25 Easy Toaster Oven Recipes for Beginners (2024)

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ByBrie UpdatedJuly 20, 2023

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New to toaster oven cooking? Start with these 25+ Easy Toaster Oven Recipes for Beginners. From gooey indoor s’mores to THE BEST baked potatoes, you won’t believe all of the tasty things you can make in your little oven.

25 Easy Toaster Oven Recipes for Beginners (1)

We get it, cooking with a new appliance can feel overwhelming. There’s new terminology (what’s convection?), safety precautions, and of course, you’re worried about wasting ingredients.

Creating something that tastes delicious on the first try will instantly boost your confidence in the machine and your ability to use it.

That’s why you should start with something simple.

Not sure what you can make in your toaster oven? We’ve got you covered with this collection of Easy Toaster Oven Recipes. They use just a few ingredients, are super fun, and taste seriously delicious.

Plus each recipe will help you get comfortable cooking with your oven’s basic settings like Bake, Broil, and Toast.

If you’re a total toaster oven newbie, check out these posts to learn the ins and outs of your little oven:

Beginners Guide to Cooking With a Toaster Oven
3 Beginner Toaster Oven Settings
4 Surprising Things I’ll Never Use In Our Toaster Oven
How to Air Fry With a Convection Toaster Oven

Okay, ready to get cooking? Let’s do this!

25+ Easy Toaster Oven Recipes

What can you make in a toaster oven? Anything you want! Try one of these easy recipes and discover what's possible.

*Unless otherwise noted, these recipes were created using a conventional toaster oven. For tips on adjusting the recipe's suggested cooking temperature and time for convection, check out this post for everything you need to know about convection toaster ovens.

Toaster Oven S’mores

Whip up a quick batch of indoor s'mores and enjoy ooey-gooey summertime bliss any time of the year!

Toaster Oven Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Create a customized grilled cheese in just 10 minutes (no skillet required!).

For more cheesy inspiration check out our Toasted Caprese Sandwich, Classic-Style Baked Grilled Cheese, or Grilled Cheese with Apple and Havarti.

Toaster Oven Baked Potatoes

Crispy-skinned and super fluffy, these potatoes take longer than the microwave but taste soooo much better. Trust us, it’s worth the wait!

Egg Toast Recipe

This speedy toast is perfect for any meal. It’s made with only a few ingredients, is super customizable (avocado and hot sauce - yes, please!), and if you’ve got extra room on the pan you can cook a side of asparagus spears at the same time.

Toaster Oven Chocolate Chip Cookies

This small-batch recipe makes just 5 decadent cookies with crispy edges and delightfully chewy middles. If you’re using a convection toaster oven take note of the recommended temperature and time adjustments.

Baked Pita Chips (In 6 Fun Flavors)

These crunchy baked pita chips are a great snack that's easy to customize with your favorite seasonings.

Banana Bread For Two

You’ll need just one banana and one bowl for this mini banana bread recipe. The easy recipe is great for baking in a toaster oven and can be baked as muffins or mini muffins too!

Toaster Oven Breakfast Sandwich

Skip the drive-thru, and treat yourself to an easy 10-minute breakfast sandwich. It cooks entirely in your little oven using the TOAST setting.

Air Fryer Grilled Cheese

Make a crispy gooey grilled cheese sandwich fast using the Air Fry setting on your toaster oven!

Zucchini Pizza Bites

These little veggie bites are cheesy, delicious, and ready in less than 15 minutes. Feel free to get creative and try them with a variety of different toppings.

Toasted Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich

Poping your PB&J in the toaster oven is a fast and fun way to transform this lunchtime classic. Try swapping the preserves with fresh fruit like bananas or berries!

Toaster Oven Cinnamon Chips

Sweet and crispy, these cinnamon tortilla chips are almost too easy to make using your traditional, convection, or air fryer toaster oven. Great with ice cream!

Toaster Oven Garlic Bread

In just 15 minutes you can make a small batch of crisp and buttery garlic bread! This basic recipe is super flexible and easy to customize - we like to add grated parmesan and red pepper flakes.

Roasted Cabbage Wedges

Top these savory-sweet wedges with feta cheese and lemon juice for a vegetarian side dish everyone will enjoy!

Mini Soda Bread

This mini soda bread is endlessly customizable - try it with dried fruit, spices, or cheese and herbs!The bread is made without yeast (so it's super easy) and its smaller size is perfect for baking in a toaster oven.

