The best smart ovens of 2023

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Updated Jan 4, 2023 6:34 AM

Smart ovens simplify and speed up cooking. These convenient countertop ovens feature cooking modes that make them highly versatile, including air frying, reheating, dehydrating, and even steaming. You’ll also find units with extra “smart” features to save you time, like the ability to reorder food as you use it or digital thermometers that alert the oven to turn off when a dish is done. In other words, the best smart ovens can help you out a lot in the kitchen if you find one that fits your cooking workflow. 

What is a smart oven?

Though it sounds catchy, the phrase “smart oven” is a somewhat nebulous term. Smart ovens are multifunctional cooking devices that can heat food in many different ways. Where a toaster oven may be able to bake and broil, a smart oven may also feature convection-based heating, microwaving, or other techniques specific to certain kinds of foods. Many also have features that allow you to monitor and/or control your cooking more easily throughout the process.

Though there are full-size ovens that replace a stovetop or wall oven, many companies and home cooks use the phrase to refer to countertop ovens, so that’s what this list covers. These smaller convection ovens offer the benefit of often being able to heat up faster than stovetop and wall ovens. It might be best to think of these as amped-up toaster ovens or more versatile air fryers. (That said, we threw an appliance-sized oven in there, just in case.)

Despite invoking the “smart” motif popularized by smart home devices, connecting to Wi-Fi or a smart home ecosystem is not a core feature among countertop smart ovens. Ironically, it is more common among full, appliance-size smart ovens.

How we picked the best smart ovens

I’ve tested and reviewed kitchen and home products for five years for sites like Business Insider, Tom’s Guide, and Reviewed. To choose the best smart ovens, we thoroughly researched and considered approximately 50 different models, including popular options like the June Smart Oven, Brava Smart Oven, Tovala Smart Oven, and WLabs Smart Oven. To find the best, we considered each design’s physical size, capacity, power, temperature range, and additional helpful features, like Wi-Fi connectivity and digital thermometers. Of course, we weighed each oven’s feature-set against its price, to see which ones offered the best value.

The best smart ovens: Reviews & Recommendations

With smart ovens becoming so popular, there are more options to choose from than ever before. You’ll have your choice of brand, with different oven sizes, features, and price points. Having lots of options is great, but can make finding the right option a challenge. Our selections for the best ovens span seven categories and a wide range of culinary needs. Whether you’re looking for a smart microwave, a smart air fryer, or the most versatile smart oven, there’s something for everyone.

Best smart oven: Breville Smart Oven Pro

Why it made the cut: The Breville Smart Oven Pro features a compact design and 10 smart cooking functions.

Specs 

  • Dimensions: 18.5 x 15.75 x 11 inches
  • Weight: 22 pounds 12 ounces
  • Noteworthy cooking modes: Toast, bagel, pizza, roast, slow cook, broil
  • Wattage: 1800W
  • Price: $279.95

Pros 

  • Element IQ produces stable and precise heating
  • Large LCD display is easy to read
  • 10 cooking functions
  • Oven light is replaceable just like a large oven’s

Cons

Breville makes eight smart ovens, but the Breville Smart Oven Pro is the one to watch. At $279.95, the Smart Oven Pro offers a whopping 10 smart cooking functions, including bagel, pizza, slow cook, and broil. The oven’s convection heating circulates air for an even cook, and since the oven can reach 450 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s capable of making most dishes that would go in a standard oven.

With its user-friendly design, this oven is an accessible choice for most cooks, as well as for those who are still building up their confidence in the kitchen. 

Its intuitive interface features well-marked dials and buttons, as well as a large LCD screen. Its nonstick interior makes it easy to clean. The magnetic auto-eject rack slides halfway out of the oven when you open the door, so you don’t have to reach inside the oven to remove a dish. While it costs quite a bit, the Breville Oven Pro has everything we’re looking for in a smart oven.

Best with subscription: Tovala Smart Oven

Why it made the cut: For the ultimate convenience, you can order chef-prepared meals through a subscription service developed to be cooked in this smart oven. 

Specs

  • Dimensions: 12.32 inches D x 18.5 inches W x 11.75 inches H
  • Weight: 24.9 pounds
  • Noteworthy cooking modes: Air fry, steam, bake, broil, reheat and toast
  • Wattage: 1525W
  • Price: $249.99

Pros

  • Six cooking settings, including air fryer and convection oven
  • Programmable with more than 100 presets 
  • Option for affiliated meal service subscription 

Cons

Tovala’s smart oven comes equipped with six cooking modes: air frying, steaming, baking, broiling, toasting, and reheating. But what sets this option apart is what you can pair with it. The company has a subscription service called Tovala Meals that allows users to separately order chef-prepared meals through their smartphones. You get a $50 credit for three to five meals with the purchase, but the subscription service is separate. 

