The Best Small Toaster Ovens for Toast, Pizza and Baked French Fries Tested and Reviewed

Small toaster ovens are in the smallest size category in this line of products. As such, they can save the most energy, cooking time, and kitchen space while delivering the same functionality and quality as full-sized ovens or wall ovens.

And with many benefits, there are bound to be some drawbacks even considering the best toaster ovens. Thus, it’s crucial to find a good balance of value between price and quality amongst a plethora of models on the market.

Our Top Picks

Best Overall: Breville BOV450XL Mini Toaster Oven

$154.13

(Price at time of publish)

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The brushed stainless steel Breville BOV450XL is our pick for the best-to-buy small toaster oven. Though imperfect, it produced the best results in our performance tests among our small toaster ovens. It also has the highest build quality of material to assembly on top of some unique features at a reasonable price.

Best Cooking Performances

The Breville BOV450XL had a high score making toast which should be the primary use of a toaster oven. Thanks to its high wattage, this oven has the fastest cooking time for toast among the toaster ovens we’ve tested thus far.

At toast level 4, the Breville produced 4 pieces with mottled light golden to golden-brown color which looked quite appetizing. The color was not evenly distributed due to the oven’s lack of a convection system, though.

The first batch of toast was nicely crispy outside while still soft and moist inside. Our head chef, Tuyet Pham, determined they would go well with pretty much anything including an omelet, eggs benedict, and particularly sandwiches.

Even though the oven automatically adjusted the timer to 2 minutes 36 seconds, the color of the second batch was a bit darker. Also, the second batch was crispier than the first which made it more suitable for soup.

It also had some of the highest scores in roasting a whole chicken and baking fries among our tested small toaster ovens. Nonetheless, if you’re making these two dishes, we suggest reducing the amounts of food as we mentioned above.

The oven showed a weakness in baking pizza though it was still acceptable. We hypothesized that there were some heating inconsistencies in the elements due to the oven’s mart heating algorithms.

Highest Build Quality

The exterior of the Breville BOV450XL is made from durable stainless steel. It’s equipped with a slide-out crumb tray and tray-level indicators on the glass door. The baking pan has an enamel coating for easy cleaning but is a bit smaller than the oven rack.

The oven’s cooking chamber has a non-toxic non-stick coating and is larger than most small toaster ovens. Its four quartz heating elements are sufficiently powered with 1800 Watts of power. We did think that this unit could be completed with a convection system though.

Unique Features

In addition to the standard cooking functions, the Breville BOV450XL includes some nice presets for cookies, pizza, and reheating. The digital display along with the function dial made it simple to readjust the cooking setting during operation.

Regarding the oven's unique features, we thought the Temperature Conversion button was helpful, particularly for international consumers. Unfortunately, the FROZEN FOODS and A BIT MORE buttons didn’t prove to be very useful.

Cleaning-wise, it was very easy inside and outside the oven as well as its accessories.

Read our full Breville BOV450XL Mini Toaster Oven in-depth review

Best Value: Mueller MT-175 Small Countertop Toaster Oven

$64.55

(Price at time of publish)

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The grey stainless steel Mueller MT-175 Small Countertop Toaster Oven became our choice for the best value small toaster oven thanks to its highest performance score in combination with its inexpensive price. The oven is our go-to candidate for serving one person or two people while saving space on your kitchen counter.

Highest Overall Performance Score

The Mueller has the highest overall performance score among our tested toaster ovens thanks to its ability to make toast and pizza.

After 4 minutes of toasting, the four pieces of toast had pretty good surface color. However, the colors varied from light golden to golden brown on both the top and the bottom.

Luckily, the varied colors partially meant varied textures which were all good. The golden brown areas had a more crispy outside while the light golden areas had a softer inside. Our head chef Tuyet Pham determined that it would go great with omelets, eggs benedict, and sandwiches but not so much with soup.

Under the identical toasting time, the second batch became brown with an increased evenness from the first batch. While the color was a bit darker than ideal, the extra crispiness made the second batch more suitable for soups.

The oven took 9 minutes to bake a 9-inch thick-crust meat pizza which wasn’t fast compared to other units. The crust had a golden color all the way through and the inside was still moist. If only the crust was a bit more crispy, it would’ve gotten a higher score.

