The Absolute Best Toaster Ovens Money Can Buy, According To Reviews
Toasting bread is not a new phenomenon — in fact, it's been done over open fires for centuries. People used to toast bread on hot rocks to preserve loaves and prevent mold growth. The first commercial toaster you could buy was a primitive cage-like device with a heating element that was first sold in 1909. Once pre-sliced bread became a thing, toasters were thought of as the time-saving kitchen device of the future. What might people at the beginning of the 20th century have thought if they could see today's versatile toaster ovens?
If you're looking for a toaster oven today, you have the option to buy a multi-use appliance that can do so much more than toast bread. For example, there are toaster ovens with special bagel-toasting settings where only the top of the bagel is toasted while the bottom is warmed. You can also air fry in many toaster ovens. Some even come with temperature probes to roast whole chickens to perfection.
There's also size and shape to consider. Do you want a compact device for a small space or are you looking for something to serve as a second oven? Whatever your needs, your budget, or your style, there are many products out there — so many, in fact, that deciding which one to go for can be tricky. We've made things a little easier for you by hunting down the toaster ovens with the best reviews.
Black Decker 4-Slice Toaster Oven
If you're looking for a solid toaster oven priced under $100, you can't go wrong with the Black+Decker brand. The Black+Decker 4-Slice Toaster Oven is a compact toaster oven made for small kitchens or dorm rooms, or for anyone that needs their counter space. It has a shiny stainless steel exterior with a classic appearance and can fit up to four pieces of toast at a time. Its four functions include baking, broiling, toasting, and a warmer. Although it doesn't have the high-end features of some of the other products on our list (it's controlled with manual dials), it does offer a feature called EvenToast, a technology designed for evenly toasted bagels and bread.
Most reviewers like the reliability and economical price of this toaster oven. Reviewers mention that although it's a smaller size, it's large enough to fit items such as a nine-inch frozen pizza or two chicken breasts. The EvenToast technology seems to work pretty well on English muffins, though apparently it's not perfect when it comes to sliced bread, as there are a few complaints about one side of the toast coming out browner than the other. There also seems to be an issue with poor insulation: The entire unit can get very hot while cooking.
Hamilton Beach 4-Slice Toaster Oven
The Hamilton Beach 4-Slice Toaster Oven is another entry on our list that is both compact and economical. Although it may not have all of the bells and whistles of other toaster ovens on the market, it's reliable with a compact size perfect for small spaces and economical budgets. The oven can fit four slices of toast or a nine-inch pizza. It has five functions including broil, bake, bagel, toast, and keep warm. One unique feature is the bagel function. This will toast the bagel on the cut side while keeping the other side warm. The oven is easy to operate with three manual knobs.
Most reviewers say the oven works well for toasting bagels and bread. They are pleased with the appearance of the oven and its compact size. Some people do warn that you need to watch your toast closely as the oven heats up fast and your toast can burn easily. Although the majority of reviews say it toasts and cooks food well, some reviewers complain that the oven may cook unevenly and that the tray that comes with the oven is difficult to clean.
Ninja Flip Toaster Oven & Air Fryer
Famous for its viral blenders, Ninja also makes a variety of other kitchen appliances, including toaster ovens. If you're looking for a countertop oven that can do it all, the Ninja Flip Toaster Oven and Air Fryer is for you. Not only is it large enough to cook a variety of foods, but you can use its flip feature to push it up against your kitchen backsplash, providing more counter space — just make sure you have enough clearance height under your cabinet for the flip-up feature.. The Flip Toaster offers eight functions — bake, broil, roast, pizza, toast, bagel, dehydrate, and air fry. The large size allows for cooking 12-inch pizzas or air frying four pounds of ingredients.
Most reviewers are happy with how this toaster oven performs and how easy it is to operate. People appreciate its space-saving flip feature and also mention its versatility and the ability to cook many different items, from veggies to chicken to tater tots, with success. This is one of the higher-priced toaster ovens, but may be worth it if you want something with multiple features. There aren't many negative reviews, although some people complain the oven is difficult to clean, and some reviewers wish the cord was longer.
