The 5 best long-slot toasters of 2025, tested and reviewed

5 of the best long slot toasters on a gradient peach-colored background.
The best long-slot toasters can toast multiple slices of bread and bagels in one slot, as well as peasant loaf slices and other irregularly shaped breads. Zwilling, Smeg, Breville, Dash, KitchenAid/Amazon; Business Insider

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If you find yourself struggling to fit artisanal loaves or prep for bagel brunches, consider an upgrade to the classic best toasters. The best long-slot toasters have greater capacity than standard slot toasters, so you can use them to toast irregularly shaped bread, bagels, sliced muffins, and more. 

We tested the best long-slot toasters with fresh and frozen bread and bagels to find our top-rated picks. The Breville "A Bit More" Long Slot Toaster earned our best overall spot because it offers the most customizable browning levels and fits multiple slices of bread at once. For a little less and a perfectly browned bagel every time, check out the KitchenAid Long Slot Toaster. Plus, it's our top compact pick for smaller kitchens.

If these toasters don't quite meet your needs, our tested guide to the best 4-slice toasters has great alternatives for large households.

Our top picks for the best long-slot toaster

Best overall: Breville "A Bit More" Long Slot Toaster — See at Amazon

Best compact: KitchenAid 2 Slice Long Slot Toaster With High-Lift Lever — See at Amazon

Best value: DASH ClearView Long Slice Toaster — See at Amazon

Best splurge: Zwilling Enfinigy 2 Long Slot Toaster — See at Amazon

Best design: SMEG 4-Slice Toaster — See at Amazon

Best overall

“A Bit More” Long Slot Toaster
Breville 'A Bit More' Long Slot Toaster

The Breville “A Bit More” Long Slot Toaster is a modern and thoughtfully designed, high-performance appliance with easy cleanup and user-friendly controls.

What we like
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Even toasting
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Attractive design that's easy to clean
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. High-lift lever to protect finger tips
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Intuitive controls
What we don’t like
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Toasts slowly

The best long slot toaster delivers on both performance and aesthetics. The Breville "A Bit More" Long Slot Toaster has a brushed stainless steel exterior, giving it a polished and modern look. The control buttons are clearly labeled with words and steady LED lights. We appreciated the progress light parallel to the browning switch, which removed any "how much longer do we need to wait?" guesswork.

The Breville toaster successfully toasted standard slices of bread and sliced bagels, and thanks to the "Frozen" control option, we got an even brown on frozen slices. However, the "A Bit More" button really sets it apart. If your toast pops up and you're not happy with its level of brownness, you can hit "A Bit More" to give it a slightly longer toast cycle that's calibrated to darken the bread one more shade without the risk of burning.

Another thoughtful design feature is the High Lift lever, which helps lift the toast away from the heat source so you don't burn your fingers. The lever also has a "Lift and Look" notch that will lift the bread mid-toast so that you can check on its progress without interrupting the cycle. Plus, the crumb tray is flat enough to be fully concealed when using the toaster and spacious enough to catch any errant crumbs or seeds. 

This toaster's price feels reasonable for its overall quality, and we recommend it for families, shared living situations, and any household that really enjoys toasted bread products.

Read our full Breville Long-Slot Toaster review to learn more.

Best compact

KitchenAid 2 Slice Long Slot Toaster with High-Lift Lever
KitchenAid 2 Slice Long Slot Toaster with High-Lift Lever

The KitchenAid 2 Slice Long Slot Toaster with High-Lift Lever takes up fewer square inches than most of its peers, but its smaller size doesn’t reflect any compromises in terms of its toasting quality and its visual appeal.

What we like
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Accurate toast levels from light to dark
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Slim profile
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Springy high-lift lever
What we don’t like
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Only toasts 2 slices at a time

Anyone who has one of the best KitchenAid stand mixers knows how durable and powerful this brand's appliances are — we're pleased to report that KitchenAid's 2 Slice Long Slot Toaster is just as functional and display-worthy. The Long Slot Toaster is narrower than most competitors, making it an ideal choice for apartment dwellers and those looking to minimize countertop clutter.