The toppings were also caramelized quite evenly from the meat and veggies to the cheese. The cheese was nicely melted but the areas closer to the back of the cooking chamber were more caramelized compared to the rest. With both the crust and the toppings being good, our chef had no reason to give the pizza a low score for taste.

Inexpensive Price

The Mueller is small, lightweight, and easy to operate with its analog control knobs. In addition, it can save energy with its 1100 W of power and two quartz heating elements. However, this can lead to a lower performance in foods that require a stable and high temperature like baking frozen fries.

The oven has a detachable crumb tray which is useful for cleaning, especially for a unit this size. Other than that, similar to many other units of the same size, it doesn’t have many features of design and usability.

Read our full Mueller MT-175 Small Countertop Toaster Oven in-depth review

Best Energy-Saving: Panasonic NB-G110P FlashXpress Digital

$153.64

(Price at time of publish)

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The Panasonic NB-G110P had very powerful heating elements so it could reduce the cooking time. Moreover, it has some of the highest scores in our Pizza, Chicken, and Fries test among our tested small toaster ovens.

However, the oven had a shortcoming of uneven heat distribution which we think could be improved by reducing the portion size compared to our test amount. The lack of space for heat circulation was one of the main reasons preventing the Panasonic a higher score in our Whole Roasted Chicken test.

The powerful heating elements of the Panasonic allowed it to bake a 9-inch thick-crust meat pizza in only 3 minutes. This was one of our fastest recorded cooking times.

However, such a short cooking time was only enough to cook the crust while not giving it any color at all. The silver lining in this was that the crust wasn’t dry.

The toppings would have been quite appetizing if not for the burnt onions, bell peppers, and meat tips. Luckily, the high heat meant that the cheese was melty. Unfortunately, the burnt parts affected the taste quite badly with their bitterness.

The Panasonic NB-G110P has a high build quality which justifies its price. The oven has unique design features including an auto-pull rack and preset cooking functions. Unfortunately, while the auto-pull rack was a convenient feature, it effectively reduced the available cooking space.

Moreover, the cooking presets didn’t actually add much to the oven’s ease of use. Overall, besides an interior light, the oven lacked the premium features often seen in units of this price range.

Read our full Panasonic NB-G110P FlashXpress Digital in-depth review

Other Small Toaster Ovens Up For the Competition

1. Hamilton Beach 31401 — A basic, lightweight, and small-sized toaster oven. With 1200 Watts of power and two quartz heating elements, it saves energy but left a lot to be desired in cooking foods for our performance tests. At least, it’s easy to use and clean.

2. COMFEE CFO-BB101 — A budget toaster oven to save your countertop space. It also minimizes energy consumption with a power rating of 1000 W and two quartz heating elements. These specifications greatly hindered its performance score, though.

How We Test Small Toaster Ovens

Even though our testing procedures were the same on toaster ovens of all sizes, there were a few differences that caught our attention.

Our Performance Tests

For all of our performance tests, we had to keep the quantity and cooking temperature uniform to figure out and evaluate the cooking time. We found that small toaster ovens were better suited to cooking 1-2 portions at a time and not more than that.

Throughout our tests, even at the same power rating, most small-sized models didn’t perform as well as medium-sized models in cooking similar quantities of food. This was especially true for our Whole Roasted Chicken test even though most of the ovens were able to comfortably fit our recipe of a 3 lb chicken.

However, if you want to replicate the dishes but with better results, you can reduce the serving of fries to 6 oz and roast the chicken not as a whole but in pieces. Unfortunately, 4 pieces of toast or a 9-inch pizza are already the bare minimum.

Our Design and Usability Tests

We noticed that small toaster ovens typically have less room for features of design and usability.

For example, we have a number of small toaster ovens with basic control dials or a removable crumb tray as an accessory as opposed to the slide-out variety. More often than not, their casing is not as well-insulated and their cavity doesn’t have a coating.

However, that didn’t affect how we scored the products — what features an oven had, plus our experiences with how well they worked and how useful they were.

How We Pick

Our hands-on experience combined with knowledge from different experts allowed us to be thorough when designing our test. We also consulted user reviews to find out which features matter to most consumers and applied them to our scoring table.

