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 a standard microwave won’t squeeze into your counter gap, a shallow-depth model is the fix — depth decides whether it fits at all. This list covers compact countertop microwaves built to sit in roughly 15 inches of depth. Because “about 15 inches deep” is a range, these picks run roughly 12 to 16 inches deep — all countertop models in the same size class, so the nearest fit serves the same purpose.
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.
Every pick below is a countertop microwave, and its depth figure decides whether it slides into your gap. What separates a good one from a bad one is how it handles daily reheating, so here is the shortlist of the 15 inch deep microwave models that fit tight counters.
Our Picks at a Glance
How To Choose The Best 15 Inch Deep Microwave
A shallow microwave lives or dies on one measurement: its depth, front to back. Once the depth fits, the rest depends on wattage and turntable size for reheating leftovers, thawing meat and popping corn.
Measure the depth before anything else
Depth is how far the body travels front to back. Pull a tape measure from the wall to the front edge of the counter you plan to use and subtract the rear clearance the manual asks for. Most models here call for about 1 inch at the rear and 3 inches above and beside, because a microwave pushes hot air out of its vents and needs room to breathe. If you block those gaps, the case gets hot and the unit works harder.
Match wattage to how you use it
Wattage is the cooking power, and it decides two things you feel every day: how fast your food heats and how forgiving the result is. A 700-watt oven warms leftovers fine but takes longer, so a cold center is the risk with thick dishes. A 1000-watt oven moves faster and reheats more evenly, which matters if you cook from frozen often. Higher wattage also draws a bigger current load, so check that the outlet you plan to use isn’t already sharing a circuit with a kettle or toaster.
Check the turntable against your plates
The glass turntable sets the largest dish you can spin — a dinner plate, a casserole, a takeout container. Look for a turntable that clears your everyday plates rather than a capacity figure that sounds bigger than the space you get. Tall items such as a takeout soup container fit only with the turntable in place, so measure the tallest thing you regularly reheat.
Quick Comparison
| Model | Best For | Capacity | Wattage | Depth | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLACK+DECKER 0.9 Cu Ft★ Best Overall | All-round pick for tight counters | 0.9 cubic feet | 900W | 13.2″ | Amazon |
| TOSHIBA Smart Sensor 1.1 Cu.FtBest for Sensor Cooking | Sensor cooking and quiet reheating | 20 liters | 1000W | 14.8″ | Amazon |
| GE 1.1 Cubic FtMost Interior Room | Bigger interior in a shallow shell | 1.1 cubic feet | 950W | 15.62″ | Amazon |
| Kenmore KMCMWP09S2-09 | Matching a Kenmore kitchen | 0.9 cubic feet | 900W | 13.56″ | Amazon |
| Chefman 1.1 Cu. Ft. | Fast heating at a 1000W rating | 1.1 cubic feet | 1000W | 15.1″ | Amazon |
| Commercial Chef CHM7MS | A stainless finish on a shallow frame | 0.7 cubic feet | 700W | 12.6″ | Amazon |
| GE 0.7 Cu. Ft. | Quiet running in a dorm or office | 0.7 cubic feet | 700W | 12.74″ | Amazon |
| TOSHIBA 0.7 Cu.Ft | Smallest fits, narrowest budget | 0.7 cubic feet | 700W | 12.2″ | Amazon |
In‑Depth Reviews
1. BLACK+DECKER Countertop Microwave Oven 0.9 Cu Ft, 900W
Our pick — 4.5★ from 700+ verified ratings; the strongest balance of quality and price.
Thirteen inches deep, nine hundred watts, and it swallows a full dinner plate.
This is the one to buy if your counter gap is the whole problem. At 13.2 inches deep it sits well inside most shallow clearances, and the 0.9 cubic feet of interior holds a 10-inch pizza on the removable turntable — so your normal plates and frozen entrees still fit. The crowd favorite here as well: 4.5 stars across 700+ ratings. What wins people over is simply how solid it feels for the size; build quality is the thing buyers single out far more than anything else, with the compact footprint a clear second.
Ten adjustable power levels cover the whole range from gentle defrost to a full-power reheat, and six pre-programmed auto menus — popcorn, potato, pizza, frozen vegetables, beverages and dinner plates — take the guesswork out of the foods you cook on repeat. One-touch start begins heating on a single press, and a memory function calls back your usual setting instead of you re-entering it. The 900 watts here sit between the 700W TOSHIBA 0.7 Cu.Ft and the 1000W Chefman, which is the honest middle ground: faster than the small 700-watt ovens, without pulling the current a 1000-watt unit asks for. Against the BLACK+DECKER’s 0.9 cubic feet, the TOSHIBA 0.7 Cu.Ft gives you 0.7 cubic feet — noticeably less room for a full plate.
