There are some best rice cookers available in market for rice lIf you love eating rice, then you know as well as I do that cooking it perfectly can be hard! Especially if you’re a beginner.

So choosing a rice cooker that can do the job for you will save you a lot of time, money, energy, and finally, headaches.

But not only this, it’ll give you delicious rice that you can put in sushi, rice and beans, or other delicious dishes! And, if you get a really good rice cooker, you’ll be able to do more than cook rice… keep reading to find out how.

I bought the 6 best rice cookers that are on Amazon right now. And trust me, these were really hard to rank because they all have amazing qualities.They’re the best on the market, and I’ll rank them based on affordability, value for the price, features, versatility, and the accessories included as well as their quality.

Three of them are mini ones, and the other three are regular sized. They’ll be divided into two categories according to their size, and I’ll decide which is the winner in each category.

Let’s go.

Before You Buy

Smart vs. Classic Rice Cookers

Before you buy a rice cooker, there are a few things you should keep in mind.

First, that there are different types of rice cookers. Not just the “classic” ones that have a removable nonstick pot.

The ones I’m talking about are computerized rice cookers. These have “smart” settings that make sure that you don’t burn your rice, for example, because you left it in for too long. Or, even if you mess up your ratios of rice and water or other ingredients, the smart rice cookers will use something called “fuzzy logic” to fix it for you!

That way, you save time, money, and even food.

But, if you’re a beginner, then you’ll find that using a classic rice cooker is easier, since you just have to pop in your ingredients, push a button and presto, you’ve got your rice or dish done!

And classic rice cookers tend to be more affordable than smart rice cookers, with the smart variety of rice cookers ranging from $100 to even $500, but the classic ones ranging from $20 to $60.

I know, the smart ones are crazy expensive. However, this is because the systems of these smart rice cookers are highly advanced in their code, and they can do more than cook rice. They are multi functional. They even seem like a sort of air fryer in the sense that you pop almost any food in there and it’ll cook it.

But when it comes to the classic version of rice cookers in general is that they don’t have an established timer for different settings of rice, and different kinds of rice need to be cooked at different times. So, just keep that in mind when you buy a classic rice cooker. These are good just for an instant pot meal kind of deal.

I would know.I’ve had one, and there’s no way it would even cross your mind to cook anything else other than rice in those things.

But what I was most surprised about in my research and experiment is that, if you buy the right classic rice cooker, you can cook other amazing and delicious dishes other than rice in them. You just have to know where to look.

So, now that you know the core differences between rice cookers, here’s the main or basic features of different rice cookers depending on their category.

Basic Features of a Great Rice Cooker

Now, when it comes to getting your first rice cooker, you don’t only want the best, but you need a rice cooker that has all of the basic features or requirements of a quality one.And if it has added bonuses, like extra functions or accessories, even better. The more, the merrier!

However, these basic features depend heavily on the rice cooker you choose, so I’ve made two different categories: basic features of a classic rice cooker and the same for smart rice cookers.

Let’s get into it!

Classic Rice Cooker Basics

So, to begin, before you buy a classic, removable-pot rice cooker,you need to make sure that it is nonstick. That way, your rice won’t stick to the surface of the cooker when you’re preparing it.

But the way you can make sure that it’s nonstick is by checking what it’s made of and if it has nonstick coating. If it’s just made of stainless steel and it doesn’t say it has nonstick coating on it, say goodbye and move on to the next one.

This is because stainless steel is not nonstick and will cause you more trouble than joy when it comes to rice cookers and even general cookware. I would know, I’ve had rice cookers that are made of only stainless steel, and accidentally burning rice on those is a NIGHTMARE.

Anyway, another feature you should look out for is the “keep warm” function and the small button that you press to cook the rice on the cooker.

But, other than that, classic rice cookers are pretty user-friendly and simple, which is why they’re ideal for the beginner or not-so-avidcook.

Smart Rice Cooker Basics

Now, smart rice cookers are different.

These are basically microwaves or air fryers. They are SO advanced they even have microcomputers with fuzzy logic inside.

But the features you should look out for when it comes to getting one are the built-in steam function,a white rice function, a brown rice function, a sushi rice function, and a flash rice function. The latter will make sure that you cook your rice basically instantly.

But something in common between smart and classic rice cookers, though, is that they should have a keep-warm function.

So, now, I’m going to tell you exactly which rice cookers are the bestand rank them so you can compare them and buy the best.

Let’s go.

