Our experts chose the Oster Extra Large Digital Countertop Convection Oven as our winner for its high level of performance, including impressive energy efficiency, extra-large space, and ease of cleaning. For a budget pick, the Black+Decker Crisp N' Bake Air Fry 4-Slice Toaster Oven is a good choice for its above-average cooking performance and compact design.
You don’t need a big, hefty kitchen appliance like a wall oven to do the heavy lifting in the kitchen. The right countertop models can churn out all the power you need to complete a wide range of cooking tasks, from toasting and roasting to baking and broiling. Plus, they require a lot less power than traditional ovens, which makes them much more energy-efficient machines.
To determine which of the most popular models are truly the best, we tested them at home and in our Lab and rated them on performance, ease of use, features, and more. Many English muffins, baked potatoes, and even whole chickens were cooked in preparation of finding which models are worth the buy.
If you're ready to start cooking with this workhorse appliance, here are the best countertop ovens, according to our tests.
Our Top Picks
Best Overall:
Oster Extra Large Countertop Convection Oven at AmazonJump to Review
Best Budget:
BLACK+DECKER Crisp N' Bake Air Fry 4-Slice Toaster Oven at WalmartJump to Review
Best Smart:
Breville Smart Oven at AmazonJump to Review
Best Splurge:
Brava Countertop Oven at AmazonJump to Review
Best for Pizza:
Breville Smart Oven Pizzaiolo Pizza Oven at AmazonJump to Review
Best With Rotisserie:
June Oven Plus at AmazonJump to Review
Best With Air Frying:
Cuisinart TOA-60 Convection Airfryer Toaster Oven at AmazonJump to Review
Best Multipurpose:
Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer at AmazonJump to Review
In This Article
Expand
Our Picks
How We Tested
Other Options We Tested
What to Look For
FAQs
Why Trust the Spruce Eats?
Sources
Best Overall: Oster Extra Large Digital Countertop Convection Oven
4.8
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What We Like
Uses 50 percent less energy than a normal oven
Can accommodate as many as two whole pizzas
Convenient digital settings
Easy to clean
What We Don't Like
Exterior gets extremely hot
Glass door is delicate
Oster Extra Large Digital Countertop Convection Oven Review
Who else recommends it? Bob Vila also picked the Oster Extra Large Countertop Convection Oven.
What do buyers say? 87% of 6,500+ Amazon reviewers rated this product 4 stars or above.
Though countertop ovens are generally more energy-efficient than wall ovens or oven-stove combinations, this particular model uses an extra-impressive 50 percent less energy while still giving you great results. In our home tests, it cooked a juicy meatloaf in just 45 minutes (compared to an hour in a standard oven).
Size is usually the big disadvantage of a countertop oven over a traditional one, but the Oster Extra Large truly lives up to its name. It can accommodate two 16-inch pizzas, 18 slices of bread (seriously!), or—as our tester demonstrated—a full family-size chicken. It has a maximum temperature setting of 450 degrees, and its 90-minute timer automatically turns the oven off in case you get distracted.
It’s easy to use, thanks to convenient digital settings for baking, broiling, toasting, and defrosting. There’s also a dedicated pizza function as well as a warming feature to keep food hot while the rest of your meal cooks. Our tester was particularly fond of the glass door, since it offers a large view window to let you see what’s cooking without having to open the oven, but she did warn that it's a bit delicate. The bottom line is: Any family would be hard-pressed to find a more spacious option with higher efficiency.
Price at time of publish: $179.99
The Spruce Eats / Sage McHugh
Power Rating: 1,500 watts | Dimensions: 13 x 21.5 x 19 inches | Weight: 26 pounds
What Our Testers Say
"One thing I really love about this oven is how easy it is to clean. The control panel is entirely digital, so there are no dials, knobs, or crevices to collect dirt and grease." — Sage McHugh, Product Tester
Best Budget: BLACK+DECKER Crisp N' Bake Air Fry 4-Slice Toaster Oven
4.5
Courtesy of Walmart
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What We Like
Compact size
Lightweight
Even toasting
What We Don't Like
Exterior gets hot
Short power cord
Only one rack
Black+Decker's Crisp N' Bake Is a Compact, Efficient Toaster Oven
Though many countertop ovens will run you a few hundred (if not thousand) dollars, this introductory model is much more affordable. Still, you’ll get plenty of the features and cooking power people love about higher-end models.