The catch is the door. There’s no push button to pop it open — you pull the door yourself, and if you’re used to a button-release unit that takes a week to unlearn. The two-step child lock also earns mixed feedback: parents value the safeguard, while households without small children find the extra step mildly tiresome before disabling it (it can be turned off by following the included instructions). Neither is a dealbreaker at this rating — they’re the two things to know going in.
900W budget power
- 900W heats frozen entrees and leftovers properly, not just lukewarm
- 13.2-inch depth slots under cabinets where full-size units won’t
- Six auto menus and one-touch start cut the nightly button dance
- Two-step child lock is genuinely useful, and can be deactivated
no sensor cooking
- No push-to-open button; you pull the door shut and open by hand
- Audible beeps suit some kitchens and irritate others
tight budgets: you need a real everyday microwave in a genuinely tight counter space and want the most balanced 900-watt fit.
small frozen meals: a push-button door or a silent cycle is non-negotiable for you.
2. TOSHIBA Countertop Microwave Oven with Smart Sensor, 1.1 Cu.Ft, 1000W
A 12.4-inch turntable and a sensor that reads your food instead of your timer.
Sensor cooking is the reason to pick this over the others. Rather than you guessing a time, the oven detects moisture coming off the dish and stops when the food is done — so the tamales, burritos and oatmeal that never reheat evenly on a fixed timer come out hot through the middle instead of cold in the center. At 1000W output it runs ahead of the 700W TOSHIBA 0.7 Cu.Ft and matches the Chefman’s 1000W, and 13 preset menus plus 10 power levels cover everything from a beverage warm-up to a full defrost by weight or time. Size is what owners rave about most, comfortably ahead of any other praise.
The 14.8-inch depth is the number that matters for your counter — deeper than the BLACK+DECKER’s 13.2 inches by 1.6 inches, so measure that wall gap carefully before you commit. Where it wins is in how it sounds: the quiet running draws more positive attention than almost any other trait, and reheating happens gently enough that you can run it while someone’s on a call in the next room. A mute mode kills the beep entirely, and the memory function saves your usual dish setting. There is a real head-to-head here: the Chefman is rated at the same 1000W with a 15.1-inch depth, so the Toshiba buys you 0.3 inches of counter back and sensor cooking in exchange for a smaller number of menus.
Two things to know. Reheating works, but this flatbed-style design does a poor job of boiling water — that’s a deliberate safety feature rather than a fault, so if you rely on your microwave to boil water for pasta or tea, this isn’t the one. And the touch buttons need a firm press to register; a lighter tap sometimes goes through unheeded. Longevity also draws mixed reports, which is worth knowing if you expect a decade out of it rather than a few years of everyday reheating.
sensor reheats evenly: if uneven leftovers are your daily annoyance, the automatic moisture sensing here does the thinking for you — no timer guessing, no cold center in a thick burrito.
price climbs fast: size and quiet operation are what owners praise most, but the door and button feel take getting used to, and the deeper 14.8-inch frame eats more counter than the shallower picks above.
busy kitchens: you reheat a wide range of foods and want the microwave to decide the cook time for you.
manual control fans: your dish count is small and a shallower body matters more than sensor brains.
3. GE Countertop Microwave Oven, 1.1 Cubic Ft., 950-watt
More cooking space than the small ovens, in a cabinet-clearing 15.62 inches.
If your complaint is that compact microwaves feel cramped, this is the answer. The 1.1 cubic feet of interior is roomy enough for normal plates and bowls, and the 950 watts sit above the 700W options without hitting the 1000W Chefman. Six convenience cook settings and one-touch express keys cover the fast jobs, and manual plus auto defrost adjusts power so frozen food thaws without cooking at the edges. What shoppers notice first is the look — the stainless steel finish draws more praise than any other trait, with size close behind. The 15.62-inch depth lands near the top of the shallow range, so it needs the most counter of any pick here — measure first.
One thing to plan for, because it isn’t obvious from the box: this microwave wants clear air around it. Leave 3 inches on each side and above, 1 inch at the rear, and keep the bottom fully open. That clearance is how heat escapes, and blocking it is what makes a countertop unit run hot. The child lock is handy for shared spaces and can be switched off if you don’t need it.
Where it asks patience is noise. Of everything owners bring up, the running volume draws the most criticism — several describe it as loud enough to notice, and the door close is heavy too. The door release can also be stiff, which sometimes slides the unit across the counter on a smooth surface. Neither ruins the appliance; they’re the honest quirks of a bigger interior in a shallow body.
950W large cavity: 1.1 cubic feet means a full plate, a casserole and a serving bowl all clear the turntable — the space complaint quietly disappears.
bulky footprint: 3 inches of side clearance and 1 inch behind aren’t optional on this one.
family portions: households that cook real portions and can spare the extra half-inch of depth.
tiny counters: your counter gap is truly minimal or you need a near-silent cycle.
