Best Countertop Convection Oven:Top 5 Picks

Do you struggle to get a family meal on the table quickly? If so, then you should take a look at our best countertop convection oven reviews. You’ll find that this popular oven will help to streamline your cooking and get meals prepared and on the table fast.

We give you all the information you need to pick the right one for your family.

Countertop Toaster Oven Comparison Table

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Best Countertop Convection Oven Reviews 

Countertop convection ovens are energy efficient. They can shave up to 30% off your cooking times while still producing a fresh, healthy meal.  

 

Convection ovens use a fan to circulate the hot air within an oven. This allows your food to cook faster and more thoroughly than in a conventional appliance.

If you are interested in purchasing one, we have selected the top 5 for your consideration. They all have different features that make them stand out from the rest on the market. Our selections focus on the following: quality, ease of use, convenience and value for your money.  

Here is our take on why each of these ovens are worthy of taking up space on your kitchen counter.

1. Best Pick-Breville Smart Convection Oven Pro

 

Breville has a great name in the kitchen appliance world. This model deserves being chosen as the best counter top oven on our list. This powerful unit has a digital LCD display that clearly informs you of your settings.

It has easy to use dials for making your selections.  In addition, it comes packed with useful features like a front-loading magnetic crumb tray. This feature makes it easy to clean after every use.  

The 10 adjustable functions include the usual toast/bagel, bake, broil and roast. It also has special settings for making pizza and cookies. When you select a function, the Breville will automatically choose a cooking time and temperature for you.  

You can adjust these easily to your preferred settings, and the oven will remember your setting the next time you use that function. This saves you time, especially if you like to make the same dish frequently.  

You even can use it to reheat food, which makes your leftovers taste better than using a microwave.

The roomy Breville can make up to 6 slices of toast at once, or bake a 13-inch pizza. The interior light turns on when you open the door so you can keep an eye on your food. 

Key Details

It’s the perfect size for most countertops. It measures 15.8 x 18.5 inches and stands 11 inches tall. This model weighs 22.8 pounds, so you can move it around if you need to.

It is one of the few countertop ovens that comes in a choice of colors. You can pick-up one in black, cherry red or a stainless steel finish.  

The main reservation we have about this oven is the slow cook function. Slow cooking is a great way to prepare a hot meal while you are busy. However, a countertop oven shouldn’t be used unattended.

Occasionally, there can be a problem that requires your attention. For instance,  a lid could pop open due to steam build up or an oven that overheats. If this happens when you are away, you could be risking a fire or a damaged oven.  

So slow cook might be a feature you use while you are home on the weekend. However, it isn’t ideal for weekday meal prep. In addition, this product comes with a one year limited warranty.

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2. Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven 

 

 

Cuisinart is another well-known name in kitchen appliances. This model is a strong second place finisher that almost earned our top pick.

If you prefer an oven with manual controls, then this might be the one for you. The control knobs are located on the front of the oven, right above the door, and are easy to see and adjust.  

The Cuisinart has 7 function settings. Therefore, you can select the exact combination of heating elements you need to perfectly prepare your food.

It can toast, bake and broil without the convection fan running. In addition, you can use it to air fry, convection bake or convection broil. It is very flexible to use.

The Cuisinart can toast 6 slices of bread at once. However, it is slightly narrower than the Breville.

Key Details

It measures 15.5 x 16 inches and stands 14 inches tall. It weighs 21 pounds, so moving it is easy.  The biggest pizza you can bake in it is a 12 inch one. 

The oven light is controlled by a switch on the front. Therefore, you don’t even have to open the door to check on your food.

It also comes with a mesh basket for air frying nuggets and fries. You will want to wash the basket by hand, though. Otherwise, it will lose it’s finish and need to be replaced.  

The only reservation we have about this model are the control knobs. While many folks prefer to avoid appliances with digital displays, manual knobs have their own downsides.

Over time, the printed numbers can wear away thereby leaving you guessing at the time and temperature. Also, the knobs are made from plastic so they’re more likely to break. Lastly, it comes with a three year limited warranty.

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3. Hamilton Beach Countertop Convection Oven & Rotisserie 

 

 

The Hamilton Beach earns a place on this list for two reasons. First, it has one of the largest capacities. Second, it can cook two full racks of food at once.

In addition, it also has a built-in rotating rotisserie rack. This feature allows you to make whole roasts and chickens that baste themselves.  