Small Batch Granola Recipe

This homemade granola is budget-friendly and super easy to customize. All you need is oats, maple syrup or honey, a little oil, plus your favorite mixins (we like sliced almonds and coconut).

Toaster Oven Parmesan Crisps

Salty and crunchy these easy parmesan crisps are a magical 1-ingredient snack.

Pro Tip: Use a toaster oven silicone baking mat for the best results.

Toaster Oven Crostini

Perfect for entertaining, these crispy toasts are easy to whip up in the toaster oven. Great for topping, scooping up spinach dip, or dipping in a bowl of soup!

Addictive Roasted Sweet Potato Rounds

Made with 4 basic ingredients, these sweet potato rounds are crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside, and always a hit. Recipe includes traditional, convection, and air frying directions.

Apple Nachos for Two

In just a few minutes you can melt chocolate and toast nuts + coconut in your little oven - perfect for making a quick batch of dessert nachos!

Eggless Mini Banana Bread

Banana is the star of this downsized quick bread recipe! It's so moist, tender, and flavorful no one will believe you made it using your toaster oven.

Rosemary Cashews

Loaded with SWEET and SAVORY flavor, these nuts are irresistible.The simple recipe comes together quickly with just 5 basic ingredients.

Toaster Oven Biscuits for Two

This quick recipe is a great way to use up leftover heavy whipping cream. You can make two biscuits, or double the ingredients and freeze the extras. They reheat wonderfully in the toaster oven!

Toaster Oven Roasted Broccoli

From kids to adults, everyone loves this easy healthy side dish. If you've got frozen broccoli on hand, check out this post for how to roast frozen broccoli in a toaster oven.

Toaster Oven Chocolate Cookies

Crispy on the edges, soft and melty inside, these brownie-like cookies are easy to whip up whenever a craving strikes. For a fun twist, try swapping the chocolate chips with Reese’s Pieces or M&M’s.

Air Fryer Baked Potatoes

Use your air fryer toaster oven to make restaurant-style baked potatoes at home. With crispy skins and fluffy middles, they’re perfectly cooked and ready faster too!

Egg and Cheese Toasts

Great as a quick snack, tomato soup dipper, or giant crouton with your next salad! Once you see how easy these egg and cheese toasts are, you’re going to want to make your own customized version.

Cinnamon Baked Wonton Chips

Only 4 ingredients for this crispy sweet treat!

Toaster Oven Quesadilla

Have leftover roasted squash? Toss it into a baked quesadilla for some classic comfort food with a healthy-ish fall twist.

Quick Baked Sweet Potatoes

Bake tender and creamy sweet potatoes in half the time with this simple method.

Toaster Oven Veggie Nachos

A basic toaster oven recipe for the classic finger food, upgraded with lots of veggies. Of course, you can always add your favorite toppings.

Toaster Oven Croutons

Tastier than storebought, these easy croutons are the perfect way to use up stale bread!

Toaster Oven Blueberry Muffins

These toaster oven blueberry muffins are sweet, tender, and packed with juicy berries. The best part? The small batch recipe makes just 6 muffins!

Toaster Oven Roasted Asparagus Spears

Roasting asparagus gives it a deeper flavor and the crispy tips are so delicious. Why wait forever for your big oven to preheat when you can use a toaster oven instead?

Baked Pears With Cinnamon

These sweet baked pears are surprisingly simple to make. All you need is a ripe pear, cinnamon, nuts, and a drizzle of maple syrup!

Toaster Oven Baked Potato Wedges Recipe

Easy to customize, thesecrispy and creamy baked potato wedges taste better than takeout.

Toaster Oven Cinnamon Toast

Classic sweet and crispy cinnamon toast with a fun citrus twist!

Pro Tip: Keep a stash of the prepped bread in your freezer for a sweet treat you can bake anytime.

Veggie Tortilla Pizza

Tortilla pizzas are so quick and easy to make. Just top flour tortillas with sauce, cheese, and lots of tasty veggies. Bake them in the toaster oven and in 15 minutes dinner is ready!

Polenta Bites

Season up some tubed polenta and toss it in the toaster oven for a crispy snack anytime. This versatile recipe is easy to make with just 3 ingredients!

That should get you started! Once you’re feeling confident and ready to branch out, you can find all of our Toaster Oven Recipes here.

