Which rice cooker should you buy? There are dozens of rice cooker brands, sizes, and styles to choose from. There are dedicated rice cookers as well as multicookers that can cook many other foods besides rice. Here is our guide to finding the best rice cooker.
A rice cooker might seem like a luxury, but if you make rice often and struggle to get the different parts of your meal done at the same time without burning anything, this gadget can be a lifesaver. It allows you to start the rice and then forget about it while you concentrate on preparing the rest of your meal.
But which rice cooker should you buy? There are dozens of sizes, styles, and brands to choose from. There are dedicated rice cookers and multi-purpose cookers that can cook rice, steam vegetables, and even be used as a pressure cooker.
Here is a guide to the brands that offer rice cookers, along with a quick summary of what the brand is known for. With the right rice cooker on your countertop, you can be sure that no matter how the rest of the meal turns out, your rice will be perfect every single time.
Related: Types of Cookers | Types of Rice Cookers | Sushi Rice Substitute Options | Small Slow Cookers | Overrated Small Kitchen Appliances | Types of Appliances
1. Instant Pot®
Instant Pot® has taken the world by storm—and for good reason. This sleek, programmable pressure cooker can be used as a rice cooker, steam, slow cooker, pressure cooker, yogurt maker and warmer. You can even use it to sauté vegetables. Its versatility and mid-range price point make it the top choice for millions of home cooks throughout the country and around the world.
2. Aroma Housewares
Aroma Housewares produces a line of modern, programmable multicookers that cook rice, grains, and much more. The Aroma multicooker not only makes fluffy rice, but the company claims it reduces the percentage of carbohydrates. It does this by draining the starchy water and finishing off the rice with steam instead of letting it soak in its own starch. Aroma also makes a simple rice cooker and steamer that is a great bargain.
3. Proctor Silex
Proctor Silex ’s simple, modern-looking rice cookers have capacities ranging from 8 to 30 cups of cooked rice. They cook your rice perfectly and warm it until serving time. These cookers all have removable, nonstick bowls, so cleanup is a breeze.
4. Panasonic
Panasonic rice cookers are known for preparing soft, fluffy rice that turns out just right. With a mid-range price point, it’s not the cheapest out there but it is far from the most expensive. The brand offers a clean style with a user-friendly interface that is easy to use.
5. Zojirushi
Zojirushi offers top-of-the-line kitchen appliances. Their rice cooker and warmer uses an induction heating system to cook the rice from all sides. It has a sleek design with clearly marked water measurement lines and is easy to clean.
6. Oster
Oster’s line of rice cookers can best be described as cute. They come in red and black and have simple controls for ease of operation. A vegetable steamer tray is included, giving it the versatility to be able to steam fish and vegetables as well as cooking rice. Its low price makes it a great choice if you don’t need the extra functionality of a multicooker.
7. Hamilton Beach
Hamilton Beach has an economical line of rice cookers that range from 6 to 30 cups capacity. Even if you’re cooking for a crowd, Hamilton Beach has you covered! The line ranges from simple, easy-to-use rice cookers and steams to multi-use rice and hot cereal cooker. Oatmeal, anyone?
8. Mealthy
Mealthy’s kitchen products are innovative and designed to save time and simplify the cooking process. The Mealthy Multipot is a 9-in-1 electric pressure cooker that can be programmed for use as a steamer, slow cooker, yogurt maker, rice cooker, sauté pan and more. It is made with stainless steel and is completely BPA-free.
9. Crock-Pot
When you think of Crock-Pot, you think of slow cookers. But Crock-Pot also has a line of multi-cookers. These appliances are all sleek and competitively priced, so why not use your slow cooker to prepare the main course and quickly whip up some rice in your Crock-Pot multicooker once dinner is almost ready? The two appliances work together nicely.
10. Black+Decker
While Black+Decker’s slow cookers come in trendy designs such as striped and polka-dotted, their rice cookers are stuck with the classic black and white, except for the 6-in-1 stirring rice and risotto cooker, which is black and silver. But if you like black and white, you’ll find a line of dependable rice cookers that are priced at the low end of the scale.
11. Cuisinart
Cuisinart’s brushed stainless steel kitchen appliances have a modern look, and their rice cookers are no exception. They come in 4-cup and 8-cup sizes, with a rounded square design. The brand also carries multicookers in 4-, 6-, and 7-quart sizes, as well as a 10-cup rice and grain multicooker.
12. Tiger
Tiger’s style is best described as eclectic. It ranges from sleek, programmable rice cookers that would be at home in any modern kitchen to a selection of floral designs that would fit right in at Grandma’s house. There is even a hot pink rice cooker for the young at heart.
13. Dash
Dash has a line of cute mini cookers that make 2 cups of cooked rice. The appliance comes in four colors and is perfect for a single person. It would make a great graduation gift for a high school graduate heading off to college or a housewarming gift for someone’s first apartment.
14. Elite
Click the image for more details.
Both the Elite Cuisine and Elite Gourmet models of rice cookers are white and feature simple, single-button operation. The units are at the low end of the price spectrum and are easy to operate. They automatically switch to warming mode once the rice has been cooked.
