Specs are compiled from manufacturer listings and verified buyer reviews and can change over time — please confirm the key details on the product page before buying.
If your counter is shallow, you already know the problem: most microwaves are built deep, and a deep box either hangs off the edge or blocks the cabinet door from opening. The fix is a countertop microwave with a shallow footprint — roughly 12 to 14 inches of depth — that still takes a normal dinner plate. This guide covers nine of them, sorted by what they actually do well, so you can match one to your shelf, your wattage needs, and how you really cook. One honest note before we start: this list uses flexible, human-like matching for that shallow-depth requirement, so not every pick is the exact number you typed into the search bar — the nearest same-type size and wattage serves the same purpose, and we say so plainly on each one.
I’m Mohammad Maruf — the founder and writer behind KitchPrep. This guide is built by comparing the manufacturers’ published specifications and the patterns across verified customer reviews, so you get each pick’s real strengths and trade-offs instead of marketing spin.
Counter space is the real constraint in most kitchens, so depth matters more than width. That single measurement decides whether your new 13 inch depth microwave slides onto the shelf you already have or forces you to rearrange the whole counter.
Our Picks at a Glance
How To Choose The Best 13 Inch Depth Microwave
Three numbers decide whether a shallow microwave works in your kitchen: how deep the cabinet is, how many watts it pushes, and how wide the turntable is. Get those three right and everything else is preference. Get the depth wrong and the unit sits in a box in your hallway.
Measure Your Shelf Before You Measure the Microwave
Depth is measured front to back, and the door needs room to swing open and the vents need clearance behind the unit. A microwave listed at 13.2 inches deep is not the same as one listed at 13 inches deep, because the feet, the door handle, and the rear vent bump the real footprint. Pull out a tape measure and check the usable depth of your shelf or counter run before you commit to anything.
Width matters too, but less than you think. A 0.7 cubic foot unit often runs around 17 inches wide, while a 0.9 cubic foot unit pushes closer to 18 inches wide. If your space is tight left to right as well, a 0.7 cubic foot model is the safer bet.
Match Wattage to How You Eat
Wattage is the cooking power. A 700W microwave heats more slowly than a 900W unit, so a frozen dinner that takes five minutes in a 900W box might take closer to seven in a 700W one. Neither is wrong — you just need to know which one you are buying.
If you mostly reheat coffee, tea, soup and leftovers, 700W is plenty and often quieter. If you cook frozen entrees for a family, or you want popcorn and pizza presets to finish fast, step up to 900W. Higher wattage also means slightly higher power draw, which matters in older buildings where a kitchen circuit is already carrying a fridge and a kettle.
Check the Turntable and the Door
The turntable is the round glass plate inside. Its diameter tells you what actually fits: a 10-inch turntable usually spins a standard dinner plate, while a 9.6-inch one can be snug with a big plate or a large popcorn bag.
The door mechanism is the other quiet dealbreaker. Some units use a push-button release, some use a pull handle, and some use a two-step child lock you must disengage before the door opens. If anyone in the house has wrist or grip trouble, a straightforward push-button or pull-up handle is far kinder than a deep-set latch.
Quick Comparison
| Model | Best For | Capacity | Wattage | Depth | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLACK+DECKER 0.9 Cu Ft★ Best Overall | Shallow counters that still need full plates | 0.9 cubic feet | 900W | 13.2″ | Amazon |
| TOSHIBA 0.7 Cu.FtSmallest Footprint | Dorms, motorhomes and shallow shelving | 0.7 cubic feet | 700W | 12.2″ | Amazon |
| COMFEE’ 0.7 Cu.FtBest Value | Small apartments and pantry shelves | 0.7 cubic feet | 700W | 11.9″ | Amazon |
| Chefman 0.7 Cu Ft Stainless | One-person kitchens and quick reheats | 0.7 cubic feet | 700W | 12.93″ | Amazon |
| Chefman 0.9 Cu. Ft. Black | Crowded counters and rental wattage limits | 0.9 cubic feet | 900W | 13.27″ | Amazon |
| BLACK+DECKER 0.7 Cu.Ft Stainless | Quiet operation in a small kitchen | 0.7 cubic feet | 700W | 13″ | Amazon |
| LDAILY 0.7Cu.ft Retro | Dorms and open shelving where looks count | 0.7 cubic feet | 700W | 11″ | Amazon |
| TOSHIBA 0.9 Cu.Ft Black Stainless | Shallow counters with a fast-heating upgrade | 0.9 cubic feet | 900W | 13.3″ | Amazon |
In‑Depth Reviews
1. BLACK+DECKER Countertop Microwave Oven 0.9 Cu Ft, 6 Auto Menus, Child Lock, Memory Function, 10 Power Levels, Easy One-Touch Start, Digital Panel, 900W
Our pick — 4.5★ from 700+ verified ratings; the strongest balance of quality and price.