The manual dials are simple to use and easy to set. Just select your function, pick a temperature and set the time. That’s it. There is a minimal learning curve with this oven.  

Cooking on multiple racks means flexibility. You can make two 12 inch pizzas at the same time or bake a main meal and a side dish together.

Key Details

This is a big oven. It measures 23.3 x 18.1 inches, stands 15.5 inches tall and weighs 24.4 pounds. However, it is still light enough to move easily.  

This model has a couple of downsides. For some reason, there is no toast function. Most other ovens have this feature as a matter of course. Since it is missing this feature, you can’t replace your toaster to free up more kitchen space.  

Nevertheless, this is still a great option. The rotisserie feature is unique and may be especially desirable for some home cooks.

If you think that the other features balance out the missing toast function, then this could be a good choice for you. It comes with a one year limited warranty.

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4. Oster XL Digital Countertop Convection Oven

 

 

The Oster is our choice for most versatile convection oven. It has a lot of room and features for the cost. In addition, it has a digital LCD display with easy to use settings, and the functions are simple to understand. It can toast, bake, broil and warm food with ease.  

We like that the convection feature can be turned on and off whenever you want. So you can choose to bake or broil with or without using the convection fan. This gives you more flexibility in how you cook with it.  

It also comes with two built-in preset functions. To defrost a frozen item, all you have to do is hit the setting and choose a cooking time. The oven automatically sets the temperature for you.

Key Details

This model measures 21.7 x 19.3 inches, stands 12.91 inches tall and weighs 26 pounds. So it should fit into most kitchens without any problems. It is the heaviest oven on our list but it is still easy to pick up.  

This extra-large countertop convection oven has two baking racks. It can handle up to 18 slices of toast at once.  If you remove one rack, it is big enough to handle a 5-pound chicken or roast. 

While this is rated as the most versatile countertop oven, it may not be the most durable. The design of the glass door could be a problem for some, as it lacks a bracket to prevent it from hitting the counter when open.  Lastly, it comes with a 1 year limited warranty. 

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5. Best Budget Pick-Black & Decker Countertop Convection Toaster Oven 

 

Black & Decker is another well respected home appliance company.  If you are looking to try out a reasonably priced countertop oven, then this could be a good choice for your family.  

While it doesn’t have a lot of extra features, it is much more than just a basic convection oven. Yes, you can make toast/bagels, bake, broil and convection bake with ease. The digital LCD screen makes it easy to see your settings, and the control buttons are simple and intuitive.  

The Black & Decker also has 4 adjustable presets.  You don’t see this feature often on budget ovens. With one touch, you can set it to make cookies, pizza, frozen snacks or potatoes.

Key Points

This countertop toaster oven is the lightest of the options on our list, weighing just 15.8 pounds. It measures 22.8 x 13.4 inches, and is 15.5 inches tall. So it may be a bit too big to fit under some kitchen counters. 

The temperature and time will automatically be selected for you. However, you can adjust them to your preferred settings.This model can handle 6 slices of bread or one 12 inch pizza at a time. The rack can be adjusted into two positions.

This convection oven could be really useful for a user who moves frequently. In many ways, this model is a great choice for someone with financial constraints, like a college student or young adult on a tight budget. It also comes with a two year warranty.

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Countertop Convection Oven Buyer’s Guide

Now that you have checked out our countertop convection oven reviews, it’s time to go into what this appliance is and what it can do for you. This buyer’s guide will answer all of your questions. It will give you the information you need to find the perfect oven for your unique needs.

What is a Convection Oven?

A convection oven is just like a normal oven, with the addition of a fan to circulate the hot air around the inside. The big benefit to using a convection oven is that it speeds your cooking by up to 30%. So it saves you time and is more energy efficient than a conventional oven.

Convection vs. Conventional Oven

The main difference between a convection and a conventional oven is a fan. So how does a convection toaster oven work to improve your cooking?  

Convection is the term used to describe the heating of an item from the movement of hot air around it. In a convection oven, there is a powerful fan located in the side or back of the appliance. This fan forces a constant stream of hot air over and around your food.  

Both convection and conventional ovens use heating elements to generate the heat that cooks your food. Generally, this kind of heat energy is referred to as radiant heat. It radiates from the element to your food. All ovens cook with radiant heat, whether they use electricity, natural gas, propane or wood to produce it.  

A convection oven uses radiant heat and the convection heat to cook your food. The hot air flowing over your food will improve browning and crisping. It also leads to faster results over using a conventional oven.

