For a single portion, a reheated slice of pizza, a few chicken thighs, or a tray of roasted vegetables, a toaster oven will use meaningfully less electricity than a full-size oven. The gap is real, and it comes down to three things: wattage, cavity size, and preheat time. We'll walk through each one with actual numbers so you can decide whether the switch makes sense for how you cook.
The Wattage Gap
A standard electric full-size oven draws somewhere between 2,000 and 5,000 watts depending on whether it's running just the bake element or cycling both elements plus the broiler to maintain temperature. A realistic average for a bake cycle is around 2,400 watts when you account for the heating element cycling on and off (it's not running at full draw the entire time). Some older ranges pull more; newer ones may be slightly less.
A countertop toaster oven draws 1,200 to 1,800 watts. Call it 1,500 watts as a reasonable midpoint. At 15 cents per kWh (close to the national average as of late 2026), that works out to roughly 22 cents per hour at the toaster oven's full draw versus about 36 cents per hour for the full-size oven. That's a gap of around 14 cents per hour while both are actively heating.
The real-world difference is a bit larger than that, because of preheat.
Preheat Is Where You Waste the Most
A full-size oven typically takes 10 to 15 minutes to reach 350°F, running near full draw the entire time to bring a large insulated cavity up to temperature. That preheat alone uses roughly 0.4 to 0.8 kWh before you've put a single thing inside. A toaster oven gets to 350°F in about 5 minutes because it has much less air and metal to heat. The preheat cost is closer to 0.1 kWh.
So for a 25-minute cook at 375°F, the total energy picture looks something like this, assuming the oven cycles at about 60% duty cycle once it's up to temperature:
| Appliance | Preheat (kWh) | Cook 25 min (kWh) | Total (kWh) | Cost at $0.15/kWh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full-size electric oven | 0.60 | 0.60 | 1.20 | $0.18 |
| Toaster oven (1,500W) | 0.12 | 0.38 | 0.50 | $0.075 |
That's about 10 cents saved per cooking session. It sounds small. But if you use the toaster oven instead of the full-size oven six times a week for small meals, that's roughly $31 a year. Cook seven or eight times a week that way and you're closer to $40. At $0.20/kWh, which some states are already past, those numbers go up by a third.
Worth noting: the duty cycle assumption matters here. We used 60% for the full-size oven, which is a commonly cited figure for a well-calibrated electric oven holding temperature. Your oven may cycle differently. If you want an exact number for your specific oven, a home energy monitor or a plug-in power meter on a toaster oven will tell you the real draw.
The Cavity Size Factor
The reason the toaster oven is cheaper to run isn't just wattage — it's that you're heating a much smaller space. A full-size oven cavity is typically 4 to 5 cubic feet. A standard toaster oven is 0.4 to 0.9 cubic feet. When you put a single chicken breast or a small tray of vegetables in a full-size oven, you're heating four cubic feet of air and all the metal walls around it, mostly to do nothing. The toaster oven matches the space to the job.
This is the same logic behind using a microwave for reheating rather than the oven: smaller heat zone, less wasted energy. The toaster oven sits between those two options in both cooking flexibility and energy use.
Summer: There's a Hidden Benefit
Any heat your oven generates that escapes into the kitchen gets counted against your AC. A full-size oven running for 45 minutes dumps considerably more waste heat into the room than a toaster oven running for the same duration, partly because of the longer preheat and partly because the larger cavity surface area radiates more. If your AC is running during summer, you're paying twice for the full-size oven: once for the cooking energy, and again when the AC has to remove that heat.
We'd estimate this effect is modest in a tightly sealed home but meaningful in a kitchen that heats up easily. It's hard to put an exact number on it without knowing your AC's efficiency and runtime, but directionally, using the toaster oven in summer is a double win.
Where the Toaster Oven Falls Short
It's not a full replacement. If you're baking a full sheet pan of cookies, a 9x13 casserole, a whole roast, or anything that needs consistent top-to-bottom heat across a large area, the toaster oven either won't fit the dish or won't perform as well. Food placed too close to the heating elements can burn on the edges before the center is done.
So the right framing is: use the toaster oven for meals that fit it. If the food fills more than about two-thirds of the cavity, you're better off in the full-size oven. For anything else — reheating, single servings, small trays, toast, broiling a couple of pieces of fish — the toaster oven is the better tool on both performance and cost grounds.