Hamilton Beach 2-in-1 Oven and Toaster
The Hamilton Beach 2-in-1 Oven and Toaster offers a toaster oven and a traditional toaster in one unit. The toaster includes bake, broil, toast, and keep warm functions, and comes with an oven rack, bake pan, and slide-out crumb tray. It's a compact design but can fit up to a nine-inch pizza. The extra-long slot for toast can fit two slices or one long artisanal slice of bread. It's easy to use with manual knobs and the description says that it can toast 40% faster than traditional toasters.
Most reviewers say that it toasts evenly without burning or uneven spots, which really is the bread and butter of a good toaster oven. Reviewers appreciate the small size of the oven and find that it's easy to use, even for children. The Hamilton Beach 2-in-1 Oven and Toaster also offers longevity, with people raving about how they've had their for several years and that it still works as if it was new. However, some reviewers have stated that it's not ideal for heating up frozen dinners, so keep this in mind if you're planning on using your new toaster oven for this.
Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro
For those who have a little extra money to spend, the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro has a lot of great features. Yes, it's an air fryer, but it can also toast bread and bagels, proof bread dough, slow cook, bake, roast, and dehydrate. It even has special pizza, cookie, and convection oven settings. In all, this unit has 13 different functions. While it's on the large side, if you're looking for a toaster oven, air fryer, and dehydrator, this has the benefit of combining all of those appliances into one, so it could actually save you some space. It comes with two oven racks, a 9-inch x 13-inch broil rack, a mesh basket, and a 13-inch pizza pan.
Reviewers find this oven to be reliable, versatile, and large enough to cook bigger meals. If you've got the money to spend, most customers agree this is a great multi-use appliance for your kitchen. Its larger size fits casserole dishes and medium-sized pans, and it handles different tasks equally well — one reviewer stated that it's perfect for heating up frozen pizzas and roasting vegetables, for example. However, several reviewers found that it was a little too big for their countertop, so if you're working with limited space, this may not be the best option.
Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven with Grill
Best known for its food processors, Cuisinart manufactures a variety of kitchen appliances, including multi-tasking toaster ovens. The Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven with Grill can be used to toast, air fry, and bake. Its sleek, stainless steel appearance would look good in any kitchen. The TOA-70 model is a step up from the TOA-60, which is now discontinued. The TOA-70 comes with a baking pan, oven rack, crumb tray, dual-sided grill and griddle plate, and an air fryer basket and rack.
Reviewers say they like the smaller footprint of the oven — although larger than a compact toaster oven, it's smaller than many of the multi-use countertop ovens on the market and fits underneath cabinets. Some reviewers like the toaster oven so much that they say it's almost replaced their need to use their full-sized ovens. Reviewers also like how easy it is to use with someone saying it allowed them to let their teen cook.
Panasonic Flash Xpress Toaster Oven
Panasonic is known for consumer electronics, but it's been making kitchen appliances for decades, and they are known for their connectivity and smart design features. The Panasonic Flash Xpress Toaster Oven has a smart sensor that turns the oven on and off automatically to ensure evenly cooked food. Another nice feature of this oven is the infrared heater which heats up instantly — there's no more preheating with this oven. Although it packs a lot of features, this oven has a more compact size and can fit tucked in the corner of a smaller-sized kitchen. The oven fits up to four slices of toast or a nine-inch pizza.
Reviewers appreciate how quickly the oven heats up and say it makes great toast. In fact, people rave about how well it makes toast. Customers also use it to quickly heat up frozen snacks, making them crispier than when cooked in the microwave. Consumers also say the crumb tray is easy to access and they like how the oven rack is attached to the door, sliding easily out when you open the oven. The only downsides are that there isn't a broil function and you can't toast the top of your bagel.
Breville Joule Oven Air Fryer Pro
For the home cook who embraces technology, the Breville Joule Oven Air Fryer Pro is a high-end toaster that you can control with your phone. Offered in stainless steel or black, this toaster oven can not only toast, but it can also air-fry, bake, broil, warm, and dehydrate. Download the app and you can set your food to cook with the autopilot feature with its 13 pre-set functions. You can even roast a whole chicken in this oven. And you can control it with your Alexa or Google Assistant. What's more, Breville's app offers step-by-step recipes designed exclusively for the appliance.
People really love this oven. Reviewers like the large interior size that can fit family-sized portions. They also adore the sleek appearance, the ability to air fry, and the smart features. Most agree it cooks food well and is easy to clean. Most reviews highly praise this smart oven, but a few complain of its high price. Another con mentioned is that you can't build a custom autopilot program, you have to use the pre-set programs. Finally, although most agree the toast turns out great, many reviewers don't like that toasting bread in the Breville takes longer than in a traditional toaster.
