← kitchen
Best Toaster Ovens of 2026: Tested for Baking, Broiling & Air Frying
Published June 1, 2026
Looking for the best toaster oven in 2026? We tested top countertop ovens for baking, broiling, and air frying to help you find the right model for your kitchen and budget.
Disclosure: This guide contains affiliate links. If you click and buy, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Learn more
How We Tested: Our Toaster Oven Evaluation Criteria
Finding the best toaster oven 2026 has to offer means going beyond marketing claims and actually cooking with these machines. Our evaluation covered four core use cases: toasting bread evenly across all slots, baking a batch of cookies, broiling salmon fillets, and air frying frozen fries. We scored each unit on heat consistency, preheat speed, ease of controls, interior capacity, and how easy the crumb tray and racks are to clean. We also factored in build quality — does the door feel solid? Does the exterior get dangerously hot? Are the knobs and buttons intuitive or a frustrating puzzle? Price-to-performance ratio was weighed heavily, because a $300 countertop oven needs to justify itself against a $150 competitor. Every model was run through at least a week of daily use before we drew conclusions. No single test session, no cherry-picked results.
Best Toaster Ovens at a Glance
Here is a fast-reference breakdown before we get into the full reviews. The Breville Smart Oven Pro is our overall top pick — it handles every cooking task with precision and has the build quality to last years. For households that prioritize air frying, the Ninja DZ201 Foodi and the Instant Vortex Plus 6-Quart are strong contenders, though they trade some oven versatility for air-fry performance. The Philips Premium Digital Airfryer XXL sits in a premium air-fry-focused lane. The Ninja Foodi 9-in-1 Pressure Cooker rounds out the list for buyers who want multi-cooker functionality alongside convection baking. If your main need is true oven-style baking and broiling with a reliable convection fan, the Breville is the one to beat. If you cook mostly frozen foods, wings, and fries and want speed above all, lean toward the Ninja or Instant Vortex options.
Breville Smart Oven Pro Convection Toaster Oven
4.4★ · 12,724 reviews
Buy on Amazon →
Ninja DZ201 Foodi 8 Quart Air Fryer
3.6★ · 12 reviews
Buy on Amazon →
Instant Vortex Plus 6-Quart Air Fryer
4.5★ · 182 reviews
Buy on Amazon →
Philips Premium Digital Airfryer XXL
4.3★ · 3,206 reviews
Buy on Amazon →
Ninja Foodi 9-in-1 Pressure Cooker
4.5★ · 68,000 reviews
Buy on Amazon →
Top Picks Reviewed: Full Breakdown of Each Model
Breville Smart Oven Pro Convection Toaster Oven — Best Overall. This is the benchmark every other countertop oven gets measured against. The interior is spacious enough to fit a 13-inch pizza or a 9x13 baking pan, and the Element IQ system adjusts heating element power based on what you are cooking. In testing, toast came out evenly browned across all six slices — no pale corners, no burnt edges near the elements. The convection fan made a real difference when baking cookies: even browning, no rotating required. Broiling salmon produced a proper sear without drying out the center. The backlit LCD and 10 preset functions are genuinely useful, not just spec-sheet padding. The exterior does get warm during long bakes, so keep clearance in mind. It is a premium price, but the build quality and cooking performance justify it for anyone who uses a countertop oven daily. Ninja DZ201 Foodi 8-Quart Air Fryer — Best for Air Frying Households. The dual-zone design is the headline feature here, and it actually works. You can run two different foods at two different temperatures simultaneously and have them finish at the same time using the Smart Finish function. Frozen fries came out genuinely crispy in under 20 minutes. Chicken wings had crackly skin without a drop of oil. Where it falls short compared to the Breville is traditional oven tasks — baking and broiling are secondary capabilities, not primary strengths. The footprint is also substantial, so measure your counter before ordering. Instant Vortex Plus 6-Quart Air Fryer — Best Value Air Fryer-Oven Hybrid. This unit punches above its price point. Six cooking functions — air fry, roast, broil, bake, reheat, and dehydrate — are all accessible through a clean touchscreen. Air frying performance is close to the Ninja at a lower price. Baking results are acceptable for everyday tasks like reheating pizza or roasting vegetables, though serious bakers will notice the Breville's superior heat distribution. The 6-quart capacity is enough for a family of three to four. Cleanup is straightforward with a dishwasher-safe basket. Philips Premium Digital Airfryer XXL — Best for Large Families Who Primarily Air Fry. The XXL designation is earned — this unit can handle a whole chicken. The Fat Removal Technology, which circulates hot air to draw fat away from food into a separate compartment, is a genuine differentiator for health-conscious buyers. Air frying results are consistently excellent. However, it is a dedicated air fryer first, not a toaster oven replacement. If you need to bake a cake or broil a steak, this is not the right tool. Ninja Foodi 9-in-1 Pressure Cooker — Best Multi-Cooker with Baking Capability. This one earns its place on this list for buyers who want a single appliance to replace both a pressure cooker and a countertop oven. The TenderCrisp technology lets you pressure cook and then air-crisp in the same pot — braised short ribs finished with a crispy top, for example. Baking performance is limited by the round pot shape, but for roasting, air crisping, and pressure cooking, it is genuinely versatile. Not a true toaster oven replacement, but a smart pick for small kitchens that need maximum function per square foot of counter space.