As a big bonus for anyone with a small kitchen, this oven is extremely compact and lightweight—it weighs just over 8 pounds. Our tester says this makes it extremely easy to move in and out of storage. The only downside? That lightweight construction means the oven isn’t as heavily insulated as some others, so it gets hot on the outside during cooking.
If you can look past that, you’ll be impressed by this oven’s capacity. It easily fits a 9-inch pizza, four slices of bread, or a variety of other snacks and meals. It also has five convenient cooking functions: warm, bake, toast, broil, and air fry. (Previous models didn’t have the ever-popular air-fry option.) And, as a bonus for anyone just building out their kitchen—college students, recent grads, newlyweds, and so forth—this model comes with a rack, baking pan, and air-fry basket that fit perfectly in the toaster oven for convenience.
Performance is surprisingly good, too, according to our reviewer. In tests, bread toasted evenly, frozen food cooked well, and chicken legs cooked adequately using the air fry function new to this particular model.
Price at time of publish: $45
The Spruce / Donna Currie
Power Rating: 1,150 watts | Dimensions: 15.5 x 8.2 x 11.5 inches | Weight: 8.51 pounds
What Our Testers Say
“While this isn’t going to do as much as one of the large, expensive models, this does a great job with the tasks it's built for.” — Donna Currie, Product Tester
Best Smart: Breville BOV800XL Smart Oven
4.8
Walmart
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What We Like
Temperature calibration is near-perfect
Center rack pulls out automatically
Comes with broil rack, baking pan, and pizza pan
Can handle a 12-inch pizza
What We Don't Like
Only one wire cooking rack
Needs circulation space on both sides
Breville Smart Oven Review
Though you’ll pay a hefty price for this countertop oven, it’s well worth the money. The 1,800 watts of power and (optional) convection heating help to roast meat, toast bread, and bake in less time than traditional countertop ovens. And the smart heating system, referred to as "Element IQ," provides more consistent power, so your food is cooked to perfection each time. Altogether, this model boasts nine different preset cooking functions, including a "slow cook" option that can cook food for up to 10 hours.
Our tester was also impressed by the LCD screen that helps you easily select one of the many cooking functions. To test them, our reviewer baked pizzas, casseroles, cinnamon rolls, and homemade pies, with each and every test coming out perfectly. It outperformed expectations when it came to baking cookies, too, something that is notorious for cooking unevenly in small oven spaces. You can even modify the presets to customize its cooking to your liking.
Adding to the convenience, this machine has an interior light that automatically turns on when the door is open. Plus, it comes with a baking and broiling tray as well as a nonstick pizza pan. If you're worried about this multi-functional oven looking clunky in your kitchen, our tester found the stainless steel exterior attractive and found it has an unexpectedly low profile that makes the appliance look sleek and modern—not bulky. Plus, you could always opt for the mini version if you’re really short on space.
Price at time of publish: $269.95
The Spruce Eats / Donna Currie
Power Rating: 1,800 watts | Dimensions: 19 x 13.9 x 14.1 inches | Weight: 22.5 pounds
What Our Testers Say
“I have to be honest, I fell in love with this oven from the first pizza. After using it to make bread, steak, casserole, turnovers, and more, I was amazed with its prowess.” — Donna Currie, Product Tester
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Best Splurge: Brava Countertop Oven
4.8
Brava
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What We Like
Highly customizable
Modern design
Multiple functions
Responsive customer service
What We Don't Like
Very expensive
Steep learning curve
Brava Oven Review
When the most basic model costs more than $1,000, there’s no question about it: This small kitchen appliance is a big-time splurge. But for those who are willing to pay the price for convenience, it’s a worthy one. Inside the Brava, your dishes get cooked to perfection by six high-powered halogen lamps that heat to 500 degrees in less than a second. That's right: The Brava cooks by using light. When we sent this to the home of our tester, she found that she could cook two different dishes at different temperatures at the same time, which became her favorite feature. The oven has three zones—each with two lamps—that can be customized individually and really can maintain separate temperatures in separate zones.
Another big highlight for our tester was the custom cook function. You can essentially create your own cooking presets, which help the oven learn your household's culinary preferences. Brava's compatible app is helpful for sharing recipes with friends via text or social media. You can download custom meal programs from the user library, and your phone will notify you before cooking is complete. Lastly, our tester found that customer service is quick with answering any questions, plus there's a Facebook group for additional support.
