On average, an individual in the US spends approximately 40 minutes in their kitchen simply prepping and cleaning up. But that doesn't include the time spent savoring a hot cup of coffee, gazing out of the window, or eating a home-cooked meal.

If you have a tiny house kitchen, you probably spend way more time there than the average person! 

Having the right kitchen appliances can make your kitchen works convenient and efficient, especially in a tiny house kitchen where space is a factor. The best kitchen appliances for tiny houses include an electric kettle, stove, oven, spice grinder, water dispenser, and refrigerator. 

However, it's tricky deciding what kitchen appliances you need and which are best for tiny houses. There are so many options, and it's important to be mindful and conscious of space in a tiny home. You don't want to bring anything that is not 100% essential into your home.

So, here is our guide to the best tiny house kitchen appliances, no matter what kind of small home you own!

Designing your tiny house kitchen

Every tiny house is different. What works for one tiny home might not necessarily work for another; that goes for tiny house kitchens, too. 

Some tiny houses are mobile, and some aren't. Keen chefs own some tiny homes, and takeout enthusiasts own others!
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It's important to ask yourself what you need, what's important to you, and how appliances fit into your tiny house kitchen design:

• What meals do you cook at home, and how often?
• How often do you heat hot water, and what do you use it for?
• How much do you care about eco-friendly and energy-saving options?
• Is refrigerator or cupboard space more important?
• Could a multi-use appliance be more efficient?

Being mindful of your space will help you choose the best appliances for your tiny house kitchen. After all, that's likely why you chose to live in a tiny home in the first place!

1. Workstation Sink

All the best tiny house kitchen ideas are versatile and multi-use. According to Shirley Weaver (TodaysCave.com), a workstation sink is an absolute must-use appliance if your tiny house kitchen layout allows it.

A workstation sink keeps your cooking efficient and your kitchen clean. It lets you chop and prepare food over the sink and wash it in the same location. With proper sanitation and hygiene practices, you can prevent the spreading of germs in your kitchen. 

Generally, there are two types of workstation sinks. The first is a simple, square, or rectangle basin that is easy to clean and, crucially, to cover. You can pop a customer (typically wood) covering that slots over the sink, which will hide the basin and extend your counter space.

The second is even fancier. Some workstation sinks come with chopping boards and colanders that can slot into the sink, making your food prep much easier. This sink even comes with a roll-up rack, so you don't have to have a separate drying space!

Also, just came across this super innovative product - a sink and dishwasher combo?! You better believe it.

Honestly, who thought a kitchen sink could offer so much possibility?

2. Multi-Use Coffee Machine

Are you a coffee drinker or a tea drinker? That question may divide people, but it's important to ask when choosing appliances for a tiny house kitchen.

Ideally, you want the option of being able to make a perfect cup of coffee and the option to brew hot water, too. For some, this means two separate appliances. But with a stovetop percolator coffee maker, you can do both!

And if you have a tiny house without a stovetop, consider alternative methods of brewing coffee without a machine by using an AeroPress or a French Press.

3. Electric Kettle 

An electric kettle is another essential kitchen appliance for your tiny home. It boils water faster, is safer, and can be used for other things, such as cooking instant noodles and boiling eggs. It is also convenient to take anywhere inside the house because it maintains heat for longer.

It is also more energy efficient than other kitchen appliances, with an estimated 80% energy efficiency, compared to cooktops and microwaves, with 70% and 50% energy efficiency, respectively. Thus, saving you money. 

An electric kettle is good because it prevents overboiling and spilling due to its automatic stoppage of boiling water as soon as it reaches its boiling point. You don't have to worry about the heat because its insulated material prevents heat loss. 

Other alternative uses for electric kettles include sterilizing utensils, cooking ready-to-eat foods, and boiling eggs. 

4. Hot Water Dispenser

Having a way to make hot water is a must for most homeowners, so a hot water dispenser is a great option if you don't want a kettle. It's an eco-friendly choice as they generally keep the water warmer and use less energy than kettles.

