A countertop oven, or mini oven, as they’re sometimes known, is a smaller, often portable, version of a standard convection oven that fits perfectly on your worktop. And they’re not simply rehashed models of your favourite air fryer, although many offer similar benefits. Instead, the best countertop ovens are more traditional in their functionality, giving you the space and convenience of an oven on a smaller scale.
While once reserved for holiday homes and caravans, these compact ovens are making a comeback in the kitchen. Suitable for those of us who need extra cooking space for family meals, as well as die-hard air fryer fans who prefer a more classic-looking appliance for quick dinners.
Here, we’ve tested seven of countertop ovens from big names such as Ninja, Sage and Smeg, as well as some smaller names that might not have the brand clout but still deliver on results. We’ve baked, grilled and roasted our way through a series of recipes to find you seven of the best models that are perfect for dinners all year round.
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Best countertop ovens at a glance
- Best countertop oven overall: Ninja Foodi 12-in-1 Combi oven SFP700UK, £244.99
- Best countertop oven for consistency: Sage the Smart Oven™ air fryer, £299.95
- Best compact countertop oven: Our Place Wonder Oven, £195
- Best countertop oven for advanced cooks: Smeg 10-in-1 multifunction countertop oven with steam & air fry, £849.95
- Best budget countertop oven: Russell Hobbs Express air fryer mini oven, £99.99
- Best countertop oven/air fryer hybrid: Cuisinart Tri Zone 13.6L air fryer & oven (AFT13XBLU), £149.99
- Best countertop oven for capacity: Fridja f77 Super Oven Pro, £169.99
How we tested countertop ovens
In order to properly put each of the seven countertop ovens through their paces, I cooked a variety of test dishes in each. This included a victoria sponge, roasted vegetables and chicken, grilled halloumi, frozen chips and, where the oven allowed, steamed vegetables. Every appliance got the same treatment with the same recipes to ensure consistency across my findings.
- Victoria sponge: I looked for an even rise and cook, a springy texture and whether it retained a good amount of moisture.
- Roasted chicken and vegetables: A crisp, beautifully browned skin and juicy insides are key for chicken. Vegetables should be evenly browned with no signs of charring.
- Grilled halloumi: Even browning across the slices is the sign of a good grill with no cold spots.
- Frozen chips: These must be crispy on the outside, still fluffy on the inside. I didn’t want to see uneven browning or a dry, lifeless chip.
- Steamed vegetables: A good steam setting will cook vegetables so they are tender but still have a good bite, with the bright colours intact. No soggy or browning vegetables.
As well as testing cooking performance and consistency, I also assessed elements such as capacity, each oven’s level of functionality, its size, design and overall value for money. All of these elements were scored and noted down for further comparison to give you a well-rounded view of each oven.
Best countertop ovens 2026
Ninja Foodi 12-in-1 Combi oven SFP700UK
Available from Ninja Kitchen (£244.99)
Best countertop oven overall
Pros:
- Excellent variety of functions
- Easy to use
Cons:
- Internal height is shallow
Star rating: 5/5
Ninja’s Foodi Combi Oven is an impressive mix of countertop oven, multicooker and air fryer. In my opinion, it combines all the best elements of the brand’s cooking appliances into one machine. It looks somewhat like a mini oven, though it opens like a microwave, which actually makes this a much more worktop-friendly model.
You can cook all manner of things in the Combi. As well as baking, roasting, air-frying and even slow cooking, a quick flip of a switch activates its combination settings. This menu allows you to undertake basic steaming tasks but also crisp and steam at the same time. It’s truly impressive and means you can steam-roast a chicken so it’s extra juicy, or cook rice and pasta on one level, while crisping up a protein on top.
It really surpassed my expectations and performed well across tests, steaming vegetables in around 15 minutes and cooking a whole medium chicken in 40 minutes. The grill setting is also fab and produced a nice even crisp across my halloumi. There was a little trial and error when baking the victoria sponge, as this little oven heats up very fast, so delicate items can overcook quickly as I unfortunately found out.
I also think the Ninja Combi is a winner in terms of cleaning. I found it very easy to wipe the internal cavity clean, which is a huge plus as things can get messy quite quickly in such a small space, and the trays can be popped in the dishwasher.
Dimensions: H: 40 cm x W: 38 cm x D: 31 cm
Functions: Combi Meals, Combi Crisp, Combi Bake, rice/pasta, sear/sauté, steam, slow cook, prove, bake, reheat, air fry & grill
Temperature range: 40-240C (35C for prove setting only)
Available from:
Sage the Smart Oven™ air fryer
Available from Sage (£299.95)
Best countertop oven for consistency
Pros:
- Even cooking
- Lots of functions for toasting and grilling
- Great design
Cons:
- Capacity is on the smaller side
Star rating: 4.5/5
While the Sage The Smart Oven doesn’t necessarily have anything that sets it apart in terms of functionality, it did offer the most consistent cooking across the majority of my tests.
