Slot toasters are your best option for making evenly browned toast quickly, but they take up valuable space on your counter without offering much versatility. If counter space is in short supply, a compact toaster can help you whip up a quick breakfast without cluttering your kitchen. The best small toasters offer a wide toasting range, so you can brown all kinds of carbs in a single cycle. They toast bread evenly on both sides and achieve consistent results after multiple batches. Finally, you might be interested in extra features, like cycle countdown indicators or a reheat function that lets you add a little extra time to the toasting cycle.
We've tested 20 toasters, and below, you'll find our recommendations for the best compact options. If you want more to consider, check out the best 2-slice and best 4-slice models. Toaster ovens aren't usually as good for toasting, but they offer more versatility, so you might also be interested in the best small toaster ovens.
Quick Look
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 Compact Toaster
The best compact toaster we've tested is the Breville the 'A Bit More' 2 Slice. This 2-slot toaster is a bit expensive for a toaster, but it has a relatively compact design and some useful extra features. It offers a superb toasting performance, making evenly toasted bread batch after batch. It also has a fantastic toasting range, so you can easily make golden-brown toast with sandwich bread and brown denser breads in a single cycle.
That said, it doesn't necessarily offer better performance than cheaper options, so it's only worth it if you find its extra features and more premium build appealing. It has a metal body, which gives it a more high-end look, and unlike most toasters, it includes cycle countdown indicators so you know when your toast will be ready. Its 'A Bit More' button adds some time to the end of a toasting cycle, and the 'Lift and Look' feature lets you raise the slots without stopping the toasting cycle so you can check if your toast is ready.
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Best Budget Compact Toaster
Consider the Oster 2-Slice Toaster with Quick-Check Lever if you want a more affordable, compact toaster. This toaster is a little thinner and shorter than the Breville the 'A Bit More' 2 Slice, making it a good option if saving space is your top priority. It makes more even toast than the Breville and performs pretty consistently batch after batch. This toaster is particularly well-suited for smaller items since its slots are very shallow when raised, allowing you to grab something like an English muffin without burning yourself.
Its toasting range isn't quite as good as our top pick's, and even the darkest shade setting may not be enough to properly brown denser bread in a single cycle. However, it has seven shade settings, and you can use setting 6 to make golden-brown toast from white sandwich bread. While it doesn't have cycle countdown indicators, it has the essentials: buttons for bagels and frozen items, as well as one to stop the toasting cycle.
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Best Compact 4-Slice Toaster
If you're looking for more capacity in a compact package, try the Cuisinart 4 Slice Compact Plastic Toaster. As the name suggests, this budget-friendly pick is smaller than other 4-slot models we've tested, so it's well-suited for kitchens without much free counter space. It has basic features, like 'Bagel' and 'Frozen' settings, plus a less common 'Reheat' setting, which is simply a shorter toasting cycle that lasts 25–30 seconds.
It has a fantastic toasting range, so it's well-suited for toasting anything from basic sandwich bread to denser homemade and bakery loaves. It does a good job of evenly toasting both sides of the bread. However, it tends to make darker toast after a few batches, so you may need to adjust the setting if you're making a lot of toast. Its shallow slots make it easier to grab smaller items, but they aren't very deep when pushed down, and if your bread is much taller than standard sandwich bread, it might stick out the top.
All Reviews
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best compact and small toasters for most people. We factor in the price, feedback from our visitors, and availability.
If you'd like to do the work of choosing yourself, here's the list of all toaster reviews. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While no toaster is perfect, most are good enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you look for them.