Our pick
Panasonic FlashXpress Toaster Oven
This compact toaster oven was among the best at evenly toasting bread, baking cookies, and bringing frozen foods to life. It performed as well as or better than competitors that cost significantly more.
Buying Options
*At the time of publishing, the price was $175.
The reasonably priced Panasonic FlashXpress Toaster Oven excels at making toast, cookies, and frozen snacks. In our tests, it cooked food evenly and didn’t generate any hot spots that would otherwise cause inconsistent toasting. Impressively, it made toast faster than most of the other models we tried. This oven takes up very little space on a counter, but it’s still large enough to fit four pieces of bread or two slices of leftover pizza. We think the FlashXpress is best for people who want to use a toaster oven just for toast or other small jobs, like preparing a handful of frozen snacks. For accomplishing bigger tasks, consider getting one of our other picks, the Cuisinart Chef’s Convection Toaster Oven or the Breville Smart Oven, which hold nine and six pieces of bread, respectively.
The large Cuisinart Chef’s Convection Toaster Oven (TOB-260N1) has nearly all of the capabilities of a full-size oven. It delivers even heat to up to nine slices of bread and can easily handle a 13-inch frozen pizza or a whole roast chicken (whereas our other pick, the Panasonic FlashXpress, can fit only a handful of frozen snacks). The Cuisinart’s three-year warranty is outstanding, as are its impressive accessories, which include a pizza stone. Like the Panasonic, this toaster oven was one of the fastest at preheating to 350 °F in our tests. Since this model is so large (it measures roughly 20½ by 13¼ by 11¼ inches), we recommend it for bigger households that have kitchens with ample countertop space. Although the Cuisinart is not marketed as such, it can also be used to air-fry food (air fryers are simply mini convection ovens).
Runner-up
Breville Smart Oven
The Smart Oven maintains temperature remarkably well. But it’s slower at preheating, doesn’t toast as evenly, and costs more than our main picks.
Buying Options
*At the time of publishing, the price was $280.
The Breville Smart Oven (an 1,800-watt convection toaster that includes the company’s Element IQ technology) is a great medium-size model that’s more compact than our Cuisinart pick but bigger than the Panasonic FlashXpress. We were impressed by its ability to maintain a set temperature better than most of its competition. It doesn’t toast quite as evenly as the Cuisinart and doesn’t come with a pizza stone, but it bakes cookies and melts cheese well. And as with the Cuisinart, the Breville’s convection setting allows you to air-fry food (even though the setting isn’t labeled that way). Compared with the Panasonic, the Breville has a more modern, intuitive interface. But it’s also more expensive and lacks an oven light.
Budget pick
Hamilton Beach 4-Slice Toaster Oven
This small, affordable oven is ideal for those who want something simple. It performed far better than the others we tested at this price level.
Buying Options
*At the time of publishing, the price was $60.
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 features—but it heats evenly. The Hamilton Beach’s humble size makes it ideal for kitchens with limited counter space, but its oven cavity is still large enough to fit four slices of bread. This toaster oven runs cooler than other models we tested, so you’ll need to increase the temperature by about 25 degrees when baking or roasting. But we think that’s a forgivable drawback considering the low price.