7 Best Low Wattage Microwaves In 2024! (Explained & Solved!)

With today’s technology, microwaves have grown more compact and convenient than ever. Whether you are looking to reduce your energy footprint or only have limited kitchen space, my top pick would be the Galanz GLCMKA07BER-07 Retro Microwave. It’s sleek and compact design backed with sheer power and capabilities to match.

How I Picked

Power

Although I wanted a low-wattage appliance, I made sure my top recommendations offered enough power for cooking versatility.

Size

The biggest advantage of a low-wattage microwave is the small counter footprint. I made sure my top picks would fit comfortably in the most space-restricted kitchens.

Brand

Brand should always be a major consideration when shopping. I wanted a brand that’s built its reputation on quality and dependability.

Controls And Features

My recommendations may look basic on the outside, but I made sure they were choke full of intuitive technologies.

Top Pick

Galanz GLCMKA07BER-07 Retro Microwave 700-Watts

A more than reputable brand that offers a refreshing new retro look, coupled with intuitive technologies and interior space to match.

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Going off to college next year? Perhaps, you are downsizing for economical purposes. If so, look no further than the GLCMKA07BER-07 microwave by Galanz. The brand is highly known amongst American consumers for providing a unique line of small appliances.

The Galanz GLCMKA07BER-07 has a capacity of 0.7 cubic feet, which is spacious enough to handle a variety of common cooking tasks, including heating single frozen microwave dinners, teacups, soups bowls, and even dinner plates. The unit delivers 700 watts of continuous power to ensure even cooking for all foods.

Galanz has you covered when you forget to sit out dinner the day or night before. Place your dish on a microwave-safe plate and pop it in the microwave. Select the Defrost button and it will go right to work. In my opinion, the thing that sets the Galanz GLCMKA07BER-07 apart from its many competitors is its beautiful vintage finish. The design features a digital round clock with a brightly lit display to provide optimal viewing.

The control panel is anything but retro, despite the design. Instead, it is integrated with buttons that include various settings. Select from the Defrost, Clock Reset, Weight ECO, Power Level, and Pause/Cancel. The Start button is individualized to ensure convenience on all levels. Choose from various finishes, including blue, pink, black, green, and red. There is a finish for every type of kitchen décor.

Budget Pick

Farberware Classic FMO07AHTBKJ Microwave Oven

A contemporary stainless steel design with a more durable and reliable grab-and-go handle, coupled with lots of one-push controls.

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The Farberware Classic FMO07AHTBKJ Microwave Oven certainly isn’t the cheapest appliance on the list this year. However, it is no doubt the best buy for the money. The 700 watts power output is enough to offer outstanding versatility. The extra 10 power level settings only help to justify the versatility.

However, it is the multi-stage cooking technology that takes the Farberware to the next level. This technology doesn’t blast your food with the highest heat possible. It uses technology to monitor temperature, humidity, and other crucial settings, ensuring that the right amount of heat gets applied for the right amount of time. This is by far my favorite feature.

To add to the convenience there are a total of six one-touch cooking programs that’ll simplify most cooking tasks. The stainless steel handle is a nice addition, as it does away with the mechanical door button that you’ll find on most traditional microwaves. While this does add a protuberance, it eliminates the possibility of something else mechanical going wrong.

Also Great

Black+Decker EM720CB7 Microwave 700-Watts

A staple in the household industry that offers a sleek appliance with plenty of heating, reheating, and thawing versatility.

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Black and Decker is a reputable international brand that designs and produces a variety of small appliances, including the EM720CB7 Microwave. The capacity of 0.7 cubic feet makes this the ideal microwave for singles, seniors, and couples.

The interface is a digital panel, featuring various cook settings, including Timer, Defrost, Power, Potato, Dinner Plate, Pizza, Clock, Frozen Vegetable, Popcorn, and Beverage. Directly below the cook settings is a series of numbers, ranging from zero to nine. The number buttons are utilized to manually set the time and clock. The cabinet measurements include 17.3 in length by 13 inches in depth by 10.2 inches in height. The rubber feet add about ¼ of an inch to the height. Take the time to measure properly to avoid mishaps.

The stainless-steel finish will integrate seamlessly with various kitchen décors. If your appliances have a stainless-steel finish, the microwave should be a nice addition. Stainless steel is durable, low-maintenance, and eye-appealing. The turntable is embedded with state-of-the-art technology to ensure continuous turning. The microwave-safe turntable plate is large enough to support small to medium plates, bowls, teacups, and most other dishes.

The reputable Black and Decker appliance team even went as far as to include a handy child safety lock. You’ll never have to worry about unwanted guests.

#4

Comfee EM720CPL-PMB Microwave

11 different power settings with the option of going completely noiseless, Comfee brings something new and refreshing to the table.

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The Comfee EM720CPL-PMB might be limited with its 700 heating watts, but it still offers complete versatility. With 11 different unique power settings, you’ll have the option of customizing and personalizing a whole slew of dishes and recipes. It’s already sleek and compact, reducing counter footprint, but the option to go completely noiseless puts the cherry on top.

The mute function gives you the option of a noiseless late-night cook. Coupled with the 11 power settings, there are plenty of one-touch options available for sheer convenience. The one-touch express cooking along with the 1 to 6 minutes and 30 seconds functions make heating and defrosting more intuitive.

Take full advantage of the energy-saving eco mode to limit your power consumption even further. This mode limits power consumption by as much as half.

