Best Overall
Toshiba EM131A5C-BS
- Size5/5
- Features4/5
- Heating / Effectiveness3.5/5
- Value3/5
- It has a built-in sensor to help evenly cook food.
It has a built-in sensor to help evenly cook food.
- It’s not as good at melting food like chocolate chips or marshmallows.
It’s not as good at melting food like chocolate chips or marshmallows.
The most versatile microwaves will work quickly, heat evenly, and be intuitive to use, allowing you to cook or reheat items without needing to babysit the appliance. The Toshiba Microwave Oven with Smart Sensor earned our experts’ praise after proving itself to be the most well-rounded device we tested, whether cooking popcorn, melting marshmallows, or heating veggies.
During testing, the Toshiba microwave popped almost all of the popcorn in the bag (it only left ⅛ of an ounce!) and it was all evenly cooked without any scorched or burned bits. The microwave also had no trouble cooking a container of frozen macaroni and cheese evenly without any cold sections. This is thanks to its built-in sensor that automatically detects the humidity level of the food as it cooks to make sure everything comes out warm and ready to eat.
We liked the size of this microwave, as it’s big enough to hold large dishes without being so huge that it takes up valuable space on your countertop. Plus, its clearly marked control panel makes it very intuitive to use. Other basic features include a touchpad that doesn’t show fingerprints, a clock, timer, a veggie sensor that can differentiate between fresh and frozen veggies, and other presets.
The Toshiba Countertop Microwave Oven didn’t perform as well when we tried to melt marshmallows and chocolate chips. Instead of creating a smooth, evenly-melted consistency, both the marshmallows and chips maintained their general shape, so you’d need to keep it in the microwave longer to completely melt them.
Product Details: Type: Countertop | Power: 1100 watts | Dimensions: 13.25 x 13 x 9 inches | Capacity: 1.2 cubic feet | Turntable Size: 12.4 inches
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / RUSSELL KILGORE
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / RUSSELL KILGORE
Best Budget
Magic Chef 1.1 Cu. Ft. Countertop Microwave
- Size3/5
- Features3.5/5
- Heating / Effectiveness3/5
- Value4/5
- This microwave is great at evenly reheating cold and frozen dishes.
This microwave is great at evenly reheating cold and frozen dishes.
- It didn’t melt chocolate chips effectively during testing.
It didn’t melt chocolate chips effectively during testing.
If you only need a microwave for basic warming and reheating functions, you probably don’t want to splurge for a bunch of extra bells and whistles. Instead, this countertop appliance comes with a touchpad control panel and basic cooking settings, making it perfect for warming up leftovers and frozen foods.
During our tests, we found that the Magic Chef microwave heated water with no trouble, carmelized marshmallows nicely, and warmed frozen mac n’ cheese to perfection. It had no trouble popping an entire bag of popcorn without any burned pieces, though there were a few unpopped kernels left behind. You’ll also be able to enjoy several different preset buttons including pizza, frozen vegetables, baked potatoes, and more.
The Magic Chef microwave is also a decent size at 14 inches wide by 13 inches deep, so there’s enough space to fit large plates and bowls without taking up all your counter space. Just keep in mind that it’s not quite big enough to fit a 9x13-inch pan, so you’ll have to reheat items in a smaller container.
The Magic Chef is our favorite budget-friendly microwave, as it has a variety of helpful functions, heats up frozen food and cold leftovers, and comes in three different finishes to match your other kitchen appliances. However, we don’t recommend this microwave to anyone who wants to use it to help with baking, since this model failed to properly melt chocolate chips during testing.
Product Details: Type: Countertop | Power: 1000 watts | Dimensions: 13 x 8.5 x 14 inches | Capacity: 1.1 cubic feet | Turntable Size: 12.4 inches
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / RUSSELL KILGORE
Best with Air Fryer
Galanz 4-in-1 ToastWave
- Size3.5/5
- Features4.5/5
- Heating / Effectiveness3/5
- Value3/5
- It’s a microwave, toaster, air fryer, and convection oven all in one.
It’s a microwave, toaster, air fryer, and convection oven all in one.
- It takes some time to learn how to use the different settings.
It takes some time to learn how to use the different settings.
One of the most versatile appliances you can get for your home is an air fryer—it’s perfect for cooking tasty chicken wings, vegetables, and even desserts. Instead of buying a brand-new device that takes up more space on your counter, we like the Galanz GT Four-in-One Toastwave, which operates as a microwave, air fryer, toaster, and convection oven.
We tested this specifically for the microwave functions, but if you’re in the market for a countertop appliance that does it all, the Galanz is our pick. Our experts reported that this microwave has a specific feature for just about every kitchen task you can think of—including baking, toasting, even pizza making.
There’s a silicone mat that you use for all of the functions, and our testers loved how easy it was to clean while keeping the turntable free of drips and dribbles.
Our testers also liked the way this heated the mac n’ cheese and popped popcorn, with even heating throughout and very few unpopped kernels left behind. For more specialized tasks like melting chocolate, this appliance wasn’t able to evenly melt the chips.
The toaster oven function can be heated to 425 degrees, and the appliance has a dial for the timer and a touchpad for everything else. There’s plenty of preset buttons to choose from including a bagel setting, pizza cooking, a broil button, and more. The turntable can be turned on and off too, which is a cool feature.
