Stop Ruining Your Rice on the Stove—Here Are the Best Rice Cookers

My Top Pick

Instant Pot Duo Pressure Cooker

Orig. $100 $90 at Amazon $98 at Walmart $109 at Newegg.com

Multiple times per week, I fill up my Instant Pot 6-Quart Duo just to make rice. At first, I thought I’d be using it mostly to make mains, soup, or dried beans, but as it turns out, its primary role is now to make rice. While I definitely make plenty of white rice, I find rice side dishes are where the Instant Pot really shines. The sauté function lets me quickly make a creamy risotto or flavorful Mexican rice right on my counter instead of adding another pot to my already crowded stovetop.

I love that the rice preset is very convenient for making plain rice, and I don’t have to monitor a pot or worry about an overboil. I do prefer 1.25 cups of water to 1 cup of rice more than the 1:1 ratio Instant Pot recommends, but all my batches come out fluffy with nicely separated grains. And even without using oil or butter, the plain rice doesn’t stick to the stainless-steel inner pot.

I’ve had my Instant Pot for quite a few years now, and everything is still in near-perfect condition, including the inner pot which regularly goes through the dishwasher once the rice is done.

The Details: 4-cup capacity (uncooked rice); 12.2 x 13.38 x 12.48 inches; 7 cooking functions

Best Budget

IMUSA USA GAU-00012 Electric NonStick Rice Cooker

Orig. $25 $20 at Amazon $20 at Target Orig. $45 $39 at Walmart

A high-quality 5-cup rice cooker that comes at a low price, the IMUSA is big enough to feed my family of four and will last for years. It comes with a measuring cup and a serving spoon as well, which I love.

There isn’t a learning curve to using this simple rice cooker. Plug it in, add rice and water, press “cook,” and the rice cooker does the rest. Once the rice is ready, the machine automatically switches to “warm” mode and will stay there until the unit is unplugged. The nonstick coating on the removable inner pot keeps rice from sticking and allows for easy cleaning. The tempered glass lid lets you watch the progress of the rice and has the necessary steam vent (note: pay attention to the amount of water you use if you experience steam vent splatter). 

You can also make other dishes in it besides rice. The manual gives instructions on how to use it for soups and stews, which I found helpful, especially for beginners. The IMUSA also comes in two other sizes: 3-cup and 8-cup. I especially like that the rice cooker is compact and easy to store, so I can have clear counters between meals.

Allstar Lisa Lynn Backus tried this IMUSA model for herself and was impressed with the quick 20-minute cook time. "[It] cooked and warmed perfectly with white, brown, basmati, jasmine, specialty rice with grains, wild rice, even meats and spices," she says.  "I did not experience any overcooking or scorching, and kept the dish warming for over an hour."

The Details: 5-cup capacity (uncooked rice); 9.45 × 9.45 × 8.07 inches; 1 setting

Best Space-Saver

Aroma Housewares 4-Cup Rice & Grain Cooker

Orig. $25 $20 at Amazon $21 at Walmart $28 at Wayfair

If you’re looking for a compact rice cooker, then look no further. The Aroma Housewares 4-Cup rice cooker is only 8.5 inches wide by 6.5 inches high, which is an inch or two smaller than similar-sized rice cookers. You could store the lid upside down in the pot to take up even less space when not in use. 

The simple design makes cooking rice stress-free. You simply add two full cups of white or brown rice, fill the nonstick inner pot with water to the 2-cup line, and turn it on. Once the rice is cooked, the machine will automatically turn to the warm setting, with the indicator light on the front clearly showing you if the rice is cooking or on warm. Like other single-button rice cookers, you’ll need to unplug it for it to turn off.

Though the warming feature is a nice touch, Allstar LaDonna Langwell warns users not to leave rice on that mode for too long, as it can dry out the rice. "Other than that, the rice turned out perfect. It was very evenly cooked and took about 20 minutes to cook," she says. "If you want something that will make a quick pot of rice without dirtying up a sauce pan, this little Aroma cooker is for you. It's small, lightweight, and you can also use it to warm up soup! It's very convenient and also very cute!"

What I really like about the Aroma is that it comes in multiple colors and comes with a measuring cup and a rice paddle for serving. Keep in mind that the compact size of the rice cooker makes rice for 1 to 2 people, and larger options are not available.

The Details: 2-cup capacity (uncooked rice); 8.5 x 7 x 6.5 inches; 1 setting

Best Large

Zojirushi Rice Cooker

$190 at Amazon $220 at Target $182 at Walmart

Chefs and rice enthusiasts alike turn to Zojirushi for making rice. This is one of its larger rice cookers, and it comes with all the bells and whistles of a high-end appliance. With enough room for 10 cups of uncooked rice, this will feed up to 12 people, making it the perfect size for large households.

