Best toastie makers 2024

The best toastie makers and sandwich toasters cook evenly and right to the edges, leaving you with crispy browned bread full of delicious melted cheese.

We tested popular toastie makers and sandwich toasters from Argos, Asda, Breville, George Foreman, Russell Hobbs, Sage and more. Our results show which ones make the perfect cheese toastie, which are the easiest to use and clean, and which make the most mess.

We've found that price is no indicator of quality when it comes to toastie makers – our Best Buys aren't the most expensive, and we've found a Great Value pick that costs less than £30. See our full test results below to discover which toastie makers and sandwich toasters we recommend.

The best toastie makers and sandwich toasters from our tests

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The toastie makers and sandwich toasters we tested

All the toastie makers we tested are listed in alphabetical order below.

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Argos Cookworks 2 Portion Panini Press

Available from Argos (£25)

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Most recently tested January 2024

Size 9.7 x 31.8 x 27.2cm (H x W x D)

Cooking plate size (per toastie) 27.5 x 17.5cm

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Need to know 2kg, no recommended cooking time, handle lock, vertical storage

Argos Cookworks 2 Portion Sandwich Toaster

Available from Argos (£15)

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Most recently tested April 2021

Size 8.3 x 22.2 x 22.7cm (H x W x D)

Cooking plate size (per toastie) 10.5 x 12cm

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Need to know 1.2kg, recommended cooking time of 3-4 minutes, handle lock, vertical storage

Asda George Home Sandwich Toaster GST301B-19

Available from Asda (£10)

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Most recently tested April 2021

Size 8 x 22.5 x 22.5cm (H x W x D)

Cooking plate size (per toastie) 10.5 x 12cm

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Need to know 1.8kg, recommended cooking time of 2-4 minutes, handle lock, vertical storage

Breville VST025

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Most recently tested April 2021

Size 9.5 x 32 x 27.5 (H x W x D)

Cooking plate size (per toastie) 27 x 17.8cm

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Need to know 1.9kg, recommended cooking time of 5-8 minutes, handle lock, vertical storage, cable tidy, recipes included

Breville VST057 2 Portion Sandwich Toaster

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Most recently tested January 2024

Size 11.6 X 26.2 x 24.8cm (H x W x D)

Cooking plate size (per toastie) 10.7 x 10.7cm

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Need to know 1.2kg, recommended cooking time of 4-5 minutes, handle lock, vertical storage, cable tidy, recipes included

Breville VST082 Ultimate

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Most recently tested October 2022

Size 9.4 x 27.6 x 23.5cm (H x W x D)

Cooking plate size (per toastie) 12 x 11.2cm

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Need to know 2.8kg, recommended cooking time of 4-5 minutes, deep fill plates, removable plates, handle lock, vertical storage, cable tidy, recipes included

Breville VST083

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Most recently tested October 2022

Size 10.6 x 24 x 23cm (H x W x D)

Cooking plate size (per toastie) 11 x 12.5cm

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Need to know 1.5kg, recommended cooking time of 4-5 minutes, handle lock, vertical storage, cable tidy, recipes included

Breville VST091 Deep Fill 2 Portion Sandwich Toaster

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Most recently tested January 2024

Size 9.6 x 24 x 23.5cm (H x W x D)

Cooking plate size (per toastie) 10.5 x 10.2cm

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Need to know 1.9kg, recommended cooking time of 4-5 minutes, deep fill plates, handle lock, vertical storage, cable tidy

Cuisinart GRSM1U

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Most recently tested April 2021

Size 11 x 29.4 x 24cm (H x W x D)

Cooking plate size (per toastie) 14 x 14.5cm

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Need to know 2.5kg, recommended cooking time of 5 minutes, temperature control, deep fill plates, removable plates, handle lock, vertical storage, cable tidy, recipes included

Daewoo SDA1562 3-in-1 Snack Maker

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Most recently tested October 2022

Size 15 x 30 x 26cm (H x W x D)

Cooking plate size (per toastie) 10.8 x 12.8cm

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Need to know 2.6kg, recommended cooking time of 4-5 minutes, removable plates, waffle and grill plates included, handle lock, vertical storage, cable tidy

George Foreman 25810 Grill

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Most recently tested January 2024

Size 7.7 x 33.3 x 27.5cm (H x W x D)

Cooking plate size (per toastie) 31 x 17cm

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Need to know 1.3kg, no recommended cooking time, adjustable plate width, vertical storage, cable tidy, recipes included

Global Gourmet by Sensiohome Sandwich Toaster/Toastie Maker GG024EAN

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Most recently tested January 2024

Size 11 x 30 x 25cm (H x W x D)

Cooking plate size (per toastie) 14.5 x 13.8cm

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Need to know 1.9kg, recommended cooking time of 2-4 minutes, handle lock, cable tidy

What makes the ultimate cheese toastie? We pitted a toastie maker against an air fryer, microwave toastie maker, Crimpit, and more. Find out which triumphed.