The 13.2-inch-deep pick that fits a 10-inch pizza on its turntable without blocking the cabinet door.
This is the one to buy if your counter is narrow but you refuse to eat like a camper. It measures 13.2 inches deep, 18.6 inches wide and 10.7 inches tall, so it tucks into the same slot a deep full-size unit would refuse. The 0.9 cubic foot interior is the roomiest on this list, and BLACK+DECKER specs it to fit a 10-inch pizza on the removable turntable. Against the TOSHIBA 0.7 Cu.Ft in the second spot, that is a real gap: 0.9 cubic feet versus 0.7 cubic feet, and 900W versus 700W, which the comparison facts put at a 29% more gap on both capacity and wattage. Bigger box, stronger magnetron, same shallow footprint family.
Six pre-programmed auto menus cover the foods people actually microwave — popcorn, potato, pizza, frozen vegetables, beverages and dinner plates — and the 10 adjustable power settings let you drop low for defrosting and butter-melting. One-touch start gets you cooking with a single press, and a memory function recalls your usual setting so you are not re-entering it every night. The 120V-60Hz rating is standard household current, so it plugs in anywhere a normal outlet lives. There is also a kitchen timer and a two-step child lock that can be fully deactivated by following the provided instructions if you do not need it.
What wins people over is the build quality — it is the single most-praised trait of this unit, and the compact size follows right behind it, with plenty of owners pointing out that it holds a full dinner-plate portion instead of forcing a sad side plate. As buyers report: “900W microwave, reasonably priced, heats frozen entrees/leftovers well.” A nice practical touch: holding the keypad “8” for a few seconds mutes the sound entirely, which owners with open-plan kitchens clearly appreciate. The honest catch is the door — this model does not have a push-button release, so you close it by hand, and if you are used to a button you will notice the change for the first week. The child lock divides opinion too, and some find the beep behaviour takes getting used to. It is a small slice of the picture, not a defect.
Where It Wins
- 0.9 cubic feet of interior in a 13.2-inch-deep body
- 900W output with 10 adjustable power levels for real cooking control
- Six preset menus plus one-touch start and a memory function
- Sound can be muted by holding the “8” key for a few seconds
What To Weigh First
- No button to open the door — you shut and open it by hand
- The two-step child lock has its fans and its critics
- Child lock adds a step to every cook if you leave it armed
Best for: a shallow counter that still has to handle family-sized plates and frozen entrees at speed.
Think twice if: you rely on a push-button door release, because this one does not have one.
2. TOSHIBA Countertop Microwave Oven, 0.7 Cu.Ft, 700W, Black
A 12.2-inch-deep body with a 9.6-inch glass turntable that still takes a full dinner plate.
Motorhome cupboards, dorm desks, narrow open shelving — this is the shallowest full-function pick here at 17.1 inches wide, 12.2 inches deep and 9.5 inches tall. The 0.7 cubic foot interior runs on 700W output from 1020W input, and the 9.6-inch glass turntable is the small detail that makes it work: owners keep reporting it swallows a full-size dinner plate, a 1.5-quart casserole, a pie plate and three mugs when taken separately. The thing that surprises people most is how well the size fits a shallow shelf while still handling normal food.
The ChefDefrost function is Toshiba’s headline here, and the maker says it defrosts up to 40% faster than traditional methods while holding on to the original texture and flavour. Six auto menus handle popcorn, pizza, potato and the usual suspects, and the 11 unique power levels give you more cooking gradients than the BLACK+DECKER 0.9 Cu Ft above, which offers 10 — the comparison facts put that at a 10% more gap on power levels. One-touch start runs 1 to 6 minutes of full-power cooking from buttons, and there is a child lock, ECO mode, clock and kitchen timer on the panel.
