The 8 Best Rice Cookers of 2024, Tested and Reviewed
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Our overall winner was the Aroma Housewares 8-Cup Digital Cool-Touch Rice Cooker
People / Marcus Millan
Rice is a staple in several cuisines and cultures, but making it at home on a stovetop is often easier said than done, and single-serve instant rice can quickly drain your wallet.
Chefs say that the solution — if you're a regular rice maker — is to invest in a rice cooker for your kitchen.
With all sorts of models to choose from, the key is to narrow down how often you cook rice, how many people you're serving, and your own personal preferences when it comes to appliance functionality. So says Food Network's chef Debbie Lee, who is opening her own Korean restaurant in Los Angeles in 2023.
But no matter which model you choose, "enjoy it," Lee tells PEOPLE. This kitchen appliance is a real game-changer. "You will never cook rice on a stovetop again!"
Out of the 19 rice cookers we tested, eight made the cut and landed on our winners' list. It's a wide variety to suit all sorts of needs, so read on for the one that best fits your lifestyle.
Best Overall: Aroma Housewares 8-Cup Rice and Grain Cooker
Pros
Excellent performance with handy features
Great price point
Cons
None that we could find
We loved the display panel on this model, our overall winner. This display tells you how much time is left in the cook cycle, allowing you to correctly time the rest of your meal prep. The buttons on this cooker are clearly labeled and easy to use and understand, including "white rice", "brown rice", "keep warm", "steam", "delay timer", and "quick cook" (flash rice) buttons. You can also add time manually via plus and minus buttons.
This cooker is a great size — more capacity than a small rice cooker, but with a small enough footprint that it won't take up a huge amount of counter space. The accessories (steamer basket, measuring cup, serving spoon) all fit inside or on top of the unit nicely, making it very easy to store.
The machine beeps when the rice finishes cooking, and if you miss the alert, the machine automatically switches to the "keep warm" function. This model also has a condensation collector, which comes in handy when making large batches of rice. It also comes with a steamer basket for steaming veggies concurrently. And as an added bonus, it has a top handle that remains cool even during cooking.
It's really simple to use this device: Measure, rinse, add water, shut the lid, and cook! We liked the ability to delay a start time as well — a clever feature that helps this appliance fit in well with your kitchen tasks.
We made jasmine rice, brown rice, and sushi rice — all of which turned out just as expected. The sticky sushi rice, in particular, was delicious and the most lovely texture. Depending on the rice type, it took anywhere from 20-35 minutes to cook a batch. The "keep warm" function worked quite well for a full two hours.
Easy to clean and with a removable inner lid, this cooker checks all the boxes, and at an excellent price point to boot.
Dimensions: 8.6"D x 9.3"W x 8.5"H | Capacity: 8-cup | Weight: 3.6 lbs | Wattage: 450 watts
People / Katie Akin
Best Functionality: Tiger JBV-A10U Rice Cooker
Pros
Exceptional performance with consistent results
Included steamer basket is a nice touch
Cons
We wished there was an audible tone to indicate when cooking is complete
The Tiger 5.5-Cup Micom Rice Cooker has a well-designed pivoting basket handle that makes it easy to move the cooker around your kitchen. The display panel is simple and easy to understand with buttons for plain rice, brown rice, steaming, and keeping warm. Our only complaint is that there's no timer or alert for when the rice is done cooking, though it does automatically switch to the "keep warm" mode after cooking is complete, and the red cooking light turns yellow when it's done.
This cooker also comes with a steamer basket inside, great for steaming dumplings or veggies while cooking rice. The instruction manual and measuring cup are helpful too, helping our rice to come out perfectly each time.
It's incredibly simple to use this rice cooker. Our sushi rice was very light and fluffy and cooked evenly. It did stick together in the basket some, but it was very easy to fluff and break apart. In total, it took about 20-25 minutes to cook. As for the brown rice, it had a great texture, and the jasmine rice was equally good — just the right chewy consistency without feeling gummy. Finally, the "keep warm" function worked very well. There was no scorching at all, and it preserved the rice's same soft, fluffy texture.
