By Alaina ChouOctober 2, 2026Photo by Travis Rainey, Prop Styling by Erica LutzSmall appliances like toasters seem like such simple little gadgets, especially compared to all those multi-use toaster ovens. But here's my problem with toaster ovens: They take up a lot of space. Many are so big they can roast an entire chicken, which is great and all—until you need to try to find room for said toaster oven on your countertop. As someone who lives in a small New York City apartment and already has too many appliances for her own kitchen’s good (which is what happens when you test kitchen gear for a living), I’m well familiar with this conundrum.
That’s okay, though. While good toaster ovens can do a lot of different things, not everyone needs a countertop device that also broils, air-fries, and reheats a whole pizza while doing your son’s math homework. Sometimes you just need toast, and for that, a simple slice toaster is the best tool for the job.
Over the years, I’ve tested 31 toasters—cheap plastic toasters, techy toasters, aesthetics-first toasters. And my favorites keep things simple, the way a good toaster should, while also offering extra features here and there that enhance the toasting experience (yes, you can enhance the toasting experience). They’re relatively compact, sturdy, and easy to use. Most important, they deliver all the crispy, evenly browned carbs you want in the morning: pieces of toast, English muffins, frozen waffles, and bagels.
More on the top picksHow I tested toastersWhat makes a good toasterOther toasters we likedToasters we don’t recommendWhat does the “bagel” function actually do?Your other everyday countertop needsNew in this update: We crowned the Amazon Basics 2-Slice Toaster our top pick for its superior performance at a low low price. We also tested the new Breville Eye Q 850 toaster to see if it's worth the $300 price tag.
Size: 11" x 6.5" x 7.6"Weight: 2.52 lb.Warranty: Limited 1-yearSettings: Browning levels 1–6, Bagel, Frozen, Cancel
The truth is, you don't have to spend a lot of money to achieve perfect toast. In fact, the best toaster I've tried in all my years of testing rings in at about $20 and churns out evenly browned carbs done to your liking every time.
What we love: The price-to-performance ratio of this model can’t be beat. Amazon's Basics line has had a few sleeper hits in our product testing over the years both here and at Epicurious (their kitchen scale and stainless steel pans, for instance), and this toaster continues to seriously impress me year after year. It drew even with our previous top pick, the Breville “A Bit More,” on practically every level, but at less than a fifth of the price, which is why I've decided to recommend it as the best toaster for most people. It's got a lot of plastic on it, but given that fact it feels relatively well-constructed, and has all the settings the average toast maker could need. Importantly, it also toasted bread evenly across all of the tests, demonstrating nice variation in browning across its six heat settings.
What we’d leave: Unless you need your toaster to feel fancy in addition to putting out great toast, there’s not much to complain about here. There was some slight unevenness in browning between the two sides of the slices of bread, but this was a commonality among most toasters I tested.