25 Easy Toaster Oven Recipes for Beginners (2024)

FAQs

Can you cook frozen meals in a toaster oven? ›

Ivany suggested that if you prefer to use the toaster oven to cook frozen foods, transfer them from the tray to a container that is suitable for use in the toaster oven. Check your instruction manual to see what type of bakeware is recommended.

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Can you cook a frozen pizza in a toaster oven? ›

Toaster ovens are generally used for baking toasts and melting cheesy items. But the good news is, when you get a frozen pizza, you can put it in the toaster oven without any worry. Even if your pizza says, “DO NOT USE TOASTER OVEN,” it's essentially fine to use one as long as you know what you're doing with it.

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How do you use a toaster oven for the first time? ›

Before First Use

Plug the toaster oven into an outlet. Turn the ON/OFF Control Dial to 450°F. Heat at this temperature for 10 minutes. The odor should not be present after this initial preheating.

What Cannot go into a toaster oven? ›

Most paper, including wax paper, wooden bowls or utensils, plastic wrap and storage containers, food packaged for microwaving, and dinnerware and dishes that are not oven-safe are all no-nos when it comes to the toaster oven, says DeWitt.

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Can you cook hamburgers in a toaster oven? ›

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, then place a wire or perforated metal rack atop it. Place two 8-ounce burgers on the rack. Transfer to the toaster oven and broil the patties until the meat is nicely browned on one side, 6–7 minutes.

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Can you use aluminum foil in a toaster oven? ›

You can use aluminum foil in a toaster oven as long as you make sure that no foil is touching the sides nor the heating element of the toaster oven. Cut accordingly, be cautious, and everything will be fine. On the other hand, that's not the case with microwaves.

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Can I cook a frozen lasagna in a toaster oven? ›

For your safety, always follow the cooking and safety guidelines on your lasagna's packaging. Our Singola Micro and Micro Mini lasagnas can be cooked in the microwave, our Mini Mama and Large lasagnas can be cooked in the oven, but none of our gourmet frozen lasagnas have been tested in a toaster oven.

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Can you cook raw food in a toaster oven? ›

Raw meat can be cooked in most toaster ovens if they are able to reach high enough temperatures. It is important to make sure that the meat is cooked to the correct internal temperature and that you follow proper food heating guidelines. Steak, for example, should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F.

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Can you cook Stouffer's lasagna in a toaster oven? ›

We do not recommend using a toaster oven due to the toaster oven's small size and close proximity of the heating element to the meal container. We also do not recommend the use of a convection oven to cook STOUFFER'S meals.

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Should you preheat a toaster oven? ›

Technically, you can skip preheating if you're just reheating leftovers or toasting a few slices of bread. But if you're planning to cook or bake something at a consistent temperature, you'll want to preheat your toaster oven to the cooking temperature, just like you would in a regular oven.

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Can you bake a cake in a toaster oven? ›

It might come as a surprise, but toaster ovens can get just as hot as conventional ones. So if the pan can fit, well then the little powerhouse is perfectly capable of baking the cake through. Toaster ovens also take much less time to pre-heat thanks to their smaller size.

Why does it say not to prepare in toaster oven? ›

The product would be too close to the heating source and it can cause a fire. In addition, Stouffer's has a FAQ that states under the preparation tab “We do not recommend using a toaster oven due to the toaster oven's small size and close proximity of the heating element to the meal container.”

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Can you bake cookies in a toaster oven? ›

For a standard toaster oven preheat to 350°F. If you're using a convection toaster oven, reduce the temperature to 325°F. The cookies can be baked on either an ungreased sheet pan or a pan lined with a silicone baking mat. Cookies baked on the ungreased pan may spread more.

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Why use a toaster oven instead of a regular oven? ›

Toaster ovens and conventional ovens heat food evenly, without making them soggy. While you can reheat leftovers in both, toaster ovens are smaller, so they use less energy to accomplish the goal.

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Can you cook pasta in a toaster oven? ›

Adjust toaster oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Combine pasta, marinara sauce, water, and salt in greased 8‑inch square broiler-safe baking dish or pan.

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What is a toaster oven good for? ›

A toaster oven is a small electric countertop appliance that looks like a mini oven but functions as an oven-toaster hybrid. Toaster ovens are mainly used for reheating leftovers, cooking frozen foods, toasting breads and baking in small batches.

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