Hot water dispensers also hold more water; you can use them for more than just making hot drinks. Water dispensers can also steam vegetables, cook noodles, and make pasta. Their versatility makes them perfect tiny house appliances!

If you're a real coffee drinker like myself, you could pair your coffee maker and hot water dispenser with this espresso machine. I've had one for almost five years, and it makes amazing espresso, has a hot water dispenser, and a milk frother in one fairly compact and good-looking appliance!

It's a little on the spendy side but is a solid machine and should last a long time. There are other more economical and even smaller machines, though.

5. Space-Saving Refrigerator

The number one must-have appliance for any tiny home is a fridge. When looking over your tiny house kitchen plans, you no doubt thought long and hard about what kind of refrigerator you should get and where you should put it in your layout or floor plan.

They come in all shapes, sizes, and colors (like this little beauty), from compact beverage fridges to double-door / french door monsters. Luckily, that means you can find the ideal fridge for you!

You need a fridge that fits your space and what you want to store in it. If you have a high ceiling but a slim space, choose a tall or thin fridge to maximize space. But an under-counter fridge is a good option if you only have under-counter space.

If you would get value from installing a wine rack in your fridge (no judgment here!), then get a wine rack.

Finding the right balance between fridge and freezer space is also important. Take inventory of your current setup and think back to times you've felt like you didn't have enough space. Was it mostly in your freezer or your fridge section that was always a little tight?

Of course, if you don't use your freezer that often and prefer fresh food, choose an appliance with a small freezer section. If you like stocking up on bulk food items from Costco, grab one with plenty of freezer space!

6. Cooktop Stove and Oven

Everyone can agree that if you're living full-time in a tiny home, you need to be able to cook food. And to do that, you'll need a stove, oven, or both.

What kind of cooking appliances you need will depend not only on the kind of food you like to eat but how you want to power the appliance.

These are some options to suit every tiny house kitchen.

Stoves

If you have a cute rustic tiny home, you could get by with a simple propane-powered camping stove. It's great for toasting s'mores and heating beans, and you can take it with you on camping trips. But it may not be ideal for family mealtimes and cozy date nights.

Though you can choose more robust gas stoves, they don't offer the space-saving and multi-use benefits of camping-style portable stoves. This one here is a pretty solid choice for minimizing the countertop space it takes up while providing a robust cooking platform.

A step up from a propane stove would be an electric-powered or propane cooktop or induction stove installed into your countertop. There's a huge design benefit to using cooktops like these as they are sleek and built into the counter, so you can cover them when they aren't in use to extend your counter space.

Oven

Choosing an oven for your tiny house kitchen is worth thinking outside of the box.

A toaster oven is much smaller than most regular ovens and more energy-efficient. They're space-saving and can cook a variety of foods (as well as toast!), including pizza and roast chicken.

If you love cooking and have already chosen an induction or electric stove, a built-in wall oven is a great appliance option for you. They look sleek and can slot into anywhere you like. Plus, you can choose an oven that has a retractable door making it much easier to use in a smaller space.

Full Range Oven

But for some tiny house owners, a full-range oven is a non-negotiable, must-have appliance. Living in a smaller space doesn't mean you can't embrace your passion for cooking!

There are some really compact full-range ovens out there that run on propane or gas, which is ideal for a lot of tiny homes. Some have one shelf, or you can choose slim models to fit into narrow spaces.

7. Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker

You could forgo any type of traditional oven setup and choose a slow cooker or a pressure cooker.

The two are similar but cook food in slightly different ways. A slow cooker is best for stews, soups, and meats as they cook your food slowly at a lower temperature.

Pressure cookers use steam for cooking or sauteing various foods faster than a conventional oven. You can even make cakes with many pressure cookers!

So if you don't use an oven often, one of these appliances might be a better option. They take up less space and use less energy than regular gas ovens.

8. Ultra-Powerful Blender

One thing you don't want to do when buying appliances for your tiny house kitchen is to acquire lots of small appliances you only use once or twice a month.

The more uses one appliance has, the better.

