Best Small Toaster Ovens
Short on counter space? Pick one of these top-notch compact models from Breville, Cuisinart, and Panasonic
When you shop through retailer links on our site, we may earn affiliate commissions. 100% of the fees we collect are used to support our nonprofit mission. Learn more.
So you want a great toaster oven but you don’t have ample counter space. You’re in luck; some of the best toaster ovens on the market today are compact units that don’t require much real estate.
And small toaster ovens often cost significantly less than larger models.
In our lab, we measure not only how well a toaster oven toasts bread—a single slice as well as a batch—but also how well it performs at reheating leftovers and baking food. Our experts also evaluate ease of use and how easy a machine is to clean. In our toaster oven ratings, we incorporate reliability and satisfaction data from our survey of CR members’ experiences with more than 27,000 toaster ovens purchased between 2011 and 2019—all to help you determine which toaster ovens are worth making space for on your counter.
Ready to add a small but mighty appliance to your kitchen? Here are the best small toaster ovens from Consumer Reports’ tests, listed in alphabetical order. See our complete toaster oven ratings for even more choices, and consult our toaster oven buying guide for other criteria to consider when shopping.
CR’s take: Despite its small size, this 1,800-watt Breville model nabs the top spot in our toaster oven ratings, baking sugar cookies and corn muffins that were done in the center and golden on top and bottom. Functions include bake, broil, and roast, and settings for pizza and toasting bagels. The oven has three rack positions and offers a temperature range of 120° F to 450° F. Breville receives an Excellent rating for predicted reliability, making it one of three brands that stand out as the most reliable in our member survey. The unit, however, can bake only about four slices of toast at a time. (Some larger toaster ovens fit double that.)
CR’s take: Another compact Breville toaster oven that deserves every inch of counter space is the 1,800-watt Breville Smart Oven BOV800XL. With a temperature range of 120° to 450° F, it does a nice job of baking food, reheating leftovers, and turning out a batch of even, medium-brown toast. The unit is easy to clean and can fit up to six slices of bread (the others on this list fit only up to four). One minor drawback, though: Our testers found this model isn’t as good at toasting a single slice as it is at toasting a batch of bread. That’s something to consider if you frequently toast just one piece to have with your morning coffee or juice.
CR’s take: This small toaster oven from Cuisinart sure packs a punch. The 1,800-watt machine, with a temperature range of 150° to 500° F, earns an Excellent score at producing a batch of even, medium-brown toast in our tests. It boasts lots of features beyond basic bake, broil, and bagels. There are settings for defrosting, convection baking, and making pizza. Plus, the machine is easy to operate and a cinch to clean, netting a Very Good rating in our cleaning test. Cuisinart toaster ovens also earn a Very Good score in predicted reliability in our member survey.
CR’s take: Although it doesn’t land in the very top tier of our ratings, the compact Panasonic FlashXpress NB-G110P Oven is still a great toaster oven all-around. This 1,300-watt unit receives an Excellent rating when toasting not only a single slice of bread but also a batch of toast, our baking tests found. It features a temperature range of 250° to 500° F and has one rack position. Like the Breville toaster ovens, Panasonic models also receive an Excellent predicted reliability score in CR’s member survey. But the unit isn’t the easiest to use or clean, earning only Fair and Good ratings, respectively, in our tests.
BEST TIME TO BUY:
