Making a perfect pot of rice on the stovetop is nearly impossible, which is why having a good rice cooker can make all the difference. If rice is a dietary staple in your life, it may be a good idea to invest in a quality rice cooker to help you make easy and healthy meals. Whether you’re looking for a basic rice cooker, or one with all the bells and whistles, we have you covered with the best options for your kitchen.
We reviewed dozens of rice cookers to identify the best of the best. We looked at capacity, cooking modes, and extra features to determine our top picks. All of these rice cookers can be purchased online at Amazon.
Our top pick is the Aroma Housewares Digital Cool-Touch Rice Cooker. This rice cooker not only saves you time, but makes restaurant quality white and brown rice as well as healthy steamed meals. With just under a dozen cooking functions, it’s an excellent mix of features for a fantastic price.
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The 5 Top-Rated Rice Cookers
Editor’s Picks | Brand | Rating |
---|---|---|
Best Rice Cooker Overall | Aroma Housewares Digital Cool-Touch Rice Cooker |
4.1 |
Best Combo Rice Cooker | Instant Pot Duo Nova | 4.7 |
Best Budget Rice Cooker | Aroma Housewares Pot Style Rice Cooker | 4.2 |
Best Small Rice Cooker | Dash Mini Rice Cooker | 4.3 |
Best Large Capacity Rice Cooker | Zojirushi Micom Rice Cooker | 4.5 |
*Ratings are from Amazon at the time of publication and can change
Best Rice Cooker Overall: Aroma Housewares Digital Cool-Touch Rice Cooker
The Aroma Housewares Digital Cool-Touch Rice Cooker is a fantastic rice cooker with a good variety of additional features and settings. Not just a basic rice cooker, this model has different settings for white and brown rice to make sure the rice is perfectly cooked every time. The Flash Rice setting cuts cooking time by 50%, while the programmable 15-hour delay timer lets you control when you want the rice to start cooking. Aside from making perfect white and brown rice, it also cooks steamed vegetables, oatmeal, jambalaya, soup, and even cake.
This rice cooker makes between two and eight cups of cooked rice. It comes with a steamer tray that lets you steam meat and veggies while cooking rice in the main compartment. The rice cooker measures 8.25 x 8.5 x 9 inches, making it easy to store without taking up too much space. It includes a non-stick inner pot, steamer tray, rice measuring cup, and plastic rice spatula. The Aroma Housewares Digital Cool-Touch Rice Cooker is a popular choice and has over 14,000 reviews on Amazon. Reviewers love how easy it is to make a perfect pot of rice and the extra features this model provides.
Aroma Housewares Digital Cool-Touch Rice Cooker Key Features:
- Can make between 2-8 cups of cooked rice
- Steamer tray lets you cook rice and vegetables at the same time
- 15 hour delay timer lets you pick when your rice is ready
- Flash Rice function reduces cooking time by 50%
Best Combo Rice Cooker: Instant Pot Duo Nova
Sometimes you want your rice cooker to do everything. Or maybe you just don’t want another appliance on your counter if it can’t do double duty. The Instant Pot Duo Nova not only makes rice, but it’s seven appliances in one. This handy device is a rice cooker, pressure cooker, slow cooker, steamer, sauté pan, food warmer, and yogurt maker. It makes a great pot of rice, but can also be used for all sorts of other cooking methods as well. In fact, the LED screen has 13 different cooking programs that can all be customized.
The Instant Pot cooks food up to 70% faster than other cooking methods and consistently delivers excellent results. It includes a stainless steel removable pot that is safe to put in the dishwasher. And the Duo Nova model comes with an updated lid with an automatic sealing steam release valve. You can purchase the Instant Pot Duo Nova in four different sizes – three, six, eight, and ten quarts. Reviewers love how easy it is to use the Instant Pot and how it’s so versatile. They love how fast it cooks food and the easy clean up. And while it’s not a traditional rice cooker, if you’re looking for one machine that can do it all, the Instant Pot is it.
