What size power station runs a microwave (1000 w cooking)?

High running watts but tiny duty — wants a 1,500 W+ inverter, not much Wh.

1,200 Wrunning watts

—startup surge

100%duty cycle

667 Whfor 0.5 h

Need to run it alongside other things? Add it to the full sizing tool with the rest of your load.

What size you need for 0.5 h

You need about 667 Wh — and 21 units fit. The smallest sufficient is the Anker SOLIX C800; we never push more capacity than your load can use. Surge to clear: 1,200 W.

The math
Running watts (everything on at once) = 1,200 W
Surge watts (worst single startup + the rest running) = 1,200 W
Average draw (cyclic loads counted by their duty cycle) = 1,200 W
Watt-hours = 1,200 W × 0.5 h ÷ 90% usable reserve = 667 Wh

Anker SOLIX C800smallest that fits

768 Wh 1,200 W cont · 1,600 W surge ~0.6 h on this load $$

A 1,200 W inverter in a 768 Wh body — runs a fridge and most kitchen bursts.

LiFePO4 · ~58 min AC; up to 600 W solar · 25 lb

Check price at Anker SOLIX → Full specs

Goal Zero Yeti 1000 Core

983 Wh 1,200 W cont · 2,400 W surge ~0.7 h on this load $$

A 1 kWh / 1,200 W unit for outage essentials at a friendlier price.

NMC · ~9 h AC; up to 600 W solar · 32 lb

Check price at Goal Zero → Full specs

EcoFlow DELTA 2

1,024 Wh 1,800 W cont · 2,700 W surge expandable ~0.8 h on this load $$

The benchmark 1 kWh / 1,800 W outage unit — fridge + CPAP + lights, expandable to 3 kWh.

LiFePO4 · ~50 min to 80% AC; expandable to 3 kWh · 27 lb

Check price at EcoFlow → Full specs

Anker SOLIX C1000step-up

1,056 Wh 1,800 W cont · 2,400 W surge expandable ~0.8 h on this load $$

A strong 1 kWh / 1,800 W outage unit; SurgePad mode briefly runs 2,000 W resistive devices.

LiFePO4 · ~58 min AC; expandable to 2.1 kWh · 28 lb

Check price at Anker SOLIX → Full specs

Jackery Explorer 1000 v2

1,070 Wh 1,500 W cont · 3,000 W surge ~0.8 h on this load $$

The popular 1 kWh do-everything unit — runs a fridge, CPAP, and lights through an outage.

LiFePO4 · ~1.7 h AC; up to 400 W solar · 24 lb

Check price at Jackery → Full specs

Bluetti AC180

1,152 Wh 1,800 W cont · 2,700 W surge ~0.9 h on this load $$

A 1.15 kWh / 1,800 W unit that undercuts the 1 kWh class on price — strong outage value.

LiFePO4 · ~45 min to 80% AC; up to 500 W solar · 35 lb

Check price at Bluetti → Full specs

🔗 The "Check price" buttons are brand-direct affiliate links. Once our brand affiliate programs are approved these will earn a commission — at no extra cost to you, and it never changes which unit we recommend. Disclosure.

⚡ Duty cycle matters here. A "1,000 W" microwave pulls ~1,200 W from the wall; used in short bursts, so energy is small. We size watt-hours on the duty-weighted average (1,200 W), not the peak — so we don't oversell you capacity.

Can a specific unit run a microwave (1000 w cooking)?

21 of the units we track deliver enough watts to run a microwave (1000 w cooking). Check a specific one for the runtime and the full verdict:

Anker SOLIX C800

768 Wh · 1,200 W cont

runs it

Goal Zero Yeti 1000 Core

983 Wh · 1,200 W cont

runs it

EcoFlow DELTA 2

1,024 Wh · 1,800 W cont

runs it

Anker SOLIX C1000

1,056 Wh · 1,800 W cont

runs it

Jackery Explorer 1000 v2

1,070 Wh · 1,500 W cont

runs it

Bluetti AC180

1,152 Wh · 1,800 W cont

runs it

Jackery Explorer 1000 Plus

1,264 Wh · 2,000 W cont

runs it

Goal Zero Yeti 1500X

1,516 Wh · 2,000 W cont

runs it

Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus

2,042 Wh · 3,000 W cont

runs it

EcoFlow DELTA 2 Max

2,048 Wh · 2,400 W cont

runs it

Bluetti AC200L

2,048 Wh · 2,400 W cont

runs it

Bluetti AC200MAX

2,048 Wh · 2,200 W cont

runs it

Common questions

What size power station do I need to run a microwave (1000 w cooking)?

A microwave (1000 w cooking) draws about 1,200 W running (a resistive load, so no real startup surge). So you want a unit with at least 1,200 W continuous output. For 0.5 h of runtime that's roughly 667 Wh of capacity — the Anker SOLIX C800 is the smallest unit that clears all of it.

How many watts does a microwave (1000 w cooking) use?

About 1,200 W while running. A "1,000 W" microwave pulls ~1,200 W from the wall; used in short bursts, so energy is small.

Sources: Microwave (1000 W cooking) wattage — Standard appliance-wattage / generator-sizing charts (representative values; verify your nameplate); station specs — manufacturer published specifications (compiled 2026-06-15; approximate). Informational only — a computed sizing estimate from published appliance-wattage charts and manufacturer station specs. It is not an electrical guarantee. For hardwired or whole-home backup, transfer switches, or any permanent install, consult a licensed electrician.