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 still have slots that are large enough for thicker or longer slices of homemade or bakery bread, and they offer useful quality-of-life features, like cycle countdown indicators or a reheat function that lets you add a little extra time to the toasting cycle. They also toast quickly and evenly, without leaving a trail of crumbs on your counter.
We've tested more than 30 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.
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 Small Toaster For Most People
Capacity7.1Toasting Evenness9.0Features10Crumb Management7.0Toasting Speed7.0Everyday Use7.8Toast7.8Bagels8.8Crumb Management7.0See all our test resultsSize8.0If you want the best small toaster for most people, the Breville the 'A Bit More' 2 Slice is a fantastic choice. It has a high-end stainless steel body, and despite its relatively compact design, its slots are wide and long enough to fit most bread, bagels, and pastries. This toaster also includes a suite of useful extra features. Along with the typical Bagel and Frozen settings, there's an option that adds a little time to the end of a toasting cycle. There's also a cycle countdown indicator so you know approximately when your toast will be ready, and, if you want to check for yourself, you can raise the slots without stopping the toasting cycle.
It offers very good toasting performance, making evenly toasted bread on both sides, and it has a fantastic toasting range, so you can easily make golden-brown toast with sandwich bread or denser brown breads in a single cycle. That being said, it's not the fastest toaster, and while it's decent at containing crumbs, you'll also have to sweep a few off your counter.
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Best High-End Small Toaster
Capacity6.7Toasting Evenness8.0Features7.5Crumb Management7.5Toasting Speed8.4Everyday Use7.9Toast8.3Bagels9.2Crumb Management7.5See all our test resultsSize7.9If you want a high-end, compact toaster and don't mind paying a premium, consider the Dualit 2 Slice NewGen Classic. This narrow toaster offers very good performance, but what really makes it stand out is its reputation for durability. It has a sturdy cast aluminum body, and its analog design makes it possible to repair at home with spare parts from Dualit, significantly extending its lifespan. You'll find a range of features available, but they work a bit differently than those on most models. For example, you can keep track of how much toasting time is left by watching the wind-up dial tick down or check toasting progress with the manual lever. Another difference is that this toaster lacks the clamping mechanism that centers the bread in most models, so the surface of each slice doesn't toast very evenly.
While each side of your toast may not brown evenly, both sides get the same level of browning. This model works quickly, too, which helps your toast retain moisture and stay soft in the center. It's a good choice for bagels, too, as it can toast the inside while leaving the outside untoasted. That said, it doesn't have the largest capacity, so chunky bagels can be a tight squeeze. On the bright side, this toaster doesn't leave very many crumbs on your counter.
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Best Upper Mid-Range Small Toaster
Capacity7.1Toasting Evenness9.1Features7.5Crumb Management7.0Toasting Speed8.0Everyday Use8.0Toast8.5Bagels9.2Crumb Management7.0See all our test resultsSize7.6If you're more interested in toasting evenness than durability, you might like the Smeg 2-Slice TSF01. This toaster isn't as compact as the Dualit 2 Slice NewGen Classic, and it's still pretty pricey, but it offers excellent performance for everyday use without taking up too much space in your kitchen. It offers a little more capacity than the Dualit, so there's more space for longer, thicker slices. While it doesn't include a cycle countdown indicator, you'll still find options for frozen items and another for bagels, which engages one-sided toasting.
This model toasts very evenly, leaving each slice uniformly browned on both sides. It also toasts quickly, without drying your food out in the process. As with the Breville the 'A Bit More' 2 Slice, it's decent at managing crumbs, but you still have to clean your counters somewhat regularly.
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Best Mid-Range Small Toaster
Capacity7.2Toasting Evenness10Features7.5Crumb Management6.0Toasting Speed7.8Everyday Use7.9Toast8.7Bagels9.3Crumb Management6.0See all our test resultsSize8.4For a small toaster at a mid-range price point, check out the Cuisinart SimpliTouch XL 2-Slice. This touchscreen toaster is smaller than the options above but offers a capacity similar to the Smeg 2-Slice TSF01, making it a good choice if you want to toast a variety of baked goods in a small space. The touchscreen controls offer plenty of settings, including options for a variety of baked goods and frozen foods, as well as a feature that lets you toast one slice at a time. One notable exception is that it doesn't have a cycle countdown indicator. The biggest downside of this model is that it leaves quite a few crumbs on your counter.
This toaster stands out for its even toasting. It browns exceptionally evenly, so each slice is almost perfectly uniform on both sides. The bagel option works well, too, toasting only one side and leaving the other side completely untoasted. It doesn't toast as quickly as the Smeg, but your toast still pops back up quite quickly, without drying out too much in the process.
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Best Budget Small Toaster
Capacity7.1Toasting Evenness9.6Features6.0Crumb Management7.0Toasting Speed8.1Everyday Use7.5Toast8.8Bagels7.1Crumb Management7.0See all our test resultsSize8.0If you want a simple but effective compact toaster on a budget, you can't go wrong with the Black+Decker 2-Slice T2569B. With its simple plastic shell and limited functions, this toaster won't turn heads and lacks a touchscreen like the Cuisinart SimpliTouch XL 2-Slice, but it delivers the essentials. It's equipped with buttons that add extra toasting time for bagels and frozen items, along with six shade settings. The slots are also wider than most, making it a good choice for Texas toast or thick sourdough slices.