This model can toast two standard bread slices or bagel halves at once, and the single long slot works nicely for larger slices. However, it may not be the best long-slot toaster for large households since it can't toast more than that at once.

When it comes to toasting, the KitchenAid toaster didn't produce the rich golden color that we expect from a medium-toasted slice of room-temperature or frozen bread. The texture proved crispy and appealing, but the coloration was lighter than we hoped to see. However, we found that the bagel function of this toaster was highly effective, producing perfectly golden halves. The high lift lever removes any need to bring your fingers close to the scalding toaster slots.

Best value

ClearView Long Slice Toaster
DASH ClearView Long Slice Toaster

At half the price of many of our other tested toasters, the DASH ClearView Long Slice Toaster works quickly, thoroughly, and with a front window view that lets you watch your toast’s progress.

What we like
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Toasts quickly
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Clearly labeled control buttons
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Lightweight and compact
What we don’t like
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Can toast unevenly
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Only fits 2 standard slices of bread

For the best rated long-slot toaster on a budget, the Dash ClearView Long Slice Toaster is the way to go. The streamlined model can easily be tucked into a small countertop corner or kitchen cabinet, and its plastic facade hides scratches and dings. 

The Dash ClearView is easy to operate; you just push down on the side lever to toast a room-temperature piece of bread. You have settings for bagels or frozen bread, and the temperature knob provides seven browning levels. We were impressed by the Dash ClearView's speed: it toasted a bagel in just 2 minutes and 20 seconds and fully frozen slices of bread in 2 minutes and 35 seconds. By contrast, the Breville that earned our top-rated position required 3 minutes and 5 seconds to toast frozen bread.

Our favorite feature on the Dash is the Clear View: a window on the front of the device allows you to watch the toasting process. If you don't like surprises, you'll find the Dash ClearVIew's window as reassuring as it is fun to watch. For more details, read our Dash ClearView Toaster review.

Another well-built budget toaster is the Hamilton Beach 4-Slice Long Slot Toaster, which features easy-to-read controls, even browning, and a "One Slice" option that calibrates the machine to properly toast a single slice of bread.

Best splurge

2 Long Slot Toaster
Zwilling Enfinigy 2 Long Slot Toaster

The sleek German-designed Zwilling Enfinigy 2 Long Slot Toaster makes a minimalist-chic addition to your kitchen. Its speedy and even toasting ability makes it worth the splurge.

What we like
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Bright LED lighting on control buttons
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Even toasting
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Well-integrated crumb tray
What we don’t like
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Buttons have symbols rather than words
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Expensive

A splurge-worthy appliance must feature striking visuals and a superior ability to do its job; the Zwilling Enfinigy 2 Long Slot Toaster succeeds on both fronts. The toaster's gentle curves and matte stainless steel finish feel crisp and modern. With LED lights that illuminate the control buttons, the setting symbols are cleverly designed and easy to interpret. 

The Enfinigy 2's slots are spacious and capable of handling irregular bread slice shapes, along with multiple standard slices and bagel halves at once. We found that the toast level was even on all tested bread products, the timing was efficient (two and a half minutes for frozen bread and just over two minutes for bagels), and the concealed crumb drawer right at the front of the machine made post-toasting cleanup simple. The temperature knob offers seven browning options, and the push lever can be used to lift the bread out of the slots safely and smoothly.

Best design

Smeg 4-Slice Toaster
SMEG 4-Slice Toaster

Smeg appliances are synonymous with great style, and the 4-Slice Toaster fits into that proud tradition. This powerful little machine will both perfectly toast your bread and bagels and make your kitchen counter fully Instagrammable.

What we like
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Comes in multiple colors
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Iconic, retro shape
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Extra-wide slots
What we don’t like
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Bagel button is confusingly labeled
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Expensive

Smeg appliances regularly appear in upscale interior design spreads and aspirational influencer posts, and that's because these retro-inspired items are as photographable as they are useful. The top-rated Smeg 4-Slice Toaster can be purchased in eight enamel colors, all with a sleek stainless steel control panel. The toaster features a push lever, temperature knob with a reheat setting, Defrost button, and Bagel button. We did notice that the decal on the Bagel button is more reminiscent of a baguette than a bagel. 