Beep-haters, this one has your name on it: the sound can be disabled completely, and the number keys double as minute shortcuts so you can start cooking in two presses. The trade-off is speed — 700W means longer cook times, and that is the recurring note across the reviews. Owners mention: “700W small microwave, ideal for dorms/apartments.” One kitchen-owner observation stands out for anyone with a tight cabinet: it fits a shallow shelf where nothing else would. A few find the door mechanism awkward and the time light bright enough to act as a nightlight, which is fair warning if the unit sits in a bedroom-adjacent space.
Fit over power: you are buying a shallow footprint and a plate-friendly turntable, not speed. Three weeks of steady use with no complaints is the pattern here, and used units routinely hold up past a year.
The dishwasher analogy: at 700W this is the small-load machine, not the family workhorse. If your cook times are already short, you will never notice; if they are long, you will.
Reach for this if: your shelf is genuinely tight and you want the shallowest unit that still takes a normal plate.
Look elsewhere if: fast cook times are a priority, since 700W will always lag a 900W box.
3. COMFEE’ Countertop Microwave Oven 0.7 Cu.Ft, 700W, White, 11 Power Levels
An 11.9-inch-deep white box with a two-step child lock and a bright digital panel.
The whole reason to pick this over the rest is that it is the shallowest-priced combination on the list: 0.7 cubic feet, 700W, and 11 power levels, with a removable 10-inch glass turntable. It is also the easiest to slot in — a 12-inch pantry, a shallow apartment cabinet, a wall-side counter. It heats tea and coffee at exactly the speeds customers note: a cup of tea in 1 minute 20 seconds, coffee in 20 to 30 seconds, and the popcorn preset works as advertised.
The feature set is deliberately simple: settings, clock, kitchen timer, child safety lock, and auto-cook programs for popcorn, potato, pizza, frozen vegetable, beverage and reheat. Two defrost settings let you thaw by weight or by time, and a one-touch express function covers 1 to 6 minutes plus a +30 second add-on for the last stretch. The two-step child lock satisfies the mandatory safety standard and is meant to prevent unintended use, and the bright digital display plus interior light make it easy to read when the room is dim. There is a one-year limited warranty behind it.
Where this one gets divisive is the door. It uses a press-open button, and the operation itself takes some getting used to, plus the noise level runs loud for the size, with a hum that a few owners find intrusive. The interior light being dim and the small turntable are the other notes that show up. The functionality and reliability scores are the ones people rave about, and they are backed by steady year-over-year use.
Why it stays on the shortlist: a 12-inch pantry is a real constraint and this one meets it exactly, with accurate published measurements so you know it before it arrives.
One catch to plan around: the door-open button is always a step, and the hum is measurable. Neither is a deal-breaker at this size and value, but neither is silent, either.
Best fit for: a shallow pantry or under-cabinet slot where the footprint is the whole purchase decision.
Skip if: you expect a quiet machine or you regularly microwave a full popcorn bag.
4. Chefman Compact Countertop Microwave, 0.7 Cu Ft, 700W, Stainless
A 12.93-inch-deep brushed stainless box with the child lock built into the door handle, not the keypad.
At 12.93 inches deep, 17.52 inches wide and 9.53 inches tall, this 0.7 cubic foot unit earns its place by putting the safety feature where you already are — the door handle itself. Pull upwards on the top edge of the handle to open it, and the built-in lock stops the door swinging open by accident. That is a genuinely different approach from the two-step keypad locks on the COMFEE’ and TOSHIBA picks above, and for anyone who finds those sequences fussy, it is the reason to pick this one.
Inside, this is a 700W digital machine with 10 power levels, from a low setting for melting butter all the way to maximum for rapid cooking. Three one-touch presets cover popcorn, beverages and leftovers, and the number keys let you set cook time by minutes directly. There is a +30 seconds button for extending a run, both time and weight defrost, a digital timer, and a mute option via the Sound Button if you are trying not to wake the kids. The stainless steel interior is both the styling element and the easy-clean surface.