#5

Commercial Chef Countertop Microwave 600-Watts

The intuitive turn dials along with the grab-and-go handle easily make the Commercial Chef a justifiable buy.

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The 600-watt microwave by Commercial Chef is ideal for microwave dinners and popcorn. The capacity of 0.6 cubic feet delivers adequate space for warming up various leftovers. Choose between the black and white models. The large dial is self-explanatory, with bold temperature settings, ranging from low to high. The cabinet measurements include 17-3/4 in length by 12-1/2 in depth by 10-1/4 inches in height. The small rubber feet add approximately ¼ of an inch to the height but offer complete stability throughout your cook.

The turntable is constructed from durable materials to ensure smooth rotating for extended periods. In addition to this, it’ll easily equate to a variety of dishes, plates, and bowls. The interface is integrated with a defrost setting that is ideal for thawing meat, vegetables, fruits, and other foods before cooking. With a user-friendly control pad, anyone of any skill level will be able to operate and customize like a pro.

The Commercial Chef Microwave weighs approximately 23 pounds. The lightweight design along with the exterior and interior surface designs almost makes maintenance and cleaning a pure pleasure.

Unfortunately, Nostalgia is not a name many will recognize, but that should not deter you here. The technology that went into the development of this appliance made it an obvious choice for me. Just look at the multi-sequence technology. This feature not only heats your food appropriately based on crucial cooking parameters, but it allows you to utilize 4 separate sequences for each cooking program.

Sounds complicated, but this Nostalgia was designed with convenience and simplicity in mind. It is so simple that it features an easily navigable dial timer along with various simple push-button controls. The model also boasts a retro white design that will bring a whole new ambiance to your cooking quarters.

The 700 watts of pure heating power along with the 0.7 cubic feet of interior space offer the space and power that you need to quickly cook, heat, reheat, and thaw your dishes. Along with the 8 pre-programmed control options, you’ll have plenty of settings to play around with. Completely personalize your cooks with these intuitive settings. The child safety lock and stainless steel handle are only two more great additions that justify the buy.

#7

Amazon Basics Microwave

It might include basic in the name, but this highly technologically advanced appliance is anything but.

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Amazon has grown as a company to now be recognized as one of the world’s leading retailers. A mere bookstore at one time now offers some of today’s leading products. They not only offer 3rd-party products, but they’ve started making their own brands. Just take this sleek, compact, and convenient microwave for example. It’s a true testament to what the company is capable of.

The Amazon Basics Microwave takes things to an entirely different atmosphere by integrating voice-activated commands. Users and cook popcorn and various dishes by issuing voice commands via the Alexa app. Get signed up on the automatic reordering list and you can save nearly 10 percent when you purchase popcorn online.

With 700 watts of output power, the microwave offers suitable power for a variety of dishes and recipes. To me, the only downside is the smaller interior design. Although the microwave certainly is compact, it is only capable of efficiently heating 3 ounces popcorn bags. This puts some restrictions on things, but the other features more than justify the downfall.

How Many Watts Should Your Microwave at Least Have?

In all actuality, the wattage of your microwave only plays a small role in your new appliance. Sure, a 500-watt microwave is only going to heat to a certain degree. A microwave of this size also might not heat as fast or effectively as a 700-watt microwave, but that’s not necessarily always a good thing. It honestly comes down to the dishes you are looking to whip up. The time you are willing to wait on the dish to heat can factor in as well.

All that being said, a 500-watt microwave is the lowest you’ll find available today. These models are only effectively justifiable for people looking to dehydrate foods.

What Is the Average Wattage for a Good Microwave?

Microwaves are becoming so common these days that a lot more is begin uncovered about them. There is also a lot more thought and technology going into today’s designs. Just because a microwave features a low wattage rating, it doesn’t mean that it is bad. As was stated above, it depends on what you are looking to do with the appliance.

Are you needing to cook family-sized dishes? Do you want to dehydrate food? Maybe you are only concerned with popcorns and other various snacks. There are a lot of factors that will determine your overall results besides the wattage. Wattage plays a role, but the size and style of the microwave can factor in as well as additional heating features.

That being said, you’ll find that a suitable average wattage rating for common family household needs is 700 to 900 watts. With at least 700 watts, you shouldn’t have a problem effectively doing everything that your family will need to do with this microwave. Just remember that sometimes the most heat isn’t always the best option. This is especially true when it comes to snacks like popcorn.

If you apply too much heat at one time, you’ll pop all the easily accessible kernels and overcook them while trying to heat the less accessible ones. You need to invest in a model that delivers the heat in the most effective manner. Invertor technologies and smart controls are always things to consider. These options gradually apply and monitor heat to deliver the utmost optimal results.

What Is the Lowest Wattage Microwave?

The cheapest and lowest wattage microwave you will find on the market today is 500 watts. Unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do with a microwave rated at 500 watts. As a matter of fact, these microwaves are only suitable for dehydrating foods. You could heat some dishes with this power, but it wouldn’t be very effective. You’d likely end up burning out the microwave way ahead of its intended life.

You’ll simply get more out of a microwave that offers a bit more power. You might pay more at first, but if you look for inverter technologies, smart controls, and pre-programmed settings, the microwave will more than pay for itself in energy savings. You’ll be able to take traditional dishes and get them whipped up in half the time, limiting the wear and tear on the components. All the while, making your life that much easier.