice size or usability.
Its air frying abilities are what impressed our experts the most: in our tests, it made crispy and juicy wings and crispy fries that weren’t dried out. For those that want to cook something that takes a bit more time, the timer only goes up to 30 minutes so you'll need to reset it at that time. It has two rack positions and comes with a metal mesh basket for air frying, bake pan, broil rack and slide-out crumb tray.
| Dimensions | 9.41'' x 18.74'' x 15.24'' |
|---|---|
| Weight | 13.7 pounds |
| Bread capacity | Six slices |
| Settings | Bake, broil, toast, airfry |
Cuisinart TOA-65 Digital AirFryer Toaster Oven
Pros
- Cooks quickly and powerfully
- Loaded with pre-set cooking temps and times
Cons
- Keep an eye on it, as it cooks quicker than you'd expect
Looking for something that does double duty air frying and toasting? This pick from Cuisinart can do just about anything: air frying, toasting, roasting and more.
We named it our best overall air fry toaster oven because it air fries quickly with no additional preheat time. It made chicken wings super crispy in 20 minutes, as well as fries in even less time. Its power is impressive and it's comparable to the best free-standing air fryers. However, that quick cook time means you should keep an eye on food when experimenting for the first few times to prevent accidental burning. It uses a basket that sits atop the broiling pan to air fry, which prevents grease from dripping onto the elements and makes cleanup easy; all accessories are dishwasher-safe.
When you switch over to using the traditional toaster over functions, our experts found that bread toasted well and evenly. A cake baked quickly with just a small dome that needed to be trimmed. Frozen pizza cooked in no time, as did broiled steak. We appreciate that the oven comes with a user guide loaded with cooking charts and recipes; plus, the oven is programmed with more than 10 settings — five of which are specific to air frying.
One of the features unique to this product is the ability to dual cook: It allows you to program the oven for two different times and temps at once, useful for starting foods at a high temp to crisp up the skin and lowering it to finish cooking inside. We've also tested the Cuisinart Convection Oven in the past with rave reviews from our experts.
| Dimensions | 17" x 21.73" x 15.75" |
|---|---|
| Weight | 20.3 pounds |
| Bread capacity | Six slices |
| Settings | Air fry, bake, broil, toast, bagel, pizza, roast, dehydrate, proof, low, dual cook, reheat and warm |
Panasonic FlashXpress Compact Toaster Oven
Pros
- Tray pulls out automatically when you open the door
- Auto shut-off to prevent burning
Cons
- Cook pan can be hard to clean and rusts easily
An Amazon favorite pick with over 6,600 five-star reviews, we're betting you'll like it just as much as the online reviewers. Though we have not tested this oven in our Lab yet, our experts appreciate its compact size (it will fit a nine-inch pizza), so it's ideal for small kitchens and apartments — or big kitchens with limited counter space! It features preset cooking times with buttons for a variety of classic dishes like toast, rolls, waffles and frozen foods such as pizza and hash browns.
Unlike the other picks on this list, the rack is attached to the door of this toaster oven so it automatically pulls forward as you open the oven. We also like that there is an auto shut-off to stop the toaster oven after the cooking time is over to prevent burning.
Keep in mind that the oven will heat for a maximum of 25 minutes, so it’s perfect for many prepared frozen foods, but for longer bakes you’ll have to restart it. Reviewers noted that the pan is difficult to clean and rusts easily. We suggest covering it with a fitted layer of foil before placing food on it.
| Dimensions | 13" x 10.25" x 12" |
|---|---|
| Weight | 7.5 pounds |
| Bread capacity | Four slices |
| Settings | Toast, frozen waffle, reheat roll, frozen pizza, quick reheat, frozen hashbrown |
KitchenAid KCO211 Digital Countertop Oven
Pros
- Intuitive control panel
- Fits up to 9 pieces of toast
Cons
- Preheat alert is quiet
There’s no shortage of things to love when it comes to this KitchenAid toaster that has an exceptionally large capacity size, especially in relation to its fairly small counter footprint.
It's sleek and space-efficient yet can fit nine slices of bread at one time (although the brand only recommends six). We appreciate that it has special functions for everything from cookies, roast and pizza to bagels and toast. It also features functions for baking, broiling, reheating and keeping warm, so you don't need to fuss around with exact temperatures or times if you're not quite sure what to set it at. In our tests, this model broiled steak that was juicy with nice browning around the edges and mostly toasted bread evenly.
We particularly like its very straightforward interface with two basic dials plus start and cancel buttons (an underrated feature for the control it gives you to stop or reselect the cooking cycle). The display is easy to read as well.
