Modern toaster ovens are like smaller versions of conventional ovens, and they serve a variety of purposes beyond toasting bread. They heat up quickly and can handle tasks ranging from reheating leftovers to baking a cake. Larger toaster ovens are even capable of roasting a perfectly golden-brown chicken.
After extensive testing since 2015—consisting of making numerous slices of toast, mini pizza bagels, and cookies—we recommend the compact Panasonic FlashXpress Toaster Oven and the spacious Cuisinart Chef’s Convection Toaster Oven, depending on your available space and requirements.
Some toaster ovens, especially those with convection technology like our larger pick, can even be used for air frying recipes, although this may necessitate certain adjustments. However, if you’re interested in frequent air frying, you might want to check out our separate guide on air fryer toaster ovens.
Our choice
This small toaster oven was excellent at evenly toasting bread, baking cookies, and reviving frozen foods. It performed as effectively as or better than competitors priced much higher.
The Panasonic FlashXpress Toaster Oven is perfect for individuals seeking a machine specifically for toasting or other small tasks, such as preparing a few frozen snacks. Impressively, it toasted bread faster than any other model we tested. It cooked food uniformly and didn’t produce any hot spots that could lead to inconsistent toasting—it was also one of the few models in this price range that could evenly crisp the skin on chicken thighs.
This oven takes up minimal space on a counter, but it’s still large enough to accommodate four slices of sandwich bread or a slice of leftover pizza. For handling larger tasks, consider opting for one of our other selections, the Cuisinart Chef’s Convection Toaster Oven or the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro, both of which can accommodate a 13-inch pizza or up to nine slices of bread.
Our choice
This Cuisinart model offers consistently even cooking, a generous nine-slice toast capacity, a three-year warranty, and some handy accessories.
The spacious Cuisinart Chef’s Convection Toaster Oven TOB-260N1 has nearly all the capabilities of a full-size oven. It evenly distributes heat to up to nine slices of bread, a 13-inch frozen pizza, or a whole roast chicken (unlike the Panasonic FlashXpress Toaster Oven, which can only accommodate a few frozen snacks). The Cuisinart toaster oven’s three-year warranty is exceptional, as are its impressive accessories, including a ceramic pizza stone. Similar to the Panasonic FlashXpress model, it was one of the fastest at preheating to 350 °F in our tests.
Given its large size (approximately 20.5 by 13.25 by 11.25 inches), we recommend it for households with ample countertop space. Although it’s not marketed as such, it can also be utilized for air frying food (pod-shaped air fryers are essentially mini convection ovens).
If you intend to air fry frequently, you may want to consider our premium choice, the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro, which features a slightly more potent fan.
Budget pick
This small, affordable oven is perfect for those seeking a straightforward option. It outperformed the other ovens we tested in this price range.
The inexpensive Hamilton Beach 4 Slice Toaster Oven toasted bread better than any other oven under $100. This no-frills model lacks many of the features included in our other picks—such as digital controls and preset cooking programs—but it provides even heating. The Hamilton Beach toaster oven’s modest size makes it well-suited for kitchens with limited counter space, yet it can still accommodate four slices of bread.
It runs cooler than other models we tested, so you need to increase the temperature by about 25 degrees when baking or roasting. However, this is a forgivable downside given its affordable price.
Premium pick
This convection toaster oven features a slightly more potent fan for air frying compared to the Cuisinart model, along with convenient markings on the door and the easiest-to-clean interior. It also includes additional settings for proofing bread, slow cooking, and dehydrating.
If you plan to air fry frequently or don’t mind paying top dollar for a more refined overall experience, we suggest the impressive Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro. This oven shares many features with our main pick from Cuisinart, including a spacious oven capacity, two oven racks, and two convection fan speeds for more control over how you cook your food.
One of the main differences is that the Breville toaster oven’s fan is slightly more powerful and crisps up food more quickly. The oven also has a slightly larger cavity and comes with a few additional settings that some individuals may find useful, such as: proof, air fry, reheat, cookies, slow cook, and dehydrate.
However, if you don’t think you’d make use of these additional features, you will probably be just as satisfied with the Cuisinart toaster oven, which is much more affordable.