Our testing proved that, at least in the case of the 4-Slice Toaster, Smeg isn't just a pretty face. We experienced quick and easy toasting for standard bread, frozen bread, and bagels — the dark gold color of each toasted bread product was as photogenic as the toaster itself. The extra wide slots can easily fit multiple bread slices and bagel halves, and the lever knob smoothly lifts the finished toast away from the hot surface when you're ready to plate.

What to look for in a long-slot toaster

Settings: Since slot toasters are, by nature, simple devices to operate, we recommend paying attention to how the best long-slot toasters label the temperature and programming buttons. Is it easy to tell which button does which task, and does the temperature knob offer enough browning options? Is there a "Stop" button to quickly end the toast? Can you add extra cook time without starting a whole new toasting cycle?

Levers: Burnt fingertips are a common risk of slot toasters, so we advise choosing a model with a high-lift lever. This will guide your toasted bread upward and remove the need to stick your fingers even slightly inside the slots. 

Cleanup: The best long-slot toasters can be effectively cleaned by turning them upside down over a trash can and giving them a good shake. Still, a crumb tray is a useful tool for consolidating crumbs, seeds, and other disposable bits. Whether the tray is positioned at the front or back of the toaster, all types work effectively as long as you remember to empty them.

How we tested

Side by side of two toasters, one with bread being lowered down to toast and the other with two toasted bagel halves laying on top.
Taylor Tobin/Business Insider

Room-temperature bread slices: We began our toasting tests on the best long-slot toasters by determining how long it would take to toast two standard slices of room-temperature sandwich bread (we put two in each long slot) to "medium" brownness. Then we studied the toasted bread and looked for browning depth and evenness to see if it reached the color that we anticipated over the entire bread surface

Frozen bread slices: We repeated the bread toasting test but with frozen slices. We used the "Defrost" mode on all models that included this option.

Bagels: We sliced a sesame bagel in half and ran it through the toast test (both halves went in the same long slot), programming each toaster to "Bagel" mode. 

Cleanup: After each toast cycle, we pulled out the crumb trays and determined how well they collected and consolidated the crumbs and seeds, how easy they were to find and remove, and how easy they were to put back in place.

FAQs

What's the advantage of a long-slot toaster?

As its name suggests, the difference between a "long slot" toaster and a "regular" toaster is the length of the slots. For a toaster to be considered a "long slot," it should be able to hold two pieces of standard sandwich bread in a single slot with little to no overlap. 

Is there a toaster that toasts evenly on both sides?

The Breville 'A Bit More' Toaster is your best bet for perfectly balanced toasting. If you have the extra budget, the Zwilling Effingy Toaster also stood out in our testing, producing almost identically browned slices of bread.

Some of our top picks don't offer the most even toast, but have other qualities that make them worth considering. Still, none of our top-rated toasters are going to burn one side and hardly touch the other.

How is a toaster oven different from a long-slot toaster? 

Like all other slot toasters, a long slot toaster is designed to achieve one single task: toasting bread and bread products. By contrast, the best toaster ovens can work as a toaster, a mini convection oven, and sometimes an air fryer. Their larger size enables them to toast sandwiches, muffins, and other items that aren't correctly shaped for slot toasters. They can also bake frozen pizzas and some smaller dishes, broil meat, and even roast vegetables. 

What's the best way to keep your toaster clean?

Unplug the toaster, remove the crumb tray, and clear out the crumbs and seeds. Then, give the crumb tray a rinse and gentle cleansing with soap and a sponge (don't run it through the dishwasher) before thoroughly drying the tray and replacing it in its spot. Read more in our full guide on how to clean a toaster.

We recommend doing a deep clean a few times a year. Clean the toaster as described above and then turn the toaster upside down over the trash can and give it a firm shake to dislodge any crumbs that may not have made it down to the tray. Use gentle soap and water and a soft cloth to wash the exterior of plastic or enamel-coated toasters. For stainless steel, consider following up the soap-and-water cleanse with stainless steel polish to maintain its shine.

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Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at reviews@businessinsider.com.