Thus, rest assured that only the candidate with the highest score in every aspect can become our top pick. According to our results so far, the Breville BOV450XL has an ideal balance of performance, design, and usability — our scoring criteria.

Things to Keep in Mind when Buying a Small Toaster Oven

The price of a small toaster oven can range from $40 to $200 with some premium models reaching $400. Due to their size, small toaster ovens tend to have fewer additional features of design and usability.

It’s all the more important that you, as consumers, get the best value for your money. Currently, we chose the Breville BOV450XL as the best-to-buy small toaster oven.

Performance

Although many believe a convection system isn’t compulsory, our test results showed a higher performance score in convection toaster ovens. Some factors that don’t necessarily dictate this score are the number as well as the type of heating element. The number of cooking functions also doesn’t matter as much as how precise and stable the oven’s internal temperature is when cooking.

Design

The dimensions of small-sized toaster ovens are usually around 14"x11"x8" (LxWxH). Their cooking chamber volume ranges from 10 to 15 liters and commonly houses two heating elements.

The power rating for toaster ovens of all sizes ranges from 800 W to 2200 W. A higher power output and more heating elements can attribute to an increase in the cooking performance of a toaster oven.

Our picks for the best convection toaster ovens should have a good stainless steel exterior to provide sufficient heat insulation as well as water and stain resistance. . Additional accessories like a rotisserie kit, an air fryer basket, a pizza stone, multiple racks, and extra baking pans can get an oven some bonus points.

Note: Manufacturers have yet to standardize the measurements for these products so consider this our rough guideline.

Usability

The small toaster ovens we selected also had to be easy to clean from the inside out, including the accessories. They also needed to have a reliable control panel that is responsive and easy to use. A trusted brand that provides good after-sale service is also something worth looking for.

When Should You Buy A Small Toaster Oven?

After testing toaster ovens of different specifications, we recommend the small units if you’re only cooking for one or two people. Functionality-wise, small toaster ovens are just as capable in baking, roasting, reheating, and of course, toasting as their bigger relatives.

Moreover, larger units don’t automatically reduce the power output when cooking less food, so it’s a waste of energy using them to cook small meals. Also, a smaller capacity usually requires a shorter preheat time.

Practicality-wise, small toaster ovens are suitable if you have limited kitchen space. They are also easier to move around, considering if you live in a small dorm, apartment, or rental house. Finally, they tend to cost less than their larger counterparts.

Why Trust Us?

What separates us from other product reviewing platforms is that our basis revolves around hands-on experimentation as a team. Our testing criteria prioritize user experience with all kinds of toaster ovens. Based on the authentic appraisal and helpful information from our reviews, you can confidently decide how good a toaster oven is for you.

With the culinary expertise of our head chef, we developed our performance tests through the most commonly cooked foods in a toaster oven. Simultaneously, the Research, Testing, and Review (RTR) team scored the features of design and usability through our interactions with the toaster ovens during use.

In our How We Tested Toaster Ovens article, you can follow our tests step by step and see how we were able to finalize the scores which you see in our reviews. Seeing is believing, so our entire testing process is illustrated with original videos and photographs. Our tests are to be performed the same way on every toaster oven which means you can reliably replicate them as well.

After being tested, the toaster ovens are employed in the kitchen of HealthyRecipes101 for intensive and extensive use. This is how we maintain a constant flow of feedback on the quality and performance of the toaster ovens as well as the do’s and don’ts when using them.

Our Expertise

Alan Nguyen is a reviewer for Shouldit. On top of making homecooked meals as a hobby, he has prior experience working in both restaurant and military kitchens. Behind the kitchen counter was where he learned to utilize an array of equipment for cooking delicate portions as well as cooking in bulk.

Along with the Research, Testing, and Review (RTR) Lab of Shouldit, he began the quest to find the best small toaster ovens by sifting through hundreds before narrowing down to seven distinctive models.

The team then purchased the machines and put them through a series of comparative tests regarding cooking performance, design, and user-friendliness to find the best ones for every budget, culinary purpose, and home interior.

Most notably, our performance tests required roughly 90 hours of development and execution time. The process includes toasting over 50 packs of white bread (That’s over 500 slices of toast!), baking more than 20 nine-inch pizzas, not just 20 three-pound whole chickens, and something over 15 pounds of frozen french fries.