The Best Toastie Makers for Students (and What Halls Allow)
We may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. How this works.
For a student, the best toastie maker depends on your accommodation rules. If electric sandwich toasters are allowed, the Tower T27013 is cheap, deep fill and small enough for a shared kitchen. If they are banned, as they are in many halls, the Morphy Richards Mico microwave toastie maker or a pack of reusable toaster bags gets you a crisp toastie without breaking the rules.
Quick answer:
- Tower T27013 Deep Fill: best electric toastie maker for students
- Morphy Richards Mico: best for halls that ban grills
- Toaster bags: cheapest option, if a toaster is allowed
- Breville Deep Fill (VST091): best for a small shared kitchen
- Stovetop toastie iron: best if you have a gas hob in a shared house
On this page
Check your halls rules first
Many university halls and purpose-built student blocks restrict what you can bring. Toastie makers, sandwich toasters and grills often appear on banned lists alongside rice cookers and hot plates, usually because of fire risk or because they set off smoke alarms in shared kitchens. Some allow them in the kitchen but not in bedrooms. Others are fine with them entirely. The rules vary by university and provider, so:
- Read your accommodation's list of prohibited items, usually in the welcome pack or licence agreement.
- If a toastie maker is not mentioned, email the accommodation office and ask; it is cheaper than a confiscation or a fine.
- Never use any cooking appliance in your bedroom unless your halls explicitly allow it.
- All appliances should be in good condition with an intact UK plug; some halls check electrical items.
Microwave toastie makers and toaster bags are usually acceptable because they use appliances that are already provided, but check if you are unsure.
Comparison table
Price bands are typical UK prices, not live prices.
| Option | Needs | Typical halls status | Toasties per go | Typical price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tower T27013 | Socket | Sometimes banned | 2 | £18–£28 |
| Morphy Richards Mico | Microwave | Usually fine | 1 | £20–£30 |
| Toaster bags | Pop-up toaster | Usually fine | 1–2 | £5–£10 |
| Breville VST091 | Socket | Sometimes banned | 2 | £25–£35 |
| Stovetop toastie iron | Gas hob | Depends on kitchen | 1–2 | £10–£30 |
The best toastie makers for students
Tower T27013 Deep Fill Sandwich Maker
For a student kitchen where toastie makers are allowed, the T27013 is the one to get. It is cheap, compact, has extra-deep moulds for proper filling (beans and cheese, leftover chilli, tuna melt) and a 900W element that makes toasties quickly between lectures. The ceramic plates wipe clean easily if you clean them while warm, which matters in a shared kitchen where nobody else will. Our best cheap toastie maker guide has more budget picks.
- Low price
- Deep fill
- Quick
- Banned in some halls
- Fixed plates
Morphy Richards Mico Microwave Toastie Maker
The Mico uses plates that heat up in the microwave to toast a sandwich by contact, so it browns the bread instead of steaming it. Because it is not a heating appliance on its own, it is usually acceptable in halls that ban toastie makers and grills. It makes one toastie at a time and needs a little trial and error on timing, but it is quick, fits in a drawer and is easy to wash. Read the microwave toastie maker guide and how to use one.
- Usually halls-friendly
- Tiny to store
- No preheat
- One at a time
- Browning less even than electric
Reusable toaster bags
If your kitchen has a pop-up toaster, a reusable toaster bag (Toastabags is the best-known brand) turns it into a toastie maker. Put a made-up cheese or ham and cheese sandwich in the bag, drop it in the toaster and run one or two cycles. The bag keeps crumbs and cheese out of a shared toaster, which keeps flatmates happy. Use thin fillings and standard sliced bread, and check the bag fits your toaster's slots.
- Very cheap
- Uses a shared toaster cleanly
- Excellent browning
- Thin fillings only
- Narrow toaster slots may not fit
Breville Deep Fill Sandwich Toaster (VST091)
Where electric toastie makers are allowed but cupboard space is fought over, the VST091 is a good pick. It stands upright with built-in cord storage, so it slots between other things on a shelf, and Breville describes a fully enclosed plate system to limit leaks onto shared worktops. It costs a little more than the Tower. For more space-saving options, see compact toastie makers.
- Stores upright
- Enclosed plates limit mess
- Breville build
- Pricier than the Tower
- Banned in some halls
Stovetop toastie iron
In a shared student house with a gas hob, a stovetop toastie iron is cheap, needs no socket and lasts for years. Aluminium versions are lighter and quicker on a gas ring than cast iron. They do not work on electric ceramic or induction hobs, which are common in halls. More in the camping toastie maker guide.
