The 7 Best 4-Slice Toasters of 2023 | Tested by The Spruce Eats

Best 4-slice toasters spruce eats — The Spruce Eats / Fred Hardy

Whether you use one to crisp a burger bun, build the perfect egg sandwich, heat frozen waffles, or warm a few slices of an artisanal bread to pair with dinner, a toaster is an essential kitchen appliance to heat, crisp, and caramelize your favorite breads, bagels, and English muffins. While two-slot toasters are common in many households, four-slot toasters exist to accommodate families and those who simply need to toast more than two bread items at once.

To determine which toasters won't ruin your mornings, we tested 20 of the most popular models side-by-side, browning bread, bagels, and waffles. We rated each model on design, performance, features, ease of cleaning, and overall value, and then offered additional insights on what we did and didn't like about each appliance. The winners (and losers) are listed below.

Our Top Picks

Best Overall:

Cuisinart 4-Slice Touchscreen Toaster at Amazon

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Runner-Up, Best Overall:

Buydeem 4-Slice Toaster at Amazon

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Best High-End:

Zwilling Enfinigy Cool Touch 4-Slice Toaster at Amazon

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Best Budget:

Proctor Silex 4-Slice Toaster at Amazon

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Best for Bagels:

KitchenAid 4-Slice Toaster at Amazon

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Best Design:

Smeg Retro-Style 4-Slice Long-Slot Toaster at Amazon

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Best for Waffles:

Cuisinart 4-Slice Custom Select Toaster at Amazon

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In This Article

Our Picks
How We Tested
Other Options We Tested
What to Look For
FAQs
Why Trust The Spruce Eats?

4.9

Cuisinart-cpt-t40-4-slice-touchscreen-toaster

Amazon

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Our Ratings

Design

4.5/5
Performance

3.5/5
Features

4/5
Ease of Cleaning

4.5/5
Overall Value

5/5

What We Like

Touchscreen controls
High-lift lever and +30 seconds feature
Can also toast single slices

What We Don't Like

Bagels are a tight fit

The CPT-T40 4-Slice Touchscreen Toaster outperformed the competition in our tests, particularly when you factor in its price. Touchscreen controls on the front and six shade settings give precise control, and features include bagel, defrost, single-slice toasting, a +30 second option when the toast needs just a little more time, and a cancel button that stops the toasting right away.

Two levers each control a pair of toast slots, and each pair can operate separately, so it’s easy to toast one side lighter and the other side darker at the same time. This toaster’s display rests in standby mode when it’s not being used and wakes up at the touch of an icon, ready to help with breakfast tasks.

The usefulness of this toaster's different features, as well as how well it toasts bagels, earned it praise. Bread toasted to a nice golden brown on medium and high settings, with the highest coming out evenly dark without being burned. We did have to manually help thick bagels into the slots, but they came out with a golden brown cut-side and a soft crust, even on the highest setting. The crumb tray is removable for easy cleaning, though we noticed the easy-to-wipe exterior tended to capture fingerprints.

Price at time of publish: $74

tester inserting bread slices into Cuisinart 4 Slice Touchscreen Toaster — The Spruce Eats / Fred Hardy

Testing Takeaway

"It looks so, so sleek. This is a toaster you would be proud to leave on your counter."

Amazon

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Our Ratings

Design

4.5/5
Performance

4/5
Features

4.5/5
Ease of Cleaning

4.5/5
Overall Value

4.5/5

What We Like

Consistent performance
Available in mint green and pale yellow
Lightweight

What We Don't Like

Highest setting runs hot

Let's face it, most toasters look the same: a smooth black or silver box. Some may be made with better material, or have a sleeker appearance, but few offer a distinguishing characteristic. This led us to try out a few design-forward four-slice toasters, including this curved and colorful retro-style toaster from Buydeem.

