When we’re searching for the best portable toasters, do we want to find a classic, portable and light 2-slice or maybe even 4-slice pop-up toaster?
Or do we want to find something quite different than the toasters that we can take camping but that could also be nicely placed on our kitchen counter when we’re not traveling?
Let’s see what our options are.
Best Portable Toasters Reviews
What I can totally say is that I’m not going to stick only to conventional options when reviewing the best portable toasters.
Of course, picking a 2 slice toaster might be exactly what some people need.
However, I also plan to review and recommend many other different appliances as well, like a mini maker grill that can be used for more than toast and bagels.
Or a mini toaster oven that looks adorable.
I’ll also recommend the Ninja ST100 Foodi 2-in-1 Flip Toaster because it’s certainly more versatile than a classic pop-up toaster.
And we’ll see what else we come up with along the way. It’s going to be great.
1. Ninja ST100 Foodi 2-in-1 Flip Toaster: One of the Best Portable Toasters
Ninja is one of my favorite brands for blenders and air fryers. On top of that, it also makes some really interesting toasters that I like quite a bit.
Overall, this Ninja is a very interesting appliance, albeit a pretty pricey one. However, it does offer quite a bit for the money.
2-in-1 flip toaster
If we lay it down, flip it down, it almost looks like a tiny pizza oven.
In vertical mode, if we flip it up, it looks like a regular toaster with a single wide slot.
The manufacturer describes it as a toaster and compact toaster oven, that’s why it’s a 2-in-1 appliance and it’s also called a flip toaster.
Flipped down: a very tiny toaster oven.
Flipped up: a single wide slot pop-up toaster.
It’s an interesting combination.
The advantage is that whether it’s up or down, it really doesn’t take up all that much space. And it looks sleek and really nice.
It measures 16.54 L x 6.7 W x 8.2 H inches.
It also weighs 21.27 pounds.
And it has a cord length of 28 inches.
It can totally be used in a camper or RV for a quick breakfast, lunch or dinner. Food that is cooked in just a few minutes, that’s what we need when we travel.
Overall, I really love the Ninja ST100 Foodi as one of the best portable toasters, even if it’s pricey. I’ll review much cheaper options down below.
Features
As you saw from dimensions, the Ninja ST100 is a bit bigger than what some of you might be looking for.
However, its size can be a pro for those who have multiple people to feed.
It fits:
- 2 slices of thick-cut bread or one very long slice
- 16 chicken nuggets
- 8 inch open-face sandwich
- 2 full-size pizza bagels
It also includes a bake tray for the oven mode and a crumb tray.
It’s very easy to use.
We get touch buttons for:
- temp/time
- bake
- broil
This is the oven side of things. The max temp is 400 degrees F.
Moreover, foods can be cooked 35% faster than in a full-size electric oven because the heating elements are so close to what we’re cooking. Also, toasters get very hot so that helps.
The toaster side of things includes buttons for selecting:
- shade
- toast
- bagel
There are 7 shade levels.
There are actually two models to choose from: the ST100 and the ST101.
The thing that sets these two apart, besides the fact that the ST101 is slightly more expensive, are the 2 additional functions for the ST101. Besides that, they’re identical.
Thus, choose the ST101 if it’s on sale and it has the same price as the ST100. The ST101 has the additional reheat and defrost functions. That’s it.
The Ninja ST100 uses 1,500 watts, which is the equivalent of the watts used by an air fryer. So, it does need a bit of electricity to function.
The good news is that it toasts and cooks foods fast. So, if you run it for half an hour in the morning because you have multiple people to feed, that’s still really good. It’s not like you’re going to use it for hours each day.
Recipes
There is an inspiration guide included in the box.
It shows us exactly how to use this compact toaster oven.
It also has a variety of recipes: ham & cheese pinwheels, tater tot-chos, lemon pepper chicken tenders, open-faced tuna melt, hazelnut s’mores.
We can cook chicken nuggets, French fries, pizza rolls, mozzarella sticks, fish sticks, mini corn dogs, taquitos, potato skins, etc.
As you can see, it’s versatile and good to have around, whether we cook in our kitchens at home or in those away from home.
