Best toaster oven 2021: our favorite appliance

Now is the perfect time to buy the best toaster oven for your kitchen. With their multi-shelf designs and countertop dimensions, toaster ovens are some of the most popular appliances to buy right now. Many come with toaster oven air fryer functions with baskets to evenly cook homemade fries and frozen food for a crispy finish. 

The best toaster ovens are essentially miniature convection ovens that can sit on the top of kitchen counters all year long. They often include a range of cooking modes, from broiling and baking to toasting bagels and bread. That's actually why they are know as toaster ovens, because they were originally designed to toast lots of bread in one go, in place of the best toasters. These days, they also take the place of the best air fryers, and can do a lot of the functions of a standard oven. 

While it's too late to buy the best toaster oven for thanksgiving, you'll find that these appliances will help you stay on top of food prep and offer extra cooking space throughout the rest of the holiday season. 

The best toaster oven 2021

Our top pick of the best toaster oven is the Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven. It has a mid-size capacity that allows you to adjust the temperature, timer, and settings. You can air fry, bake, convection broil, warm, and more. 

What we love

Controls are incredibly straightforward, and you can simply twist the dial to add or take away time from your cooking cycle. The Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven cooked very evenly in testing, and the air fryer basket was effective at making fries, chicken and other treats. 

As for the oven, it's very fast to cook. We had nuggets in just 7 minutes, and oven pizza was complete in just 10. 

Features

With 7 modes in total, the Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven is a winner for multi-functionality. It has a tray for roasting, a basket for air frying, and a baking pan that can be used for cake, cookies and more. 

Homes & Gardens rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

If you live in a small home and want something to speed up meal times without taking an entire counter's worth of space, the Ninja Foodi 8-in-1 Digital Air Fry Oven is designed just for you. It's also a top choice for those who live in apartments and may not have an oven to speak of. 

What we love

For a start, Ninja has crammed 8 modes into the Ninja Foodi 8-in-1 Digital Air Fry Oven: air fry, air roast, air broil, bake, bagel, toast, dehydrate, and keep warm. While it's never going to rival full-sized air fryers, it does still have the space for a 13 x 13 inch baking tray, and comes with two inserts for air frying and also baking. 

Because it lifts up, it's easy to access the underside of the toaster oven to get an easyn and deep clean, which is great news for those who plan to use this as their main toaster oven. 

It can also fit up to nine slices of toast (that's over twice as much as most of the best toasters we've tried) and up to 4 pounds of chicken wings. 

Features

The flip-away design is distinctive and great for those with small homes, and it also has a pull-out crumb tray to make sure it's clean for day-to-day use. 

It won't look quite as stylish on your countertop when it's leant against the backsplash, but for the convenience, it's totally worth it. 

Homes & Gardens rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

Breville's The Smart Oven Pro is the premium pick for those who want a toaster oven that does it all. It has an LCD display that shows pre-heat information, and nine modes. 

What we love

The LCD display is easy to control, and because the capacity is on the medium side, it can cater to most families. Controls are intuitive too, with a button for frozen modes as well as one to activate the convection controls. While there is no specific toaster oven air fry mode, convection is a great way of achieving similar results. 

Non-stick coats the internal cavity of this toaster oven, meaning it will be straightforward to clean. 

Features

There are nine modes in total: Toast, Bagel, Bake, Roast, Broil, Pizza, Cookies, Reheat and Warm. You can toggle everything from the size of the pizza you're cooking to the darkness of your toast. 

Included are a broiling rack, non-stick pizza pan, and enamel baking pan. 

Known for its classic and quality designs, De'Longhi's toaster oven is no exception. It has seven cooking modes, although air frying is not one of them, and the slanted front is perfect for displaying your food while it is cooking. 

What we love

The De'Longhi Livenza Countertop Oven is great for broiling because the top shelf fits nice and close to the top of the oven. 

The controls come in the form of three dials, which will allow you to adjust the time, temperature, and function independently. A removable crumb-tray and non-stick interior makes the De'Longhi Livenza Countertop Oven very easy to clean, and the 0.8 cubic foot internal capacity is well laid out to make the most of all four shelves. 

Features

The slanted front makes the De'Longhi Livenza Countertop Oven very easy to use. You will not have to bend to see your food when it cooks, which is also aided by the internal light. The controls are also intuitive for those who may be new to toaster ovens. 

One of the most modern-looking toaster ovens comes from Ninja. The Ninja 10-in-1 XL Pro Air Fry Oven has 10 times the power of a conventional convection oven, thanks to its 1800 watts of power. 

What we love

The thoughtful design, for one. It's got two wire racks, two sheet pans, an air fryer basket, a roast tray and a drip tray, which will allow you to customize for any meal you may choose. 

The display is touchscreen, which means you can control the Ninja 10-in-1 XL Pro Air Fry Oven with ease. 

Features

It has ten modes in total: Air Fry, Whole Roast, Air Roast, Bake, Dehydrate, Pizza, Broil, Toast, Bagel, and Reheat. The 12lbs capacity has enough space to cook two 12-inch pizzas at once, as well as a whole 12-lb turkey. 

The KitchenAid Digital Countertop Oven with Air Fry is smart to look at. It's got a matt black exterior and glossy steel door. The capacity is also pretty average, but there's plenty of space thanks to its nifty layout. 

What we love

The controls are very easy to use. The dial on the front of the machine helps to pick a mode and then choose a time, up to 120 minutes.

It has an air fry basket which is very deep and means you won't have to turn your fries halfway through cooking. Preheat is speedy too: just four minutes. 

Features

There are nine modes: Dehydrate, Proof, Bagel, Toast, Air Fry, Bake, Broil, Air Fry, and Keep Warm. 

You choose these using a very easy dial, and then turn to the right side to choose the temperature and time, as well as optional convection cooking. 

The Bella Pro Series 6-Slice Toaster Oven is our best toaster oven under $100. Granted, it doesn't come in at much under, but this 0.8 cubic foot capacity toaster oven will be perfect for family use. 

What we love

Pick from three different tray slots, which is perfect for cooking up a feast, and even adjust the brownness of your toast with the dial control. 

The crumb tray collects everything that falls away from your food, which makes cleaning easy. You can also be rest assured that the 1800 watts of power will match toaster ovens twice the price. 

Features

Modes include defrost, bake, pizza, toast, broil, reheat, warm, bagel and cookies. There is also a wire tray and bake pan. 

The interior is not coated in non-stick, and there is no convection setting, but this toaster oven is a great budget pick. 

What is the best toaster oven? 

Our top pick of the best toaster oven is the Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven. It's the perfect size for most homes, and hits the right balance between price and quality. 

Breville's The Smart Oven Pro is our premium pick, with its convenient controls and nine mode options.

For a toaster oven under $100, take a look at the Bella Pro Series 6-Slice Toaster Oven, and if you want the best toaster oven air fryer, our top pick is the Ninja 10-in-1 XL Pro Air Fry Oven.

How do I choose a good toaster oven?

For one thing, you should consider the space you have available. While the best toaster ovens are excellent stand-ins for a regular oven, they do require counter space. We included the dimensions to make that consideration a little easier.

As for features, we recommend a toaster oven air fryer. That's not just because we're air fryer lovers, but convection technology will mean that your food will cook faster, and you'll end up with more options when it comes to mealtimes.