12 Pro-Approved Appliances Perfect for Small Kitchens

Even the most spacious kitchens can feel cluttered with too many cooking appliances. So outfitting a small kitchen with the right tools can feel extra tricky — especially if counter space is at a premium. Of course, kitchen appliances that are physically compact help with space-saving. 

But there’s another trick to buying smart when you’re short on space: “Appliances that do multiple things are efficient for small kitchens because they eliminate the need for other appliances,” says Sharon Lowenheim, a certified professional organizer who specializes in living large in small spaces. 

To help you maximize your counter and cabinet space, we found the best professional organizer-approved kitchen appliances that will keep your kitchen clutter-free. Best of all, these small appliances can serve multiple purposes and can all be found on Amazon. 

Pro-Approved Kitchen Appliances for a Clutter-Free Space:

• Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer, $350
• Nespresso Pixie, $159 (originally $230)
• Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus Food Processor, $40
• Hamilton Beach Personal Blender with Travel Lid, $30
• Ninja Foodi Smart XL 6-in-1 Indoor Grill with 4-Quart Air Fryer, $260 (originally $300)
• Mueller Austria Ultra-Stick 500 Watt 9-Speed Immersion Hand Blender, $32 with coupon (originally $50)
• Zojirushi Home Bakery Mini Breadmaker, $204 (originally $308)
• Cuisinart Coffee Center Grind & Brew Plus, $150
• Breville Juice Fountain Compact, $100
• Instant Pot Duo Mini 3-Quart Pressure Cooker, $70 (originally $80)
• Breville Joule Turbo Sous Vide, $250
• Black+Decker Digital Microwave Oven, $85 with coupon (originally $100)

Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer

Calling this small air fryer “just” an air fryer doesn’t scratch the surface of all it can do. It far exceeds Lowenheim’s standards for “a toaster oven that can bake and broil in addition to making toast.” Breville’s Smart Oven has 11 impressive functions, including slow cook, broil, and bake — there are even specific programs for baking cookies and making pizza.

The interface is intuitive and easy to use, thanks to a variety of dial knobs and buttons, and it comes with all the necessary accessories, like a fry basket, baking sheet, and wire rack.

Nespresso Pixie

Espresso machines used to cost a fortune, but this modern upgrade from Nespresso has a small footprint and price. It uses ready-to-brew Nespresso pods to make expertly pulled espresso shots in 30 seconds, so you can enjoy the luxury of a good cup of coffee without all the bells and whistles. It doesn’t hurt that this appliance — which earned a spot on our list of Best Small Coffee Makers — is nice-looking, too.

Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus Food Processor

This tiny but mighty food processor is right-sized for a small household. The 4-cup capacity is all you need for preparing a meal or two, and the blade is outfitted with both chop and grind settings. Although it’s not the highest-powered or most tricked-out machine on the market, the lower wattage is sufficient for the appliance’s size. It sure beats making pesto by hand!

Hamilton Beach Personal Blender with Travel Lid

Although high-speed, professional-level blenders are enticing, they’re only a smart buy if you plan on using them a lot. Otherwise, they’re heavy, large, and expensive space hogs. Enter this adorably small blender that’s designed with efficiency in mind. It’s powerful enough to whip up a smoothie or protein shake, and the blender jar doubles as a travel cup — a spill-proof lid is included. Although the wattage is in the triple digits, not quadruple, it’s mighty powerful thanks to the ice-crushing blades.

Ninja Foodi Smart XL 6-in-1 Indoor Grill with 4-Quart Air Fryer

Indoor grills have come a long way since their inception, and this model proves it: It can handle up to six steaks and can also air-fry, roast, bake, broil, and dehydrate. With no shortage of multipurpose appliances on the market, reviewers praise this one for being an ideal combination of grill and air fryer — and yep, it comes with all the necessary tools and accessories, like a crisper basket and grill grate. P.S.: You can even grill from frozen.

Mueller Austria Ultra-Stick 500 Watt 9-Speed Immersion Hand Blender

$50 for an appliance that blends, whisks, whips, and froths?! It seems too good to be true, but this multipurpose tool from Mueller is the real deal. Unlike traditional immersion blenders, it comes with three different attachments (similar concept to a handheld electric mixer), so you can use it to make a latte, whip cream, or egg whites, and then blend a creamy soup or sauce. There are eight speeds and a “turbo” setting for tough ingredients.

Zojirushi Home Bakery Mini Breadmaker

We’ll admit that most breadmakers are too hefty to be considered necessities for small kitchens. But this machine is so tiny, you’ll barely know it’s there — until the scent of freshly baked bread begins to fill your home, that is. It can bake 1-pound loaves in a variety of different styles, and you can choose how firm or soft you want your finished product. In a truly impressive plot twist, this breadmaker can also make cookie dough, cake, and… jam!

Cuisinart Coffee Center Grind & Brew Plus

Although this isn’t the teeniest-tiniest coffee maker we’ve seen, it calls to mind a piece of Lowenheim’s advice: She recommends investing in a dual coffee maker-grinder because one appliance is easier to manage than two (and we can never find a great place to store that standalone coffee grinder, anyway). The mechanized burr grinder makes a truly fresh cup each time, but we appreciate that it’s compatible with pods, too. We doubly appreciate that most of the parts can be removed and cleaned in the dishwasher.

Breville Juice Fountain Compact

If you think an at-home juicer is an unnecessary luxury, you’ve never had fresh-squeezed orange juice (or maybe you’ve only encountered ginormous juicers that are more trouble than they’re worth). This one uses centrifugal technology and a fine mesh filter for pulp-free, smooth juice from fruits and veggies. A gold star for the designers at Breville who designed the cord to be wrapped neatly around the base for efficient storage.

Instant Pot Duo Mini 3-Quart Pressure Cooker

Instant Pot is a leader in the multi-use cooking appliance space — in fact, many consumers refer to all multicookers simply as “Instant Pots.” This is their smallest model, but it tackles almost everything the bigger versions can. Cooks in a hurry will appreciate the multiple pre-programmed options and the lightning-fast pressure cooking capacity. And if 3 quarts is too little, know that it also comes in 6- and 8-quart sizes, too.

Breville Joule Turbo Sous Vide 

If you have a small kitchen and have never tried cooking with an immersion circulator, you may be surprised at how space-efficient this precision tool is. An immersion circulator (sometimes known as a sous vide machine), heats a water bath to a set temperature, so you can cook meat or vegetables to an exact science. Better yet, you can do it in a stock pot or Dutch oven, so there’s no bulky additional equipment required. You will need some zip-top bags and a binder clip or two to keep the food submerged.

While some immersion circulators are large or have big interface panels, the Joule is sleek and slim — you control it entirely from a free app on your phone.

Black+Decker Digital Microwave Oven

Although mounted microwaves can be a space-saver, they’re not practical for everyone’s budget or kitchen design. But find the right (read: small) unit and a microwave can be a realistic countertop appliance. This one, from trusted brand Black & Decker, is not even a cubic foot, although it packs some decent wattage. It’s also a steal at $100, and the legs are removable if you decide to mount it.