Nuwave Bravo XL Pro
This smart toaster is a little more economically priced than some of the other smart toaster ovens on the market. The Nuwave Bravo XL Pro is a toaster oven with the capability to grill, roast, bake, air fry, and dehydrate. It has a large footprint and can fit family-sized meals like a six-pound roast or 10-pound chicken. It also offers thermal sensing technology which can measure the internal temperature of food, ensuring even cooking. Its smart features offer 12 pre-set menu functions and it comes with a pull-out bread crumb tray, baking rack, air fryer basket, and baking pan.
Reviewers love how fast the oven heats up and that they can cook big items without having to turn on their full-size oven. People have successfully roasted whole chickens, baked cookies, and cooked frozen pizzas in the Nuwave oven. Reviewers also appreciate the two rack levels giving them options to cook more than one food at the same time. On the negative side, some have complained the air fryer function takes longer to cook than other air fryers, but on the whole, reviewers are glowing.
Ninja Foodi Smart XL Pro Air Oven
The Ninja Foodi Smart XL Pro Air Oven is large enough to roast whole chickens and can also heat up frozen snacks or bake cookies. The DT251 model comes with a thermometer, but you can buy the DT201 model for a bit less without the temperature probe. The oven has 10 functions: toast, bagel, bake, pizza, air fry, air roast, dehydrate, reheat, broil, and whole roast. While many toaster ovens on our list also include air fry, the Ninja Foodi has an air roast feature, as well. Air fry is meant for foods that are typically deep fried, such as french fries. However, air roast is used when you want your food to have a crispy outside and tender inside, such as roasted vegetables.
This versatile toaster oven gets glowing reviews with people commenting that they love the large-sized interior. Reviewers also say the oven cooks food well and is easy to operate. People like that they can cook entire meals for their family in the Ninja Foodi without heating up the whole house by turning on a conventional oven. On the negative side, some say it takes up a lot of counter space and the exterior of the oven can get very hot, so just keep this in mind before making your decision.
Wolf Gourmet Countertop Oven Elite
If you can't afford a full Wolf oven for your kitchen but still want a taste of the luxury brand, the Wolf Gourmet Countertop Oven Elite may be a more reasonable splurge. The Wolf brand is known for its gourmet, built-in convection ovens but it does offer a countertop version. The Countertop Oven Elite has settings for toast, bagel, bake, roast, broil, warm, and proof. It comes with a thermometer to make sure your meat is cooked to perfection.
Nobody buys a Wolf toaster oven just to make toast. However, reviewers do like how this oven toasts bread and bagels. Beyond that, people appreciate the quality of the oven, the quiet convection fan, and the ease of cleaning. If you've got the money to spend, most reviewers agree, this one is worth it. Many praise the oven for being so versatile; it's like having a second oven in their kitchen. The only real negative is the high price point.
Our Place Wonder Oven
The Our Place Wonder Oven, with its retro design and bright colors, is all over social media. Known for the internet-famous Always Pan, the company also offers a multi-use toaster oven. With its popularity, you may be wondering if it lives up to its reputation. This toaster oven has six features: toast, bake, broil, reheat, air fry, and broil. It also offers steam infusion, which is meant to cook your food perfectly without drying it out. It comes in four colors with kitschy names: char, blue salt, steam, and spice. Like other products from Our Place, the design is aesthetically pleasing and would look great in any kitchen.
Besides its stylish appearance, this oven does seem to hold its own. Reviewers rave about its compact size, multi-functions, and easy-to-use manual knobs. Many reviewers like that they can use it for reheating things that they want to turn out crispy, something that's not really achievable with a microwave. It should be noted that there are mixed opinions on this toaster oven: Some reviewers speculate that its reputation is based more on marketing and less of a functional product. However, the majority of reviewers are positive.
Methodology
We created our list based on customer reviews of toaster ovens from a variety of websites. All of the products we included have the basic features of toasting and heating up small food items, though some of the appliances are large enough to roast chickens or cook family-sized meals. We searched online for toaster ovens for every budget that had overall high customer reviews and summed up the consensus into bite-sized, digestible chunks to save you time. We covered a variety of options, both in terms of functionality and price, so there should be something for everyone here.