This model is easy to clean, though we were a bit surprised by the higher price tag. Still, we'd recommend it for someone looking to invest in a quality rice cooker as it did its job exceptionally well.
Dimensions: 10.6"D x 13.9"W x 8.4"H | Capacity: 5.5 cups | Weight: 5.7 Pounds | Wattage: 672 watts
People / Katherine Polcari
Best Value: Hamilton Beach Rice Cooker & Food Steamer
Pros
Excellent performance for all kinds of rice as well as oatmeal
Great design on the condensation collector
Cons
The beep is not very loud so you'll have to listen for when the rice is done
This required a longer cooking time than some of the other models we tested
The Hamilton Beach Rice Cooker and Food Steamer is deceivingly large-capacity. It can make up to 7 cups of uncooked rice even though it isn't as big or clunky of a machine as some of the others we tested. However, it still takes up a notable amount of counter space and pantry real estate, so if you're in need of something more compact, consider the smaller options on this list.
The panel is clear and concise, with presets for hot cereal, white rice, brown rice, steam, and a warm/power button. It is incredibly easy to use — a total rice-cooking newbie would have no problem with this model. And for those that appreciate a multi-tasking product, it also comes with a cup and steamer basket, which you can even use to wash your rice.
We appreciated the way the condensation collector is designed. It slides right into a little nook instead of sitting outside of the rice cooker, and it's very easy to slide in and out to clean.
This model is about as simple as a rice cooker gets, though we do recommend reading the directions so you can get the accurate ratio of grain to water for each rice variety (we found the instructions to be a bit difficult to follow as they outlined how to cook a full batch versus the two cups that we wanted to make). Our brown short-grain rice came out super fluffy, even before we fluffed it, and it cooked evenly. However, it took about 45 minutes to cook two cups of both types of rice, which we noted is longer than if you were to cook rice on a stovetop. We tried steel-cut oats as well, and this cooker did a great job with them. They turned out as good as oats made on the stove, without worrying about burning or sticking to the surface. Our white sushi rice turned out nice and sticky with just the right amount of moisture.
The "keep warm" feature worked well, though it did start to dry out the rice around the 3-hour mark. Cleanup is easy, as is drying up any condensation that builds up. We would recommend this product for anyone, but particularly those who might be overwhelmed by lots of buttons or features and prefer a low-tech product.
Dimensions: 8.2"D x 9.7"W x 9.9"H | Capacity: 8 cups cooked | Weight: 4 lbs | Wattage: 400 watts
Best Budget: Aroma Housewares 6-Cup Rice and Grain Cooker
Pros
Simple but effective
Good size capacity (3 cups uncooked rice)
Cons
It's a starter model, so there aren't any special features
Our best budget pick is very user-friendly — it's very hard to mess up. We love that, despite its low price point, it has the automatic warm mode feature that kicks in once the cooking is complete so you won't burn your rice.
This rice cooker is the perfect size for small kitchens without a lot of storage or counter space. It's compact but still large enough to make 6 cups of cooked rice, and comes with a steam basket for vegetables or protein.
It took us 18 minutes to make a batch of extra long rice, 22 minutes for wild rice, and 18 minutes for jasmine rice. The texture of the jasmine rice was fluffy with just the right bite to it. The handy "keep warm" feature worked well, with only some drying on the bottom when a batch was left for an extended period.
This model was perfectly simple to clean by hand, with just four pieces: the lid, the inner pot, the stirring spoon, and the steamer basket. We love this model as a starter rice cooker, or for those on a budget. It's basic, but it gets the job done for great results.
