We tested the Breville Smart Oven to see if it can really replace your full-size oven

Having a toaster oven on your counter means you don’t have to fire up your full-size oven and heat up the entire kitchen to get dinner on the table. But while toaster ovens can usually toast, bake, roast, broil and reheat, the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer takes it a step further. It also offers a slow-cook setting and works as an air fryer to give you crispy, delicious foods with little to no oil.

The Smart Oven Air Fryer not only offers more cooking functions than Breville’s other toaster ovens, but it also has a larger capacity, so it makes it easier to cook for a group. Its dual-speed convection setting can reduce cooking time by up to 30%, too, allowing you to get meals ready in a hurry. 

But how does the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer stack up against other air-fryer toaster ovens and standalone air fryers?

The BestReviews Testing Lab put this oven to work to see how well it handled classic air-fried foods like french fries and chicken wings. We also evaluated how noisy it was during operation, how much it warmed up our kitchen and how difficult it was to clean. Ultimately, we found that the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer excelled at toasting, baking, reheating and other toaster oven basics but offered inconsistent air-frying results.

What is the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer?

Testing Team unboxes Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer for setup.

Product specifications
Type: Oven air fryer | Capacity: 0.8 cu. ft. | Dimensions: 18.9” W x 10.9” D x 15.9” H | Weight: 28.7 lb | Material: Stainless steel | Control Type: Knob  | Number of Functions: 11 | Temperature Range: 120 to 450 degrees
 

The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer is a countertop oven with 11 cooking functions. It can toast, bake, air-fry, roast, broil, reheat, warm and slow cook. It also has presets for bagels, pizza and cookies. However, its temperature range is more limited than other Breville air fryer ovens we tested, so it only goes as low as 120 degrees and as high as 450. 

During testing, we were impressed by its compact size, though it could still hold up to six slices of toast, a 13-inch pizza and a 9-cup muffin tray. We could also fit more than a pound of frozen french fries in the oven’s air-fryer basket. It weighs just under 29 pounds, too, so we didn’t have much trouble moving it around our testing area. 

The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer has an LCD display panel that shows the cooking function, temperature and time with knob controls to select and set each. This combination made it easy to use the oven and set a precise temperature and time for the foods we cooked during testing. 

Made of high-quality stainless steel, the oven features durable construction that can hold up well to regular use. Its brushed finish also looks great sitting out on a countertop, so there’s no need to take it in and out of a cabinet. We didn’t find the oven particularly difficult to clean, but its accessories aren’t dishwasher-safe, so cleanup took longer than with other air fryers and air-fryer ovens we tested. 

Pros

• Versatility: The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer is a highly versatile appliance that can toast, bake, broil, roast, air-fry and more. Because it also has a slow-cook function, it can replace a toaster oven, air fryer and slow cooker in your kitchen. 
• Capacity: The oven can hold six slices of toast, a 13-inch pizza and even a whole chicken, so it can cook for small groups easily. 
• Compact size: Despite its capacity, it has a compact design that doesn’t take up as much space on a counter as some other air-fryer ovens we tested. 
• Accurate temperature: The oven’s temperature was accurate within a few degrees when tested on an oven thermometer during cooking. 

Cons 

• Inconsistent air-frying results: The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer didn’t get foods like french fries and bacon as crispy as other air fryers we tested, with some foods ending up overcooked and others undercooked. 
• Longer cleanup: Because Breville doesn’t recommend cleaning the oven’s accessories in the dishwasher, it takes longer to clean up after use than other air fryers and air-fryer ovens. 
• Price: The oven is highly versatile and can replace other appliances, but its high-end price may not fit all budgets. 

Who is it for?

The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer is a compact, versatile countertop oven that can toast, bake, broil and roast well, making it an ideal choice for small kitchens where space is at a premium. Its larger capacity also makes it excellent for families of four or five. However, because its air-frying results are spotty, it’s best for those who only air-fry occasionally.

How we tested

Testing team uses the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer to see how it handles commonly air-fried foods like fries.

To see how well the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer handled air-frying, we prepared several commonly air-fried foods. We made the same foods in a standard oven to compare cooking times and the crispiness and flavor of the finished products. 

Air-frying french fries

The frozen french fries we prepared didn’t have air-frying instructions on their packaging, so we used a recipe we found online. We tossed the fries with light olive oil and salt and placed them in a single layer in the oven’s air-fryer basket. We cooked the fries at 400 degrees for 10 minutes and then shook them to ensure they cooked evenly. We returned them to the oven for another five minutes.

The french fries cooked for a total of 15 minutes.

Air-frying chicken wings

We tossed the chicken wings with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika to coat them completely. Next, we set them in a single layer in the oven’s air-fryer basket and cooked them at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. We flipped the wings to the other side to ensure they cooked evenly and returned them to the oven for another 11 minutes. 

