A sandwich toaster might not be the flashiest kitchen gadget, but once you bring it out, it quickly becomes a household favorite. With just a couple of slices of bread and a bit of cheese, you can whip up a golden, crispy sandwich packed with melted goodness. It’s the kind of comfort food that’s simple to make, endlessly satisfying, and easy to get hooked on – which is why the humble toastie maker deserves a permanent spot on your countertop.
There’s no shortage of toastie makers out there, with options to suit every budget and kitchen setup. But before you buy, it’s worth considering what features matter most to you.
Are you planning to make just one sandwich at a time, or would a larger, multi-functional model be more practical? Think about how often you’ll use it, and where it will live when not in use – do you want a sleek design that can sit out on the counter alongside your microwave and kettle, or something compact enough to tuck away in a cupboard?
I’ve cooked up countless loaves of bread and more cheese than I care to think about, all to help you choose the perfect sandwich toaster for your home.
How I tested
I tested a minimum of four toastie varieties in each sandwich toaster so that I could fairly compare performance. I tried out the classic combination of cheese and tomato in every maker before moving on to more adventurous ingredient combinations – gruyère, pastrami and chilli jam being a personal favourite. I used different bread types and for each maker, and I assessed:
- Ease of use: I tested how simple each sandwich toaster was to operate, including handling, settings, and controls.
- Cooking time: I tested how long each machine took to cook a sandwich evenly, making sure the cheese was properly melted.
- Cleaning: I tested how easy each sandwich toaster was to clean after use and checked to see whether burnt parts of food stuck to the plate.
- Heat distribution: I tested whether the sandwich toaster cooked evenly across the plates without burning or leaving cold spots.
- Durability and build quality: I tested the sturdiness of the machine, the quality of materials, and whether it felt solid during use.
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
The IndyBest team tests a wide range of products to help you decide how best to spend your money. Everything is tested in a real world environment, with hours of testing each product to ensure it fits the bill for our reviews. If we don’t think a product is worth your money and is not something we’d buy ourselves, it won’t be featured.
The best sandwich toasters are:
- Best overall – Breville VST026 4 portion sandwich and panini press: £43, Argos.co.uk
- Best budget buy – Global Gourmet by Sensiohome sandwich toaster: £22.12, Amazon.co.uk
- Best for the microwave – Morphy Richards MICO toasted sandwich maker: £19.99, Amazon.co.uk
- Best for families – VonShef 4 slice deep fill toasted sandwich maker: £39.99, Vonhaus.com
- Best multi-use – Russell Hobbs creations 3in1 sandwich maker: £42, Amazon.co.uk
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Breville VST026 4 portion sandwich and panini press
Best: Sandwich toaster overall
Dimensions: 13.8cm x 14.1cm x 4.2cm
Plates: Fixed
Material: Stainless steel and aluminium
Why we love it
- Can use different breads
- Even cook
Take note
- Larger size makes it tricky to store
The Breville press is designed to handle all kinds of bread – think sandwiches, paninis, tortillas and ciabatta – letting you get as creative as you like with the fillings thanks to the generous space between the plates. It may be bulkier than other sandwich makers we tested, but the stainless steel design would suit most kitchen styles, as long as you have the counter space.
It’s on the pricier side but this gives versatility, and I could not fault any of the creations that I made using this press. Five minutes was needed to create perfectly melted cheese toasties every time, and the truly non-stick plates made cleaning with a damp cloth quick and easy.
Buy now £43.00, Argos.co.uk
Global Gourmet by Sensiohome sandwich toaster
Best: Budget sandwich toaster
Dimensions: 4.3cm x 11.8cm x 9.8cm
Plates: Fixed
Material: Stainless steel
Why we love it
- Good value
- Sealed edges
Take note
- Hard to clean
Considering its low price point and cooking results, I can see why this is a bestseller. It took on average six minutes to cook a toasted sandwich, which is a little longer than other products I tested. I liked that the locking handle ensured an even cook, even with thicker bread. This is a good pick if you prefer a traditional, sealed-edge toastie. I found it a bit tricky to clean because it has fixed, ridged plates, making it harder to get into every crevice. You need to use a damp cloth and washing up liquid to remove the grease after cooking.
Buy now £22.99, Amazon.co.uk
Russell Hobbs three-in-one sandwich maker
Best: Multi-use sandwich toaster
Dimensions: 9.8cm x 9.13cm x 4.13cm
Plates: Removable
Material : Plastic and stainless steel
Why we love it
- Three sets of plates
- Dishwasher safe
- Store upright
Take note
- Hard to clean
This versatile machine was my favourite multi-use appliance for sandwiches, paninis and waffles. The deep fill plates mean that you can get extra cheese and ham into your toastie, and I found that a cooking time of five minutes resulted in a golden brown, delicious sandwich with sealed edges. I found that it works best with pre-sliced bread, as thicker slices create too much of a hard crust. Although it’s on the more expensive side, it’s good value if you make use of the different plates. It’s dishwasher safe and can be stored upright, saving valuable kitchen space.