This oven has a dedicated air fryer setting, which essentially supercharges the fan inside for quicker crisping. But it also offers fantastic results with simple roasting and baking. I cooked some chicken legs to start, which came out wonderfully crisp and even – though unfortunately the vertical capacity is a tad small for a whole chicken in most instances.
I then grilled halloumi, baked my sponge cake and even tried toasting a few slices of bread, all of which were well cooked, though I wish there was a steam function or reservoir, as the cake would have benefitted from this.
If you don’t need a huge capacity countertop oven, this should suit you well, however, for more space (and a couple of extra features), you might want to consider the XL model instead.
Dimensions: 47 x 37.5 x 28 cm WDH
Functions: Toast, crumpet, bake, roast, grill, pizza, air fry, reheat, warm and slow cook
Temperature range: 50-230C
Available from:
Our Place Wonder Oven
Available from Our Place (£195)
Best compact countertop oven
Pros:
- Compact
- Excellent performance
- Very stylish
Cons:
Star rating: 4.5/5
Probably the most stylish addition to this list is the Wonder Oven by Our Place. The brand is best known for its colourful cookware but its mini countertop oven is a real standout too. As well as being gorgeous to look at and pleasingly compact, it’s also versatile, allowing you to roast, grill, reheat and even add steam to your baking.
It performed well in tests, keeping chicken crisp and juicy, made excellent halloumi fries and cheese on toast without drying out the bread too much. The steam function is also fab for baking. I used it to cook some frozen croissants and they puffed up beautifully and didn’t dry out at all.
Included in the box is a crisping basket, bake pan, wire rack, crumb tray and you can even buy additional accessories via the Our Place website. Unfortunately, none of the trays are dishwasher-safe but the whole thing is very easy to clean, as long as you do it regularly.
The Wonder Oven comes in four colours – Blue Salt, Spice (pinky red), Steam (cream) and Char (black).
Read our full Our Place Wonder Oven review.
Dimensions: 29.5 cm height, 26.9 cm depth, 29.2 cm width
Functions: Air-fry, bake, roast, toast, broil, and reheat,
Temperature range: 93 – 240C
Available from:
Smeg 10-in-1 multifunction countertop oven with steam & air fry
Available from Smeg (£849.95)
Best countertop oven for advanced cooks
Pros:
- Incredible performance
- Huge number of smart functions
- Very stylish
Cons:
- Very big
- Expensive for some
Star rating: 4.5/5
If you’re looking for a countertop oven that might have even better functionality than your main oven, then look no further than the Smeg 10-in-1. This incredible piece of kit functions exactly like a standard oven but also has 10 unique cooking settings and, within that, a total of 33 other functions for completely automated cooking. For example, set the oven to the steam and bake setting, then select the sponge function and approximate weight to bake a cake that is cooked to perfection without worrying about temperatures or timings.
I cooked the majority of my test meals using the automated functions where possible, and I wasn’t disappointed. My cake was springy and moist, chicken legs were perfectly browned and still juicy and my steamed veggies emerged tender with the right amount of bite. This oven features some next-level cooking tech, and it definitely shows. I have an older Smeg range cooker at home and this even outperforms that.
Frustratingly, despite its size and price, the internal cavity of this oven isn’t quite as large as I’d hoped. Of course, it’s a countertop appliance, so capacity will be limited but you’ll need a large amount of worktop space to accommodate this one too, so it’s worth bearing in mind if you’ve been considering it.
Dimensions: 50x50x40 cm WDH
Functions: Meat and poultry, fish and shellfish, vegetables and side dishes, cakes and sweets, bread / pizza and pies, pure steam (100%), combi steam + fan-assisted, combi steam + grill fan-assisted
Temperature range: 40 to 230C
Available from:
Russell Hobbs Express air fryer mini oven
Available from Amazon (£99.99)
Best budget countertop oven
Pros:
- Very affordable
- Lightweight
- Easy to use
Cons:
- Basic controls and functions
Star rating: 4.5/5
If you need extra cooking space but don’t have a big budget, the Russell Hobbs Express oven is definitely one to consider. It is fairly basic in its design but it does a good job of roasting, air-frying and grilling. It’s also very lightweight and features dials and timers which allow you to toast, grill, oven bake and air-fry. There’s also a keep warm function, which I found really useful when I finished dinner a little earlier than anticipated and couldn’t dish it up right away.
While this model doesn’t have a great deal of height to it, I was able to comfortably fit in four chicken legs, and it’s big enough for a personal to medium-sized pizza. I was also able to get a good bake on my test cake and relatively even colour on the grill. Cleaning it is a bit hit and miss as the parts aren’t dishwasher-safe but it is easy to wipe over with a cloth and some washing-up liquid. As long as you get into the habit of cleaning regularly, you shouldn’t have too many issues.