Regular Rice Cookers

Zojirushi Rice Cooker & Warmer NS-LGC05XB Micom

At the bottom of the list sits the Zojirushi Rice Cooker & Warmer, the NS-LGC05XB Micom model. It has the capacity to hold 3 cups of uncooked rice and it’s made of stainless steel. It’s multifunctional, with settings for white rice, brown rice, GABA brown rice, long grain white rice, sushi rice, oatmeal and even flash cooking. It includes a removable pot, a rice paddle, and a measuring cup.

Being electric and whatnot, the microcomputer on the inside of the rice cooker automatically adjusts the cooking time and temperature, making it easier for when you don’t know which time or temperature settings to use.

Now, I have a few problems with this one. Not only is it expensive, sitting at $139.95 on Amazon, but it’s made of stainless steel, which does not guarantee that it’s nonstick.

And while they do have a 5-star rating on Amazon, they only have about 3,579 ratings total, which I wouldn’t trust fully that it’s a quality rice cooker, since it’s not nonstick and could cause you more trouble than joy in the long run.

While it has plenty of features, there’s rice cookers out there that have more, and for way less money and way more capacity than this one. And versatility-wise, it also not only markets itself as just being able to cook rice and oatmeal, but the presets that it has also don’t allow it to go beyond just cooking those two things, which makes it the least versatile of this entire list.

This one is number last for me in all categories. 1/5 stars.

Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker

Next on the list isthe Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker.Measuring about 14 x 8 x 9 inches, it is a 5.5-cup capacity rice cooker with a computerized “Fuzzy logic” technology that comes in a beautiful, white, futuristic-looking pod. It’s multifunctional, and its settings include the keep-warm function, extended keep-warm setting, and reheat setting.

The power consumption on it is about 680W, which is pretty good for such a big rice cooker! And it includes the following accessories: 2 rice measuring cups, a rice paddle/spoon, the holder for the rice spoon, and recipes inside of the product.

But what’s most cool about it is that its menu includes a great variety of cooking settings! The first one is white rice (which includes the regular rice and sushi rice, and if you would like it harder or softer), then comes mixed rice, porridge, sweet rice, semi-brown rice, brown rice, and, finally, quick cooking settings.

While it is made of stainless steel, it includes a removable nonstick pot that heats food evenly and has an LCD clock and timer! It’s even wall mountable. What?!? Yeah, you heard me. You can mount it on a wall. It’s on Amazon for $187.19, and its 10-cup capacity counterpart is on for $190.23… only $3 more for 5 more cups of capacity!

Now, when it comes to affordability, this Zojirushi rice cooker lies more on the expensive side, but with all its features and bonuses, I would say it’s well worth it.

Now, while this one is the most expensive out of all of the rice cookers on this list, I found that this one is great for people who don’t mind spending a lot more on their rice cookers but are still looking for quality, versatility, and awesome features.

For me, this rice cooker sits at about 4.2 stars, just because of how expensive it is and how much more affordable even better other rice cookers are in the market.

Aroma Housewares Rice Cooker& Food Steamer

And in the first position, we have the Aroma Housewares Rice Cooker and Food Steamer. It comes in a gorgeous sterling silver color, and it holds up to 8 cups (2 quarts) of cooked rice in it, which is 4 cups of raw rice.

It has the most capacity, the least power consumption (sitting at 450W of power),and it includes accessories such as a bonded granite nonstick removable pot, a measuring cup for rice, a steam tray (which allows it to cook rice while meat and veggies steam above), and a spatula, plus recipes online.

It also has a delay timer that holds up to 15 hours, which means that you can program to cook food 15 hours ahead of time!

Oh, and before I forget, it’s sold on Amazon for only $29.92. I know, crazy, right?!

As it is said in its title, it is also a food steamer, in which you can cook rice and vegetables (together or apart), as well as soups and even chili!I even found that it was good for one-pot meals, such as polenta, chicken fried rice, andlentil soup!

It has a removable steam tray that, if removed, allows you to pour water into the cooker and steam vegetables and other good stuff!

It has a little menu on it with different kinds of buttons that determine each function. For example, it has the white rice and brown rice buttons, which respectively work to make each kind of rice.And obviously, it has the automatic keep-warm function. But it also has a flash rice function, which allows you to cut cooking time by half!

I also found it to be really easy to use, and I was surprised, because I had never used an electronic rice cooker before all of these. But compared to the rest, this was the easiest.

But what I didn’t know until I tried was that it also allows you to cook other grains like barley, couscous, risotto, and quinoa! It even lets you make oatmeal! And just by following the instructions given to you with the product.

So, when it comes to versatility, clearly this product is completely and irrevocably #1.

Now, when it comes to affordability and value for the price, this aroma rice cooker is no doubt the best for me on this list. It’s an electronic, smart rice cooker that’s sold under $30 AND it brings all of this?! That’s crazy!