The app also comes with more than 100 presets, and allows users to scan popular foods for cooking instructions that are transmitted to the countertop oven. The oven also features a basket for air frying and a sheet pan, though some users have noted that the cooking space is smaller than they would like.

Best smart countertop oven: Brava Oven Starter Set

Why it made the cut: The small but mighty Breville Mini Smart Oven with Element IQ can toast four slices of bread and cook an 11-inch pizza with minimal counter space.

Specs

  • Dimensions: 17.3 x 16.4 x 11.3 inches
  • Weight: 54 pounds, 14 ounces
  • Noteworthy cooking modes: Toast, slow cook, reheat, dehydrate, rice cook
  • Wattage: 1800W
  • Price: $1,295

Pros

  • Ten preset functions
  • Multiple heating zones
  • Growing recipe list

Cons 

Once you get over the initial sticker shock of Brava’s smart oven, you can begin to understand why it’s the most powerful, versatile option for serious home cooks. The oven has 10 functions, and can be controlled via a touch screen on top of the oven, or through Brava’s mobile app. You can also use the screen and app to cycle through a growing list of recipes, searching for ones that feature a certain ingredient, or fit under the restrictions of a particular diet. Part of the Brava’s appeal is its ability to adjust the intensity of its heat in three different zones, so sets of ingredients that cook at different rates will be finished simultaneously. This means you’ll need to be cognizant of where you’re putting inertness on its tray, or else you risk having over or undercooked food. This shouldn’t be an issue, but it’s something to consider.

We’re recommending the Brava Smart Oven because of its consistent performance, which is made possible by its heating elements, which can reach their maximum temperature in seconds. We made s’mores, and they went from raw ingredients to ready to eat in about three minutes. Any home cook who values their time will appreciate what this smart oven has to offer. On the other hand, it also has some fun, techy extras, like cameras that allow you to monitor your food as it cooks. The Brava Smart Oven is the most interesting, fully featured item in its category, but its high price may make it hard to justify unless you’re making a serious kitchen upgrade. Read our full review here

Best smart convection oven: NuWave Bravo XL

Why it made the cut: The NuWave Bravo XL features a three-speed convection fan and a large capacity perfect for evenly cooking pizzas, whole chickens, large roasts, and more. 

Specs

  • Dimensions: 23 x 19 x 14 inches
  • Weight: 24.6 pounds 
  • Noteworthy cooking modes: Air fry, dehydrate, grill, frozen, slow roast, yogurt
  • Wattage: 1800W
  • Price: $189.99

Pros 

  • Adjustable heating elements for precise cooking
  • Digital temperature probe
  • Wide temperature 50 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Huge interior

Cons 

The NuWave Bravo XL smart oven is primarily a convection oven but can do so much more. Its three-speed convection fan ensures an even and thorough cook, but it also features top and bottom heating elements that you can adjust independently. It also comes with a built-in digital temperature probe that automatically ends the cooking cycle when your food reaches the right internal temperature. 

The XL in the name isn’t just for show. The Bravo XL’s cubic-foot interior can accommodate six slices of toast and even a 10-pound chicken. In comparison, the Cuisinart AirFryer Toaster Oven has a 0.60-cubic-foot interior, while the Emeril Power AirFryer 360 has a 0.53-cubic foot interior. And it has power to match. Most countertop ovens feature temperature ranges from about 120-450 degrees Fahrenheit, the NuWave Bravo XL Smart Oven features a range of 50-500 degrees F.

That spacious interior and wide cooking range come at the expense of space: It’s also a big oven and weighs almost 25 pounds, so it’s for larger kitchens only.

Best smart toaster oven: Cuisinart Chef’s Convection Toaster Oven

Why it made the cut: With space for nine slices of bread and “always even” toasting, the Cuisinart Chef’s Convection Toaster Oven speeds up breakfast and lunch quite a bit.

Specs

  • Dimensions: 11.42 x 16.93 x 20.87 inches
  • Weight: 32 pounds 
  • Noteworthy cooking modes: Bagel, waffle, pizza, sandwich, roast, dual cook
  • Wattage: 1800W
  • Price: $262.99

Pros 

  • “Always even” toast control
  • Comes with pizza stone, cooking racks, baking and broiling pan
  • 15 cooking functions for versatile, precise cooking

Cons 

Most ovens can serve as a toaster, but the Cuisinart Chef’s Convection Toaster Oven puts toasting first. It can heat up to nine pieces of bread at a time and features unique cooking functions for sandwiches and quick convection cooking. When toasting bread, the Chef’s Convection Toaster has a feature called “always even” toast control, which allows you to tune your toaster based on what shade of golden brown you prefer. It’s a level of granular control you won’t find on most toasters or smart ovens.

