13 Foods You Can Cook In Your Toaster Oven

Whether it’s too hot to use your regular oven or you’re looking for a solution for small-batch cooking and baking, your toaster oven is up to the task. Sure, it’s great for making toast but it can also cook meat, bake pastries and roast veggies. Need help getting started? These 13 ideas will help you cook all your favorite recipes — right on your countertop.

By: Food Network Kitchen

Embrace Your Toaster Oven

Amazing roasty things can come from even a small, single-shelf version of this appliance. Most things that can be baked will work in a toaster oven, if scaled down to a size and quantity that can fit inside of it. A toaster oven has several unique advantages over a big oven. Because it is small, it heats up quickly. For the same reason, the heating sources on the top and bottom are close together and cook things quickly. And, many models even give a cheerful “ding” and turn themselves off at the end of the time you've set. Why not use your toaster oven more and discover all of the great things that it can do?

Roast Chicken

If you can cook chicken nuggets, you can roast a spatchcocked Cornish hen on your toaster tray. The process is just like roasting in your regular oven. Simply cook until the bird reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

Bacon

Lay some strips on the rack with the tray underneath and cook to your desired crispiness. For easy cleanup, line the tray below with aluminum foil.

Fish Fillets

Fish cooks quickly, so it’s an ideal toaster-oven food. Don't be afraid to give this a try with any of your favorite varieties.

Green Beans

Since green beans are small, it doesn’t take long for the heat to get through to the center. Simply roast them in a single layer until warmed through. For bonus points, toss them in a garlicky oil right before serving.

Sausage and Peppers

Nestle Italian sausages into a bed of sliced onions and peppers and let your toaster oven do all the hard work. Do be sure to stir the veggies a few times mid-roast, so nothing burns.

Sweet and Spicy Roasted Almonds

Toss nuts with a sweetener like maple syrup, sugar or honey, sprinkle with salt and a spice like cinnamon or chili powder, and toast in a single layer until warm and fragrant.

Cornbread

Using your oven for a roast or casserole? You can pop your pan of cornbread into the toaster oven instead.

Fruit Crumble

Fruit crumbles are another great candidate for toaster oven baking. If you've got other dishes hogging the space in your regular oven, bake dessert on your contertop!

Muffins

Muffins make a great make-ahead breakfast if you freeze batter in foil-lined muffin papers. You can pop a few in your toaster oven while you get ready for the day — and have a fresh-from-the-oven breakfast in a matter of minutes.

Quesadillas

Assemble these on the tray, brush them with oil and bake until melty cheese peeks out of the edges. It's that easy!

Faux Apple Pie

Scatter thinly sliced apples on a flour tortilla, sprinkle generously with brown sugar and a little cinnamon and dot with pats of butter. Then, simply toast until the apples are soft.

Banana Bread

If a small loaf pan fits into your toaster oven, you can bake any of your favorite quick bread there — including banana or zucchini bread.

Cookies

If you scoop your favorite homemade cookie dough into individual portions and freeze them, you can grab one or two whenever the craving strikes and bake in your toaster oven. And, who doesn't love a warm cookie?