Now while it may seem like you might get what you pay for and like it’s too good to be true, think again. Not only have I personally used this and loved it, but Aroma has over 47,428 ratings that give it a total of 4.5 stars out of 5. That’s really good!

And from me, I give it 5 stars with no hesitation.

Regular Rice Cooker Winner

The winner across the board for the regular rice cookers is the Aroma Housewares Rice Cooker & Food Steamer! The versatility of its function as both a rice cooker and steamer is amazing, and with all of its possibilities to open you up to a whole new world of cuisine, it’s the perfect rice cooker.

I give it 5 stars!

The difference between purchasing one or the others is that the Aroma rice cooker has more capacity, less power consumption, more versatility of meal-making, and more items and added bonuses to the purchase than the others! It really is a great rice cooker.

Mini Rice Cookers

Zojirushi Rice Cooker NHS-06

 

Now, for the mini rice cookers! At the bottom of this list is the Zojirushi rice cooker, the NHS-06 model. It is made of stainless steel and comes in a sophisticated, white and glossy case with a dual-function button that has the cook and keep-warm function in it once you push down to activate it.

It also has a red light that lights up once you push the button down to let you know it’s cooking.

It comes in a 3-cup capacity for about $47.99, and 6-cup capacity at $64.25 and includes a rice spoon, a rice measuring cup, and a removable nonstick pot. Its power consumption is about 300W (kind of big for such a small rice cooker).

Now, when it comes to affordability, this mini rice cooker is a bit more on the expensive side. And as for features, being a classic rice cooker, I didn’t expect it to have many of them, but this one didn’t really pop out to me in any way, since it’s not versatile in the way that you can make more than rice with it.

I found myself to be a bit disappointed with this one, since, as people, we tend to think that quality means paying more money. But it really was not the case for this small rice cooker at all.

I’m going to be giving it 2/5 stars in my book.

 

 Dash Mini Rice Cooker in Pink

 

Next up is the Dash Mini Rice Cooker in pink.It’s made of plastic and metal with 2 cups of capacity, has a nonstick pot you can remove, and a dual-function button that has the cook function and it keeps your food warm in it once you push down to activate it.

Again, it also has a red light that lights up once you push the button down to let you know it’s cooking. But this time it has that for the warm function as well.

This kind of rice cooker is best for people who are traveling, have a smaller kitchen, or live in a dorm room or camper. So, in this case, portability is really important, and this rice cooker passes the test with flying colors.

I also find it to be extremely affordable, sitting at $24.99 on Amazon, with the features, versatility, and accessories includedbeing a 1-year manufacturer guarantee, a rice spoon, a measuring cup, a removable nonstick pot, a recipe book, and access to a recipe database!

But anyway, a lot of what I have to say about this rice cooker I can say about the next one, so read on if you want to know about the best mini rice cooker on Amazon!

Dash Mini Rice Cooker Steamer in Black

Up at the top of the list for the mini rice cookers is the Dash Mini Rice Cooker Steamer in black.It’s literally the exact same thing that the pink one, but this one is on sale for $19.99 on Amazon.

It’s made of plastic and metal with 2 cups of capacity, has a nonstick pot you can remove, and a dual-function button that has the cook function and it keeps your foodwarm in it once you push down to activate it.

Again, it has the little red light that turns on when you push the button down, just like any other classic rice cooker.

It comes in really fun colors, like mint green, pink, black, and red. It includes a 1-year manufacturer guarantee and includes a rice paddle, a rice measuring cup, the expected removable nonstick pot, a recipe book, and access to a recipe database!

Anyway, this rice cooker not only markets itself as versatile, it lives up to the hype! It is so versatile in its ability to cook more than rice that you can cook oatmeal, stews, soup, grains like quinoa and lentils, and even pasta!

It is a small rice cooker with lots of power, with the ability to whip up any dish you throw its way with just 200W of power consumption.

And if you’re opting to buy a smaller rice cooker due to portion control, I can safely say that this one is PERFECT for you, since the 2-cup capacity allows you to cook less food, therefore eat less of it in a healthy way!

Now, what is the difference between this black rice cooker and the pink one? Well, they’re essentially the same product, except the black one is slightly more affordable, therefore slightly more accessible to the masses in terms of price.

But anyway, this rice cooker was honestly just a blast to use. Watching my dessert cake cook in there and then taking it off to eat it and wash the nonstick pot was great. It washed off pretty easily and left no mess to be cleaned up, like a traditional cake would!

So, this one is getting a 5-star rating from me. No hesitation whatsoever!