2. GSI Outdoors Glacier Toaster: Best Portable Non-Electric Toaster
From a product that costs around $100 we move on to one that costs well under $20. That’s quite the difference.
Well, the best way to describe the GSI Outdoors Glacier Toaster is as being rudimentary.
That’s absolutely not a bad thing when we go camping in areas where we don’t have access to any electricity.
Thus, while toasters, mini grills, and mini toaster ovens work very well for campers and RVs that incorporate electrical outlets, the GSI Outdoors Glacier Toaster is perfect for those who travel to places who have none of that.
We can make a quick fire and put it on top of that for making our toast or we can place it on top of a small propane tank. Both options work.
Features
It only cooks one slice at a time. That can be a bit disappointing for some.
It is made of durable stainless steel. Moreover, it can handle rough conditions because it’s resistant to scratches and abrasions.
The fine steel mesh distributes heat evenly. Toasting will be done quickly, without leaving us with burnt or partly done toast.
It weighs just 0.4 pounds and it folds flat for easy packing. It’s certainly great for limited space traveling.
Its dimensions are 6.7 x 5.7 x 0.5 inches when it’s folded.
3. Cuisinart CPT-122 Compact Plastic 2-Slice Toaster
This Cuisinart is a classic pop-up toaster.
It’s great for traveling because it’s quite compact. And it has a bunch of other features that are nice.
If you can get it at a price around $30, I think it can be a good deal but I don’t think it deserves a more expensive price.
It comes with a fair share of negative reviews so make sure to read a few of those, too.
Features
We get 2 slots. Each slot is 1.5 inches wide, which allows us to toast a wide variety of sizes. That’s very good.
We also get a dial for selecting shades from 1-7. For my thinner slices, I prefer shade 5 but I will go as far as shade 6 for thicker slices. It depends how light or brown you like your bread or bagels.
We also get a bunch of buttons:
- bagel
- defrost
- reheat
- cancel
The high lift carriage is useful for lifting up bagels or slices of bread without burning ourselves on the metal. Be careful because toasters run very hot.
4. Hamilton Beach 2 Slice Extra Wide Slot Toaster (22633)
This Hamilton Beach is very similar to the Cuisinart CPT-122, although the one from Cuisinart is slightly prettier.
Well, what really can we say about pop-up toasters?
As long as they toast our bread evenly, I don’t really have any complaints.
Nevertheless, the Cuisinart CPT-122 has its fair share of negative reviews. If you decide that it’s not exactly right for you, I wanted to offer you an alternative for a decent price.
And that’s how I ended up recommending this Hamilton Beach.
Features
It’s simple, basic, and easy to use.
We get a dial for selecting the shade we want: 1 to 6 this time.
We also get 3 buttons: cancel, bagel, and defrost.
The extra-wide slots accommodate bagels and thick breads.
Simple but exactly what we need.
5. Dash Mini Maker Portable Grill Machine + Panini Press: More than a Portable Toaster
With a price under $20, this is one of the cheapest best portable toasters that we could buy.
Well, as the name suggests, the Dash Mini Maker Grill is not exactly a toaster or what you would expect when we say that word.
Frankly, it’s so much more than that and that’s why I love it quite a lot.
We can toast bread and bagels and frozen waffles and maybe even pop tarts.
But we can also do so much more than that. I’m sure that the name Mini Maker Portable Grill Machine + Panini Press gives you some clues about the various ways in which we can use this Dash mini appliance.
Dash is certainly a manufacturer that has a passion for making mini kitchen appliances. They’re very tiny, they’re aqua, and they don’t use much electricity.
For example, the Dash Mini Maker Grill only uses 350 watts.
That’s about almost a third of what 2-slice pop-up toasters use on average. Check out my article on how many watts a toaster uses if you’re interested in learning more about electricity use by various toasters.
All in all, the Dash Mini Maker Portable Grill Machine + Panini Press is not only great for those who travel by RV or spend their wonderful vacations in campers.
It’s also a good choice for those with limited space in their kitchens.
Or for those who want an appliance that doesn’t use much electricity for cooking breakfast or various foods. And it still manages to be quite versatile.
Features
The Dash Mini Maker Grill is a tiny appliance that is very easy to use.