Are Convection Ovens Worth it?

Yes, they are.  Below are several advantages as to why using a convection oven is worth it.

Cooks Food Evenly

Using a convection fan will even out the hot and cool spots in your oven. The fan blows a constant stream of hot air around the food. Therefore, it keeps the temperature in the oven much more uniform, which leads to evenly cooked food.

Faster Cooking Times

Using a convection fan will intensify the effects of the heat on your food.  

Convection ovens usually cook the same food faster, by as much as 25-30%, over a traditional oven. In fact, you often have to lower the cooking temperature when using the convection setting. Otherwise, your food will get too brown before it is fully cooked. 

It takes the average home oven a good 20-40 minutes to preheat to 400 degrees F. Most countertop ovens will preheat to the same temperature in less than 10 minutes, some as quickly as 5 minutes.  

Often, you don’t even need to preheat a countertop oven at all. Just select the temperature, put in your food and set the timer. They preheat so quickly that this doesn’t hurt the quality of your food.

You can prepare an entire meal in a countertop oven in the same time it takes your big oven to preheat. This is especially useful for those times when you’re not cooking enough food to justify heating up your oven. Instead of microwaving it, use your countertop oven.

Energy Saving

Cooking with a convection fan means you are using a lower oven setting and cooking for a shorter amount of time. So overall, a convection oven will use less energy during the course of its lifetime than a traditional oven. You probably won’t notice this difference short term in your electricity or gas bill, but it will still lower your carbon footprint.  

You can check out this short video for a first-hand look at how a convection oven works to the benefit of your cooking.

How to Select a Countertop Convection Oven

It can be really tough to pick out the best one. Every manufacturer uses different descriptive terms to entice you to their product. If you have never used one before, it is tricky to know what functions and features you really need.  

We’ve got you covered. Here is a breakdown of the common sizes, functions, features and extras you can expect to see while looking for the best convection oven for your kitchen.

Capacity

While they differ in the exact exterior and interior measurements, most of these ovens are going to have approximately the same capacity. A convection oven will be larger than a normal “toaster” oven because it needs the extra space for the fan. 

Most of the regular sized ovens advertise that they can make 6 slices of toast at a time. This is true but it’s also  deceptive. 

Most manufacturers are using standard sandwich-sized slices of bread for this test. Think Wonder Bread. So if you use a different style of bread, your actual capacity might differ.  

The extra-large ovens are not double the size of a regular oven, either. They are only a couple of inches taller. This creates enough room to fit an additional rack in the oven.

So you will be able to make twice as much toast at a time. However, it will not be enough room to cook a whole chicken on the top and a side dish on the bottom rack.

Size Matters

When deciding on a size, consider how you will be using the oven. If you often make multiple dishes at once, or are using this as your primary oven, then the extra capacity might be really useful.  

The interior size will dictate what kind of trays and pans will fit inside. It’s nice if you don’t have to buy special cookware just for your countertop oven.  Most 12 x 12 inch pans will fit easily. 13 x 9 inch pans will fit into some ovens, but often the handles prevent them from fitting into others.  

Also, consider where you will be using the oven. These ovens get really hot, and need to have a few inches clearance on the sides and back for safety.

Functions, Presets and Features

This is the one area where most manufacturers have a little too much fun trying to fill in space with descriptives. Is an oven with 10 functions really any better than one with 5?  

Functions Explained

A convection oven function is the setting that controls how many and which heating elements are on when you are cooking. 

Most countertop convection ovens have between 4 and 6 heating elements. Depending on your oven, the difference between baking and roasting could be the number of heating elements each function uses.

Roasting is typically done with higher heat than baking. So a roast function may use more of the elements than the bake function.

Presets Explained

Here is where things get tricker. Sometimes manufacturers use the term function to describe a built-in preset. When they advertise functions for cookies, pizza and potatoes, they are really talking about presets.  

A preset is a setting that, once selected, picks the temperature and time of cooking for you based on its programming. Sometimes these setting are adjustable. For example, you may want to cook your pizza at a higher temperature than the one auto selected, so you can change it.  

In less expensive countertop ovens, the presets may not be adjustable. So if you don’t want to use that cooking temperature, you can’t use the preset. You have to choose the bake function and then set the temperature yourself. 

Features

The crumb tray is one feature that often goes ignored by many folks when buying a countertop oven, and this is a mistake. 

It is really important that the crumb tray is emptied and cleaned frequently. Many ovens have removable trays. However, you have to access them from the back of the oven.