The tradeoff is honest and straightforward: 700W takes longer than a 900W machine, and the noise level runs on the louder side for some owners, especially on higher power. The mute button takes the sting out of one of those complaints and not the other. For a dorm room, tiny kitchen, or studio apartment where the plate fits and the footprint matters more than speed, this is a clean pick.
What Stands Out
- Handle-mounted child lock is a single pull to open — no keypad sequence
- 10 power levels with time and weight defrost, plus a +30 second button
- Mute option silences beeps via the dedicated Sound Button
- Fits a 10-inch dinner plate in a 0.7 cubic foot body
Read Before Buying
- 700W means longer cook times than the 900W units on this list
- Louder operation than some buyers expect from a compact unit
- The pull-handle door takes a day or two to get used to
Best suited to: a small household that wants one-handed door operation and quiet mode on demand.
Not the pick for: speed-focused cooks who want frozen entrees finished fast, since the wattage caps that.
5. Chefman Countertop Microwave Oven 0.9 Cu. Ft., 900 Watts with 10 Power Levels, 6 Cooking Presets
A 13.27-inch-deep black box with a one-pull handle lock, a dishwasher-safe turntable, and an Eco Mode that blanks the display.
For shallow counters in shared homes, this is the one to look at first if pushing the door open is the thing that drives you mad. Chefman builds the child lock into the door handle itself — pull upwards to open — so there is no keypad sequence to fight before every reheat. It is rated cETL with advanced safety technology, comes with a 1-year assurance from Chefman, and the glass turntable is top-rack dishwasher safe. Eco Mode disables the display when the unit is idle, which shaves standby draw without changing anything you interact with.
The interior is 0.9 cubic feet, matching the BLACK+DECKER 0.9 Cu Ft at the top of this list, with 900W output and 10 power levels covering melt-butter low all the way up to rapid cook. Six cooking presets — popcorn, pizza, beverages, veggies, potatoes and leftovers — do the thinking for you, and the number keys set minutes directly. There is a memory function to store your most-used setting, a +30 second button to extend a run, and an Audio Button mute option. It is rated 120V and runs on standard household current. The black finish and compact frame are styled to sit alongside your other appliances without announcing themselves.
A wall behind the unit helps with the pressure required. The other pattern worth knowing is that a small number of units have arrived and then failed early, generally in the first month, which is worth keeping in mind if you have a low tolerance for a swap. The catch here is not the design — it is the tactile feedback on the controls, which is the trait that divides buyers most.
The one-pull case: a top-mounted door latch under the handle makes every reheat faster than the child-lock-keypad routine on the COMFEE’ 0.7 Cu.Ft.
Weight the tradeoff: the controls demand more force than most, and the interior will not hold some larger frozen dinners. Neither is a deal-breaker; both are things you notice.
This is the one if: you want 0.9 cubic feet and 900W in a black finish that locks with one pull and mutes on command.
Cross it off if: you want a soft-touch keypad or you regularly microwave oversized frozen trays.
6. BLACK+DECKER Countertop Microwave Oven, 0.7 Cu.Ft, 700W, Stainless Steel
A 13-inch-deep stainless box whose quiet operation is the trait owners name first.
This is the pick for a small kitchen where noise is the deal-breaker — a very quiet operation is the trait owners keep pointing to, even with the door closed and the tray spinning. It measures 17.3 inches wide, 13 inches deep and 10.2 inches tall, so it fits the shallow profile, and the 0.7 cubic foot interior runs 700W off 1050W rated input on standard 110V household power. The push-button door release is a nice piece of housekeeping: no keypad lock sequence before you open it, just a press and the door swings.
The control panel is deliberately simple: a large LED digital display, child safety lock, interior light, and a removable 10-inch glass turntable. Six pre-programmed buttons cover popcorn, potato, pizza, frozen vegetable, beverage and dinner plate, and 30 seconds express cooking gets you going in one press. There is a clock and kitchen timer on board, and the UL approval sits behind the unit for anyone who cares about that. The whole thing is a one-year-limited-warranty appliance.