Mini Rice Cooker Winner

The winner across the board for the regular rice cookers is the Dash Mini Rice Cooker in black! The versatility of its function as both a rice cooker and even dessert maker is beyond amazing, and it allows you to be more creative in the kitchen. It’s the perfect mini rice cooker.

5 stars from me!

The difference between purchasing one or the others is that the Dash mini rice cooker is more affordable, has less power consumption, more versatility of meal-making, and more items and added bonuses to the purchase than for example, the Zojirushi. It really is a great rice cooker. But when it comes to the pink Dash rice cooker, the only difference there is the price. They’re both really great rice cookers on their own. 

Anyway, with these three rice cookers, the one I found to be the best was the Dash in black, just because of its sheer power and versatility, plus affordability!

The Best Rice Cooker – Overall Winner

Now we ranked all of the rice cookers. But wait, what about which one is best between the Aroma rice cooker and the Dash mini rice cooker?

 You know what? Let’s pit both of them against each other in a fiery showdown to see who’s the best…Let’s put them to the test.

Aroma Houseware Rice Cooker vs. Dash Rice Cooker in Black

Now, don’t get me wrong. I know this is kind of like comparing apples to oranges, but I just have to compare both of these.

Let’s see. Let’s take all of the criteria from the last rounds and apply it to this one. I’ll rank them based on affordability, value for the price, features, versatility, and the accessories included as well as their quality.

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When it comes to the features and the Dash Rice Cooker, it is a classic one, so it’s not going to have as many features, buttons or functions as an electric rice cooker. But since we’re being merciless with our rankings right now, I’m going to have to declare the Aroma the winner in this category. Because remember, it has a multifunctional menu on it with different kinds of buttons.

And these buttons control the white rice and brown rice settings, as well as the automatic keep-warm function (which the classic cooker has as well). So, this means that the Aroma Houseware rice cooker has more precision when it comes to cooking rice (among other dishes) than the Dash does.

As for versatility of meal-making, I’m going to have to give it to the Dash. This is because one good benefit of classic rice cookers is that you’re not restricted by functions that don’t cook anything other than rice. So, for this category, the Dash is the winner, since it can cook just about anything you throw its way!

Ooh, we’re looking at a heavy battle here! 1 point versus 1 point!

Next up is affordability and value for the price. Here the Dash sits at about $19.99 and the Aroma sits at $29.92. Now, just for the affordability, I would give it to the Dash, but seeing as we’re looking for value of price, and the Aroma is made of stainless steel while the Dash is made of plastic and metal, the latter doesn’t seem like it would last very long.

Don’t get me wrong. I still highly recommend the Dash, but, I do have to be honest in the fact that it’s not a forever rice cooker like the Aroma is. That one is affordable AND durable. So, as much as it pains me to say it (because the Dash is really great), I’m going to have to give the Aroma this category, since it’s just better in terms of value for the price you’ll be paying for in the long run.

And finally, the quality of the accessories included. Oh, yes. It’s about to get down.

I was very meticulous about this category, since if I chose one over the other, it would result in a tie. I personally tested the items from both the Aroma and the Dash and compared them.

So, to begin this last category, let’s take a look at the items. The Dash includes a 1-year manufacturer guarantee AND includes a rice paddle, a rice measuring cup, a removable nonstick pot, a recipe book, and access to a recipe database.

The Aroma includes a bonded granite nonstick removable pot, a measuring cup for rice, a steam tray (which allows it to cook rice while meat and veggies steam above), and a spatula, plus recipes online.

So, objectively speaking, they both have recipes online and a removable nonstick pot. But, what the Aroma has that the Dash doesn’t is its granite-bonded nonstick pot, which shows superior quality that the stainless steel one Dash has, and the Aroma has a steaming tray that has a dual function for steaming vegetables or meat while rice is cooking inside, while the Dash does not.

However, the Dash does bring a recipe book that the Aroma doesn’t have, but that doesn’t speak to the quality of its product.

So I find that… the Aroma is better!

Conclusion

The Best Rice Cooker on Amazon

In conclusion, cooking rice by yourself on a normal pot can be really hard, especially if you live alone or even if you have a big family to feed.

But checking out these rice cookers and maybe even buying one of them is sure to make your life easier with cooking in the long run, since these are all designed to make it easier to cook rice, among other delicious dishes, in an easy, one-pot way.

So, the best rice cooker is… *drumroll*.

The Aroma Houseware Rice Cooker!

Since classic rice cookers just honestly don’t compare to more modern, computerized rice cookers, this is the main reason why I chose the Aroma. It was just better in terms of value, features, and quality.

Finally, I honestly recommend you get both the Dash and the Aroma at some point in your life, since they proved to be literally the best rice cookers I’ve ever tried. Thank you so much for reading and enjoy your rice cookers!