4. Kenmore KMCMWP09S2-09 Countertop Microwave, 900 Watt, 0.9 Cu Ft
Built to sit beside your other stainless appliances and blend right in.
This one is for anyone who notices how the kitchen looks as a whole. The stainless finish is meant to mix and match with the rest of the Kenmore line, and at 13.56 inches deep it slides into tight gaps while carrying 0.9 cubic feet of interior. Its quality is what draws the most appreciation, closely followed by how simple it is to operate — six preset menus for popcorn, potato, pizza, frozen dinner, beverage and reheat, plus one-touch start for 30 seconds and 1 to 6 minutes. Defrost works by time or weight, and it manages all of that without an over-complicated control panel.
Owners who have spent years with these machines tend to describe the everyday feel as dependable rather than flashy — matched power, straightforward heating, and one-touch settings that do exactly what the label says. That predictability is the appeal for simple, frequent reheating.
Two honest notes. The child lock can read as fussy if you don’t share the kitchen with small children, since the open up step gets tiresome on every use. And the interior runs on the snug side — several people find it a touch smaller than expected when they unwrap it. It’s a normal trade for a body this shallow, but if you routinely heat oversized dishes you’ll want the GE 1.1 cubic-foot model instead.
dorm rooms: matching finishes and a simple, reliable daily reheat matter more than extra interior volume.
big casserole dishes: your plates run large and you’d rather not wrestle a snug interior every night.
5. Chefman Countertop Microwave Oven, 1.1 Cu. Ft., 1000 Watts
A thousand watts in a 15.1-inch body, with a mute button and a dishwasher-safe turntable.
The headline here is raw power. At 1000W this runs 300W above the 700W TOSHIBA 0.7 Cu.Ft, and it’s the same 1000W rating the sensor Toshiba carries — a real difference in how quickly a plate of leftovers comes up to temperature. It also packs that into 1.1 cubic feet with a 15.1-inch depth, so it fits the shallow gap while keeping a big interior. Six presets cover popcorn, pizza, beverages, veggies, potatoes and leftovers, and you can also just tap the number keys to set whole minutes. Ten power levels handle everything between melting butter and a fast full-power reheat.
The extras are what make it feel considered. Eco Mode lets you blank the display to save power, the Audio Button silences the beeps, and if you turn off the sound the appliance stops making any notices at all. The child safety lock sits on the handle so the door won’t pop during use, the glass turntable is top-rack dishwasher safe, and the black exterior wipes clean with a damp towel. Buyers report: “900W microwave, reasonably priced, heats frozen entrees/leftovers well.”
Here is the honest trade-off, and it’s a big one: reliability is the split issue with this oven. Some owners find it works well for a long stretch, while others have their unit fail within days or weeks of arrival — enough that durability is the recurring complaint. The touch buttons also demand a firm, precise press. If you’re comfortable with that risk on a 1000-watt convenience buy, the feature set is strong for the money; if you want the safest bet on longevity, the BLACK+DECKER or the sensor Toshiba are the more settled choices.
1000W quick heating: 1000W, 10 levels, six presets, mute, Eco Mode and a dishwasher-safe turntable in a 15.1-inch footprint — a lot of capability stacked into one shallow body.
door feels light: reliability is genuinely mixed, and the buttons reward deliberate, harder presses rather than quick taps.
fast defrosting: fast heating and a features-packed shallow body matter more than a long service history.
heavy daily use: you’d rather trade a little wattage for a more proven track record.
6. Commercial Chef 0.7 Cu. Ft. Countertop Microwave Oven, CHM7MS
Mirror-finished stainless that looks far pricier than its 0.7 cubic feet suggests.
Want a stainless look for the least outlay? This is the one. The compact stainless body measures 17.1 by 12.6 by 10 inches, so it fits narrow cabinets with room to spare, and the 700 watts (20.9 lbs.) covers reheating, pasta and bacon without fuss. Quality is what carries this oven — it far outranks any other praise — and the compact size is a clear second favorite. Ten power levels include 6 pre-set menus plus defrost, and express cook runs 1 to 6 minutes with a digital LED panel that times up to 99 minutes. Push-button door, kitchen clock, child lock and a glass turntable round it out.
Two things to know. The mirror-finish control panel looks striking but the labelling is hard to read — there’s no backlight, so the low contrast bites in bright light and in the dark both. It’s the most-raised gripe and it’s real. And with only 700 watts it doesn’t heat a frozen TV dinner the way a 1000W oven will, so if speed on big portions is the priority, the Chefman or the sensor Toshiba beat it there.
campers and offices: buyers who want a small stainless microwave that heats the basics and looks sharp on the counter.
full dinner plates: small, simple reheating is its job — heavy daily cooking of large dishes is not.
7. GE Countertop Microwave Oven, 700 Watt, 0.7 Cu. Ft., White
The dorm-and-office pick that runs quietly and actually holds a 10-inch plate.
For a small space shared with other people, quiet running matters, and this is where this GE stands out — its noise level draws more positive notice than any other trait. The 700 watts and 0.7 cubic feet are sized for quick reheats and simple daily cooking, and at 12.74 inches deep it’s the second-shallowest body here. One-touch express keys and 4 convenience cook settings cover the fast jobs, while manual and auto defrost thaw frozen food without overcooking the edges. The child lock is easy to switch off when you don’t need it, and a 10-inch plate does fit.
GE asks for 3 inches of clearance on each side and above, 1 inch at the rear, and an unobstructed bottom for airflow — the same breathing room every countertop unit needs, and worth honoring if you tuck it into a tight nook. There’s no standout speed advantage here; 700 watts heats gently, so a thick frozen meal takes longer than it would in a 900W or 1000W oven.
The door button is the recurring quirk. It sticks or feels loose over time, and on a slick countertop a firm press can nudge the whole unit rather than pop the door. Button durability draws some complaints too, along with the tiny lettering on the panel. Overall it still holds up as a compact, low-noise choice for a small space.
basic reheating: you need a quiet, shallow microwave for a dorm, office or tiny kitchen and value a big-name badge.
sensor cooking fans: you want more power and even reheating from frozen.
8. TOSHIBA Countertop Microwave Oven, 0.7 Cu.Ft, 700W, Black
The shallowest of the bunch — 12.2 inches deep and it still clears a dinner plate.
When every half-inch counts, start here. At 12.2 inches deep this is the smallest footprint on the list — 5.1 inches shallower than the sensor Toshiba and 1 inch tighter than even the shallow GE. The small size is exactly what people praise most, and what surprises them is that the 9.6-inch glass turntable still fits a full-size dinner plate. It also accommodates a 1.5-quart casserole with the lid, a pie plate, three mugs, or a tall takeout soup container. Its functionality is well-liked too, and several have it running reliably over many months.
You get 11 power levels here, more granular than the 10 levels on the BLACK+DECKER below it — a small edge if you like precise control when softening butter or reheating rice. ChefDefrost claims faster defrosting than traditional methods while preserving texture, and mute options let you kill the beep. The 2.45 GHz microwave radiation system is standard, and the 700W output is quick on small portions.
Two things to weigh. At 700 watts it runs below the 900W BLACK+DECKER and the 1000W Chefman, so large frozen meals take longer. And the door mechanism divides opinion — the handle trigger feels awkward to some, and a few report the door lock being stiff. As a small-space, budget-friendly choice it still delivers, and it also makes the best motorhome or apartment fit thanks to that shallow frame.
single servings: your space is the tightest on the list and you need a whisper-narrow, budget-friendly oven for one or two people.
large leftovers: you regularly cook large frozen meals and would rather pay up for 900W or 1000W speed.
Understanding the Specs
Depth and cabinet fit
Depth is the front-to-back distance of the body, and it’s what decides whether a countertop microwave works in a tight space. The models here run from 12.2 inches to 15.62 inches deep — a real difference when you’re working with a fixed gap. Add the rear clearance the manual asks for (often about 1 inch) and measure the wall-to-counter-front distance before you buy. Width matters too, but depth is the number people get wrong.
Wattage and heat-up time
Wattage is the cooking power, and it directly changes how fast your food gets hot. A 700-watt oven warms a small portion fine but needs more time on a thick frozen meal; a 1000-watt unit moves quicker and reheats more evenly. Higher wattage also draws a bigger load, so check the circuit before plugging it into an outlet shared with a kettle or toaster.
FAQ
Will a 15 inch deep microwave fit under my kitchen cabinets?
Is 700 watts enough for reheating leftovers?
What wattage is best for popping popcorn?
How much clearance does a countertop microwave really need?
Will a full-size dinner plate fit inside a compact microwave?
Does a higher wattage microwave need a different outlet?
How do I turn off the beep on a compact microwave?
Is a turntable better than a flatbed microwave for shallow spaces?
Can I set a child lock on these microwaves?
Final Thoughts: The Verdict
The winner here is the BLACK+DECKER 0.9 Cu Ft, because it nails the shallow fit at 13.2 inches deep while delivering 900 watts, a 10-inch-pizza turntable and six auto menus — the most balanced everyday microwave on the list. If even reheating and sensor cooking top your list, the TOSHIBA Smart Sensor 1.1 Cu.Ft handles it with automatic moisture sensing. And for the very tightest counter or a dorm, the TOSHIBA 0.7 Cu.Ft packs the smallest 12.2-inch frame. The BLACK+DECKER’s build quality is what owners praise most, making it the standout pick for a tight counter.
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.
Related Guides