The honest friction here is twofold. First, 700W is not fast, and a small handful of owners note that cook times nearly double compared to a 1200W machine they replaced — that is the wattage doing its job, not a fault. Second, the child lock on this specific unit cannot be disabled, and a few people call that irritating every time they want to open the door. The unusually quiet operation is the reason to buy it, and the design is clean enough to sit in a small, well-kept kitchen without shouting. The trade is real but bounded — this unit is not built for speed.
Reasons It Earns Its Slot
- Quiet operation is the standout trait owners call out first
- Push-button door release gets rid of keypad-lock friction
- 10-inch turntable fits a dinner plate inside a compact body
- Six pre-programmed food buttons plus 30 seconds express cook
Honest Trade-Offs
- 700W will not match a 1000W or 1200W unit on speed
- Child lock on this model cannot be turned off
- Very small interior means large plates barely fit and come out awkwardly
Best for: anyone whose kitchen shares a wall with a bedroom or home office and who values a quiet microwave over a fast one.
Think harder if: you want a long cook cycle and full-size dinner plates spinning freely — that combination is tight here.
7. LDAILY 0.7Cu.ft Retro Small Microwave Oven, 700W Compact Countertop Microwave with 5 Power Levels
An 11-inch-deep retro box with a 1-to-60-minute mechanical knob and a 360° turntable, built for open shelving.
If your microwave lives on open shelving in a dorm, office break room or coffee counter, this one earns its place before it cooks anything — the retro, minimalist look is the trait buyers name first, with the heating performance right behind it. It measures 18 inches wide, 11 inches deep and 10 inches tall, which makes it the shallowest pick on this whole list, and the 0.7 cubic foot stainless interior still fits a full-size dinner plate. The knob runs from 1 to 60 minutes, and the LED display shows the remaining time on the way down.
The controls are deliberately old-school, and that is the point: five precise power settings from 20P to 100P, six intuitive function buttons, and a knob rather than a keypad. Auto cooking modes handle popcorn, liquids, vegetables, meat and other daily foods with weight settings, and the 360° glass rotation and removable turntable ensure even heating. The viewing window has soft built-in lighting so you can watch without opening the door, and the child safety lock prevents accidental operation. Quick start heats at default one minute on high, and the pause/cancel button lets you stop mid-cycle and adjust — a nice bit of flexibility for anyone used to guessing.
What people note is that the interior is more practical than the compact exterior suggests, and that the controls are simple once you use them for a week. The honest catch is that some buyers find the panel takes real practice before it feels intuitive — this is a mechanical-controls appliance, not a one-tap preset panel. A four-out-of-five note in the reviews is worth repeating for anyone shopping the white version: the colour is really a soft butter tone rather than a cream white, which is a fine finish but worth knowing before it lands on your counter. For a two-person kitchen, a dorm, or an office, it does the job and looks like it belongs on the shelf.
Why It Shines
- 11-inch depth — shallowest on the list, and it takes a full-size dinner plate
- Five power settings and a 1-to-60-minute knob for simple timing
- Retro finish that suits dorm, office and open-shelf kitchens
- Viewing window with soft built-in lighting so you never open to check
Things To Know
- Mechanical controls take practice — this is not a one-tap preset panel
- The “cream white” reads as a soft butter tone in person
- 700W output means longer cook times for big frozen meals
Choose this if: your microwave is visible and you want the smallest, most stylish box that still heats a dinner plate.
Look past it if: you want digital presets and one-touch cooking without any learning curve.
8. TOSHIBA Countertop Microwave Oven, 0.9 Cu.Ft, 900W, Black Stainless Steel
A black-stainless 900W machine at just 13.3 inches deep — small box, big heat speed.
This is the pick for anyone worried that shallow equals slow. Despite a compact 13.3-inch depth, the 900W output hits boiling and reheating as fast as much larger units, and owners who came from full-size box microwaves keep saying so. The number that seals it: one owner reported 30 seconds where their previous larger unit took 1 minute 30 seconds for the same job. The output is 900W with 1300W input, on the 2.45 GHz cooking frequency, with a 10.6-inch glass turntable inside a 0.9 cubic foot interior.