We plan on testing the KitchenAid Digital Countertop Oven with Air Fry in the future, which is a similar model to this, but with air frying capabilities.
| Dimensions | 16" x 17" x 11.3" |
|---|---|
| Weight | 15.9 pounds |
| Bread capacity | Nine slices |
| Settings | Bake, broil, toast, warm, reheat, bagel, pizza, cookies, roast and frozen |
How we test the best toaster ovens
In the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, we've tested about 60 toaster ovens in the past 10 years.
A well-performing toaster oven should be able to toast multiple slices of bread evenly. For our most recent test of more than 20 toaster ovens, we toasted more than 500 slices of bread to evaluate whether each toaster oven was able to cook the food evenly.
We also check for evenly cooked baked goods as well as the ability to broil steak and melt cheese on open-faced sandwiches.
For toaster ovens with air fryer functions, we test how quickly and evenly they crisp up chicken wings and frozen French fries. We also evaluate toaster ovens based on their design quality, user manuals, control panels, ease of use, number of rack positions, interior visibility, audible alert and cleanability.
What to look for when shopping for a toaster oven
✔️ Space: Consider how much room you have as well as what you want to use the oven for. If space is not an issue, dream big: Ovens like the Breville Smart Oven Air can fit a small turkey. For those tight on space, there are many compact ovens on the market, like the Hamilton Beach Sure-Crisp, that can still fit six slices of bread at one time, or a 13-inch frozen pizza.
✔️ Design: Since your toaster oven will most likely live on your counter, aesthetics are important. Digital toaster ovens with stainless steel housings are typically sleeker and more modern looking than their mechanical counterparts.
✔️ Rack positions: Most toaster ovens have two rack positions, but the largest have three. The added rack position allows for even more cooking versatility and usable space, especially for air frying or dehydrating. As a general rule of thumb, the uppermost position is used for broiling, the middle is used for toasting bread and baking and the bottom is used for cooking large roasts or pizzas.
✔️ Accessories: Most toaster ovens come with at least one rack and a baking/broiling pan. (Note: a heavier baking pan means less warping over time.) Usually toaster ovens now come with a removable crumb tray that is dishwasher safe, too. Being able to toss them in the dishwasher is very important: Dishwasher-safe parts help with toaster oven maintenance by preventing caked-on gunk from building up.
✔️ Additional features: Some toaster ovens come with an air frying basket/rack, others with pizza stones or rotisserie spits and many include an interior light that helps you see inside without opening the door. We found this feature to be very useful and were also pleased with toaster ovens that had large, glass doors for the easiest viewing.
✔️ Settings: Toaster ovens come with a variety of different settings and functions. While some may only have a few such as toast, bagel, bake, broil, pizza and reheat, others can have over 200 settings including convection, air fry, dehydrate, grill, slow cook, proof, roast and warm, just to name a few. If you're specifically trying to replace a few different kitchen appliances with one, make sure that the toaster oven you purchase can perform the certain functions you are looking for.
Can a toaster oven replace an oven?
A toaster oven can replace an oven in some cases. If your household consists of one to two people, it’ll be easy to make the change, but it’s a bit harder if you’re often cooking for more people. Toaster ovens are great at cooking food relatively quickly without heating up your whole kitchen. They require less pre-heating, if any at all. Cleanup is easy, too, since the space is smaller and usually eye level so you’re more inclined to wipe it down often. Toaster ovens usually have a removable crumb tray or drip tray that can often be popped in the dishwasher.
They're also great for re-heating food and can potentially replace microwaves — you’ll just want to avoid heating liquid in them. Many also have air fryer functions now. While some are better than others, these multifunction appliances can be a draw for people wanting to just have one appliance that can toast, bake, air fry and more.
What are the disadvantages of a toaster oven?
Toaster ovens can be bulky and it’s hard to store them away if you don’t like having appliances on your counter. Some people feel like they don’t toast as well or evenly as stand-alone toasters but we find them to be great stand-ins. Some people may also find them to have a small capacity, but we recommend choosing one that’s a good size for you — some, like the Breville, can fit a turkey and most can fit a whole, four-pound chicken.
Another thing to keep in mind is that most toaster ovens use a lot of wattage, usually around 1800 watts, so you’ll likely want to make sure it’s the only appliance running on one outlet, especially if you have an older electrical system.
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Culinary Innovation Lab Director Nicole Papantoniou oversees all content and testing related to kitchen appliances, tools, gadgets and gear. She's been testing kitchen appliances professionally since 2013 and lends her experience working at kitchen appliance companies where she helped develop popular air fryers and such recipes. Her knowledge extends to this roundup, in which Nicole conducted the testing, analyzed the data and rounded up the best toaster oven picks.
Nicole (she/her) is the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute's Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, where she has overseen content and testing related to kitchen and cooking appliances, tools and gear since 2019. She’s an experienced product tester and recipe creator, trained in classic culinary arts and culinary nutrition. She has worked in test kitchens for small kitchen appliance brands and national magazines, including Family Circle and Ladies’ Home Journal.
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