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 the toast), 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, batch after batch. They toast evenly, without leaving a pile of crumbs on your clean counter. 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 20 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 our 20 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 Use8.0Capacity7.1Toasting Evenness9.0Features10Crumb Management7.0See all our test resultsToasting Speed6.7The Breville the 'A Bit More' 2 Slice is the best 2-slice toaster we've tested. This model's stainless steel design is very much at home in modern kitchen decor, and it offers some useful extra features. Along with buttons for bagels and frozen foods, this toaster includes a 'Lift and Look' button that lets you lift the slots to check the progress of your toast, and LED cycle countdown indicators, so you know when your toast is about to be ready. The slots are long and 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 toasts consistently, so you don't have to adjust the dial to a lower setting after the first batch, and it evenly toasts the bread's surface. That said, it doesn't toast very fast and doesn't contain crumbs particularly well.
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Best Mid-Range 2-Slice Toaster
Everyday Use7.5Capacity7.4Toasting Evenness8.6Features9.0Crumb Management5.0See all our test resultsToasting Speed7.8If your favorite carbs don't fit in a standard 2-slice toaster, you might like the Dash Clear View Long Slot. Instead of two short slots, 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 toasting only one side of a bagel, 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 the 'A Bit More' 2 Slice, 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, and making a second or third batch produces consistent results, even as the toaster heats up. On the downside, it doesn't toast particularly fast, and while it's decent at containing crumbs, it also leaves some on your counter.
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Best Budget 2-Slice Toaster
Everyday Use7.5Capacity7.1Toasting Evenness9.6Features6.0Crumb Management7.0See all our test resultsToasting Speed8.0If you're looking for a good, 2-slice toaster on a budget, go for the Black+Decker 2-Slice Toaster T2569B. While it doesn't provide a way to check your toast's progress like the Dash Clear View Long Slot, its toasting performance is hard to beat. It toasts quickly and very evenly, leaving each slice evenly browned on both sides. 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 the same way, too, offering consistent results, batch after batch.
Its plastic body gives this toaster a less premium feel, but it's also very light, which is nice if you plan to store your toaster 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 bagels that adds some extra toasting time and another for thawing/toasting frozen items, such as waffles. It's decent at containing crumbs, but a few still end up on your counter.
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Best Cheap 2-Slice Toaster
Everyday Use6.8Capacity6.7Toasting Evenness9.7Features2.0Crumb Management8.5See all our test resultsToasting Speed7.4For the best 2-slice toaster at the lowest price, check out Hamilton Beach 2 Slice Toaster with Extra-Wide Slots 22217. At this price point, there are definitely a few trade-offs. Like the Black+Decker 2-Slice Toaster T2569B, this model has a plastic body, but it offers fewer features. While you'll find a shade selector and cancel button, there aren't any features beyond that to speak of, including the usual buttons for bagels and frozen foods. It doesn't have particularly wide slots either, despite its name, though they're roomy enough for most typical toaster items.
While it lacks the convenience features of most pricier options, this compact toaster still has a lot going for it. It toasts extremely evenly, batch after batch, so you can make stacks of toast for brunch or a big family breakfast without adjusting the settings. It toasts decently fast, too, and leaves fewer crumbs on your counter than any of the options above. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a great toasting range, so you may have to run the toaster twice to properly brown denser breads, like rye or pumpernickel.
Notable Mentions
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Smeg 2-Slice TSF01:
The Smeg 2-Slice Toaster 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
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.
Jan 28, 2025:
We've made minor updates to the text and checked that the products are in stock.
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.