 It’s not hard to do but many people put it off. Don’t be one of them! This can cause your oven to catch fire.  

One reason that the Breville was rated as our top pick was because of the front loading, magnetic crumb tray. The easier it is to clean that crumb tray the better. 

Other features you might see on countertop ovens include interior lights (useful but not necessary) and built-in storage for things like temperature probes and electrical cords. In addition, you might see stoppers that prevent the oven racks from sliding all the way out of the oven when you pull them out.  

When choosing your oven, focus on the features that seem most useful to you based on how you already cook. You do not need a lot of extra features to make great food.

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Q: What are the differences between a toaster oven and a countertop oven?  

A: The term “toaster” oven is a bit dated. The differences between the types have become blurred in recent years. Toaster ovens are usually inexpensive and basic. They’re too small to hold regular ovenware.

A countertop oven is a larger, premium model with additional functions and features that can accommodate normal sized ovenware. These days some manufacturers use the terms interchangeably.    

 

Q: What are the differences between convection and infrared ovens?  

A: Convection and infrared are forms of heat energy used for cooking. Both methods of cooking are faster and more energy efficient than using radiant heat alone. A convection oven uses a fan to blow hot air across your food, which crisps and browns items quickly compared to a conventional oven.

An infrared oven uses light energy (a form of radiation) that penetrates your food, cooking it quickly. Some units also use radiant heat for better performance. An infrared oven is similar to a microwave oven in function but produces better results. Additionally, it can brown the exterior of food for improved flavor and texture.  

 

Q: Is a countertop convection oven the same thing as an air fryer?  

A: Yes and no. Air frying is a newer term used in advertising that means the same thing as cooking with convection heat. So convection ovens are all technically able to “air fry” foods.

However, stand alone air fryers are basically very small convection cookers that can’t do anything beyond air frying.  In addition, convection ovens have more capacity and function than an air fryer.    

 

Q: Can you use regular ovenware or do you need to buy special cookware?  

A: As long as the ovenware will fit, you should be able to use it in your countertop oven safely. In general, you want to avoid using ovenware with lids in a countertop oven. This is to prevent problems with steam build up that could cause the lid to pop off while in the oven. Some glass pans are not rated for use in a countertop oven. You will have to check with the manufacturer directly.

 

Q: Can you use foil in a countertop oven?  

A: Yes, you can. But you do need to be careful. Using foil to line a pan should not be a problem. However, you don’t want to use the foil on top of food (like to prevent a whole chicken from browning too fast) or to line the crumb tray.

If the foil is placed right below or above a heating element, it could cause the foil to radiate the heat back into other parts of your oven. This could cause your oven to get too hot, leading to damage or a fire.    

 

Q: My countertop oven comes with a dehydrate/slow cook function. Can I use this function while I am at work?  

A: No. You should never use a countertop oven unless you are home and nearby to monitor things. These devices should never be used unattended. If something unexpected happens, you could end up with a damaged oven or even a house fire. Unlike a slow cooker, a countertop oven is not designed for use when you are not home.    

 

Q: Do you have to unplug it?  

A: No, the oven should be safe to stay plugged in while not in use. You can certainly unplug it if you are concerned. Countertop convection ovens can draw a lot of energy when they are on, however.  If it is a 15 amp circuit or a circuit shared with other appliances, this could overload the circuit it is plugged into.

You may get better performance and a longer life out of your oven if it is on a dedicated 20 amp home circuit. If your oven regularly blows the circuit, you should get an electrician to look into things. This can damage your oven and even cause a fire, eventually.

 

Conclusion

Countertop convection ovens are an energy efficient way to produce tasty meals in a hurry. They are perfect for singles and small families. 

They’re great for making full meals or snacks when you don’t have the time to heat up your big oven. These powerful little ovens suit most kitchens, RVs and dorm rooms.  

The Breville is our best pick on this list. You really can’t go wrong with this choice. It can handle baking a 13 inch pizza, and is the only model that has the easy-to-empty front loading crumb tray. The functions are adjustable. So once you have mastered its intricacies, it is extremely user-friendly.  

If these models are out of your price range, then the remaining options may have what you are looking for. Our best budget pick, the Black & Decker, has a lot of extras for such an affordable price.

We hope that after reading our detailed countertop convection oven reviews and comprehensive buying guide, you’ll have all the information you need to select the right countertop convection oven that is perfect for your kitchen.