- No electrics to worry about
- Durable
- Gas hobs only
- Takes practice
No toastie maker at all?
You can make a perfectly good toastie with just a frying pan: butter the outside, cook over a medium heat with a second pan or a plate pressed on top, and flip once. Our frying pan toastie method gives timings, and how to make a toastie without a toastie maker covers the grill, oven and air fryer too.
How we chose
We weighed price, size and storage, likely compatibility with typical halls rules, ease of cleaning in a shared kitchen and toastie quality. We do not run lab tests; picks are based on specifications, retailer information and owner feedback.
Student toastie tips
- Clean it straight away. Wipe plates while warm (unplugged). In a shared kitchen, a crusted toastie maker becomes nobody's problem very fast. See how to clean a toastie maker.
- Mind the smoke alarm. Do not overfill, and wipe off leaked cheese before the next toastie, because burning residue is what sets alarms off.
- Never leave it unattended, and unplug it when you are done.
- Label it if you share a kitchen, and store it in your own cupboard.
- Cheap fillings that work: cheese and beans, tuna and sweetcorn, leftover pasta sauce with mozzarella, cheese and onion. Try our microwave toastie recipes and the cheese and beans toastie.
- Electricity: a toastie costs only pennies to make; see toastie maker electricity cost.
What to look for in a student toastie maker
- Price. A good machine costs around £20–£30; there is no need to spend more for student use.
- Size and storage. Shared kitchens mean limited cupboard space. Models that stand upright with cord storage are easiest to keep in your own cupboard.
- Deep fill plates. Cheap, filling toasties often use wet fillings (beans, pasta sauce, leftover chilli), and deep sealed plates stop them leaking.
- Fixed plates are fine. Removable plates are nice but cost more; fixed plates clean in a minute if you wipe them while warm.
- A proper UK plug and safety marking. Buy from a known brand and retailer; avoid unbranded online sellers with no UK address.
- A ready light. Preheating fully gives better toasties and fewer smoke-alarm incidents from pale, re-toasted bread.
A week of cheap student toasties
A toastie maker pays for itself quickly if it replaces a few meal deals. A few ideas built around cheap staples:
- Monday: classic cheese toastie with a mug of tomato soup.
- Tuesday: cheese and beans, using half a tin and saving the rest.
- Wednesday: tuna melt with sweetcorn.
- Thursday: pizza toastie with leftover pasta sauce and mozzarella.
- Friday: cheese and onion.
- Weekend: a breakfast toastie for the morning after.
Packing list for a student toastie setup
Alongside the machine, a few cheap extras make toasties easier in a shared kitchen: a silicone spatula (never metal on non-stick), a small tub of spreadable butter or a squeezy mayonnaise for the outside of the bread, a grater for cheese, and a cloth that lives with the toastie maker so it gets wiped every time. Keep the instructions somewhere you can find them for the first few uses.
FAQs
Are toastie makers allowed in university halls?
It depends on the provider. Many halls ban sandwich toasters and grills, especially in bedrooms; others allow them in kitchens. Check your accommodation's prohibited items list or ask the accommodation office before you buy.
What can I use instead of a toastie maker in halls?
A microwave toastie maker like the Mico, toaster bags in a shared toaster, or a frying pan on the kitchen hob. All three make a proper crisp toastie, and the first two are usually acceptable where toastie makers are banned.
What is the cheapest way to make toasties at uni?
A frying pan you already own costs nothing extra. Toaster bags cost only a few pounds. A budget electric toastie maker usually costs around £20, and each toastie uses just pennies of electricity.
Is a toastie maker worth taking to university?
If it is allowed and you will use it a few times a week, yes: toasties are cheap, fast and filling. Bring a compact model that stores upright, and check the rules first. See are toastie makers worth it.
What is the best toastie maker to share in a flat?
A sturdy, easy-to-clean deep fill model such as the Tower T27013 or Breville VST091. Agree a simple rule that whoever uses it wipes it while warm, and keep it in a shared cupboard rather than on the worktop.
Can I use a toastie maker in my bedroom?
Only if your accommodation explicitly allows it, which is rare. Most halls restrict cooking appliances to kitchens, where smoke alarms and fire safety equipment are designed for cooking. Using one in a bedroom can break your licence agreement and is a genuine fire risk.