The chicken wings cooked for a total of 21 minutes. 

Air-frying hot dogs

To prepare the hot dogs for air-frying, we made several slices down their length. We placed them in the oven’s air-fryer basket and cooked them at 400 degrees for six minutes. Next, we transferred each hot dog to a bun and returned them to the oven for two minutes to finish cooking and toast the buns.

The hot dogs cooked for a total of eight minutes. 

Air-frying Brussels sprouts

We tossed the Brussels sprouts with olive oil, salt, pepper and sliced garlic. We placed them in the oven’s air fryer basket and cooked them at 375 degrees for five minutes. Next, we shook the sprouts to ensure they cooked evenly and returned them to the oven for seven minutes to finish cooking.

They cooked for a total of 12 minutes. 

Air-frying bacon

We laid the bacon out in the oven’s air-fryer basket but ensured that the roasting pan sat on the wire rack beneath it to catch the grease during cooking. We cooked the bacon at 350 degrees for 11 minutes. 

Price and where to buy

The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer regularly costs $379.95. You can find it at Amazon.

Cooking Performance

We paid careful attention to how well the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer could air-fry popular foods like french fries and chicken wings. In particular, we compared the cooking time and results for the same foods prepared in an oven. Additionally, we tested the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer’s other cooking functions to see how well it could toast, bake and more. 

Air-frying french fries

The frozen french fries we prepared in the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer needed 15 minutes to cook fully, nine minutes faster than oven-baked fries. Unfortunately, the finished fries cooked unevenly — some fries were perfectly crispy and had a tender, fluffy interior, while others were overcooked, so the interior was dried out. The uneven cooking also affected the flavor because the overcooked fries were rather bland.

We had similar results when we baked the fries in the oven. They were crispy on the outside, but the interior was dry and somewhat flavorless.  

Air-frying chicken wings

We had better success air-frying chicken wings in the Smart Oven Air Fryer. They needed just 21 minutes to cook fully, compared to 46 minutes in a standard oven. The finished wings were fairly crispy on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside. Our oven-baked wings didn’t turn out as crispy on the exterior, and their meat was drier, too.

We found the wings made in the Breville were flavorful, even though we only used basic seasonings. In fact, we tossed the oven-baked wings with the same mix of seasonings, but they were less flavorful overall because the meat wasn’t as juicy.

Air-frying hot dogs

The hot dogs we made in the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer took just eight minutes to cook, 11 minutes less than the cooking time in a standard oven. They also had a somewhat crispy skin but weren’t as crispy as those we made in other air fryers. They were crispier than the oven-baked hot dogs, though, which actually shriveled up during cooking. 

The air-fried hot dogs were also more flavorful than those made in a standard oven. However, the air-fried hot dogs were somewhat bland compared to those we made in other air fryers. We attributed that to the fact that the skin didn’t get very crispy on the hot dogs made in the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer. 

Air-frying Brussels sprouts

The Brussels sprouts air-fried in the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer took 12 minutes to cook fully, while they needed 26 minutes in a standard oven. However, the finished sprouts were pretty similar from both ovens. Neither set of Brussels sprouts got very crispy on the outside and were somewhat soggy instead. Additionally, there wasn’t any caramelization on the sprouts from either oven, which left them blander than those we prepared in other air fryers. 

Air-frying bacon

We air-fried bacon in the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer for 11 minutes. However, we found that it was only crispy near the ends, while the center portion was somewhat limp. We like our bacon extra crisp, so we definitely felt it needed more cooking time.

In the standard oven, we got our bacon very crispy — but it took 21 minutes to get there. This bacon was also much greasier than the air-fried version because it sat in its drippings during cooking. In the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer, the grease dripped from the basket to the roasting pan below, so we didn’t need to blot it as much.  

Other cooking results

In addition to air-frying, we used the Smart Oven Air Fryer to toast two slices of bread, which turned a golden brown on the “5” darkness setting in just a few minutes. We also used the Pizza setting to make a 12-inch frozen pizza. It took 16 minutes for the pizza to bake fully, and the finished product came out well, with melted, golden brown cheese and an extra-crisp crust like we prefer. 

We also appreciated the job that the Cookie setting did with store-bought chocolate chip cookie dough. We baked them for 11 minutes, and the finished cookies had a nice, crispy exterior and a soft center. 

Ease of use

Testers operated control knobs to determine ease of use and functionality.

The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer is easy to operate, so it’s not necessary to consult the owner’s manual too much, even when you first start using the machine. It isn’t difficult to clean either, but it takes longer than some other air-fryer ovens we tested.  

Controls and display

The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer has an LCD display that allows you to select a cooking function and set the temperature and time. The display is backlit, so we found it clear and easy to read during testing. The function knob is located right below the display, and we only had to turn it to scroll through the cooking options. 