We think this microwave (and more) is an ideal option for adventurous cooks who are looking for a multifunction appliance, and it could even serve as the only appliance for someone with limited space. However, our testers found that it was a little difficult to use since it has so many settings, so we don’t recommend this device to someone who wants a quick and easy-to-use microwave.
Product Details: Type: Countertop | Power: 1000 watts | Dimensions: 14 x 15.25 x 8.5 inches | Capacity: 1.2 cubic feet | Turntable Size: N/A
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / RUSSELL KILGORE
Best Small
Panasonic 1.2 Inverter Microwave
- Size5/5
- Features3.5/5
- Heating / Effectiveness3.5/5
- Value4.5/5
- It cooks frozen foods and popcorn evenly.
It cooks frozen foods and popcorn evenly.
- This microwave lacks some of the features that other models offer.
This microwave lacks some of the features that other models offer.
If you can’t mount your microwave in your kitchen, the last thing you probably want is a bulky appliance taking up tons of space on your countertop. This small microwave is basic enough to suit the most common kitchen tasks, but it’s also reliable enough for even cooking.
Our testers reported that this microwave was consistent in heating during all of the tests including cooking frozen meals and defrosting foods. Small but mighty, it had impressive power that allowed the microwave to evenly cook everything without any cold spots. Plus, it perfectly popped a bag of popcorn without many leftover kernels and perfectly melted chocolate chips, which was challenging for other models on our list.
While the Panasonic Inverter microwave doesn’t have a ton of additional features like other appliances on this list, it does have a few helpful cooking presets including a popcorn button, sensor heating and reheating, a warming button, and more. It also has a sleek touchpad and a removable glass turntable to make microwave cleanup easy.
At 12.24 inches tall, 20.69 inches wide, and 15.81 inches deep, the Panasonic Inverter microwave isn’t overly large, but the interior capacity provides enough space for standard dinner plates and most food storage containers. However, it lacks some of the food-specific buttons that other microwaves on our list, so we don’t recommend it to anyone who wants perfectly cooked dishes in a single press of a button.
Product Details: Type: Countertop | Power: 1200 watts | Dimensions: 13.75 x 14 x 9.5 inches | Capacity: 1.2 cubic feet | Turntable Size: N/A
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / RUSSELL KILGORE
Best Large
Panasonic Oven with Cyclonic Wave Inverter Technology
- Size4.5/5
- Features4.5/5
- Heating / Effectiveness3.5/5
- Value3.5/5
- You can fit large containers like 9x13-inch pans inside this microwave.
You can fit large containers like 9x13-inch pans inside this microwave.
- It’s not as good at melting marshmallows or chocolate chips.
It’s not as good at melting marshmallows or chocolate chips.
This large microwave has a lot of features to love, making it the perfect addition to a big kitchen. Our testers loved its coffee and milk button to reheat your drink, an intuitive display, a 30-second keep warm button, three-stage cooking, and more.
This Panasonic microwave oven performed better than any of the other microwaves we tested when it came to evenly heating mac n’ cheese, and our testers found that this microwave’s sensor helps it evenly warm frozen foods. Due to its size, it’s excellent at reheating large batches of food including 9x13-inch pans.
It struggled to evenly melt chocolate chips and marshmallows, so we recommend keeping an eye on the microwave and stirring frequently if you want to melt food for baking. Unless you have tons of counter space, we recommend mounting this microwave somewhere in your kitchen.
This microwave performs very well in evenly cooking foods, making it great for families with a large kitchen who need to reheat bulk dishes in a flash.
Product Details: Type: Countertop | Power: 1250 watts | Dimensions: 19.44 x 23.88 x 14 inches | Capacity: 2.2 cubic feet | Turntable Size: N/A
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / RUSSELL KILGORE
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / RUSSELL KILGORE
Best Convection
Cuisinart CMW-200 Convection Microwave
- Size4/5
- Features3.5/5
- Heating / Effectiveness3/5
- Value3/5
- You want a multi-function appliance.
You want a multi-function appliance.
- The touchpad on the front shows smudges easily.
The touchpad on the front shows smudges easily.
Combine the speed of a microwave with the even heating of a convection oven, and you’ve got yourself a truly handy kitchen appliance—which is just one reason our testers loved this multi-functional microwave oven. Our testers loved the size of this device, saying that the interior capacity provides the perfect amount of space for most dishes and containers.
It comes with lots of features, like a grilling function and grill rack, several express cooking modes, convection cooking, a touchpad control panel, and more. Our testers found that this microwave had no trouble defrosting frozen meals, reheating leftovers, and even melting marshmallows to a delicious goo. The popcorn was cleanly popped and nothing in the bag was scorched.
We discovered that the touchpad and front of the microwave showed smudges easily, so you may find yourself wiping it down frequently to keep it looking clean. Because there are so many features, it took some time to understand how everything worked. Be prepared to spend some time fiddling with different buttons or consulting the manual to figure out different settings.
We’d recommend this appliance for an adventurous cook who likes to experiment and would enjoy a multi-functional appliance.
Product Details: Type: Countertop | Power: 900 watts | Dimensions: 12.2 x 19 x 21.2 inches | Capacity: 1.2 cubic feet | Turntable Size: 12 inches
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / RUSSELL KILGORE