Dimensions: 10.4"D x 11.1"W x 8.1"H | Capacity: 6 cups cooked | Weight: 3.5 lbs | Wattage: 300 watts
People / Rebecca Baer
Best Small: Muji Rice Cooker
Pros
This model produces outstanding results
The sleek and simple design is very appealing
Cons
It took us a long time to cook our batches of rice
This rice cooker has a very clean, sleek, and minimalist feel. It has a simple digital display panel with five buttons and two arrows to toggle the clock/timer. The display panel shows the time of day (even when the cooker is switched off and unplugged), and switches to a countdown in the last 13 minutes of cooking to indicate that food is almost ready. Menu options include white and brown rice, curry, and porridge, as well as warming settings. Once the "keep warm" setting starts, the timer counts up from 0 (in hours, not minutes, however) so that you know how long the rice has been held warm.
This model takes up very little space on the countertop, and if you prefer to stash it away when not in use, it only weighs 5 lbs, so it's very easy to move around. One of our favorite space-saving features is the retractable power cord. Compared to other small appliances, it takes up about the same space as a standard 2-slice toaster. We also liked how it was more square in shape than many other rice cookers, making it less awkward and more space-efficient for storage.
The rice cooker beeps several times when it has finished cooking, and automatically switches to the "keep warm" setting as soon as it is done. A lot of the appeal of this rice cooker lies in its design — it may well be the best-looking rice cooker out there.
The estimated cooking times listed in the manual for each mode were 100% spot on for all three of our batches. However, the total time was quite long — two cups of white rice took 46 minutes to cook. Despite the long wait time, the rice was perfectly cooked and slightly sticky with distinct tender grains. It was just the right doneness and the right texture. Three cups of long-grain white rice took 57 minutes to cook and it came out nice and even. Our final batch with this model was brown rice, which took an hour and 18 minutes. Again, the cook time was much longer than most models we tested, but it produced absolutely perfect rice that was nicely tender with just the right amount of chew.
The unit is easy to clean by hand, and while it's more expensive than some of our other winners, we thought it was worth the price if you cook rice frequently. It makes the perfect amount of rice for 1-3 people, and we recommend it in particular for design-minded folks who value a minimalist design in their kitchen gadgets.
Dimensions: W8.2" x D10" x H7.3" | Capacity: 3 cup | Wattage: 380 watts
Best Large Capacity: Cuckoo CRP-P1009SB Rice Cooker
Pros
Voice guidance helps make the cooking process very easy
Great results with all kinds of rice, including gaba rice
Cons
It's a big unit with a price tag to match
This is a very large rice cooker, and takes up a lot of space on the counter — it took up more room for us than a Kitchen-Aid stand mixer. Also, it needs a considerable amount of space above the machine so the lid can open properly (so, for instance, it can't be placed under a kitchen cabinet). Because of its size and heft, it's also bulky and heavy to move. If you own this rice cooker, you'll likely have to keep on your counter full-time because moving it is a pain.
When you first plug in the machine, a voice prompt welcomes you to your rice cooker. It's a bit startling at first (it's not every day your cooking appliance talks to you!), but we rather enjoyed the feature (the default language is Korean, so you will need to switch to English if that is your preferred language — and for those who don't want the voice prompts, the talking function can be turned off). The voice walks you through the entire process, letting you know which cook setting you're choosing, reminding you to lock the lid, alerting you when the rice is halfway done cooking, as well as when it has 5 minutes left of cooking and when it's completely finished cooking. If you're in the kitchen or nearby, the voice is very clear and easy to hear — however, it's not loud enough to carry to another room.
We appreciated the accessories that come with this machine: It has a dew dish to capture any excess moisture, and we loved the little pocket on the back side of the machine for holding the rice paddle. It also comes with a steam plate, which is a nice additional feature.
This model is super easy to use. Since it's a pressure cooker, there is a large knob you turn to lock the lid to create the pressure inside. The voice prompt will also remind you to lock the lid in case you forget before starting to cook the rice. One of the best features of this machine is that it allows you to cook GABA rice, which blooms or sprouts brown rice so that it brings out the potential health benefits in the grains (GABA has been found to be a beneficial amino acid). It takes about 3 hours to cook, but the taste and flavor (and potential health benefits) are worth the wait — as long as you have the time to let it cook. Basmati rice took us about 25 minutes, and brown rice took 45 minutes. Results were great all around.