Price at time of publish: $1,295-$1,795
The Spruce Eats / Renu Dhar
Power Rating: 1,800 watts | Dimensions: 17.3 x 16.4 x 11.3 inches | Weight: 34.4 pounds
What Our Testers Say
"After learning how to use the Brava, I quickly fell in love with the custom cook feature. Once I cooked something and touched it up for some extra searing or to reduce the doneness, I was able to add it as a custom cook to save for the future." — Renu Dhar, Product Tester
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Best for Pizza: Breville Smart Oven Pizzaiolo Pizza Oven
4.9
Courtesy of Breville
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What We Like
High heat to mimic wood-fired ovens
Multiple pizza settings
Manual control for infinite options
What We Don't Like
Expensive
No auto-shutoff
Metal peel rather than wood
Breville The Smart Oven Pizzaiolo Review
Since this particular countertop oven is designed specifically for pizza, it has a slightly different aesthetic than other models. It has a retro design that our home tester called “attractive in an industrial sort of way.” Outside of looks, the design is convenient enough, since it’s wider than it is tall, which makes it easier to store under your cabinets. Our Lab testers noted that if you want to store it between uses, it's "easy to transport, but heavy."
Though functionality is limited—it's a pizza oven designed to make pizza and not much else—it does very well at what it’s meant to do. And there are actually a variety of settings available, designed for a range of pizza styles including frozen pizza, pan pizza, New York pizza, thin and crispy pizza, and "wood-fired" pizza. In both home and Lab tests, it made phenomenal frozen pizza with crispy bottoms and well-browned tops. Our home tester also found that this might be the ultimate machine for nachos (tortilla chip-based pizza, essentially), as it produced still-crispy chips with gorgeously melted cheese.
One of its few downsides with the Breville—besides its high price, of course—is that it's slightly hard to clean, and its included metal pizza peel doesn't work as well as a wooden one. That said, our home tester said it was the most efficient and fuss-free way she’s ever made pizza.
Price at time of publish: $999.95
The Spruce Eats / Donna Currie
Power Rating: 1,800 watts | Dimensions: 18.1 x 10.6 x 18.5 inches | Weight: 37.47 pounds
What Our Testers Say
“I’ve made pizzas at home several different ways, from the large oven to a countertop oven to an outdoor oven, so I’ve got a lot to compare it to. Breville's Smart Oven Pizzaiolo was undoubtedly the easiest.” — Donna Currie, Product Tester
The 7 Best Pizza Ovens of 2022, Tested and Reviewed
Best With Rotisserie: June Oven Plus
4.8
Courtesy of June Oven
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What We Like
Recognizes a wide variety of foods
App includes video recipes
Users can create custom programs
What We Don't Like
Heating elements need gentle care
Upgrade options are pricey
Expensive
June Oven Review
If you've looked at the June Oven before, you might think, "Wait a minute, that doesn't have a rotisserie function," but it's a new feature included with the release of the Generation 3 version. If you're unfamiliar with the June, this is an incredibly versatile countertop oven. In addition to the rotisserie function, it can do everything from toasting and air frying to proofing dough and acting like a pizza oven. What's more, it has a compatible smartphone app that allows you to watch a live feed of what's cooking via an internal camera.
Our home tester excitedly received the updated June Oven Plus. She was already familiar with many of the functions from the second generation and happily noted a few critical design improvements. During testing, it continued to impress our reviewer whether she wanted to heat up leftovers, toast English muffins, or bake cookies. No matter what she placed in the oven, it recognized the food and gave her the correct options for cooking. She also tested the new pizza function, which baked and broiled pizza to crisp precision.
Of course, the rotisserie function truly wowed our tester. The function is a little hidden, but once you place a chicken in this oven, it will recognize it and begin rotisserie cooking. Unlike cheaper rotisserie-only ovens, many of which get messy inside, this doesn't spin the chicken. Instead, it turns elements on and off, mimicking a spit. The result is one of the best roasted chickens we've ever seen in testing. But you'll pay for that functionality: The June is also one of the more expensive countertop ovens out there.
Price at time of publish: $849
The Spruce Eats / Donna Currie
Power Rating: 1,800 watts | Dimensions: 12.75 x 19.6 x 19 inches | Weight: 39 pounds
What Our Testers Say
“The heating elements turn on and off, mimicking the way a rotating chicken heats and cools. The result was one of the best roast chickens I’ve made." — Donna Currie, Product Tester
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Best With Air Frying: Cuisinart TOA-60 Convection Airfryer Toaster Oven
4.6
Courtesy of Amazon
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What We Like
Produces excellent french fries
Small footprint
Cooks up to 3 pounds of food at once
What We Don't Like
Maximum timer setting is only an hour
Manual controls
It may surprise you to learn that some of the best air fryers aren’t dedicated air fryers, but countertop ovens with air-frying functionality. Such is the case with this model by Cuisinart, which “fries” food to that golden brown, crispy perfection using super-hot air, circulated by an ultra-powerful fan.
