Better Homes & Gardens ·Nov 29, 2022

The 8 Best Rice Cookers That Will Make Delicious Rice Every Single Time

If you cook rice often, you’re sure to appreciate the convenience of a rice cooker. After all, the best rice cookers will cook perfectly fluffy rice with each use, so you’ll never have to worry. Besides foolproof rice, however, you’ll also be able to steam or simmer other foods and various grains, making the small appliance a worthy investment for your kitchen.

“The advantage of a rice cooker is perfectly cooked rice that you don’t have to watch. It is a total set-it-and-forget approach to rice. Once the rice is cooked it stays warm so it is one less thing to worry about when preparing a meal,” says Natalie Lee, chef and owner of Mikki and Al’s Noshery.

To find the best rice cookers we researched a variety of picks, keeping in mind dimensions, capacity, care, and the number of settings. In addition to Chef Lee, we also consulted Chef Pete Servold, a classically trained French Chef and founder of Pete’s Real Food.

Here are the best rice cookers.

Best Multipurpose: Cuckoo CR-0655F Rice Cooker and Warmer

This CUCKOO style is the best rice cooker if you prefer a unit with tons of flexibility. In addition to manual settings, the rice cooker has 11 pre-set modes, so you can prep your rice however you see fit.

Some of the pre-set modes on this rice cooker include baby food, porridge, white rice, and steam. The steam setting allows you to cook up some veggies, but keep in mind that unlike some other styles, there’s no steamer basket so all the cooking has to be done in the main bowl.

Reviewers praise the attractive look, easy-to-use buttons, large capacity, and affordable price tag. The one drawback is the lack of a steamer basket that some other multipurpose cookers have, but those often come with a higher price tag, less reliable features, and a bigger footprint.