While it lacks the bells and whistles of most pricier options, this model stands out for its exceptional toasting performance. It has a fantastic toasting range, so you can easily get your desired shade and toast denser breads in a single cycle. It toasts very quickly and evenly, too, leaving your bread uniformly browned on both sides. This toaster's also decent at containing crumbs, so you'll have to clean up after it, but not every time you make a bagel.
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Best Cheap Small Toaster
Capacity6.7Toasting Evenness9.7Features2.5Crumb Management8.5Toasting Speed7.6Everyday Use7.3Toast8.5Bagels6.6Crumb Management8.5See all our test resultsSize8.9The Hamilton Beach 2 Slice Toaster with Extra-Wide Slots 22217 is a great choice if you're looking for a compact toaster at a cheap price. It has a plastic shell like the Black+Decker 2-Slice T2569B, but it's smaller, making it ideal if you're trying to save space and cash. This model doesn't include buttons for frozen items or bagels, making it simpler than most, but it has seven shade settings and, of course, a cancel button, so the basics are covered. Despite its name, this toaster doesn't have particularly wide slots compared to other options, but they lift up high enough that you won't burn yourself retrieving smaller items, like English muffins.
It toasts the bread very evenly on both sides and finishes toasting pretty quickly. It barely leaves any crumbs behind, either. That said, its toasting range is disappointing. It toasts very lightly, so you have to use the second-highest setting to get golden brown toast from sandwich bread, while the lower settings produce pale, barely browned bread. As a result, you have to toast denser breads twice to properly brown them, but given that it's usually available under $30, that might be a welcome trade-off.
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Best Long-Slot Small Toaster
Capacity7.2Toasting Evenness8.0Features2.5Crumb Management5.0Toasting Speed7.9Everyday Use6.6Toast7.9Bagels6.6Crumb Management5.0See all our test resultsSize9.4If slices of your favorite bread don't fit in a compact toaster, consider the bella 2-Slice Slim. It has a space-saving design with a single long slot, so it fits into narrow spaces that a standard 2-slot toaster won't fit. It has a very simple design. You won't find a cycle countdown indicator, a way to check your toast mid-cycle, or even buttons for bagels and frozen items, like waffles. Instead, it has just a shade selector with six settings and a cancel button. The long slot makes it easy to toast carbs that won't fit in a regular toaster, like long slices of focaccia or baguette, but it's not very deep, so taller items might stick out the top.
This toaster may lack the quality-of-life features of pricier options, but it offers very good toasting performance. Its six shade settings can make anything from barely warmed to completely charred sandwich bread very quickly. The result is evenly browned on both sides. However, this toaster doesn't trap crumbs very well.
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Best Small 4-Slot Toaster
Capacity8.3Toasting Evenness5.7Features6.0Crumb Management5.0Toasting Speed7.0Everyday Use6.4Toast6.4Bagels5.5Crumb Management5.0See all our test resultsSize7.9Need more capacity in a small package? Consider the bella 4-Slice Slim. Like the bella 2-Slice Slim, this long-slot toaster has a plastic body and comes in several different colors. It also has a smaller footprint than most 4-slice toasters but still has two long slots that can fit two pieces of sandwich bread or one longer slice each. While it doesn't toast very evenly, its good toasting range means you can make anything from barely toasted to dark brown toast in one cycle, and it's decently fast.
However, this small toaster doesn't offer many features and doesn't have the most convenient design. The bagel mode adds time to the toasting cycle but doesn't allow you to toast just one side. The crumb tray doesn't do a good job of trapping debris, so you'll have to clean up under the toaster quite often.
Recent Updates
Oct 23, 2026:
We moved the Breville the 'A Bit More' 2 Slice to a new category, the 'Best Small Toaster For Most People.' We also added the Dualit 2 Slice NewGen Classic as our 'Best High-End Small Toaster,' the Smeg 2-Slice TSF01 as the 'Best Upper Mid-Range Small Toaster,' and the Cuisinart SimpliTouch XL 2-Slice as the 'Best Mid-Range Small Toaster.'
Jul 03, 2026:
We replaced the Breville Die-Cast 4-Slice Smart Toaster with the BELLA 4-Slice Slim as the best 4-slice option, since it's much more compact.
May 12, 2026:
We removed the Oster 2-Slice Toaster with Quick-Check Lever as our 'Best Mid-Range Small Toaster' since it offers less convenience for everyday use, and added the BELLA 2-Slice Slim as our 'Best Long-Slot Small Toaster' since its single-long-slot design makes it very compact.
Apr 01, 2026:
We verified that our picks are in stock and remain the best compact toasters for most people.
Mar 03, 2026:
We removed the Cuisinart 4 Slice Compact Plastic Toaster as our 'Best Mid-Range Small Toaster' to better align with user needs. We also removed the Breville Die-Cast 4-Slice Smart Toaster from our 'Best Small Toaster' category and added it to a new category, the Best Small 4-Slot Toaster. We added the Hamilton Beach 2 Slice Toaster with Extra-Wide Slots 22217 as our 'Best Cheap Small Toaster' and made small edits throughout for clarity.
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.