best small microwaves for kitchens with limited space

5 Small Microwaves for Kitchens with Limited Space

Our 5 Best Small Microwaves for Kitchens with Limited Space (2023)

 

Whether you’re living the tiny home life, trying to save extra space on your countertops, or making the most out of a cramped apartment, choosing a small microwave is a great way to save space. Not only will you make extra room for cooking, but you’ll still have the convenience and power of a full-sized microwave right inside your limited space kitchen.

 

If you’re stumped on which small microwave will work best for your limited kitchen space, consider our top five favorite small microwaves, all available via Amazon.

1. Toshiba EM131A5C-BS Microwave Oven – Our #1 Top Choice!

Of every small microwave model we reviewed on Amazon, this one was the most impressive. With over 21,000 five-star customer reviews on Amazon, this tiny unit takes up about 1.2 cubic feet of countertop space, comes loaded with a ton of handy features, and produces evenly-heated foods every time.

Pros of the Toshiba EM131A5C-BS Microwave Oven:

  • Preprogrammed ideal heating times for popular microwaved foods, such as popcorn and pizza
  • Ten different power settings to provide better adjustments for any food heating job
  • Large, easy to read digital display that includes options for muting beeps and other sounds
  • Rotating glass plate to ensure evenly heated food every time

Cons of the Toshiba EM131A5C-BS Microwave Oven:

  • The defrosting options are aggressive, with some foods even starting to cook while still inside the microwave
  • The rotating plate can be a bit noisy during microwave operation
  • Some of the owner’s manual instructions for setting up the microwave are unclear
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2. Nostalgia RMO4AQ Retro Countertop Microwave

 

This small microwave currently boasts over 8,500 five-star customer reviews on Amazon. Though it’s small, it is fierce: The Nostalgia Retro microwave takes up minimal space on your countertops while still producing enough power to thoroughly heat foods.

Pros of the Nostalgia RMO4AQ Retro Countertop Microwave:

  • Rotating glass plate to ensure evenly heated food every time
  • Stylish retro look that’s available in six different colors
  • Takes up less than one cubic foot of countertop space
  • Knobs for adjusting time, heat settings, etc. rather than buttons
  • Twelve preset timers for commonly microwaved foods, including popcorn and pizza

Cons of the Nostalgia RMO4AQ Retro Countertop Microwave:

  • The lower wattage settings aren’t ideal for microwaving anything longer than six minutes
  • Some customers reported a lack of sturdiness after using the microwave for a couple months
  • The rubberized feet aren’t gripping enough to totally avoid sliding on a countertop
  • The retro chrome accents are plastic rather than a sturdy metal
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3. Amazon Basics Microwave (Bundled with an Echo Dot)

This microwave caught our attention for a few key reasons. Besides over 800 five-star Amazon customer reviews, the idea of a small microwave pairing with smart technology at a reasonable price was intriguing.

Pros of the Amazon Basics Microwave:

  • Bundled with Amazon’s Echo Dot, which pairs with the microwave to perform some handy tasks (such as helping you reorder kitchen items when you’re running low, learning your favorite presets for certain foods, creating shopping lists, setting cooking timers, and more)
  • Voice-activated presets allow you to use the microwave via the Echo Dot without touching anything

Cons of the Amazon Basics Microwave:

  • The interior of the microwave is small; a standard ceramic dinner plate likely won’t fit inside
  • Inconsistent and uneven heating leaves some foods with cold spots after microwaving
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4. Comfee EM720CPL-PMB Countertop Microwave Oven

 

Throughout this entire list, the Comfee EM720CPL-PMB countertop microwave oven is the most cost-efficient. The Comfee model currently has over 7,000 five-star customer ratings on Amazon.

Pros of the Comfee EM720CPL-PMB Countertop Microwave Oven:

  • A little under one foot of cubic space inside the microwave oven is enough room for a generously sized ceramic plate without taking up tons of countertop space
  • Mutable beeps and sounds
  • Bright and easy-to-read digital display
  • Energy saving mode can save up to 50% more energy than other standard microwave ovens

Cons of the Comfee EM720CPL-PMB Countertop Microwave Oven:

  • The microwave’s internal space is short; taller mixing bowls likely won’t fit inside
  • The handle and latches feel cheaply made
  • Even for a small microwave, the wattage is low; cooking times may increase for some items to get them fully heated
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5. Impecca CM0674 Countertop Microwave Oven

 

The Impecca CM0674 countertop microwave oven is another cost-effective option on this list. At a very low cost, this small microwave is simple, gets the job done, and doesn’t take up tons of space while doing it.

Pros of the Impecca CM0674 Countertop Microwave Oven

  • Uses dials instead of noisy, beeping buttons to adjust the heat settings and other controls
  • Safety feature that will shut off the microwave automatically after 30 minutes of runtime
  • Minimalist, no-frills design is excellent for the elderly, people with dementia, or people who simply want an extremely simple yet effective small microwave

Cons of the Impecca CM0674 Countertop Microwave Oven:

  • Often retains moisture to the point of causing some damage to the microwave–on some test runs, the microwave door needed to be left open in order for excess moisture to evaporate
  • The rotating glass plate is a little under 10 inches in diameter, which may be too small for some standard sized ceramic dinner plates
  • The higher heat settings can burn food quickly if they’re left inside a little too long
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Our Top Pick: The Toshiba EM131A5C-BS Microwave Oven

 

Although each of the small microwaves mentioned above have many pros and cons, the model that outshined the rest was the Toshiba EM131A5C-BS microwave oven. Overall, this microwave delivered the most powerful punch in the most conveniently small size, offering a great balance between features and functionality.

 

This particular model, while simple, offered the most consistent heating results among commonly microwaved foods, such as pizza and potatoes. Throughout the customer reviews for this model, the complaints were minimal and typically related to the cosmetics of the unit rather than its functional features. For a customer wanting the best value for their money, this small microwave delivers the strongest and most consistent performance among the top five options.

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