While the unit promises — and delivers — well cooked rice, the cost has to justify its usage. So for families that cook/eat rice very often and have room in their kitchens for a large unit, this rice cooker is a good buy.
Dimensions: 11.6"D x 14.2"W x 10.2"H | Capacity: 10 cups | Weight: 16 lbs | Wattage: 1150 watts
Best Investment: Zojirushi Induction Heating System Rice Cooker & Warmer
Pros
It's large but not bulky and easy to move
You can customize your rice texture
Cons
Long cook times, especially for brown rice
There's substantial recommended upkeep
You can customize your rice texture on our best investment winner (regular, softer, harder), as well as choose any number of presets, from porridge, to sushi rice, to brown rice. There's the standard warming function, and, as a fun added bonus, this model plays a little tune when cooking is complete. This rice cooker will also beep if the lid is not closed properly, or if the rice is not loosened after cooking.
Considering the capacity of this rice cooker, it's appropriately sized; large, but not bulky. You can leave it on a shelf and take it down to use it while maintaining room for other meal prepping—all without a particularly large kitchen.
The basket-like handle folds down for more compact storage, but makes it easy to lift. The non-stick coating of the inner pot is extremely effective — we had no issues with rice sticking and it's super easy to clean.
Sushi rice took us 45 minutes with this model and it came out soft but chewy, with no clumping — even without fluffing it. Basmati rice turned out great as well, and cooked in 55 minutes. We included some aromatics in this batch, and the flavors distributed as well as you'd expect in a rice cooker. Brown rice took well over an hour.
Regular hand-washing for quick cleanup is a breeze, but to maintain the rice cooker, you will need to spend a bit more time focusing on each part: The manufacturer recommends vacuuming the air intake duct once a month, checking that the inner valve and lid filters have not become clogged, as well as checking that the inner safety valve has not become clogged. They also recommend cleaning the lid hooks, wiping the gaskets, and washing the steam vent.
This brand is a mainstay for preparing sushi rice and Japanese food, so with the steep price tag comes brand reliability. We expect this rice cooker to last you a really long time.
Dimensions: 10"D x 14"W x 8"H | Capacity: up to 5.5 cups | Weight: 9 lbs | Wattage: 1230 watts
Best for Beginners: Panasonic 5-Cup One-Touch Fuzzy Logic Rice Cooker
Pros
Great for beginners
Easy to clean
Cons
Does not have a timer
This machine was probably one of the easiest small kitchen appliances we've ever had to learn. You don't need to control anything with this model — it's all automatic, so it's perfect for anyone who isn't an intuitive chef or just wants something easy. The panel shows all the options on this machine: quick cook/steam, white rice, brown rice, porridge/soup, plus the on/off button and a "keep warm" feature (which, like many models on this list, comes on automatically after cooking is complete). It's a pretty standard rice cooker, which is great for anyone who has never used one before or doesn't want to learn a whole new machine.
It's middle of the road in terms of size. It's not obnoxiously large, but this is no compact device either — about the size of a KitchenAid mixer. As with most rice cookers, the top flips up pretty high, so be mindful of your cabinet height. And in terms of cleanup, it just requires a quick wipe-down after use.
Our Jasmine rice came out soft yet still had distinct grains (aka no mush). It was very evenly cooked with no clumping and was overall a really great batch. It took about 30 minutes, but because this model doesn't have a timer or a beeper, it's easy to lose track. The sushi rice needed just the right amount of water — measuring is important! — but even after accidentally adding too much, it turned out pretty well. A blended rice mix turned out perfectly for us as well.
Overall, we were impressed by the price for how well this unit performs. We'd recommend it for beginners or anyone who doesn't want all the bells and whistles.