Though its toasting duties come first, the Chef’s Convection Toaster works well as a general smart oven, too. Its 15 cooking functions make it one of the most versatile ovens out there. It also comes with more accessories than your typical smart oven, including a pizza stone, two cooking racks, and an enamel baking and broiling pan. With its 0.95-cubic-foot capacity, it’s a larger oven that can cook a pizza or a whole chicken. While it does cost more than our top pick, the Breville Smart Oven Pro, this oven’s toasting precision makes it an excellent choice if you’re looking for an oven that truly doubles as a quality toaster. 

Best smart wall oven: Samsung 30-inch Built-in Single Wall Oven

Why it made the cut: The Samsung 30-inch Built-in Single Wall Oven features a large capacity, Wi-Fi compatibility, and intuitive digital controls.

Specs

  • Dimensions: 28 3/16 x 29 ¾ x 26 ⅝ inches
  • Weight: 130 pounds 
  • Noteworthy cooking modes: Bake, broil, keep warm, bread/proof
  • Amperage: 20 amperes
  • $1,299.99

Pros 

  • 5.1-cubic-foot capacity
  • Full-touch display for easy use
  • Pairs with the SmartThings App for control from your phone

Cons 

  • Expensive, especially compared to traditional built-in ovens
  • Black stainless steel finish costs nearly $100 more than stainless 

Unlike most of the ovens on our list, the Samsung 30-inch Built-in Single Wall Oven is a conventional oven, rather than a secondary appliance made to sit on your counter. By connecting it to Wi-Fi, you can control the oven with your phone via Samsung’s SmartThings ecosystem. That means you can preheat your oven or adjust its temperature from another room.

We also appreciate that it’s Americans with Disabilities Act compliant, meeting certain specifications around maximum high-forward reach for controls, one-handed controls, and safety measures without tight grasping or twisting. These specifications make it possible for anyone to use the oven.

Unsurprisingly, the exceptionally well-made smart oven with connected features costs considerably more than a traditional wall oven. Compared to other smart wall ovens, however, it isn’t poorly priced. Meanwhile, Samsung’s Wi-Fi connectivity, self-cleaning options, and ADA compliance set it apart from most of its competitors.

Best smart microwave oven: TOSHIBA ML-EM34P Smart Countertop Microwave

Why it made the cut: Smart features allow you to create pre-sets and activate all of this Wi-Fi-enabled microwaves features.

Specs 

  • Dimensions: 16.6 x 20.4 x 12.4 inches
  • Weight: 35 pounds 
  • Noteworthy cooking modes: Popcorn, Kitchen timer, Eco mode
  • Wattage: 1100W
  • Price: $179.99

Pros 

  • Pairs with Alexa for easy voice operation
  • Powerful
  • Affordable

Cons 

  • Requires an external Alexa device for voice commands
  • Not as powerful

Toshiba’s ML-EM34P offers an updated approach to microwaving food. Instead of cooking preset buttons, you can simply press a button to ask Alexa to operate the microwave with commands like, “Reheat 8 ounces of rice.” You need an external Alexa device to use those commands, but you also have the option to operate it using an app if you don’t have one yet.

At $179.99, this 1.3-cubic-foot capacity microwave is right in the middle of the pack price and size-wise, but it has features our other recommendations lack. Our only complaint is that at 1100W it’s a little less powerful than some of the larger ovens. That’s par for the course for a microwave, but something to consider.

Best smart oven air fryer: Ninja Foodi 10-in-1 XL Pro Air Fry Oven

Why it made the cut: The Ninja Foodi 10-in-1 XL Pro can air-fry a 12-pound turkey. Need we say more?

Specs 

  • Dimensions: 17.09 x 20.22 x 13.34 inches
  • Weight: 34.17 pounds 
  • Noteworthy cooking modes: Dehydrate, air fry, air roast, whole roast, pizza
  • Wattage: 1800W
  • Price: $324.99

Pros 

  • Extra-large capacity accommodates two 12-inch pizzas and more
  • Surround convection for fast, crispy, juicy foods
  • 10 cooking settings

Cons 

The Ninja Foodi 10-in-1 XL Pro Air Fry Oven stands out from other smart oven air fryers for several reasons. First off, it’s gigantic. This self-described “XL” model weighs over 30 pounds and takes up a lot of counter space. On the other hand, it can cook an impressive amount of food: Its two-level cooking allows you to cook two pizzas simultaneously. You could also roast a 5-pound chicken and a sheet pan, or a 12-pound turkey! It’s an ideal choice for those larger food preparation needs for bigger families or groups. 