The cooking plates have a 4 inch diameter. As long as you can fit food on these tiny plates, you can literally cook anything you want.
The 2 4-inch cooking surfaces are non-stick and they heat evenly.
We can make toast bread and bagels but we can go so much more, including grilled pizza, burgers, and maybe even some steak with some grilled veggies or mushrooms as side dishes.
Its dimensions are: 2.8 x 6.4 x 5.0 inches.
It weighs 1.5 pounds. Well, it doesn’t get much more portable than that.
Besides all that, I should also mention that this thing is incredibly easy to use.
We plug it in and that’s it. There are no buttons to concern ourselves with. It heats up quickly so you ca go down to cooking quickly.
In the beginning, you’ll have to check your food or toast pretty often until you get the hang of how long it takes to cook certain foods.
Recipe guide
The user manual for the Dash Mini Maker Grill also includes a few recipes. Unfortunately, there’s not as many as we might like but they offer a clear picture about what we can cook.
We can make simple toast. Or toast bagels, frozen waffles. But we can also make a lot of other recipes.
First, there’s a recipe for pesto chicken panini made with: 2 slices Italian bread or 1 mini ciabatta roll, skinless chicken tender pounded thin, roasted red pepper, pesto sauce, arugula, and a bit of butter.
We also get a sausage, egg & cheese breakfast sandwich. And grilled cheese English muffin. That’s definitely one joyous way to start off mornings.
Things get even more exciting as we get a recipe for bacon cheeseburger.
If you want some desert, there are two recipes: grilled apples and grilled spiced pineapple.
Besides those, we get a few other recipe ideas: peaches with cream, grilled portobello caps, veggie burgers, Cubano sandwich, grilled pizza, blackberry bacon sandwich, quesadilla, salmon burger, crab cakes, turkey burger, and s’more biscuit.
All in all, I love the Dash Mini Maker Portable Grill Machine + Panini Press because it offers versatility, portability, and low energy consumption at an excellent price.
This is certainly a mini portable appliance that could tempt a few people to regard it as one of the best portable toasters and so much more.
6. Dash Mini Toaster Oven
This Dash Mini Toaster Oven could have absolutely been one of the best portable toasters.
There’s just one problem. There is a good share of negative reviews that mention some serious problems.
Of course, there are plenty of buyers who like it a lot.
For example, a review from someone who travels in a small RV where counter space is at a premium mentions that this little toaster only takes up about an eight inch square. Indeed, it’s hard to imagine that there could be an appliance that could be tinier than that and still be perfect for toasting or reheating a variety of foods.
Overall, the Dash Mini Toaster Oven could have been absolutely amazing but it’s not without some serious faults.
Basically, you can be among those who love it or you can be among the unfortunate ones. It’s a risk you’re having to take if you decide to give it a chance.
For a price under $30, we couldn’t say that the Dash Mini Toaster Oven is very cheap. But it’s not extremely expensive either.
It can be used in dorm rooms, campers/RVs or in any kitchen where countertop space is limited.
Features
Frankly, it’s truly unbelievable how tiny the Dash Mini Toaster Oven is. It pretty much looks like a toy. Unlike a toy oven, this mini toaster oven actually toasts bread, bagels, frozen waffles, cooks frozen pizza, makes sandwiches, reheats food, etc.
We can only taste one slice at a time. That gives you a clear indication of how tiny it is.
We can also use it for single slices of bagels, mini-pizzas and even for some cookies.
It measures: 7.2 x 6.3 x 7.7 inches.
It weighs 3.2 pounds.
We get:
- glass door
- handle
- rack
- tiny tray
- indicator light
- crumb catch
- timer
- and non-slip feet
There’s only one dial for the Dash Mini Toaster Oven. It’s a timer.
The timer goes up to 15 minutes.
It also includes 2 toast shades. At minute 2 we get an icon for very light toast. At minute 4 we get an icon for dark toast.
Obviously, the in-between is minute 3. You should select minute 3 if you want to cook golden brown slices of bread and bagels.
We cannot use it to cook meat or anything like that but we can use it to toast bread, bagels, pop tarts, frozen waffles and pizza, and for warming up ingredients within the designated time frame.