Dimensions: 10.2"D x 13.9"W x 7.8"H | Capacity: 5-cup | Weight: 6.6 lbs | Wattage: 750 watts
Things to Consider
Pricing
A good basic model, like the Aroma 6-Cup Rice Cooker, makes a great batch of rice, but if you're looking for a lot of added features, you'll need to increase your budget. "To an extent, you do get what you pay for." says chef Debbie Lee. "It’s sort of like buying a car — you want to make sure that vehicle can go the distance for your travel needs."
However, as in the case of the Aroma (and other well-priced standard models on this list) expensive does not always equate to quality. According to Ambrely Ouimette, Executive Chef at Sushi | Bar in Miami, FL, "While more expensive rice cookers often come with additional features, larger capacities, and higher-quality materials, a higher price does not necessarily guarantee better-tasting or fluffier rice. Properly using a moderately priced rice cooker with the right settings, water ratio, and cooking time can produce excellent results."
Functions and Features
"Always make sure that the functions are something you can work with," says Lee. "Some rice cookers can be super advanced with technology, and that's not for everyone. So buy a model that you feel comfortable using, whatever functions it's got." Ouimette notes that, at a minimum, you might want to consider elements like a delay timer and a warming function.
Results and Reviews
"Some of the signs of a low-quality rice cooker include uneven or inconsistently cooked rice, a lack of features (like a timer or multiple cooking settings), and of course, poor customer reviews," notes Ouimette. Lucky for you, we've reviewed 8 winning models above for various cooking abilities and needs.
People / Alana Al-Hatlani
How We Tested
Our testers evaluated 20 rice cookers by making two or more cups of rice at least three times a week over a three-week testing period. We prepared a different style of rice for each use, i.e. white long grain, brown rice, sushi rice, etc. being sure to rinse the rice first. We also used each rice cooker's "keep warm" function for at least two hours in one of the tests. Then, we scored each rice cooker on ease of use, performance, design, ease of cleaning, and finally, value. The team combined those numerical scores along with testers' commentary to determine our winners.
Frequently Asked Questions
What size/capacity rice cooker do I need?
Lee says it's always best to choose a rice cooker that is a good fit for your household: "For example, if you are single and do not cook for others much, you can get a compact one that makes up to 6 cups of rice. But if you’re a family of four, I would go with a larger one that can yield 2-3 quarts. I will always make extra as we make fried rice the next day, or I place it in a Ziplock bag in the freezer to store for when I need last minute."
To that last point, Ouimette firmly believes there's a maximum limit for the majority of rice cooker shoppers. "Most home chefs won’t need something bigger than a 2-quart rice cooker unless they’re planning on hosting very large parties," she says.
Which types of brands make the best rice cookers?
"The steaming mechanism on your rice cooker is so crucial to produce the fluffiest of rice," Lee tells PEOPLE Tested. "The Asian brands tend to have this down. and if you are someone who cooks rice like we do in our house daily, you may want to look into a more advanced model that has great reviews." On PEOPLE's list, the Zojirushi, Tiger, and Muji models fit this bill.
Why Trust PEOPLE?
Rennie Dyball is an experienced commerce writer. To compile this review, she consulted our testers about a range of rice cookers and gained their impressions of such qualities as capacity, ease of use, performance, design, and ease of cleaning. While researching rice cookers, we spoke with Food Network's chef Debbie Lee.
What Is People Tested?
We created the PEOPLE Tested seal of approval to help you find the very best products for your life. We use our unique methodology to test products in three labs across the country and with our network of home testers to determine their effectiveness, durability, ease of use, and so much more. Based on the results, we rate and recommend products so you can find the right one for your needs.
But we don’t stop there: We also regularly re-review the categories in which we’ve awarded the PEOPLE Tested seal of approval — because the best product of today might not be the best of tomorrow. And by the way, companies can never buy our recommendation: Their products must earn it, fair and square.
In short, PEOPLE Tested provides recommendations you can trust — every day, every purchase.
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