If you mostly toast for one or have limited counter space, a simple 2-slice toaster could be just what you need. Then again, if you've ever struggled with a toaster that consistently burns your bread (or your fingers when you extract it) or dries it out, you know that finding a good toaster isn't necessarily a simple task. Fantastic 2-slice toasters can produce a spectrum of toast shades, ranging from barely browned to charred, while browning each slice evenly and retaining enough moisture to keep the center soft. They should also contain crumbs well and offer one-sided toasting for bagels, English muffins, and other split breads. You'll also want to ensure your toaster can fit your favorite baked goods, whether you prefer bagels, long slices of focaccia, or frozen waffles, and that it won't take forever to pop up your breakfast.
We've tested over 25 toasters, and below are our recommendations for the best 2-slice toasters. If you need more toasting capacity for busy mornings, check out our recommendations for the best 4-slice toasters. For an overview of the best overall, see our picks for the best toasters or the best toaster brands.
We've put over 25 toasters through the wringer to help you make a confident buying decision. But how do we do it? It starts with buying the products ourselves, just like you. We take it a step further with our lab, where we measure a variety of characteristics, like toasting evenness, so that a prospective toaster's performance doesn't come as a shock. You can even compare models and results, making it easy to find the right toaster for your needs.
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Best 2-Slice Toaster
Everyday Use7.9Capacity6.7Toasting Evenness8.0Features7.5Crumb Management7.5See all our test resultsToasting Speed8.4The Dualit 2 Slice NewGen Classic is the best 2-slice toaster we've tested. What really sets it apart is its longevity. It has a sturdy metal body, and Dualit sells a wide range of replacement parts, making it easier to repair and keep in service rather than replace outright. Its controls remain traditional and old school, with a wind-up analog timer and a manual lever that lets you check your toast mid-cycle. This durable, serviceable design is also backed by a strong reputation, and some owners report their Dualit toasters have stayed in service for decades.
It also performs very well. It toasts quickly without drying out the bread, and its one-sided toasting mode works especially well for bagels, English muffins, and other split breads. It has deep slots, a wide toasting range, and good crumb management. That said, because it lacks a self-centering mechanism, thinner slices may not brown quite as evenly across the surface.
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Best Upper Mid-Range 2-Slice Toaster
Everyday Use7.8Capacity7.1Toasting Evenness9.0Features10Crumb Management7.0See all our test resultsToasting Speed7.0If you'd rather your toaster not double as a conversation piece about the good old days, the Breville the 'A Bit More' 2 Slice is a more modern, feature-rich alternative to the Dualit 2 Slice NewGen Classic. Its stainless steel design is very much at home in modern kitchen decor, and it offers some useful extra features. Along with buttons for one-sided toasting and frozen foods, this toaster includes a 'Lift and Look' function that lets you lift the slots to check the progress of your toast, an 'A Bit More' button that adds extra time, and LED cycle countdown indicators, so you know when your toast is about to be ready. The slots are wide, so it's suitable for a range of bread types, from regular sandwich bread to thickly sliced sourdough or a chunky bagel.
Its seven presets let you make everything from lightly toasted to charred sandwich bread. The highest setting is sufficient to brown items that take longer to toast, such as denser rye bread, in a single cycle. As far as performance goes, it evenly toasts the bread's surface, and both slots deliver similar results. Its one-sided toasting mode also browns only the cut side of bagels and other split breads while leaving the outside soft. That said, it doesn't toast as quickly as the Dualit, so bread loses more moisture and comes out a little drier. It also lets some crumbs and seeds fall onto the counter, so you'll have to clean around it fairly regularly.
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Best Mid-Range 2-Slice Toaster
Everyday Use7.6Capacity7.5Toasting Evenness8.6Features7.5Crumb Management5.0See all our test resultsToasting Speed7.9For your favorite carbs that don't fit in a standard 2-slice toaster, the Dash Clear View Long Slot is a great alternative. Instead of two short slots like the Breville the 'A Bit More' 2 Slice and Dualit 2 Slice NewGen Classic, it has one long slot with room for two slices of sandwich bread or one longer slice of homemade or bakery bread. It's wide enough to fit thicker slices of bread, but it's not very deep, so taller slices can sometimes stick out the top. This unique toaster has a few features that help it stand out, most notably a viewing window that lets you watch your bread toast. There's also a defrost button for frozen items, a button for one-sided toasting, and the typical shade selector dial with a cancel button located in the center.