Air fryers can handle that crazy amount of food thanks to convection heating, which relies on a high-velocity fan to circulate extremely hot air around the oven. This design eliminates the need to rotate meats during the air frying process, making it more convenient to use. Infrared elements on the top and bottom of the oven help to ensure an even cook, and the oven boasts a very quick 90-second preheat time.

While many air fryers have fairly limited capabilities, The Foodi 10-in-1 XL truly feels like a multi-functional smart oven that happens to support convection air frying. It includes cooking modes that many other ovens lack. The dehydrator is perfect for making snacks like apple chips or jerky. The oven is also capable of air roasting vegetables, or you can use it to prepare a whole roast. It’s an ideal choice for any cook looking for an oven that functions not only as an air fryer, but also as a more versatile smart oven.

Things to consider before buying the best smart oven

Smart ovens are a relatively new kitchen gadget, but they’re rapidly growing in popularity. Even for cooks who already have an oven, the increased range of cooking types adds versatility to most kitchens in a single package. Meanwhile, they also offer presets that cater to cooking specific types of food, which can take some guesswork out of meal preparation. With plenty of smart oven brands and models to choose from, it can be tricky to tell which is the best option. Here’s how to ensure you’re choosing the best smart oven for your kitchen.

Oven size

Smart ovens come in many sizes, so it’s important to consider what you’ll need, and what will fit in your space. Consider whether the smart oven will replace an appliance in your kitchen, like a toaster oven or air fryer, then figure out how much room you have to spare. Keep in mind that, depending on what you hope to cook, you may not need the biggest possible oven. Bigger isn’t always better: While you want an oven with the capacity to handle the dishes you prepare most often, larger ovens can take longer to heat up. It’s best to look for a smart oven that’s large enough for your typical cooking needs, and no bigger.  

Cooking modes

The smart oven is a utilitarian appliance that usually offers many kinds of cooking. Basic oven features like baking, broiling, toasting, and reheating are all common options. Some more advanced models offer seven or even 10 cooking modes in a single device, though, including reheating, air frying, roasting, and pizza making. Those more advanced models tend to be bigger and more expensive, so you may have to compromise between getting the features you want, and the smart oven that makes the most sense for you and your home.

Automated features

Smart ovens set themselves apart from conventional countertop ovens with automated features, which allow you to prepare foods without having to monitor the oven as intensely as you need to watch a traditional oven. For example, many ovens feature automated settings that will bring the oven to the correct temperature, then monitor and adjust that temperature throughout the cooking process. They may also automatically turn down the temperature after cooking and switch to a warming setting, so the dish is ready to enjoy without getting overcooked. These capabilities are often accompanied by features like oven cameras that you can access from your smartphone, so you can check in on the dish’s progress from another room. Some ovens even learn which settings you use most often and will automatically select them to save you more time.

You can also look for a smart oven with extra features that enhance its performance and ease of use. Options like an in-oven camera let you keep a close eye on your food without having to open the oven door, a must-have for sensitive foods like a souffle. Some ovens even feature the ability to simultaneously cook two dishes at different temperatures, while others feature generously sized touch screens that you can use to watch videos or check your social media. Keep in mind that while these extra features are fun, they can drive up the oven’s price. 

FAQs

Q: What is the advantage of a smart oven? 

Countertop smart ovens often feature more ways of cooking food, such as convection technology, which makes them capable of standing in for a conventional oven in ways that a toaster oven cannot. Appliance-size smart ovens, like our wall oven pick, often reflect the more conventional smart oven definition, an internet-connected device that allows you to control cooking and other features using your phone.

Q: Why would you need Wi-Fi on an oven? 

With Wi-Fi connectivity, you can operate your oven through your smartphone or a compatible AI assistant such as Amazon Alexa. This allows you to preheat an oven or change its temperature when you’re in another room. A Wi-Fi-connected oven may also offer other conveniences, like the ability to monitor food usage and reorder those foods so you don’t run out.

Q: How much does a smart oven cost? 

The cost of a smart oven varies significantly depending on the brand, size, number of cooking types, and more. Smaller smart ovens with limited features often start around $150 but larger, more versatile models can cost many hundreds of dollars.

Final thoughts on the best smart ovens

Combining a lower price point with plenty of versatility and a more compact design, smart ovens like the Breville Smart Oven Pro greatly expand the range of things you can do with a countertop oven. If you’re looking to simplify your cooking workflow and consolidate appliances like your toaster oven and air fryer into a single device, a smart oven may make sense for you.



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