Best rice cooker 2024 – the top tried and tested appliances for fresh, fast, fluffy rice

Having one of the best rice cookers to hand will elevate your experiences cooking curries, curating healthy grain bowls, and trying your hand at sushi. It can be tricky to get the right rice-to-water ratio, but with one of these clever appliances, you'll never have inedible, uncooked, or stodgy rice again.

Our team of experts has sifted through the best rice cooker brands, such as Cuckoo and Zojirushi, as well as more left-field brands such as Nutribullet and Instant Pot. We wanted options that could cover more than just rice cooking, so we looked at grain options (including any oatmeal functions) as well as specialist 'microm' technology, which means that your rice cooker detects the temperature and weight of your rice, adjusting how it cooks accordingly.

There are also induction rice cookers that evenly spread the heat distribution across the entire cooking pan. If you want something a little more versatile, our best Instant Pots can cook rice and slow cook at the same time, and they can even pressure cook meats to pair with your rice.

The quick list

Best rice cooker 2024

Best rice cooker overall

The Japanese-made Zojirushi NP-GBC05XT looks smart and doesn't take up much space. Looks won't secure you top spot in our competitive buying guide though. The Zojirushi makes restaurant-quality rice. It has enough capacity for most families (3 cups), seven cooking modes (including sushi), it can keep rice warm until dinnertime and is very easy to use.

If you're a stickler for safety, you'll love how this works. The Zojirushi NP-GBC05XT uses induction technology, so it is only activated when the pot is on the heating elements. This means that you can serve rice directly out of the pot.

Zojirushi is a well-established brand, designed for serious rice and grain cooking. However, this comes with the price tag of a desirable product. It has more power than most rice cookers, but again, you'll be paying a little extra for it.

Best rice cooker for beginners

Available in pink and silver, the Cuckoo CR-0632F is our top pick from the iconic rice cooker brand. It is by no means Cuckoo's most expensive offering, but it has ten cooking modes and a six-cup capacity of uncooked rice, which will yield 12 cups of fluffy, cooked grains. 

This is called a 'smart' rice cooker and the controls are very smart indeed. They include a timer to set your rice ahead of time, and a quick cook mode – great for speedy stir-fries or Japanese-inspired dishes. While the display looks a little confusing at first it is easy to get to grips with, thanks to the included instruction manual. 

It also has a self-clean function, which is a blessing for anyone who hates dealing with the sticky remnants of last night's rice, and great insulation for easy keep-warm and reheating. 

Best value rice cooker

You'll better know Nutribullet for making some of the best blenders on the market. The brand's foray into rice cookers might seem surprising, but it's very welcome. They've brought slick, space-age style to the market alongside some serious cooking capacity. 

It's aptly named the EveryGrain because it can cook everything from quinoa to oats. Even better, Nutribullet doesn't overcomplicate their features, offering a simple array of their settings on a beginner-friendly display.

There is a steaming insert, so our experts could steam broccoli at the same time as cooking the rice, saving on additional pots and pans and using other cooking appliances. It's a healthy dinner dream. Plus, it's very safe, with a secure button on top of the machine to open it easily.

Best ceramic rice cooker

There's a lot of talk around whether non-stick is safe to use in cooking. Whilst experts have reassured us that non-stick is safe if it's well maintained, if you're a little skeptical, you might want to opt for materials such as stainless steel and ceramic: enter GreenLife.

The Go Grains uses ceramic to stop your rice from sticking to your cooker and it works well. You can make use of four cooking modes, covering white rice, brown rice, quinoa, and steel-cut oats. All of these are excellent and you can even use a delay start function to ensure that your rice is ready to eat whenever you need it.

The four colors include white, pink, blue, and yellow, and they are all very easy on the eye. The dishwasher-safe removable parts will also ensure that cleaning is easy, and the exterior is heatproof to be safe for use in the busiest kitchen. The only thing it might lack is capacity.

Best rice cooker for small spaces

The Dash Mini Rice Cooker is one of Amazon's bestsellers, and with a reasonable price and easy-to-use design, it is easy to see why. Critics might say that this is too small and too simple to be useful, but we think differently. This has been designed thoughtfully, with a nonstick pot and keep warm handles, meaning that every inch of the Dash is working hard.

The Dash Mini Rice Cooker has one button, so there will no hassle in choosing the right mode for you. It also has a keep warm function to make sure your rice is ready to eat whenever you need it. 

Included with the rice cooker is a rice paddle to make serving straightforward, and the measuring cup (also included) is marked for straightforward servings and perfectly fluffy grains, every time. 

Best rice cooker for large homes

Instant Pot makes some of the best air fryers we've reviewed, and the brand also has a budget-friendly and smart rice cooker. The capacity of this one is eight cups, which is plenty of entertaining. It makes perfect rice in next to no time and if you think you need even more capacity there is a 20-cup rice cooker from Instant too. 

You can use the Instant Pot Zest 8 Cup Rice Cooker to steam veggies and meat as well as cook rice. There is a dishwasher-safe steaming rack included with the rice cooker, and a thick and easy-to-clean pot.

With a button for delayed starts and one to keep warm once your grains are cooked, the Instant Pot Zest 8 Cup Rice Cooker is also an excellent option for busy homes.  The lid is hinged, which can be a pain if you're storing it under countertops and want to open it easily. 

The ones that missed the list

We could list lots of rice cookers that we like, but this is a collection of the best. The six above are our absolute favorites, but here are three more options if you want to scroll through some more options.

How to choose the best rice cooker

First and foremost, the best rice cooker should cater to your entire family with no limitations in capacity. If you only need to cook portions for one or two, a smaller rice cooker will be more than enough. However, we have also included rice cookers with a capacity of up to 12 cups of cooked rice. 

Another thing to consider is functions, because while many smart rice cookers offer up to ten settings for all sorts of grains, beans, and pulses, others are far more simple and designed to cook only brown and white rice. The Dash rice cooker, which is the cheapest in our guide, is also the most simple. For those who want to cook white rice only, it is a top choice.  

For more information on how we conduct our reviews, explore our how we test page.

FAQs

What is the best rice cooker brand? 

Many opt for Asian rice cooker brands such as Zojirushi and Cuckoo, and it's easy to see why. These rice cookers often lead the way in smart designs and, most importantly, perfectly cooked rice.

That said, many brands such as Instant and Dash have come out with excellent alternatives that often cost far less, and are designed to make oatmeal and quinoa as well as white and brown rice. 

How much should I spend on a rice cooker?

You can buy a decent rice cooker for as little as $50, but some of the best rice cookers in our guide come up to $200, or more. 

For your added money you will get a micom rice cooker. Micom cookers are the most modern options on the market. They are often powered by induction cooking, which is not only safer but more efficient. 

What can you make in a rice cooker?

Many of the best rice cookers in our guide have steaming modes to cook vegetables and fish as well as making rice. See the best slow cookers for something to cook your mains to pair with your rice. 

Rice cookers are ideal for cooking Japanese food at home, like homemade sushi, donburi or a bowl of fried rice. We also love making Korean-style bibimbap. There's nothing quite like cooking your favourite Asian restaurant dishes in the comfort of your own kitchen.

Aside from white and brown rice, you can cook dehydrated beans and grains such as quinoa and even oatmeal in some rice cookers – ideal for when exploring a range of grain recipes.