Buy now £42.00, Amazon.co.uk
Tower 900W deep filled sandwich maker stainless steel
Best: Stylish sandwich toaster
Dimensions : 24.5cm x 29cm x 10.2cm
Plates: Fixed
Material: Steel and plastic
Why we love it
- Colour way
- Vertical storage
If rose gold suits your kitchen interior, this is the perfect pick for you. Although it’s designed for “deep fill” toasties, I found combining extra filling with thick sliced bread made it tricky to close the locking latch and required some extra force. It took around five minutes to cook two sealed toasties, and I liked that you didn’t have to cover each side of the sandwich with butter or oil – the non-stick plates performed well and this meant it was easy to wipe the plates clean after use.
Buy now £26.00, Amazon.co.uk
Judge electricals mini sandwich maker
Best: Sandwich toaster for single households
Dimensions: 8.5cm x 21.0cm x 22.0cm
Plates: Fixed
Material: Plastic
Why we love it
- Compact
- Vertical storage
This is another good option if you only need to make one toastie at a time. This one-slice sandwich maker required a little more setup than other products I tried out – brush oil on the plates, insert an old piece of bread and heat it up for five minutes to remove any residue, and then you’re ready to start making toasties. This produced an evenly cooked, sealed-edge toastie and I liked that I could fit more filling and larger slices of bread in this maker compared to other machines that I tested.
Buy now £19.99, Amazon.co.uk
George at Asda black sandwich toaster
Best: Budget four-slice sandwich toaster
Dimensions : 31.5cm x 27cm x 10cm
Plates: Fixed
Material: Plastic
Why we love it
- Quick to cook
- Two latch settings
Take note
- Hard to clean
This was the cheapest sandwich toaster that i tried out. With space to cook four toasties at a time, you get a lot for your money, making it a good budget choice for larger households. It heated up very quickly and took just four minutes to cook a cheese and ham toastie. I really liked the two latch settings – the wider latch means that you can use much thicker bread – something that was tricky with other products I tested.
Buy now £18.00, Asda.com
George Foreman medium electric fit grill
Best: Sandwich toaster for adventurous toasties
Dimensions: 27.5cm x 33.3cm x 7.7cm
Plates: Fixed
Material: Plastic and metal
Why we love it
- Non stick plates
- Fast grilling time
If you’re looking for a multi-use appliance, the George Foreman grill is a good value choice. This worked best with more adventurous fillings such as roasted vegetables and mozzarella or avocado, pesto and cheese – providing open-edge, lightly toasted results. What’s more, it has a very fast cooking time – on average three minutes – and the non-stick plates meant that only a very light drizzle of oil was needed to give the bread a golden crisp.
Buy now £35.00, Argos.co.uk
Lakeland toastabags
Best: Sandwich toaster alternative
Dimensions: 15cm x 20cm
Plates: N/A
Material: Plastic
Why we love it
- Dishwasher safe
It’s not a traditional toasted sandwich maker but these clever toastabags are ideal if you don’t have the space for an appliance. Made from non-stick material, you prepare your sandwich as normal, place it in the bag and then put it in your toaster for around four to five minutes.
I found it was especially good for messier toasties such as cheese and baked beans, as once you’ve finished cooking, you can simply pop the bag in the dishwasher so it’s ready to be used again. I recommend using smaller slices of bread or cutting your slices to size to ensure that will fit inside the bag and cook properly.
Buy now £8.99, Amazon.co.uk
Morphy Richards mico toastie sandwich maker and grill
Best: Microwavable sandwich toaster
Dimensions: 14.5cm x 14.5cm x 4.5cm
Plates: Removable
Materials : Silicone and aluminium
Why we love it
- Dishwasher safe
- Microwave use
This was the smallest product that I tested and definitely one of my favourites. It makes one toastie at a time, and what really sets it apart is that you use it in the microwave. This makes it perfect for one-person households or if you’re low on storage space. Following their recommendation, the ‘medium’ cook made a perfect cheese toastie with white bread. This required a two-minute thirty cook time before flipping, and then a further minute and a half. The silicone gets very hot, so you need an oven glove to remove the finished toastie. You can then pop the plates into the dishwasher for easy cleaning. Owing to its popularity, this is currently out of stock, so I’d recommend signing up to be notified when it’s back.
Buy now £19.99, Amazon.co.uk
Your questions about sandwich toasters answered
What is the best sandwich toaster?
For those on a budget, I recommend the Global Gourmet by Sensiohome sandwich toaster because it offers excellent value while delivering toasted sandwiches with a classic, sealed edge. But, for a versatile sandwich maker, I loved the Breville VST026 four-portion sandwich and panini press – it will satisfy all toastie tastes whether traditional or innovative thanks to its “press” design, which allows maximum space for fillings.
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