Best Small Microwaves
If every inch of counter space matters to you, here are some options to consider—though you’ll have to wait longer for heated food
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Dedicating precious counter space to a new appliance can require a trade-off. In the case of countertop microwaves, you’ll have to decide whether saving a few inches is worth the time you’ll spend waiting for your food to heat up.
While the footprint of a small microwave is only a bit smaller than that of a midsized model (the most popular size), we’ve found that their performance differences are significant.
Heating speed is one of the biggest challenges with small microwaves. During testing, we time how long it takes to heat water when the microwave is at its highest setting, taking the temperature after 5 minutes. Microwaves with smaller dimensions generally have a lower wattage, which means less cooking power and slower heating.
When you opt for a countertop microwave with smaller dimensions, you also end up with less cooking capacity. A bag of microwave popcorn may not have adequate room to rotate on a turntable in a small microwave.
Still, there are a few tasks in which small microwaves perform somewhat on a par with larger models. The best in our ratings score fairly well in heating and defrosting evenness, and almost all score well on quietness. (Of course, if you have to run yours longer, it will keep making noise over that extended time.)
Here’s how CR categorizes the countertop microwaves in our ratings. Claimed capacity and watts are according to the manufacturer. Dimensions are taken in our lab. (To compare models, you can find this information in our microwave ratings and on individual model pages.)
Small Microwaves
Claimed capacity: 0.8 cubic feet or less
Watts: 700
Dimensions: 10 inches high by 17 to 18 inches wide by 13 to 15 inches deep
Medium Microwaves
Claimed capacity: 0.9 to 1.2 cubic feet
Watts: 800 to 1,000
Dimensions: 11 to 12 inches high by 19 to 21 inches wide by 15 to 20 inches deep
Large Microwaves
Claimed capacity: 1.3 cubic feet or more
Watts: 1,000 to 1,250
Dimensions: 12 to 14 inches high by 20 to 24 inches wide by 19 to 20 inches deep
Here are the best small microwaves in our tests. They all cost roughly $100 or less, so they may be worth considering if you’re on a tight budget or have little counter space, despite the caveats. For more options, check out our full microwave ratings and recommendations.
(Note: Dimensions below are height by width by depth.)
Small microwaves tend to be underpowered, and the Commercial Chef CHM770B is no exception. Still, it aced our heating evenness test, in which we insert thermocouples into microwaved mashed potatoes to gauge temperatures throughout. But it’s a slowpoke at heating a simple container of water. It’s average at defrosting but pretty quiet. For the price, it’s worth a look.
Watts: 700
Dimensions: 10x18x13 inches
The Danby DDMW007501G1 performs admirably in tests for arguably the most important factors to look for in a microwave: evenness when heating and defrosting. Plus, it’s one of the few small microwave models to get a below-par rating for speed of heating (instead of poor), and it’s pretty quiet even when running on the highest setting. But its owner satisfaction score is poor.
Watts: 700
Dimensions: 10x18x13 inches
If you value a quiet appliance, the Farberware Classic FMO07ABTBKA is a small microwave that fits the bill. It receives an excellent score in our noise tests. Plus, it excels at defrosting evenly. But it’s only passable at heating food evenly, so if you microwave dense foods, like a frozen burrito, you’ll want to check that the center is heated through before taking a bite. This model had a dismal performance in our speed of heating tests.
Watts: 700
Dimensions: 10x17x13 inches
As far as dimensions, this Black+Decker midsized microwave is smaller than most of the other midsized ones we tested, making it a decent alternative to consider. It’s slightly faster than the small microwaves when it comes to heating food, and it’s very quiet and easy to use. But it’s just average at heating and defrosting evenly.
Watts: 900
Dimensions: 11x19x16 inches
With a smaller footprint than many midsized microwaves we tested, the Commercial Chef CHM990B is worth considering if you want to save some counter space. With 900 watts, it’s more powerful than a typical small microwave. Heating wasn’t that speedy, but it wasn’t as slow as the smaller models. And the price is right. It earned very good scores in all the rest of our tests: heating and defrosting evenness, quietness, and ease of use.
Watts: 900
Dimensions: 11x19x14 inches
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