Each cooking function has a preset temperature and time, but we could easily adjust both based on the recipe we were preparing. The temperature knob is right below the function dial and allowed us to set a precise temperature in five-degree increments. The time knob is at the bottom of the control panel and enabled us to adjust the temperature in one-minute intervals. Turning the knobs clockwise increased the temperature or time, while turning them in a counterclockwise direction lowered the given setting. 

Cooking

The only trick to cooking in the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer is ensuring you have the rack or basket in the correct position for the cooking function you’re using. We found it very convenient that the rack positions are listed on the left side of the oven door because we didn’t have to flip through the manual to figure out where to place the rack. 

Once the rack was in position, we scrolled through the cooking functions with the function knob to select our desired setting. Next, we adjusted the temperature and time as necessary and then pressed the Start/Cancel button to activate the oven. 

Some settings, including Bake, Roast, Pizza, Air Fry, Cookies and Slow Cook, have a preheat cycle, so we pressed the Start button before adding food. When the oven reached the selected temperature, it sounded an alert to let us know to add the food. 

Other cycles, such as Toast, Bagel, Broil, Reheat and Warm, don’t have a preheat cycle. As a result, we added the food to the oven before pressing the Start button, so it could begin cooking right away. 

Cleaning

The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer isn’t difficult to clean, but we did find that it took a little more time than other air fryer ovens we tested. That’s because the rack, air fry basket and other accessories aren’t dishwasher-safe and require hand-washing.

During testing, we used hot water and nonabrasive dish soap to clean the wire rack, air-fry basket and other accessories. We also cleaned the interior of the oven and door with a sponge dampened with warm water and dish soap. It was fairly easy to remove crumbs, grease and other residue from the oven’s components, but it did take approximately 10 minutes to clean the entire oven. 

Design

Testing Team evaluates design of the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer durability, aesthetics and user experience.

The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer is a thoughtfully designed oven that you won’t mind having on your counter. It also features high-quality materials that make it sturdy enough for everyday use. 

Look and feel

Like most countertop ovens, the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer is rectangular. However, it is more compact than other ovens we tested, including the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro and the Breville the Joule Smart Oven, so it measures just 18.9 inches wide, 10.9 inches long and 15.9 inches high. 

While it is available in nine color options, including blue and black, our test model featured a brushed stainless steel finish. We found it a perfect neutral shade that would pair well with most kitchen decor styles. It also matched the other stainless steel appliances in our testing area perfectly. 

Durability

The oven is made of durable stainless steel, so it has a sturdy feel. We were especially impressed by how securely anchored the door’s bar handle was because it felt like it would hold up well to regular use. 

The oven’s accessories are all made of high-quality stainless steel, too. During testing, they had a good weight and easily slid in and out of the oven. However, Breville recommends hand-washing the accessories to ensure they’ll last as long as possible. 

User experience

The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer is designed with the user in mind. The control panel is laid out in a convenient, easy-to-use manner, so there isn’t much of a learning curve when cooking in it. 

In particular, we found the dial controls felt highly intuitive because they were positioned in the order most users would think to set them. The function knob is at the top of the control panel just beside the Start/Cancel button, the temperature knob is in the center, and the time knob is at the bottom. With this setup, we could choose our settings quickly without thinking too much about it. We also appreciated that the rack positions are listed on the front window, so we didn’t have to consult the manual each time we used a different cooking function.

How does it compare to the Smart Oven Pro?

The Smart Oven Pro is Breville’s next-generation countertop oven, so it shares some similarities with the Smart Oven Air Fryer while improving on some of its functionality. The Pro is larger, measuring 21.5 inches wide, 17.1 inches long and 12.7 inches high, compared to the Smart Oven Air Fryer’s dimensions of 18.9 inches wide, 10.9 inches long and 15.9 inches high. 

But while the latter may be easier to fit in most kitchens, the Pro’s extra size extends to its capacity. It can fit nine slices of toast compared to the Smart Oven Air Fryer’s six, a 13-inch pizza and even a 14-pound turkey, making it a better choice for large families or entertaining. 

The Pro also has a wider temperature range, with temperatures going as low as 80 degrees and as high as 480 degrees. As a result, it offers two additional cooking functions compared to the Smart Oven Air Fryer — dehydrating and proofing. 

You’ll pay more for the Pro’s extra capacity and features, though. It usually costs $70 more than the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer.

Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Review: Should you get one?

Testing team completes setup of Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer.

If you are looking for a premium countertop oven that covers all the basics well, the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer is definitely worth your consideration. It toasts, bakes, roasts, warms and reheats well and offers enough capacity for a family of four to five. However, if you’re interested in an oven that excels at air-frying, you’ll probably want to keep looking. The Smart Oven Air Fryer’s inconsistent air-frying results make it a solid choice for occasional air-frying, but the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro is the superior option for everyday air-frying.