A must-have appliance for your tiny home is a super-powered, hard-wearing blender that will double as a food processor. Luckily, many people have joined the smoothie hype in recent years, so there are some excellent blenders on the market. Super small ones too!

And you can even purchase blenders double as a travel cup, so you don't have to decant your food into another cup or bowl.

9. Compact Dishwasher

Just because you live in a tiny house doesn't mean you can't have a dishwasher!

Depending on the size of your family, using a dishwasher instead of washing by hand could save you up to 230 hours per year. And by buying a new, eco-friendly, smaller-than-average model, you could end up saving energy and water. Assuming you only use it once or twice a day, of course.

There is no "one way" to live in a tiny home, and many tiny house owners won't need a dishwasher. But if your ideal tiny house kitchen has a dishwasher, then you should get a dishwasher or even consider a countertop dishwasher!

Or, as mentioned above, this innovative sink and dishwasher combo could be an excellent option!

10. Food dehydrator

Want to preserve your food and reduce food waste? A food dehydrator is a kitchen appliance that can help you with that. It has features for drying foods while maintaining retaining food quality and nutrients.

Food dehydrators generally get rid of the food moisture using low heat temperature. It has trays where you lay out the food for even air circulation around them. Getting rid of the moisture, low heat, and air circulation then prevents food spoilage.  

What's good about food dehydrators is that it is easy to use, which lets you enjoy more of the benefits of dried and preserved foods with less hassle. The benefits include having healthier alternative snacks, reducing food waste and spoilage, and saving more money. 

The best benefit is that it lets you stock your food for a longer period while maintaining the food's nutrients. This is a perfect addition to your kitchen, especially when living in a tiny house on wheels. You no longer have to worry about your food stocks when you go from one place to another.

There are compact food dehydrators that you can stow away when not in use. If you worry about placing it in your kitchen, it's a good choice. 

11. Spice grinder

A spice grinder is a good pair with food dehydrators. It is must-have kitchen equipment if you enjoy fresh spices for your cooking adventures. Don't worry about the space because spice grinders are easy to use, clean, and store. 

Spice grinders have a small bowl with a blade at the bottom. This appliance allows you better control in grounding up not only spices, but you can also use it to grind coffee beans and nuts. 

With spice grinders, you can make your homemade garlic powder and other herbs for seasoning. Aside from it is naturally made, ground spices maintain their intense flavor better than commercially-made ones. 

12. Instant Pot

Instant pot is a multi-cooker that can do slow cooking, pressure cooking, steaming, rice cooking, warming of food, and sauteing. All these functions in one kitchen appliance! It lets you save time in cooking and space in your kitchen. 

It is different from a pressure cooker because Instant Pot has more safety features and can serve more functions than a standard pressure cooker. Hence, it is much safer to use with more user control and more functions. 

13. Air fryer

An air fryer is a popular kitchen appliance for your tiny house kitchen. It has different sizes ranging from smallest with 1-quart size to XXL sizes. So, you have wider options fit for your kitchen space. 

An air fryer is used for cooking fried foods without drenching the food in oil. It has a heating mechanism and a fan that circulates hot air to cook food. It makes the food crisp, with a similar result to deep-frying. Make sure you check out top air fryer choices before you buy one!

Hence, it makes cooking healthier because of the little to no oil involved in cooking. 

Creating the Perfect Tiny House Kitchen

Curating the space in your tiny home kitchen can be frustrating as you need to consider your space, your budget, and your lifestyle needs. If you love working in the kitchen, cooking in a small space can limit your movement, resources, and amount of food to cook and store. 

Nonetheless, appliance companies are producing kitchen appliances with different size options and multiple functions. This lessens your problem in designing your kitchen. 

But what's really important is that you have to install essential kitchen appliances for your home needs. We have enumerated the top kitchen appliances that fit tiny house kitchens. You can rely on the list above to keep you from getting lost in choosing which appliances fit your tiny house best. 

And once you've got all the must-have basic appliances, you'll be well on your way to building your perfect kitchen. 

Check out our storage hacks blog post to learn how to store everything in your tiny house kitchen!