# The 4 Best Bread Makers on Amazon in 2026 > The best bread maker on Amazon in 2026: a 29 program machine with a gluten free bread setting, one with a nut dispenser, a compact pick, and a simple one. Guide: https://twelvetabs.com/reviews/best-bread-makers/ · Updated 2026-09-28 · By TwelveTabs · Search it live: https://twelvetabs.com/?q=best%20bread%20maker&guide=best-bread-makers As an Amazon Associate we may earn from qualifying purchases. Our picks are independently researched, written by TwelveTabs AI and never sponsored. Prices and ratings change often: see the guide for today's. ## The top picks - **The most programs, including gluten-free and your own recipes:** KITCHENARM 29-in-1 Smart Bread Machine. It won three of our searches: a stainless steel bread maker with 29 preset programs, a gluten-free setting, a custom homemade cycle, three loaf sizes up to 2 lb and three crust colors. - **Raisin, nut and seed breads with no beep to wait for:** KBS Pro 17-in-1 Bread Maker with Nut Dispenser. It won our nut dispenser search: a 17-in-1 bread maker that adds mix-ins automatically at the right time, with a ceramic nonstick pan, a 710W motor and a glass touch panel. - **A compact machine from a big kitchen brand, with a long warranty:** Cuisinart Bread Maker Machine, 12 Programs. A compact stainless steel bread maker with 12 programs, including gluten-free, loaf size controls and a longer limited warranty. A runner-up in all four of our searches. - **A simple first bread machine:** Elite Gourmet 2 Lb Programmable Bread Maker. A programmable bread maker with 19 presets, including gluten-free, and three loaf sizes up to 2 lb. A runner-up in three of our searches. Our top pick is the **[KITCHENARM 29-in-1 Smart Bread Machine](https://twelvetabs.com/reviews/best-bread-makers/#pick-1)**. It won three of the TwelveTabs searches we ran for this guide: "best bread maker", "best bread maker for gluten free bread" and "best small bread maker". It has 29 preset programs, a gluten-free setting and a custom cycle for your own recipes, and it bakes three loaf sizes up to 2 lb. It suits anyone who wants one machine that can do almost any bread. If you love raisin, nut or seed breads, the **[KBS Pro 17-in-1](https://twelvetabs.com/reviews/best-bread-makers/#pick-2)** won our nut dispenser search and adds the mix-ins for you. The **[Cuisinart Bread Maker](https://twelvetabs.com/reviews/best-bread-makers/#pick-3)** is a compact machine from a big kitchen brand with a longer warranty, and it was a runner-up in all four searches. And the **[Elite Gourmet 2 Lb](https://twelvetabs.com/reviews/best-bread-makers/#pick-4)** is a simple first bread machine with 19 presets. ## How to choose a bread maker Start with the breads you want to make and how much counter you have. Then look at these five things. - **Programs.** More programs mean more kinds of bread, such as whole wheat, dough for rolls or gluten-free, and a custom cycle lets you follow your own recipes. Our top pick has 29. - **Gluten-free.** If anyone in your home eats gluten-free, look for a dedicated gluten-free setting. Three of our picks list one. - **Loaf size.** Most machines here bake up to 2 lb, and several let you choose smaller 1 lb or 1.5 lb loaves for a small household. - **A nut and fruit dispenser.** Without one, the machine beeps partway through kneading and you add the raisins or nuts by hand. With one, it adds them on its own at the right time. - **The paddles.** King Arthur Baking points out that the kneading paddles can leave holes in the bottom of the loaf. Its tip is to take the paddles out just before the final rise, which means timing your machine's cycle once with a kitchen timer. King Arthur also suggests checking the dough about 10 minutes into kneading. It should be neither runny nor dry and stiff. ## Our picks in detail ### 1. KITCHENARM 29-in-1 Smart Bread Machine: best overall **Why it made the list** - It won three of our searches: "best bread maker" from 18 listings, "best bread maker for gluten free bread" from 20, and "best small bread maker" from 28. - It has 29 preset programs and a custom homemade cycle, with a dedicated gluten-free setting and whole wheat and dough options. - It bakes 1, 1.5 and 2 lb loaves in three crust colors, and it comes in stainless steel with a recipe book. **Drawbacks** - It has no automatic nut dispenser, which is why it lost our nut dispenser search. - Twenty-nine programs is a lot to learn if you only bake a basic loaf. **Skip it if** you mostly bake fruit and nut breads and want the machine to add them for you. ### 2. KBS Pro 17-in-1 Bread Maker with Nut Dispenser: best for fruit and nut breads **Why it made the list** - It won our search for "best bread maker with nut dispenser", from 16 listings. - Its automatic dispenser adds nuts, fruit