Instant Pot Duo Nova Key Features:
- Can use as a rice cooker, steamer, pressure cooker, slow cooker, and more
- 6 qt model has capacity to make food for up to 6 people
- Removable stainless steel cooking pot is dishwasher safe
Best Budget Rice Cooker: Aroma Housewares Pot Style Rice Cooker
The Aroma Housewares Pot Style Rice Cooker is a fantastic budget rice cooker that’s simple but does the job well. This rice cooker makes between two and six cups of cooked rice and has a glass lid that lets you see what’s inside. The removable steamer basket saves you time by steaming veggies and meat while the rice cooks. The simple one touch operation and automatic keep warm setting make this rice cooker very easy to use. Just plug it in and press down on button to begin cooking. When the rice is finished it automatically switches to the keep warm setting so your rice won’t get cold.
While it doesn’t have all sorts of extra features, it still comes with a steamer tray to steam vegetables while you cook rice, as well as a rice measuring cup and a serving spatula. The inner cooking pot and all accessories are dishwasher safe making cleanup easy, and the smaller size makes this easy to store. Reviewers love how simple it is to use and that it makes a great pot of rice every time. Other reviewers like that it’s a smaller size and is perfect to make a meal for two people.
Aroma Housewares Pot Style Rice Cooker Key Features:
- Steamer tray steams vegetables and meat while rice cooks below
- Easy, one touch operation and automatic keep warm feature
- Includes a serving spatula, measuring cup and removable steamer tray
Best Small Rice Cooker: Dash Mini Rice Cooker
If you’re looking for a mini rice cooker that won’t take up much space and feeds 1-2 people, the Dash Mini Rice Cooker is a great choice. Besides rice, it also makes oatmeal, stew and soups, as well as other grains. The two-cup capacity is perfect for individuals or couples, and at 8.5 inches tall by 5.5 inches wide, the mini size is perfect for small apartments, dorms, RVs, or for individuals who don’t want to give up a lot of counter space. Making rice is quick and easy, just plug in and press the button down to start cooking. The rice is ready in less than 20 minutes and will stay ready with the automatic keep warm function.
The rice cooker includes a rice paddle, measuring cup, removable nonstick pot, and recipe book. The rice paddle won’t scratch the inside surface and makes serving food easy, while the cool touch handles let you easily carry the pot from kitchen to the table. Reviewers love how easy it is to make rice and love the small size for 1 or 2 people when you don’t want leftovers. They also like the recipes that are included in the cookbook and how easy it is to clean the inner pot.
Dash Mini Rice Cooker Key Features:
- The 2 cup capacity is perfect for small households
- Includes automatic keep warm function and indicator light
- Comes with measuring cup and rice paddle
Best Large Capacity Rice Cooker: Zojirushi Micom Rice Cooker
For those of you looking for a large capacity rice cooker, the Zojirushi Micom Rice Cooker can cook up to 10 cups of uncooked rice/20 cups of cooked rice and has plenty of extra features and settings. Aside from brown rice and white/sushi rice modes, additional options include porridge, sweet rice, cake, steam, and quick cook settings. It also comes with two delay time settings, automatic keep warm, extended keep warm, and a reheating cycle.
It’s a little larger at 11.12 x 15 x 9.87 inches, but the sleek, coated stainless steel exterior looks great in your kitchen and is easy to clean. And the built-in retractable power cord means one less piece of equipment to store. This rice cooker comes with a removable inner lid and nonstick inner cooking pot, as well as a steamer basket that lets you steam vegetables and meat while you’re cooking the rice. Additional accessories include a spatula and holder as well as a rice measuring cup.
Reviewers love that this rice cooker makes restaurant quality rice in large capacities with very little effort. They also like how sleek it looks sitting in the kitchen and how it’s more aesthetically pleasing than most other rice cookers.
Zojirushi Micom Rice Cooker Key Features:
- Can make up to 20 cups of cooked rice
- Includes an automatic keep warm setting, an extended keep warm setting, and a reheat feature
- Includes steaming basket for vegetables and meat
- Nonstick inner pan is easy to clean
All of these rice cookers will help make cooking a bit simpler. If you’re looking for other great small kitchen appliances to help you easily prepare healthy meals, be sure to check out the Best Smoothie Makers & Blenders.