Choosing a model like this one is a wise choice for anyone with limited counter space, as it combines two appliances in one, but it’s also a great option for families. Traditional air fryers typically don’t offer enough space to cook for more than two people. This model, on the other hand, is large enough to cook up to 3 pounds of food at once, whether meat, veggies, or even snacks.
In fact, our Lab testers found this to be one of the most compact versions of air fryer/oven combos, and it performs exceptionally well as an air fryer. It does run a little hot, so even though french fries and chicken tenders came out golden and tasty, a few were a little too well-done. When roasting chickens to test for versatility, this model produced a crispy-skinned bird that was also delicious and juicy. A couple downsides are manual-only controls and that it is a bit difficult to clean inside.
Price at time of publish: $205
The Spruce Eats / Tamara Staples
Power Rating: 1,800 watts | Dimensions: 15.5 x 16 x 14 inches | Weight: 21 pounds
Lab Test Takeaway
"The roasted chicken we made was so incredibly delicious. It really achieved great golden (dark) results, gorgeous crispy brown skin, and a delicious taste—not dried out."
The 9 Best Air Fryers of 2022, Tested and Reviewed
Best Multipurpose: Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer
4.7
Courtesy of Williams Sonoma
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What We Like
Great performance
Multifunctional
Large capacity
What We Don't Like
Expensive
Glass door gets very hot
Breville makes all kinds of technologically advanced countertop kitchen equipment, and it's no surprise this story includes more than one of the brand's models. The Smart Oven Air Fryer adds air frying capacity to all the many functions of the standard Smart Oven we feature above, with an according increase in price. After testing, our Lab named the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer one of its top picks for air fryers, and it's also a top pick for countertop ovens. We found that it did a great job with both oven functions, including baking cookies, and air fryer functions, such as making golden, crispy french fries.
The machine has a nice capacity, able to fit a 13-inch pizza, nine slices or bread, or almost an entire bag of frozen fries. The Lab was also impressed by how easy it is to clean, with a removable crumb tray and fully disassemble parts that all clean off with a simple rinse or wipe. Another nice feature is its many color options, which will match any kitchen. Just be careful with the door: Its glass gets quite hot while in use.
Price at time of publish: $349.95
The Spruce Eats / Tamara Staples
Power Rating: 1,800 watts | Dimensions: 18.9 x 15.9 x 10.9 inches | Weight: 29 pounds
Lab Test Takeaway
"It is a great air fryer—the fries were very crispy and cooked up perfectly. The baking setting worked really nicely, and I was pretty happy with the broiler, as well. All in all, I would use this machine for all the functions that it offers."
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Final Verdict
The overall best option is the Oster Extra Large Digital Countertop Convection Oven because of its energy efficiency, roomy interior, and ease of cleaning. If you're looking for something more compact, try the Black+Decker Crisp ‘N Bake Air Fry 4-Slice Toaster Oven. Its versatility allows you to warm, bake, toast, broil, and air fry, all while being budget-friendly.
The Spruce Eats / Donna Currie
How We Tested
After researching a variety of countertop ovens, we sent top-rated models to our experienced at-home testers to put through the paces in their kitchens. We also tested two in our Lab as part of an air fryer test. We evaluated each one on its performance, ease of use, features, and more. Our testers cooked everything from whole chickens and baked potatoes to English muffins and tried out special air frying and rotisserie functions when applicable. Testers then offered additional insights on each model's strengths and weaknesses.
Learn More About How We Test Products
Other Options We Tested
- Emeril Lagasse Power AirFryer 360: A previous version of this roundup included the Emeril Lagasse countertop oven, which also features an air-frying function. The versatile appliance functions as a convection oven, rotisserie, food dehydrator, toaster, food warmer, slow cooker, and pizza maker. While it performed adequately, in the end, our reviewer felt that its noise level, difficulty in cleaning, and large size made it not worthy of its price tag. There are better options on our roundup with similar functionality.
What to Look for in a Countertop Oven
Size
When it comes a countertop oven for your home, there are two size factors to consider: the amount of cooking space you want and how much counter space you have. Ovens with larger interior capacities will generally have a larger footprint, but some use clever design to pack more baking space into less counter space. In addition, many countertop ovens double as toasters or air fryers. These might be bigger than other models, but you can still end up saving space if you combine two or three separate appliances into one.