15. Redmond
The Redmond multicooker promises 10-in-1 versatility. It can perform the function of a slow cooker, sous vide pan, yogurt maker, fryer, steamer, yogurt maker, bread maker, stove, oven, microwave, and pressure cooker. Wow! That’s a lot of functionality in a small, sleek package.
16. Zavor
Cook’s Country named Zavor’s Lux LCD and Lux multicookers as the top multicookers in the country for 2019. This is the second year running that these models have captured top honors. Both models have a stainless steel cooking pot and perform the function of multiple cooking appliances.
17. Imusa
Imusa is an international Hispanic cookware company that seeks to help bring grandma’s time-honored recipes to life. Although the company’s heritage is Hispanic, they also have an Asian line. Their rice cookers come in two styles: the traditional-looking white and a more modern brushed steel and black version.
18. Buffalo
Buffalo prides itself on health-consciousness, warning consumers to beware of multicookers with coated inner pots. The Buffalo Smart Cooker has a stainless steel pot with no coatings that can wear or flake off and get into your food.
19. Cuckoo
Cuckoo is a Korean company that boasts of superior-quality rice cookers. They have a unique design that looks quite futuristic, with a full-color LCD touchscreen display for the most expensive model. Read the fine print before buying though. The LCD menu only displays options in Chinese or Korean.
20. Gourmia
Gourmia’s brand image can be encapsulated in three words: delicious, healthy, and easy. These are the qualities the company strives for when designing its products. Gourmia’s innovative products deliver high levels of quality, performance, and value.
21. Salton
From the chocolate fountain to the air popper that looks like a movie theater popcorn machine, Salton offers a whimsical line of kitchen appliances that are as delightful as they are practical. The company offers a cute 6-cup rice cooker in red or black and a couple of multi-pots that can also cook rice.
22. Presto
From its introduction of the first pressure cooker with an easy-to-use seal to the creation of the SaladShooter®, Presto has been at the forefront of innovation in the kitchen for decades. Its rice cookers and multicookers offer the same commitment to creating products that meet today’s ever-changing needs.
23. Rival
Rival offers 6-cup and 10-cup rice cookers that are equipped with steamer baskets for healthy one-pot meals. These rice cookers have a warming feature, removable non-stick pots, glass lids, and a steaming basket.
24. Secura
Click the image for more info
Secura’s kitchen products are affordable and designed with ergonomics and ease of use in mind. Secura strives to create affordable products that are made from environmentally-friendly materials, and the company prides itself on its outstanding customer service.
25. Cosori
Cosori’s kitchen accessories feature modern technology paired with a retro design. Color choices tend to stick to red, black, or white—with some stainless steel thrown in for good measure. Cosori’s line includes multicookers that can be used as a rice cooker, steamer, slow cooker, and more.
26. Oyama
Oyama offers several rice cookers, from a brushed stainless steel version to floral designs. Some have a simple, one-button operation, while others have multiple features and functions. Regardless of the style you choose, Oyama’s rice cookers are easy to use and produce perfect, fluffy rice every time.
27. Cuchen
Cuchen offers rice cookers in a variety of styles, ranging from simple to futuristic. Their products are at the high end of the price range. One downside for most US consumers is that the control panels appear to be in Chinese.
28. Pars
If you enjoy Persian rice, consider a Pars rice cooker. These cookers are designed specifically for cooking Persian rice and have timers that allow you to get the crust on your rice just the way you like it. These rice cookers have nonstick Teflon pots and feature a warming function as well as an automatic safety shut-off.
29. Adcraft
Admiral Craft Equipment Corp. manufactures restaurant-grade cooking appliances for the foodservice industry. Their rice cookers range in size from 25 cups to 30 cups, and they also offer 50-cup rice warmer. The no-nonsense designs are practical for use in a restaurant or in any circumstance where you’re preparing rice for a lot of people.
30. Tatung
Tatung offers a variety of multicookers in a traditional style. The cookers are easy to use with a single one-button control. They come in a variety of colors and even a floral design.
31. T-fal
T-fal’s goal is simple: to create products that are easy to use and provide great results. The company is a leader in nonstick cookware and cooking appliances. The T-fal 10 in 1 rice and multicooker is a great example of the company’s easy-to-use kitchen products, with its preset programs and artificial intelligence that automatically adjusts the cooking time as needed.
32. VitaClay
VitaClay bills its wares as “the healthiest cookware on earth.” Their rice cookers have a unique feature: their inner pots are made of clay. The pots have no toxins and the company claims that rice made in a VitaClay pot tastes better. The VitaClay rice cooker heats the water up quickly then reduces it to a simmer for the rest of the cooking time. The clay pot doubles as a classy serving bowl.
33. OMORC
OMORC is committed to helping you simplify your life by providing small kitchen appliances that are convenient and user-friendly. The company has big dreams for the future: creating smoke-free kitchens, creating delicious new dishes, and positioning itself as the favored brand for tomorrow’s smart kitchens.