What makes Zojirushi rice cookers so fantastic is the “fuzzy logic” technology. There’s a sensor at the bottom of the pot to help the machine adjust the cooking time and temperature for every type of rice. Even if your measurements aren’t perfect, this will still turn out perfect rice. Rice will do a pre-soak before cooking and steaming, so be aware that it takes longer from start to finish than basic rice cookers.  

In addition to all of that, I like that this has multiple rice presets plus a cake setting and a Quick Cooking setting for a speedier option. It also has two delay start modes, giving you the ultimate flexibility when it comes to cooking dinner. Another one of the beloved functions of the Zojirushi is the option to have it play melodies when the rice is finished. That, and the retractable cord, are two things I wish more appliances had.

"This Zojirushi cooker is so much more than just a rice cooker," says Lisa. "It’s a steamer, soup maker, and cake baker. [It] was fabulous to cook basmati, jasmine, and specialty rice dishes with red rice, forbidden rice, orzo, meats, spices, and broths." One downside Lisa has with the Zojirushi is the weight and bulky build, however she does appreciate that the machine comes with a support handle for carrying it around.

The Details: 10-cup capacity (uncooked rice); 11.12 x 15 x 9.87 inches; 8 settings

Best Design

Cuckoo 6-Cup Micom Rice Cooker

Orig. $110 $95 at Amazon $110 at Walmart $88 at Wayfair

The Cuckoo Micom Rice Cooker brings contemporary design to the world of rice cookers. It doesn’t have any protruding handles or knobs, which makes it easy to store, with two color options (gray and white), as well as two sizes (3 cups and 6 cups). This comes with 12 menu options as well as a custom mode; you can even make baby food in it! (Of course, if you don’t have a baby, you could use that cooking mode to make applesauce or mashed sweet potatoes.)

Like the Zojirushi, you’ll have perfect rice every time thanks to the “fuzzy logic” technology—which involves a pre-soak, so the rice will take a bit longer to cook. I appreciate that the touch screen is on the lid instead of the side of the machine, cutting down on visual clutter. That being said, the menu can be slightly difficult to read depending on the angle and lighting. The nonstick inner pot makes this easy to clean, especially when using the self-cleaning mode.

LaDonna was also impressed with the sturdy machine, praising its capacity, ease of cleaning, and attractive, sleek appearance. She notes that due to the egg shape, it's a bit tricky to store. However, since it's nice to look at, she doesn't mind setting it on her countertop. "This rice cooker by Cuckoo is just the thing if you really, really like rice and make it a lot," she says. "We made Spanish rice in it, and it turned out great."

The Details: 6-cup capacity (uncooked rice); 11.34 x 14.9 x 10.2 inches; 12 settings

Best Stainless Steel

Aroma Housewares Select Stainless 6-Cup Rice Cooker & Warmer

Orig. $40 $33 at Amazon Orig. $40 $34 at Walmart $33 at Wayfair

A lot of rice cookers only come with a nonstick-coated inner pot, which not everyone wants. This Aroma Housewares option, though, comes with a stainless-steel inner pot that’s also dishwasher safe.

Like the other Aroma Housewares cooker on this list, this compact machine makes cooking rice easy. Just add three full cups of rice, fill with water to the 3-cup line, and turn it on. There’s a tempered glass lid to monitor the cooking, and it automatically switches to warm when the rice is done cooking. There’s also a larger size available that holds 14 cups of cooked rice. Both the measuring cup and rice spatula are made of BPA-free plastic and are dishwasher-safe.

While Allstar Lisa didn't notice any sticking or scorching after the 25-minute cooking time, she did find the rice just slightly overcooked at the bottom, which made it trickier to clean. She did, however, admire the lightweight construction and the compact size. The included rice spatula can slot into the handle to save on drawer space.

The Details: 3-cup capacity (uncooked rice); 10.25 x 8.25 x 7.88 inches; 1 setting

Best Multicooker

Our Place Dream Cooker

Orig. $199 $179 at Amazon View on Fromourplace.com

I use my Instant Pot all the time but I’ll admit, I’ve been checking out the Our Place Dream Cooker. The Dream Cooker is a multicooker with four functions—pressure cook, slow cook, sear, or saute—and a setting for keeping food warm. At the end of the day, this is everything I need from a multicooker. I like that there are no presets, which gives the cook full control over the length of cooking time. You can also easily toggle between the cooking modes.

The inner pot has an aluminum core with a ceramic nonstick coating, meaning cleanup will be easy. Its performance would be enough to justify the price, but it also has a great design. The gorgeous matte colors make this an appliance you won’t mind leaving out on the counter (which is good because at 18 pounds, it’s heavier than other multicookers). The easy-to-use LED control panel disappears entirely when the machine isn’t on. It is more expensive than other rice cookers, but the superior functionality seems worth it.

The Details: 4-cup capacity (uncooked rice); 13.3 x 12.4 x 15.2 inches; 4 cooking functions