Though this looks like it belongs in a midcentury modern house, the Buydeem has all the features of a 21st-century toaster. There are bagel/muffin, reheat, and defrost options, plus seven shade settings. The two sides are independently controlled, and it comes with a high-lift lever for smaller items. This toaster performed beautifully across the board; it dependably toasted up bagels and bread to a golden brown in the medium settings, with the high setting getting very toasty but not inedible.

When you're done, the exterior is easy to wipe down and the 40-inch cord has concealed storage, so you can keep this statement piece on your counter.

Price at time of publish: $90

Buydeem 4 Slice Toaster next to toasted bread in all different shades of doneness — The Spruce Eats / Fred Hardy

Testing Takeaway

"We felt like this one hit every level of brownness that one would want from a toaster."

4.8

ZWILLING Enfinigy Cool Touch Toaster 4 Slice

Amazon

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Our Ratings

Design

5/5
Performance

4.5/5
Features

4.5/5
Ease of Cleaning

5/5
Overall Value

5/5

What We Like

Sleek design
Consistent performance
Easy to keep clean

What We Don't Like

Pricey

Sleek design and high-quality appliances are what Zwilling is known for, and we were not disappointed in its four-slice toaster. It comes with seven browning settings, plus defrost, reheat, and bagel functions, all easily viewable with LED-lit controls. When your bread is done, you have both a soft-lift and high-lift option.

The slots are engineered to position each bread slice for even browning, and we found this element really delivered. No matter the setting or type of bread, everything came out of this toaster perfectly, evenly browned. We noticed that it provided the most coverage of toastiness—no outer border of un-toasted bread to be found. When we dropped in bagels, the wide slots fit them perfectly with the highest setting keeping the crust soft and the interior dark but not burnt. Lastly, we feel this toaster's very modern aesthetic will look good on any countertop.

An added bonus with Zwilling's Enfinigy line is its accessories; there are pieces sold separately for toasting sandwiches or warming buns.

Price at time of publish: $215

Zwiling Enfinigy Cool Touch 4 Slice Toaster Test — The Spruce Eats / Fred Hardy

Testing Takeaway

"This is a gorgeous toaster that will consistently deliver the brown level that you would expect on each of the numbers."

4.2

Amazon

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Our Ratings

Design

4/5
Performance

3/5
Features

4/5
Ease of Cleaning

4/5
Overall Value

5/5

What We Like

Very efficient
Easy to clean
Sleek design

What We Don't Like

Inconsistent browning

If you're looking for a very affordable, no-frills toaster, there are tons of options, but one thing our testing proved is that there aren't a lot of basic four-slice toasters that won't regularly burn your toast or malfunction. Efficiency and a simple design are what made the Procter Silex 4-Slice Wide Slot Toaster stand out in our tests.

The only extra features this bare-bones, slightly compact model has are seven browning settings, a high-lift lever for English muffins and the like, and a cancel button for when you don't want to wait. During testing, this did get very hot when on the hottest setting, with the bread closest to the heating element (the farthest left slot) coming out a little darker than expected. The unevenness across the four slots was consistently noted, but it does serve up golden-brown toast when you figure out the learning curve.

Price at time of publish: $45

tester inspecting toast that just came out of the Proctor Silex 4 Slice Toaster Test — The Spruce Eats / Fred Hardy

Testing Takeaway

"This is a no-frills toaster, but it's very efficient."

The 7 Best 2-Slice Toasters of 2023

4.5

Amazon

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Our Ratings

Design

4/5
Performance

4.3/5
Features

4.5/5
Ease of Cleaning

5/5
Overall Value

4.5/5

What We Like

Extra-wide slots
Dings when done
Classic color options

What We Don't Like

Hard to keep clean

Even if you're not toasting fluffy New York-style bagels, forcing half a bagel into a too-narrow toaster slot can result in a lot of crumbs. If this is a regular occurrence in your kitchen, you need to buy a wide-slot toaster that is ideal for bagels. We found just the one with this KitchenAid 4-Slice Toaster.