Convection Setting: Worth Using
Many toaster ovens and countertop ovens now include a convection fan. It's worth switching on for most tasks. Convection circulates air so food cooks more evenly and faster — typically 20 to 25% faster than without it. Shorter cook time means proportionally less electricity used. The energy savings from convection aren't dramatic in absolute terms (a few cents per session), but it also improves the quality of the cook, so it's just the right default setting for most tasks.
Comparing the Main Countertop Options
If you're deciding which countertop appliance to reach for, here's how the main options compare on energy for small meals. We've written a fuller breakdown in our air fryer vs oven piece, but the short version is below.
| Appliance | Typical Wattage | Best for | Energy vs full-size oven |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microwave | 900–1,200W | Reheating, steaming | 60–80% less |
| Air fryer | 1,400–1,700W | Crispy foods, fries, wings | 50–70% less |
| Toaster / countertop oven | 1,200–1,800W | Baking, roasting, broiling | 50–75% less |
| Full-size electric oven | 2,000–5,000W | Large meals, full baking | Baseline |
The microwave wins on pure energy use, but it can't roast or bake. The air fryer and toaster oven are close in wattage; the air fryer tends to run hotter and shorter, while the toaster oven gives you more flexibility in what you can cook. Neither is strictly better — they're suited for different things.
What to Actually Buy
If you mostly want to replace the full-size oven for small meals, look for a countertop convection oven in the 20- to 30-liter range rather than a basic 2-slice toaster oven. The larger countertop models can handle a 9-inch round pan, a small roasting rack, or a 12-inch pizza — enough for most single-person or two-person cooking. They typically run $60 to $150. A basic toaster oven at $30 to $50 makes sense if you're mainly reheating or toasting.
Cuisinart TOA-70 Air Fryer Toaster Oven (0.6 cu ft)
A well-regarded countertop convection oven with an air fry setting. Fits a 13-inch pizza or a 9x13 baking pan, draws about 1,800 watts, and replaces the full-size oven for most everyday cooking tasks. The convection fan runs by default on most settings.
Check Price on AmazonBreville BOV450XL Mini Smart Oven (0.45 cu ft)
A compact countertop oven that fits a 9-inch pizza or four slices of toast. Draws 1,800 watts, has a good temperature sensor, and heats evenly. Well-suited for a one- or two-person household replacing the full-size oven for most weeknight cooking.
Check Price on AmazonFAQ
How much electricity does a toaster oven use per hour?
Most toaster ovens draw 1,200 to 1,800 watts. At 1,500 watts average and 15 cents per kWh, one hour of use costs about 22 cents.
Does a toaster oven heat up faster than a full-size oven?
Yes. A typical toaster oven preheats to 350°F in around 5 minutes. A full-size oven usually takes 10 to 15 minutes, burning roughly 0.4 to 0.8 kWh just getting up to temperature before you've put anything in.
Will a toaster oven add less heat to my kitchen in summer?
Yes, meaningfully so. Because a toaster oven runs for less time and heats a smaller cavity, it dumps noticeably less waste heat into your kitchen than a full-size oven. That matters if your AC is working hard.
What size toaster oven do I need to replace my regular oven for small meals?
A 12-liter (0.4 cu ft) countertop oven handles toast, reheating, and small side dishes. For a whole chicken, sheet-pan meal, or a 9x13 baking dish you need a larger countertop oven, often called a countertop convection oven, in the 20- to 30-liter range.
Does a convection setting save energy?
It can, indirectly. Convection circulates air so food cooks faster, which shortens run time. If you reduce cooking time by 20 to 25%, your energy use drops by roughly the same fraction.
Is a toaster oven worth buying just for the energy savings?
Probably not on savings alone if you rarely cook small meals. But if you're already in the market for one, the payback in electricity is a reasonable bonus. A decent countertop oven runs $50 to $150; at $25 to $40 saved per year, it pays for the energy difference in one to two years.
The Short Version
For meals that fit in a countertop oven, use the countertop oven. The savings are real — roughly 50 to 75% less electricity per session compared to the full-size oven, adding up to $30 to $40 a year for someone who cooks small meals most evenings. The full-size oven still makes sense for large dishes, batch cooking, or anything that needs its full capacity. Everything else is a good candidate for the smaller appliance. If you don't have one yet, a 20- to 30-liter countertop convection oven is the most flexible choice.
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