When it comes to toasting performance, this model is excellent. Like the Breville, it provides a fantastic toasting range, so you can make your toast exactly how you like it. Each slice comes out evenly toasted on both sides, though the bottom edge can start to burn at higher settings. It also toasts faster and retains more moisture than the Breville, though it isn't quite as fast as the Dualit. Its one-sided toasting mode also works well for split breads, leaving one side toasted and the other soft. On the downside, its long, narrow crumb tray lets plenty of crumbs and seeds fall onto your counter, so you'll have to clean around it after every use.
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Best Budget 2-Slice Toaster
Everyday Use7.5Capacity7.1Toasting Evenness9.6Features6.0Crumb Management7.0See all our test resultsToasting Speed8.1The Black+Decker 2-Slice T2569B proves you don't need bells and whistles to make good toast. While it doesn't provide a way to check your toast's progress like the Dash Clear View Long Slot or offer as many features as the Breville the 'A Bit More' 2 Slice, its toasting performance is hard to beat. It toasts quickly and very evenly without drying out your bread, leaving each slice evenly browned on both sides. It's also decent at containing crumbs, though a few still end up on your counter. You can achieve golden-brown toast with one preset, while the highest setting is sufficient for toasting denser bread and thicker slices in a single cycle. Both slots perform similarly, too, so you can expect comparable results no matter which one you use.
Its plastic body gives this toaster a less premium feel, but it's also very light, which is nice if you plan to store it in a cupboard or on a shelf when it's not in use. Its slots are wide enough for thickly sliced bread, but they're somewhat short, so taller slices can stick out the top. Although it doesn't have many extra features, you do get a setting for frozen items and a bagel setting, although that only adds extra toasting time. Unlike the Breville, the Dash, and the Dualit 2 Slice NewGen Classic, it doesn't offer true one-sided toasting, resulting in split breads coming out browned on both sides.
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Best Cheap 2-Slice Toaster
Everyday Use6.6Capacity7.2Toasting Evenness8.0Features2.5Crumb Management5.0See all our test resultsToasting Speed7.9Tight counters and tighter budgets are no match for the bella 2-Slice Slim, which saves space without compromising on personality. It shares a similar single-long-slot design with the Dash Clear View Long Slot, with room for two slices of sandwich bread or one longer slice of homemade or bakery bread, but it leaves out the viewing window. It comes in a range of finishes if you're looking to add a pop of color to your kitchen, and it toasts quickly and evenly without drying out your bread, though results can vary depending on where you position each slice in the slot, and taller pieces may stick out of the top.
The main trade-off is that this toaster keeps features to a minimum, with only six shade settings and a cancel button. Unlike the Dash and Black+Decker 2-Slice T2569B, it doesn't have settings for frozen foods or bagels, and it can't toast split breads on only one side. Its narrow crumb tray also lets plenty of crumbs and seeds fall onto the counter, so you'll need to clean after every use.
Notable Mentions
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Smeg 2-Slice TSF01:
The Smeg 2-Slice TSF01 is a premium option that comes in a variety of colors and features a 1950s-style design. Overall, it performs similarly to the Breville the 'A Bit More' 2 Slice, although it doesn't toast as consistently batch after batch. That said, it's very expensive for a toaster, so unless you love the look, the Breville is a much better choice.
See our review
Recent Updates
Jul 22, 2026:
We removed the unavailable Hamilton Beach 2 Slice Toaster with Extra-Wide Slots 22217, adding the Dualit 2 Slice NewGen Classic as our top pick, and naming the bella 2-Slice Slim our cheap pick. We also reorganized the lineup and updated the article to reflect our recent Test Bench Update v1.2.
May 14, 2026:
We removed the Sur La Table Touchscreen 2-Slice as our mid-range pick, as it's unavailable, and we removed the Oster 2-Slice with Quick-Check Lever as our budget pick because it doesn't offer as much day-to-day convenience as our remaining picks. We added the Dash Clear View Long Slot as our new mid-range pick, and the Hamilton Beach 2-Slice Toaster with Extra-Wide Slots 22217 as our cheap pick, since they perform well for everyday use.
Feb 09, 2026:
We've updated the article to give price-based recommendations. The Sur La Table Touchscreen 2-Slice Toaster has been added as a pick.
Nov 17, 2025:
We've made minor updates to the text and verified that the products are in stock; however, our recommendations remain unchanged.
Apr 25, 2025:
We've checked to ensure our recommendations are in stock and represent the best choices for most people. We also made small text edits for clarity.
All Reviews
Here are our recommendations for the best 2-slice toasters for most people. We factor in the price, feedback from our visitors, and availability.
If you would like to do the work of choosing yourself, here is the list of all our toaster reviews. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. There's no perfect toaster; most are good enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.