This model is available in three colors, offers five shade settings and a manual high-lift lever, and features 1.5-inch wide slots. In our tests, it repeatedly toasted up picture-perfect bagels on all the settings. Just pop the bagel in, press the bagel function, and when it dings, you'll have a bagel with a still-soft crust and even, golden brown crispiness on the inside.

We did find that this toaster skews a bit darker on the regular settings, so keep that in mind. It also appeared to show fingerprints, but those were easy to clean.

Price at time of publish: $80

untoasted bagels and sandwich bread slices lined up next to the KitchenAid 4 Slice Toaster Test — The Spruce Eats / Fred Hardy

Testing Takeaway

"When it comes to bagels, the coloring is almost perfect."

4.5

Smeg TSF02PKUS 50's Retro Style Aesthetic 4 Slice Toaster, Pink

Amazon

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Our Ratings

Design

5/5
Performance

3/5
Features

3/5
Ease of Cleaning

5/5
Overall Value

4.3/5

What We Like

Polished design
Consistent results
Includes bagel and defrost features

What We Don't Like

Toast sometimes pops out of toaster

Smeg, an Italian company, has been making inroads in the American market and gaining a following thanks to the retro look of its appliances and unique color options that will make a statement in any kitchen. The exterior of this toaster is powder-coated steel with polished chrome accents, but its accolades go beyond just its good looks.

We gave this toaster high marks for its consistent performance, whether we toasted four slices of regular toast, two extra long slices, or two split bagels. The brownness corresponded to the toaster's setting time and time again. We did note that when you’re using the bagel setting, it toasts slightly lighter, but does get a great golden brown color on the cut-side if you crank it up to high. This also has reheat and defrost settings.

One caveat from the tests: We enjoyed the toast popping all the way out of the toaster, though these pieces could easily end up on the floor. Anti-slip feet keep this steady on the counter, and the removable crumb tray makes it easy to clean.

Price at time of publish: $270

Smeg 4 Slice Toaster Test with crumb tray removed, next to toasted and untoasted sandwich bread slices, bagel halves, and waffles — The Spruce Eats / Fred Hardy

Testing Takeaway

"It performed the slice-bread test very well, but you're really buying this for the design."

The 8 Best Toasters of 2023, Tested and Reviewed

4.8

Cuisinart CPT-640 4-Slice Custom Select Toaster

Amazon

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Our Ratings

Design

2.5/5
Performance

4/5
Features

4.5/5
Ease of Cleaning

5/5
Overall Value

4.8/5

What We Like

Waffle, pastry, and English muffin settings
Affordable
3-year warranty

What We Don't Like

Hard to keep exterior shiny

Similar to bagels, if toasting frozen waffles into your toaster is a frequent event in your kitchen, life will be much more enjoyable if your toaster excels at it. Whether you top yours with homemade whipped cream or need a base for a waffle sundae, the Cuisinart 4-Slice Custom Select Toaster performed the best in our tests when it came to waffles.

Before we got to the waffle test, we found this Cuisinart model achieved evenly golden toast, with a decent gradation between settings. If you do enjoy bagels every now and then, it did also pass the bagel test, though you'll want to have it on a higher setting for a crispier bagel. When we tested this model's extra features, the waffle setting got them crispy and golden-brown.

In addition to the waffle setting, this toaster has a setting for pastries and English muffins as well as defrost and a single slice. This translates to a lot of bang for your buck. One caveat is that it's hard to wipe down and does show fingerprints easily.

Cuisinart CPT-640 4-Slice Metal Toaster next to toasted bagels and sandwich-sliced bread — The Spruce Eats / Fred Hardy

Testing Takeaway

"The waffle came out a nice golden brown, crispy exterior, and soft inside—great job."