Logik L02SMS17 Sandwich Toaster

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Most recently tested October 2022

Size 10.8 x 25 x 24.7cm (H x W x D)

Cooking plate size (per toastie) 11 x 12.5cm

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Need to know 1.2kg, recommended cooking time of 2-4 minutes, handle lock, vertical storage, cable tidy

Ninja Foodi 3-in-1 Toaster, Grill and Panini Press ST200UK

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Most recently tested January 2024

Size 21.1 x 40.6 x 14.5cm (H x W x D)

Cooking plate size (per toastie) 20 x 13cm

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Need to know 4.5kg, recommended cooking time of 12 minutes on Panini/High settings, temperature control, handle lock, vertical storage, cable tidy, recipes included, also has toaster, grill, bake and reheat modes

Find out how we rated it as a toaster in our Ninja Foodi ST200UK toaster review.

Russell Hobbs Deep Fill 3in1 24540

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Most recently tested April 2021

Size 10.5 x 25 x 23.2cm (H x W x D)

Cooking plate size (per toastie) 11.2 x 12.7cm

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Need to know 2.5kg, recommended cooking time of 4-5 minutes, deep fill plates, removable plates, waffle and grill plates included, handle lock, vertical storage, cable tidy

Sage the Perfect Press SSG600BSS Sandwich Toaster

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Most recently tested April 2021

Size 12.5 x 29.4 x 30.5 (H x W x D)

Cooking plate size (per toastie) 28.5 x 18.5cm

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Need to know 3.4kg, recommended cooking time of 3-5 minutes, adjustable plate width, handle lock, vertical storage, cable tidy

Salter EK2017 XL Deep Fill 2 Slice Sandwich Toaster

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Most recently tested January 2024

Size 12 x 31 x 26cm (HxWxD)

Cooking plate size (per toastie) 14.2 x 13.8cm

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Need to know 1.9kg, recommended cooking time of 2-4 minutes, deep fill plates, handle lock, vertical storage, cable tidy

Salter EK2143

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Most recently tested April 2021

Size 11 x 29 x 25.5cm (H x W x D)

Cooking plate size (per toastie) 13.8 x 14.1cm

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Need to know 3.4kg, no recommended cooking time, removable plates, waffle and grill plates included, handle lock, vertical storage, cable tidy

Tower T27013RG

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Most recently tested January 2024

Size 9.7 x 29.2 x 24.4cm (H x W x D)

Cooking plate size (per toastie) 13.7 x 14.5cm

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Need to know 1.8kg, no recommended cooking time, deep fill plates, handle lock, vertical storage, cable tidy, recipes included

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How we test toastie makers and sandwich toasters

To find the best toastie makers and sandwich toasters, we select and buy bestsellers from Argos, Amazon, Lakeland, John Lewis and more. We buy every product we test.

We regularly revisit the toastie makers on sale to see if there are any more popular models that need testing and when we find them we do.

Which? is not influenced by product manufacturers or retailers – find out how your support helps us to stay editorially independent.

Ease of use and heat-up speed

• We judge each toastie maker on how easy it is to press and lock during cooking, and how straightforward it is to remove any detachable cooking plates for cleaning.

• We time how long it takes each toastie maker to switch on the 'ready to cook' light multiple times, to work out the average time you'll be waiting for it to heat up.

Evenness of cooking

• We cook each cheese toastie following the instructions and judge them on how evenly browned and crispy they are.
• We inspect each toastie and look for any spots where they are more or less cooked. Toasties cooked right to the edge and evenly browned throughout are praised, whereas toasties with a mixture of browned and undercooked spots received lower scores.

Cleanliness of cooking and ease of cleaning

• We take note of the toastie makers that are prone to leaking butter and cheese from the sides during cooking, and look for any little nooks and crannies where cheese and butter accumulates, as it’s annoying to have to pick out melted or burned bits of food.
• After cooking, we let each toastie maker cool fully before cleaning them according to the instructions.