Features
Besides baking, many countertop ovens have additional features and functions. While most models have have toast, bake, and warm modes, there is a wide range of more advanced technology out there. Higher-end models have more specific and elevated options, including a powerful fan for convection baking and air frying, a rotating rotisserie, or a high-heat pizza mode. Some even have smart functionality to take the guesswork out—you simply tell the oven what you're cooking and it does the temperature and time for you. In general, more features means a higher price, and it might not be worth paying for cooking modes you don't plan to use.
If you plan to use a countertop oven as your main oven, a great feature to look for is a convection setting. "A convection oven is great to have because it cooks food by circulating air at a consistent and dry temperature," said Ron Yan, a private chef in New York City who uses exclusively a countertop oven in his own apartment. "This means that food will cook faster, and the surfaces of meats, such as chicken or turkey, can get delicious crispy skin while keeping the insides juicy and moist. It’s particularly great for roasted meats, vegetables, anything potato-based, cookies, and other pastries.”
Power & Heat Source
Nearly all countertop ovens use electricity, which means their power is measured in watts. Higher wattage means the oven heats up faster—but that's not the whole story. Larger spaces take more power to heat up, so a small-capacity oven might actually work better than a huge one even if it has somewhat less power. The way the oven heats up matters, too. Most ovens use metal heating elements like you'd find in a toaster oven or electric wall oven, but the way those heating elements are shaped and arranged affects how efficiently the oven cooks. (The futuristic Brava oven even ditches the traditional heating elements for super-powerful lights, which gives it some interesting abilities.)
The Spruce Eats / Sage McHugh
FAQs
How do you clean a countertop oven?
After unplugging it and letting it cool completely, you clean a countertop oven in much the same way you'd clean a traditional oven: Remove any removable parts and rinse them in the sink, and wipe out the inside with a damp cloth or sponge. You should always check your particular user manual for full instructions, but few countertop ovens have dishwasher-safe parts; soap and water is typically all you'll need. No matter what, the whole oven should never be rinsed out or submerged in water: This will ruin its electronic parts. It's also a bad idea to use oven cleanser or other harsh chemicals on a countertop oven. Stick to dish soap and plain water.
Does a countertop oven need a special outlet?
No. That's really what sets a countertop oven apart from a full-on wall oven or combination oven/range. Countertop ovens use the standard 110-volt outlet you'll find in most any room of an American house, while electric wall ovens and ranges use the special 220-volt outlets you also need for large appliances like clothes dryers and air conditioners. So you won't need to hire an electrician to "install" a countertop oven; you can simply take it out of the box and plug it in.
What's the difference between a toaster oven and a countertop oven?
There's not exactly a hard line between the two, but a toaster oven is typically smaller, less powerful, less multifuctional, and less expensive than a countertop oven. As the name suggests, a toaster oven is designed for making toast or pretty quick-and-easy heating tasks—reheating a slice or two of pizza or some leftover fried chicken, or baking frozen cookie dough or chicken fingers. It's not large enough to cook a big meal, and it's not usually built to hold a consistent temperature for long enough to do much serious baking or roasting. With a countertop oven, you trade a higher price for more interior space, more power, better temperature control, and more ability to do things like slow-cook and air fry. You can bake a whole from-scratch pizza (or two!) rather than just re-crisp a couple slices.
The Spruce Eats / Renu Dhar
Why Trust the Spruce Eats?
This article was written by Brigitt Earley, a freelance writer who has spent the last 10-plus years researching the best kitchen accessories for various digital publications, including The Spruce Eats and Good Housekeeping. From countertop ovens to blenders, she’s covered it all. Brigitt also has a culinary degree from The French Culinary Institute and uses a slightly older model of the Breville Smart Oven in her own home.
The roundup was updated by The Spruce Eats commerce writer Jason Horn to include additional testing insight. He's been covering food and drinks for more than 15 years and wishes he'd been lucky enough to get to test the ultra-expensive light-powered oven of tomorrow.
Each of the ovens featured on this list was either tested in our Lab or by our expert at-home testers.
Sources
Ron Yan is a private chef in New York City who exclusively uses a countertop oven in his own apartment.
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Article Sources
The Spruce Eats uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
The Best Convection Ovens of 2022 - Top Picks by Bob Vila. Bob Vila. //www.bobvila.com/articles/best-convection-oven/
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