		Overall Rating	Design	Performance	Features	Ease of Cleaning	Overall Value
Best Overall: Cuisinart 4-Slice Touchscreen Toaster	Amazon	4.9	4.5	3.5	4	4.5	5
Runner-Up, Best Overall: Buydeem 4-Slice Toaster	Amazon	5	4.5	4	4.5	4.5	4.5
Best High-End: Zwilling Enfinigy Cool Touch 4-Slice Toaster	Amazon	4.8	5	4.5	4.5	5	5
Best Budget: Proctor Silex 4-Slice Toaster	Amazon	4.2	4	3	4	4	5
Best for Bagels: KitchenAid 4-Slice Toaster	Amazon	4.5	4	4.3	4.5	5	4.5
Best Design: Smeg Retro-Style 4-Slice Long-Slot Toaster	Amazon	4.5	5	3	3	5	4.3
Best for Waffles: Cuisinart 4-Slice Custom Select Toaster	Amazon	4.8	2.5	4	4.5	5	4.8

Final Verdict

We chose the Cuisinart CPT-T40 4-Slice Touchscreen Toaster for the top spot because of its attractive design, affordable price, and incredible performance during our tests. If you're looking for an affordable pick that gets the job done, the Proctor Silex 4-Slice Wide Slot Toaster is for you.

Dualit Vario 4-slice toaster showing bread popping up into the air — The Spruce Eats / Fred Hardy

How We Tested

We tested 20 of the top 4-slice toasters by seeing how well they toasted up regular white bread, bagels, and frozen waffles. We ran each test on three settings: light, medium, and high, to accurately gauge heat level and evenness. We also wiped down each machine repeatedly and emptied the crumb trays. All of our reviewers evaluated the four-slice toasters on design, performance, features, ease of cleaning, and overall value.

We also sent some four-slice toasters to the homes of our experienced food writers so they could spend weeks testing their capabilities. They used the machines to toast a variety of bread, frozen waffles, and ready-to-eat breakfast pastries, plus tried out all the functions and features, cleaned them, stored them, and ultimately decided what their strengths and weaknesses were.

How We Test Products

Dualit crumb tray spruce eats — The Spruce Eats / Fred Hardy

Other Options We Tested

Cuisinart CPT-180P1 4-Slice Classic Metal Toaster: We generally enjoyed our former best overall pick, since it's easy to clean, has independent settings, and is relatively affordable, but we observed inconsistent results and uneven browning. When using the bagel function, the toaster doesn't turn off one side, which could result in a burnt exterior.
KRUPS KH734D Breakfast Set 4-Slot Toaster: With six browning settings, a sleek design, and built-in cord storage, this Krups four-slice toaster was a favorite for a long time. That said, we found it left a lot to be desired: The shading was inconsistent and very uneven across the functions. Toasting bread skewed toward very dark browning while toasting bagels skewed very light. On top of that, it was a "fingerprint nightmare."
Breville BTA830XL Die-Cast Smart Toaster 4-Slice Toaster: The Breville Die-Cast Smart Toaster is one of the more expensive models on the market, and we found that its automated lowering/rising function was very fun to use, but it didn't serve a real purpose. The bagel even got caught a few times during testing, so it doesn't work perfectly. What really took this off our recommendations was the overly hot highest setting that burned toast and bagels.
Cuisinart CPT-142 4-Slice Compact Plastic Toaster: We initially liked this Cuisinart for its space-saving design and affordability, but it skewed very hot, burning both bread and bagels, and even warping some of its plastic casing. It led us to believe that an oven broiler would work better than this. Needless to say, we don't recommend it.
Breville BTA730XL Bit More 4-Slice Toaster: Breville is one of the most respected countertop appliance brands, and we expected its Bit More Toaster to be one of our top picks. This ultimately let us down, though. During testing, only the medium setting produced decent toast and an evenly browned bagel. The highest setting yielded burnt toast. Things got even worse with the bagel test when both sides ended up charred and inedible.
Dualit Vario Four-Slice Toaster: We found this high-end contender looked slightly European in design, and it was definitely the most fun to toast with. Its very powerful lift lever was one of the few toasters to give a true cartoon-like pop up and out of the toaster. Beyond that though, we couldn't find other features to justify the cost. The toast settings need to be fine-tuned or you'll end up with too-light or too-dark toast, with inconsistent browning, and the exterior was hard to keep clean.

