The Best Rice Cookers of 2024

Save time in the kitchen by leaving rice preparation to a rice cooker. Rice cookers are essential kitchen tools that do all the work of cooking rice for you. Use one of these awesome machines and you will no longer have to deal with the trial and error that comes with making rice. on the stovewhich often results in undercooked or overcooked rice, or even completely burnt rice.

There are many rice cookers on the market, so if you’re new to rice cookers, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. That’s why we’ve done the work for you and rounded up the four best options. These rice cookers produce perfectly cooked rice every time and have a large enough capacity to serve your entire family.

The Best Rice Cookers of 2024

Our picks for the best rice cookers of 2024 come from top brands. Not only that, they’re also highly rated by customers — all CBS Essentials suggestions have a rating of 4 stars or higher.

Best Rice Cooker: Zojirushi NS-TSC10 Micom Rice Cooker and Warmer, 5.5 Cup

Zojirushi is widely regarded as one of the best rice cooker brands in the market, so you will definitely get a return on your investment if you go ahead and buy one of these. The brand is known for its durability, multiple cooking options, and most importantly, for cooking rice perfectly every time.

The Zojirushi NS-TSC10 Micom Rice Cooker and Warmer can cook white rice, sushi rice, mixed rice, brown rice, and sweet rice (also known as sticky rice). It has a quick cook setting, a steam setting that lets you extend the life of your already cooked rice, and a cake setting (yes, you can actually make a cake here). You can even set a timer before you leave for the day so that the rice is cooked and freshly prepared the moment you get home.

Of all the features this rice cooker has, what really stands out are the sushi and quick cook settings, which aren’t always common in rice cookers. And if you thought this rice cooker couldn’t get any better, it does; the rice cooker is on sale for 31% off.

Best Budget Rice Cooker: Cuckoo Micom Six-Cup Rice Cooker (CR-0655F), Six Cup

This rice cooker has many of the same features as more expensive rice cookers, although it costs less than $100. It includes an easy-to-read LCD display and has a tight-fitting lid that is great for retaining steam, which helps keep rice warm. You can use this Cuckoo to cook white rice, brown rice, mixed rice, as well as porridge and baby food.

There’s a multi-cook function that lets you go beyond grains, giving you the option to prepare dishes such as soups and roasts. And if you’re short on time, you can activate the turbo mode, which is essentially the brand’s quick cooking option. Buy it now and you can save 28% on your purchase.

The Cuckoo Micom Six-Cup Rice Cooker has a 4.6-star rating on Amazon. One reviewer wrote, “Best rice cooker I’ve ever owned. Worth the money.”

Another customer said: “I would give this rice cooker ten stars if I could. The rice is perfect every time, it is easy to use and very easy to clean after use. The instructions can be a little confusing but the operation is very simple. I am very happy with the quality of this cooker and the rice tastes much better and has a perfect texture every time. I highly recommend it!!”

Best Rice Cooker for Small Kitchens: Zojirushi NHS-06 Three-Cup Rice Cooker/Steamer

Zojirushi is so great that we couldn’t help but mention the brand twice in this list. The NHS-06 model is ideal for someone who primarily cooks white or brown rice in a small home and doesn’t have to feed a large family. This rice cooker has only one cooking function and produces up to six cups of rice, which is more than enough to feed two people for one meal.

While this model doesn’t have all the features of the larger models, it will still allow you to make a perfectly cooked cup of rice. And at the end of the day, that’s all that really matters when you’re buying a rice cooker. CBS Essentials Purchasing Expert — and, yes, owner of this model — I can confirm.

The Zojirushi NHS-06/10/18 has a 4.6-star rating on Amazon. One reviewer said this rice cooker was a game changer, adding, “I used to cook all my rice on the stovetop, which is usually hit and miss. It would come out all sticky and clumpy. We just bought this rice cooker and it’s like night and day! The rice tastes so much better! It doesn’t come out sticky and I don’t have to worry about it burning on the bottom.”

“I just put in the recommended water and rice and left it alone while I made the rest of dinner. I could see a huge difference in the outcome of the rice. VERY HAPPY with this purchase!”

The most versatile rice cooker: Panasonic SR-CN108 Five-Cup Rice Cooker

This Panasonic rice cooker offers a surprising amount of cooking options, which is why we love it so much. You can cook white rice, brown rice, multigrain rice, jasmine rice, sticky rice, and even claypot rice. You also have the option to customize the texture of your rice (soft, regular, or hard); after all, not everyone likes their rice prepared exactly the same way.

And that’s just for rice. The SR-CN108 also lets you make quinoa, porridge, cakes, breads, and slow-cooked soups. Plus, with a steamer basket, you can steam vegetables or meats to accompany your grain dish. And if you ever need to transport this machine, it has a convenient handle.

The Panasonic SR-CN108 rice cooker has a 4.3-star rating on Amazon. One reviewer wrote, “I’ve had it for over a month now. [I] I made four different types of rice, oatmeal, soup and made the banana cake recipe that goes with it… It all turned out great.”