The feature list is dense. Eleven unique power levels let you cook everything from deodorization to boiling liquids, and six preset menus cover dinner, snacks and beverages without you touching the time controls. Defrost runs by weight or by time, Mute Mode silences the beep that signals the end of cooking, and the Memory Function saves your dish settings for one-touch recall. The two-step child lock is the standard safety design, and the door is easy to open with a push-up on the handle for anyone with wrist or carpal tunnel trouble. The control panel is a full touchscreen with one-touch and timer buttons.
The trade-off worth flagging is small but real: the LED clock light is unusually bright, and more than one buyer has put something in front of it at night. The buttons also take a bit of reading in low light, and the interior light is on the dim side. Those are ambience notes, not cooking notes. The verdict is that this one is the strong middle pick — a fast 900W shallow box with a good set of presets, a mute option, and a black-stainless finish that reads more premium than its price tier suggests.
Where the value sits: 900W, 11 power levels, six presets and mute mode in a 13.3-inch-deep body. That is the speed-first package at a shallow-depth size.
The honest asterisk: bright clock light, dim interior light, and a panel that takes a read. Minor, but worth knowing on day one.
Best for: shallow counters where the microwave has to cook fast and look the part in classic black stainless steel.
Less of a fit if: you want a dull clock light and a brighter interior — those are the two small things to expect.
Understanding the Specs
Depth In Inches
Depth is the front-to-back measurement of the cabinet, door and feet. A shallow microwave sits at roughly 12 to 14 inches deep, so it slots onto narrow counters and short shelves without hanging over the edge. Before you buy, measure your usable depth and add an inch of breathing room behind the unit for the vents, because manufacturers measure the box, not the clearance you actually need. The shallowest pick on this list is the LDAILY at 11 inches; the deepest is the BLACK+DECKER 0.9 Cu.Ft 900W at 13.4 inches. Both fit the same shallow-counter problem.
Wattage and Capacity
Wattage is your microwave’s cooking power — 700W heats food more slowly than 900W, and you will notice the difference most on frozen entrees and leftovers. Capacity, measured in cubic feet, tells you how much food fits inside; the picks here run from 0.7 cubic feet up to 0.9 cubic feet, and the 0.9 models typically take a 10-inch pizza on the turntable. If you cook for one or two people and mostly reheat, a 0.7 cubic foot 700W unit is plenty. If you feed a family or want popcorn and leftovers finished quickly, step up to 0.9 cubic feet and 900W.
FAQ
Will a 13 inch depth microwave actually fit on my kitchen counter?
Is a 0.7 cubic foot microwave big enough for a full dinner plate?
Does a 700W microwave take much longer than a 900W one?
Can I turn off the beeping on these microwaves?
What is the difference between a 700W and a 900W microwave?
Can I disable the child lock on these microwaves?
Do these shallow microwaves have a pop-out door button or a pull handle?
How much clearance does a shallow-depth microwave need behind it?
Is a shallow-depth microwave as powerful as a full-size one?
How long should a countertop microwave of this size last?
Are these microwaves good for a dorm, RV or small apartment?
Final Thoughts: The Verdict
For most buyers chasing a 13 inch depth microwave, the winner is the BLACK+DECKER 0.9 Cu Ft because it delivers a 0.9 cubic foot interior, 900W of cooking power and a 10-inch pizza-friendly turntable in a 13.2-inch-deep body — the best shallow-depth balance on the list, holding 4.5 stars across 700+ ratings. If speed at a shallow footprint is the goal, the TOSHIBA 0.9 Cu.Ft Black Stainless matches the wattage with a mute mode and memory presets. And for the smallest possible footprint that still takes a dinner plate, the LDAILY 0.7Cu.ft Retro at just 11 inches deep is the one to reach for.
The deciding question is always your shelf, not the spec sheet. Measure the usable depth and the width, decide if you need 700W reheating or 900W cooking speed, and check that the turntable diameter fits your plates. Nail those three and the microwave you choose will earn its counter space every day.
How We Picked
We do not accept paid placement. Every pick is matched to a real buyer and a real use-case; we do not hands-on test units.
Sources & Methodology
Specifications: manufacturer listings and product documentation. Review insights: verified customer reviews, as of September 2026. Pricing: not shown on this page (it changes often); check the current price via the retailer link.
As an Amazon Associate, KitchPrep earns from qualifying purchases. This does not affect which products we feature.
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