Breville Smart Oven Pro Convection Toaster Oven
4.4★ · 12,724 reviews
Buy on Amazon →
Ninja DZ201 Foodi 8 Quart Air Fryer
3.6★ · 12 reviews
Buy on Amazon →
Instant Vortex Plus 6-Quart Air Fryer
4.5★ · 182 reviews
Buy on Amazon →
Philips Premium Digital Airfryer XXL
4.3★ · 3,206 reviews
Buy on Amazon →
Ninja Foodi 9-in-1 Pressure Cooker
4.5★ · 68,000 reviews
Buy on Amazon →
Toaster Oven vs. Air Fryer vs. Countertop Convection: Which Do You Actually Need?
This is the question that determines which product actually belongs on your counter. A traditional toaster oven — think the Breville Smart Oven Pro — is a miniature convection oven. It excels at baking, broiling, toasting, and reheating. The heating elements surround the food from top and bottom, and a convection fan circulates hot air for even results. If you bake regularly, roast vegetables, or want to avoid heating your full-size oven for small meals, a quality toaster oven is the right call. An air fryer is essentially a compact convection oven with a high-speed fan and a basket design that promotes airflow around food. It is optimized for crispy results on fried-food textures — wings, fries, nuggets, fish fillets — and it does this faster than a toaster oven. The trade-off is that the basket format limits what you can cook. You cannot bake a sheet of cookies or broil a piece of salmon the same way you would in a toaster oven. A countertop convection oven is essentially a larger, more powerful toaster oven. Models in this category can replace a full-size oven for most everyday cooking tasks. They are better for roasting a whole chicken or cooking for a larger household, but they take up significantly more counter space. The decision framework is straightforward. If your priority is baking, broiling, and versatile oven-style cooking in a compact form, buy the Breville Smart Oven Pro. If your household primarily eats air-fried foods and you want speed and crispiness above all, the Ninja DZ201 or Instant Vortex Plus will serve you better. If you want one appliance that does both pressure cooking and air crisping, the Ninja Foodi 9-in-1 is the pick. Do not buy a dedicated air fryer if you actually need oven functionality, and do not buy a toaster oven if crispy air-fried results are your main goal.
Key Features to Look for Before You Buy
Capacity is the first thing to nail down. A 6-quart air fryer basket feeds two to three people comfortably. A toaster oven that fits a 13-inch pizza handles most family meals. If you regularly cook for four or more, size up. Do not buy small and regret it — countertop appliances are annoying to return. Convection fan quality matters more than most buyers realize. A weak or poorly positioned fan creates hot spots. Look for models that advertise even heat distribution and back it up with user reviews that mention consistent baking results. Preset functions are useful only if they are calibrated correctly. Some budget ovens have presets that are just timers with no real temperature logic behind them. The Breville's presets, by contrast, actually adjust element power and fan speed based on the cooking mode. Ease of cleaning is underrated. Crumb trays should pull out fully and be dishwasher safe. Interior walls should be non-stick or at least smooth enough to wipe down easily. Basket-style air fryers generally clean up faster than toaster ovens with multiple racks. Exterior heat is a safety and placement consideration. Some toaster ovens get very hot on the sides and top during long bakes. Check clearance requirements in the product specs and make sure your cabinet situation can accommodate them. Finally, think about control interface. Dial-based controls are more durable long-term but less precise. Touchscreens are precise but can be finicky with greasy hands. The Breville's backlit LCD with physical dial is a good middle ground — precise settings, tactile feedback.
Our Concrete Recommendations by Use Case
Best overall toaster oven for everyday baking and broiling: Breville Smart Oven Pro Convection Toaster Oven. No other countertop oven in this price range matches its heat consistency, build quality, and range of cooking modes. It is the right choice for anyone who will use it daily for real cooking tasks. Best for air frying as the primary use case: Ninja DZ201 Foodi 8-Quart Air Fryer. The dual-zone feature is genuinely useful for households that cook different foods simultaneously, and the air fry results are among the best we tested. Best value for a hybrid air fryer and oven: Instant Vortex Plus 6-Quart Air Fryer. If you want solid air frying plus basic oven functions without paying Breville prices, this is the smart buy. Performance is strong for the price and the interface is clean and simple. Best for large families focused on air frying: Philips Premium Digital Airfryer XXL. The capacity and the fat-removal feature make it the top pick for health-conscious households cooking for four or more people. Best single appliance for small kitchens: Ninja Foodi 9-in-1 Pressure Cooker. If counter space is at a premium and you want pressure cooking, slow cooking, and air crisping in one unit, this is the most versatile option on the list. Just do not expect it to replace a dedicated toaster oven for baking tasks.
Breville Smart Oven Pro Convection Toaster Oven
4.4★ · 12,724 reviews
Buy on Amazon →
Ninja DZ201 Foodi 8 Quart Air Fryer
3.6★ · 12 reviews
Buy on Amazon →
Instant Vortex Plus 6-Quart Air Fryer
4.5★ · 182 reviews
Buy on Amazon →
Philips Premium Digital Airfryer XXL
4.3★ · 3,206 reviews
Buy on Amazon →
Ninja Foodi 9-in-1 Pressure Cooker
4.5★ · 68,000 reviews
Buy on Amazon →
Products in This Guide
All recommended products, side by side.