Energy use

• We've previously used the RS PRO energy meter, £28, from RS Components, to record and calculate how much power each toastie maker uses while heating up and cooking. We've stopped doing this however, as the amount of energy use recorded is remarkably low. Under the current energy price cap (28.62p/kwH), the most expensive-to-run toastie maker we've tested costs 0.02p per toastie. That's 7.3p a year if you cook a toastie every day.
• If you're interested in measuring appliances around your home, you can buy similar meters starting from around £18 from popular retailers such as Amazon and Screwfix.

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Do you put butter on the outside of a toastie?

Of the toastie makers we tested, some advised buttering both sides of the bread, while others didn't. To make our tests fair, we chose not to butter both sides of the toasties we judged, but we did make a few extras with both sides buttered to see what difference this made.

• As you might expect, the extra butter gave the toasties a darker colour and added a richer flavour, thanks to the added fat.
• The results were a mixed bag: in some cases, the extra butter made the toasties all the more delicious, but others tasted sickly and the flavour was overpowering.
• Ultimately, this comes down to personal preference, but we don't think buttering both sides of the toastie is certain to make it cook better or be more enjoyable to eat.
• It's worth checking the instructions to see what the manufacturer advises on this, but we don't think it's an essential step for making a delicious toastie.

Get taste inspiration with our pick of the best food and drink.

How to make a toastie with a toastie maker

1. Switch on your toastie maker and keep the lid shut to allow the cooking plates to heat up as quickly as possible. Once ready, there should be a light indicator to let you know when it's hot enough to cook.
2. Assemble your sandwich with your desired fillings, taking care to avoid placing fillings too close to the edges if you can. This helps prevent them leaking out of the sides and making a mess.
3. Place your toastie onto the cooking plates and close the lid, using the handle lock (if there is one) to keep it securely closed.
4. Set a timer for however long your toastie maker says you should cook your toastie for, and keep an eye on it while it cooks. If you suspect it's ready, open the toastie maker and take a look.
5. Once your toastie is sufficiently browned and crispy, remove it using a wooden or plastic tool (never use metal to avoid scratching the non-stick coating), switch off your toastie maker and leave the plates open to help them cool faster.

See what we recommend as the best toasters.

How do you make a toastie without a toastie maker?

Of course, a toastie maker isn't the only tool you can use to make a toastie.

We've compared toastie-maker toasties with those made using a Crimpit, an air fryer, toastie bags, and more – find out what makes the ultimate cheese toastie.

How to clean a toastie maker

Sadly, your dishwasher won't help you here. Even if the cooking plates on your toastie maker are detachable, cleaning them in the dishwasher will wear away the non-stick coating.

You should also make sure to clean your toastie maker after it has fully cooled down.

You can wash detachable plates by hand with warm, soapy water. Use a soft sponge rather than a scourer, as a scourer will also damage the non-stick coating on the cooking plates.

If the cooking plates can't be detached you'll need to wipe them down with a damp cloth. Avoid toastie makers with lots of nooks and crannies that melted cheese and butter will get into, as cleaning those spots with a damp cloth can be frustrating.

Some toastie makers with detachable plates can still give you a tough cleaning job, though. If there's a little gap where the plates attach to the machine, drips can run through, leaving you with the job of poking your damp cloth around the heating element.

Compare our washing-up liquid reviews.

Seven things we learned testing toastie makers

1. Detachable plates aren't always as convenient as they first seem – they often have small gaps where they attach, which your fillings can leak into and make the toastie maker difficult to clean.
2. Touch the handles but nowhere else – wear heatproof gloves if you can. The sides and tops of the toastie makers we've tested are too hot to touch anywhere except the handles.
3. Watch out for little nooks and crannies near the cooking plates – there's likely to be leakage at some point, and if there are gaps in your toastie maker you'll have a tough time scraping out the drips.
4. Don't use a knife to remove your toasties – the non-stick coating of every toastie maker we tried was easily damaged when we scratch-tested them. We've stopped doing this now as the result is always the same, so a wooden or plastic spatula is best for keeping your toastie maker scratch-free.
5. Smaller toastie makers are often harder to close – this is because the toastie will likely be close to the hinges and have its edges poking out, so it will take extra effort to close the handle lock.
6. Heat-up times vary widely – some of those we've tested heat up in less than 90 seconds, whereas other take more than five minutes.
7. Don't take the 'ready to cook' light as gospel – we often find the toastie makers that heat up the fastest are also prone to undercooking, so it's worth leaving them a little longer before you start.