4 Best Bread Machines of 2024, Tested and Reviewed
- Phil Kohr
- May 6, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: May 7, 2024
There's nothing quite like the aroma of freshly baked bread wafting through your home. With a quality bread machine, you can enjoy that experience anytime with minimal effort. We tested some of the top bread makers available on Amazon in 2024 to find the best options for making delicious loaves at home.
Here are our top picks:
5/5 Rating
$329 on Amazon
The Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus was the clear winner in our tests. It produced consistently excellent loaves with a well-risen dome and an even, fine crumb texture. The dual kneading blades did an superb job of incorporating ingredients thoroughly.
This machine has two separate compartments to add yeast, nuts, or other mix-ins at the ideal time during the cycle. The large viewing window allows you to monitor the baking progress. With 15 courses and 3 crust shade settings, it offers great versatility for different bread types.
Pros:
Top-notch bread quality
Dual kneading blades
Automatic mix-in dispensers
Large viewing window
Versatile settings
Cons:
Expensive
Slightly larger footprint
4.5/5 Rating
$109 on Amazon
The Cuisinart CBK-110 is an excellent value pick that produces delicious artisan-style loaves at a reasonable price point. It has a relatively compact footprint ideal for smaller kitchens. We loved the convection fan for even baking and the 12 pre-programmed menu options. While not quite at the level of the Zojirushi, bread quality was still very good overall. Our loaves had a nice crumb and good rise, though the crust was sometimes a tad pale.
Pros:
Great value
Compact design
Convection baking
12 menu options
Cons:
Crust could be darker
No interior light
4/5 Rating
$89 on Amazon
If you're looking for a versatile bread maker loaded with features at a budget price, consider the KBS 17-in-1. It offers a whopping 17 programmed courses for things like gluten-free bread, jam, and even yogurt. The dual heaters and two kneading paddles perform well. Bread quality was very good overall, though loaves didn't rise quite as tall as the top models. The instruction manual could be more user-friendly as well. But you get a lot of machine for the money.
Pros:
Very affordable
17 program settings
Makes a variety of items
Dual heaters and mixing paddles
Cons:
Bread didn't rise as high
Subpar instruction manual
4/5 Rating
$299 on Amazon
The Breville BBM800XL is loaded with customization features to tweak your loaves exactly how you like. You can adjust settings like loaf size, crust shade, knead time, bake temperature, and more. An automatic fruit and nut dispenser keeps mix-ins evenly distributed.
While highly capable, this model didn't outperform the winning Zojirushi in our bread quality tests. And some users may find the extensive customization options overly complex. But for tuning perfect custom loaves, it doesn't get much better.
Pros:
Extensive customization
Automatic mix-in dispenser
Sturdy build quality
Cons:
Pricey
Bread quality slightly below top models
Customization can be complex
Why the Zojirushi Virtuoso Plus Was Our Winner
The Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus simply produced the best quality loaves in our testing. From pillowy texture to perfect exterior color, the breads were consistently impressive. The dual kneading blades did an amazing job developing the gluten strands for an ideal crumb and rise.
While not a budget model, we felt the Zojirushi's premium performance and versatile settings justified the higher price point. Automatic mix-in dispensers, a large viewing window, and 15 course options added to the overall package. For serious home bakers, this machine is worth the investment.
We hope you found these in-depth reviews helpful for choosing the ideal bread maker for your needs!