and seeds at the right time, so you do not wait for a beep. - It has 17 programs, a ceramic nonstick pan, a 710W motor, a glass touch panel, a 15-hour timer and keep-warm. **Drawbacks** - It has 17 programs, fewer than the KITCHENARM. - It bakes loaves up to 2.2 lb, more bread than a small household may need. **Skip it if** you never add mix-ins, or you want the most programs. ### 3. Cuisinart Bread Maker Machine, 12 Programs: best compact, with a long warranty **Why it made the list** - It was a runner-up in all four of our searches. - It is a compact stainless steel machine with 12 programs, including a gluten-free option, and loaf size controls. - It has a longer limited warranty than our top pick. **Drawbacks** - It has the fewest programs of our picks. - It has no automatic dispenser: you add nuts by hand when it beeps. **Skip it if** you want a custom cycle for your own recipes. ### 4. Elite Gourmet 2 Lb Programmable Bread Maker: best simple machine **Why it made the list** - It was a runner-up in three of our searches. - It has 19 presets, including a dedicated gluten-free one. - It bakes three loaf sizes, up to 2 lb. **Drawbacks** - It has fewer presets than the KITCHENARM, which is why it lost those searches. - Its listing does not mention an automatic nut dispenser. **Skip it if** you want a custom cycle or an automatic dispenser. ## What we left out, and why Our four searches returned 82 listings. TwelveTabs shortlisted 40 of them, read the listing pages of 13 finalists, and named a winner and runners-up in each search. The first three searches returned the same three machines, which is why we ran a fourth. We kept four and left out one: an unbranded 17-program bread maker, a runner-up in our nut dispenser search, which overlapped with the KBS and the Elite Gourmet. Wirecutter's top pick, the Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus, is in the comparison table so you can see it next to ours. It was on the shortlists of our first two searches but did not reach the final round. Amazon also lists a newer version of it, the BB-PPC20BA, under a near-identical name, so check the model number. Would you rather bake bread in the oven? Our [baking cookware guide](https://twelvetabs.com/reviews/best-baking-cookware/) compares six pans and sheets, including a loaf pan. ## Questions people ask ### Is a bread maker worth it? It is if you want fresh bread with little effort. King Arthur Baking is honest that what you save in time and effort you can lose in shape, and that the paddles can leave holes, but a few simple tricks help, like taking the paddles out before the final rise. Baking by hand instead? See our [kitchen scale guide](https://twelvetabs.com/reviews/best-kitchen-scales/) for weighing ingredients. ### Can you make gluten-free bread in a bread maker? Yes, with a machine that has a gluten-free setting. The KITCHENARM, Cuisinart and Elite Gourmet all list one. ### How do you stop holes in the bottom of bread machine bread? King Arthur Baking suggests taking the paddles out of the pan just before the final rise. Time your machine's cycle once from Start to the final rise so you know when to open the lid. ### What does a nut dispenser do on a bread maker? It holds your nuts, dried fruit or seeds and adds them to the dough at the right point in kneading. Without one, the machine beeps and you add them by hand. ### How did TwelveTabs choose these bread makers? TwelveTabs ranked the Amazon listings for “best bread maker”, “best bread maker for gluten free bread”, “best small bread maker” and “best bread maker with nut dispenser”, read the pages of 13 finalists and named a winner in each search. From those 82 listings, we kept the four that each suit a different need, as of September 25, 2026. We checked the advice against King Arthur Baking. TwelveTabs, our AI shopping agent, compared the Amazon listings, and AI wrote this guide from that research. To see what it picks today, run the search yourself with the button on this page. ## How we researched On September 25, 2026 we ran four live TwelveTabs searches of Amazon: “best bread maker”, “best bread maker for gluten free bread”, “best small bread maker” and “best bread maker with nut dispenser”. Together they returned 82 listings. TwelveTabs shortlisted 10 from each search, read the listing pages of 13 finalists and named a winner and runners-up in each. We kept four that each suit a different baker, and left out a near-duplicate. AI wrote this guide from that research. Listings change: we read them on September 25, 2026, and a model, seller or stock may differ today. ### Sources - [King Arthur Baking: how to make the most successful loaves in your bread machine](https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2015/02/17/successful-loaves-from-your-bread-machine)