It uses 550 watts. That might not seem much but, considering that we can only toast one slice at a time, those 550 watts are more than enough.
For travelers, it can definitely be good news that it only needs 550 watts.
Recipe guide
The Dash Mini Toaster Oven comes with a user manual that also includes a recipe guide. That’s nice of them.
We get simple recipes for: peanut butter & banana toast, almond butter blueberry toast, cantaloupe & prosciutto toast, egg & avocado toast, pesto & parmesan toast, curried herb pita chips, and strawberry Nutella toast.
Toasting bread with Dash mini toaster oven
The problem with using the Dash mini toaster oven is that it takes some time getting used to. It definitely involves a learning curve. That might not be what you want to hear when you consider looking for the best portable toasters.
For example, a user review mentions that it can burn toast fairly easily. It’s not the kind of appliance that you can turn on and do something else for a few minutes.
Thus, when you toast bread, at least in the beginning until you get the timing right, stand close to this Dash mini toaster oven and watch your slices closely.
Another user reviews mentions that the timer settings are critical, especially when toasting bread.
It seems that the light and dark toast settings are very close together, one or two minutes sets them apart. It turns out that the difference between lightly toasted and scorched is very small with this Dash.
Thus, experiment with it because you’ll overcook a few good slices until you get the toast shade you’re looking for.
It seems that it does much better with frozen pizza. Someone discovered that 8 to 9 minutes work best for frozen pizza. That’s fast, it’s certainly a powerful mini toaster oven, even if it’s so small.
7. Hot Logic Portable Personal Mini Oven
This personal mini oven doesn’t have much in common with our search for the best portable toasters. Then why did I decide to review it?
Because it’s certainly an interesting appliance that can serve some people in different situations. Some of you might end up thinking that this Hot Logic portable mini oven could be helpful and exactly what you’re looking for.
Features
Some users mention that they have managed to make toast in the Hot Logic Portable Personal Mini Oven.
Nevertheless, making toast is certainly not the primary reason for getting this interesting appliance. So that might disqualify it a bit from being included among the best portable toasters.
It’s actually better for heating up food that’s already been cooked. That’s the main reason for purchasing it.
Moreover, people make sandwiches from home and then pop it in this mini oven. The cheese will melt.
The Hot Logic Portable Personal Mini Oven is described as a portable food warmer.
It uses thermal technology to heat or cook food.
However, you must also pay attention to the fact that it uses a slow conduction heating pad.
Of course, that ensures that food is reheated at perfect temperature and with the perfect amount of moisture.
But it also means that it will take about 40 minutes for that to happen. So, it might be an inconvenience for some.
It only uses 45 watts so it barely consumes any energy at all.
Overall, I like it. And it’s very popular. Plus, it’s not very expensive. It can be useful but more as a food warmer and sandwich maker than a toaster, although we can make some slices of bread to change their texture a bit.
Best Portable Toasters Alternatives
I’ve given you my favorite picks for the best portable toasters in the form of an eclectic array of appliances/tools.
However, what if you don’t want to use any of those? Is there any other way to make toast or whatever else we want?
There is and it’s very simple.
You can make toast without a toaster or without any tool or appliance.
Buy a cast iron skillet from Lodge that can withstand any conditions, no matter where you travel or camp, and that’s it. You don’t need any other appliance besides a skillet.
You can make a fire to make toast or use a propane tank, it doesn’t matter which method you use.
Heat the skillet over medium to low heat. Add the slices of bread directly in the pan.
You don’t need to add oil or butter to the pan. You can toast slices of bread or bagels directly on the surface of the pan without oil. It’s up to you if you want to use oil or not. I personally don’t.
If you toast in multiple, successive sessions, I recommend cleaning the surface of the pan with a towel after each toast because tiny crumbs of bread will be left behind after each session, which can burn and taste bitter.
Of course, a skillet is so much more helpful than that because we can cook absolutely anything in it.
Moreover, if you want both a pan and a skillet, you can choose the Lodge Camp Dutch Oven because the lid inverts and can be used as a griddle.
Whether you end up choosing one of the best portable toasters from above or you choose an alternative like the ones I proposed, the important thing is that we have plenty of options for various budgets and needs.