This one isn’t going to win any awards for innovation but it is simple to use, lightweight, portable and is a good all-rounder for a multitude of cooking tasks.
Dimensions: 27.8 x 36.5 x 45.1cm HWD
Functions: Air-fry, bake, grill, toast and keep warm.
Temperature range: 90 – 220C
Available from:
Cuisinart Tri-Zone 13.6L air fryer & oven (AFT13XBLU)
Available from Cuisinart (£149.99)
Best countertop oven/air fryer hybrid
Pros:
- Multiple cooking zones
- Good performance
- Easy to use
Cons:
- Slow to cook compared to other models
- Lower drawer is a bit stiff
Star rating: 4.5/5
If you can’t quite let go of the air fryer but want something that functions more like an oven, the Tri-Zone is hoping to give you the best of both worlds. It has three separate compartments: two classic air fryer drawers and a larger, flat drawer at the bottom for family-sized portions or individual pizzas.
While it has more ‘classic’ air fryer settings such as re-crisping and dehydrating, it can also grill like a traditional oven, making it a useful multifunctional appliance. It’s rather large and the trays can be a bit clunky to fit in, but it has plenty of space for a variety of foods that can be cooked at independent temperatures and times.
In my tests, I found it performed well at most cooking tasks such as grilling and roasting chicken, but it’s a little slow to crisp up ingredients and not well suited to baking cakes. You’re also not likely to get the best cooking performance compared to some of the more expensive models on this list.
However, the meals I cooked in the Tri-Zone achieved a mostly even colour and things didn’t really dry out. It’s certainly not a bad oven, and I think its triple compartment design serves a specific purpose for a certain type of cook, which will make it a worthwhile buy for some.
Dimensions: 40 x 39 x 42cm WDH
Functions: Air-fry, roast, grill, bake, re-crisp, and dehydrate
Temperature range: 40 – 230C
Available from:
Fridja F77 Super Oven Pro
Available from Amazon (£169.99)
Best countertop oven for capacity
Pros:
- Large capacity
- More affordable than some
- Rotisserie chicken attachment
Cons:
Star rating: 4/5
The Fridja F77 prioritises size over the latest tech with an impressive 30L capacity. It works as you’d expect any oven to, with options to oven roast, grill and bottom bake, but it also comes with a rotisserie chicken accessory. As well as standard ‘oven’ settings, it also functions as an air fryer and has 18 presets that automatically set the time and temperature for you. These presets have varying results, though, so I’d always just use them as a guide and tweak manually as you see fit.
Despite being concerned about the more budget exterior of this oven, its performance was actually pretty good. It heats up quickly, and cooking results across my test meals were relatively consistent with even grill marks on my halloumi and crisp skin on a whole chicken. One thing I did note is that the air fryer setting is particularly powerful, so when cooking things like skinny fries, you might need to lower the cooking times by a few minutes.
There are a lot of very good ovens on this list but the capacity of the Fridja was by far the best, with lots of vertical space for whole joints of meat. Of course, this does mean it takes up a fair bit more worktop space but that’s a trade-off you’ll need to consider.
Dimensions: 39cm x 43cm x 40cm HWD
Functions: Air-fry, oven, grill, lower heat only, ferment and dehydrate plus 18 presets
Temperature range: 30 – 230C
Available from:
How to clean a countertop oven
Before you do any cleaning, be sure to always unplug the oven and let it cool completely. Remove any trays and accessories and wash them in warm, soapy water or pop them in the dishwasher if they are dishwasher-safe.
You can wipe the inside of a countertop oven with a damp cloth or soft sponge to remove crumbs and built-up grease, using a small amount of washing-up liquid. Most ovens don’t allow the use of abrasive cleaners, so check the cleaning instructions before using any powerful degreasers. It’s also important not to spray cleaner directly onto the heating elements or fan.
Most countertop ovens on this list have a non-stick or stainless steel interior and a removable crumb tray to make cleaning easier. More advanced models also have a steam cleaning function. Air fryer-style ovens will also have a basket that needs regular cleaning to prevent grease buildup.
To clean the outside, wipe the door and exterior with a damp cloth, then dry everything thoroughly before using the oven again.
What can you cook in a countertop oven?
A countertop oven will cook many of the same foods as a conventional convection oven and often more – just on a far smaller scale. Depending on the model and its functions, you can use one to bake cakes, crisp meat and potatoes, steam or roast vegetables, grill and slow cook. Most models are also suitable for cooking small pizzas and a variety of classic frozen foods, while larger models can also accommodate dishes such as casseroles and smaller roasts.
Combination models usually offer extra cooking functions such as steaming and baking at the same time, toasting and air-frying. Each model will list its functions in the description and we’ve also noted them above.
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