toasted bagels, sandwich bread slices, and waffles on a tray next to toaster — The Spruce Eats / Fred Hardy

What to Look for in a 4-Slice Toaster

Shade Settings

These adjustable settings indicate the shade level, or how toasted your bread will be. These are either shown in numbers going up to 6 or 7, indicating the brownness of the toast (from light brown to dark brown) or in minutes counting down before the toast pops up.

Standard Features

Features found in most four-slice toasters include a crumb tray, lift lever (allowing you to lift the finished toast higher to avoid getting burned), and width slots. Depending on how wide they are, the width slots will allow you to fit and evenly toast more than just a regular slice of toast, such as bagels, artisan bread slices, pastries, and more.

Extra Features

Many four-slice toasters also include extra settings and features that may be useful depending on your needs. Examples include defrost, reheat, and keep-warm settings; a "lift and look" feature that lets you pause toasting to check doneness; "a bit more" option that lets you toast a little longer if the bread wasn't toasted to your liking; and a digital display.

testers examining toasters and toasted bread and bagels — Fred Hardy

Good to Know

Different types of bread brown at different speeds. Depending on what type of bread you're toasting, you'll need to adjust the browning setting to get your favorite amount of doneness. Lighter bread, like white or potato, tends to brown faster and might require a lower browning setting than a sprouted bread that has a lot of seeds and whole grains in it. The best way to find your perfect slice is to experiment with your favorite bread and then remember that setting.

FAQs

How do you clean a toaster?

Before cleaning your toaster, unplug it and make sure it's completely cooled down. Then, remove the crumb tray and shake loose crumbs from the tray into a trashcan or the sink. The tray can be washed by hand if needed, and should be completely dry before returning it to the toaster.

It's also a good idea to turn the actual toaster upside down and give it a shake over the trash can or sink to dislodge any additional crumbs. If any crumbs remain, you can use a small brush to clean them from the toaster slots.

The outside of the toaster and controls can be wiped down with a damp cloth.

What do the numbers on a toaster mean?

The numbers on a toaster are meant to be a guide to level of toast doneness, but they vary from toaster to toaster. Turning the dial to "2" on different toasters will likely result in very different levels of brownness.

On high-end toaster models, the numbers sometimes correlate to minutes, but again, that's not the case on all toasters.

It's best to experiment with a few slices of bread to figure out what each setting on your toaster produces and find the settings that meet your preferences.

tester evaluating bagel slices — The Spruce Eats / Fred Hardy

What does the bagel setting on a toaster do?

The bagel setting lets the toaster know you're toasting something thicker, like a bagel or English muffin, which requires more time to heat through and toast evenly. The toaster automatically increases the toasting time when this function is used.

Can you put foil in a toaster?

Even though aluminum foil is designed to withstand heat, it's not a good idea to use it in a toaster; there isn't enough clearance in toaster slots to make sure the foil isn't touching the heating elements. Save the foil for a toaster oven or standard oven.

Why Trust The Spruce Eats?

Donna Currie knows a thing or two about bread, toasted or not. The Spruce Eats writer and reviewer not only wrote a book about the bread-making process ("Make Ahead Bread") but she's also written roundups on various kinds of toasters and toaster ovens for our site. Check out her picks of the best two-slice toasters.

This roundup was edited by Katya Weiss-Andersson, a writer and editor who has nearly a decade of experience as a professional chef, and Siobhan Wallace, who compiled testing data from our official Lab as well as insights from our home testers.

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Additional reporting by

Sharon Lehman, RDN