Best Rice Cooker in 2023

Best Rice Cooker TechnoBuffalo 2023

The staple diet of over half the world's population, rice is a store cupboard saviour. Being low in fat, and providing B vitamins and iron, getting more rice into your diet is a great idea. The only trouble is, it can be a bit tricky to cook, especially in larger quantities. A good rice cooker can help, our best overall choice, the Judge Horwood JEA10 Family Rice Cooker can cook rice perfectly for up to 10 people. Take a look at this recommended product, and four others to suit smaller households, in our rice cooker collection.

This large capacity cooker has a 1.8-litre cooking pot which means you can make up to 10 servings of rice, or as little as four. Offering fully automatic one-touch operation, it's super simple to use.

The non-stick cooking pot has easy-to-read markings so you can cook the correct amount of rice which it does with an energy-efficient high temperature, low-pressure method. After the rice is done, the JEA10 will keep it warm for up to six hours.

Best Functionality: Yum Asia Panda Mini Rice Cooker

Perfect for individuals and couples, this has a 0.63 litre or 3.5 cup capacity. It has a small footprint, so it is ideal for kitchens where space is at a premium. Despite its diminutive dimensions, it's very capable with the ability to cook white/long grain rice, short-grain sushi rice and brown rice with the cooker settings able to steam, porridge, slow cook and bake.

Controls are via the attractive Korean-designed LED panel where you can activate the 24-hour keep-warm function and a 24-hour timer. The cooker's inner bowl is a high quality, five-layer, 2mm thick ceramic coated pot and the inner lid, steam cap and condensation collector are all removable for easy cleaning.

Best for Individuals: VonShef Rice Cooker

This tiny cooker has just a 300ml or 1.5 cups capacity, so it's the perfect size to make enough rice for a single main meal or two side portions. The inner pot has a non-stick finish and is removable for easy cleaning.

The controls are super-simple, just put the rice and water into the cooking pot, close the lid, and the machine will automatically set the cooking time. There is a keep-warm function for when the rice is done.

Best for Speed: Reishunger Rice Cooker

This rice cooker has a family-friendly capacity of 1.2-litres or 6.5 cups, so can make enough rice to feed six people. Once cooked, the appliance will automatically switch into keep warm mode for up to eight hours.

This boasts a high-quality, heavyweight, removable inner pot made of aluminium that has a double non-stick coating as well as a honeycomb pattern on the bottom so that rice won't burn. Offering quick cooking capabilities, this can cook a single portion of rice in 14 minutes.

Best Value: Quest 35550 Rice Cooker

This truly affordable option has one key feature the other cookers we've featured don't — a clear glass lid so you can see your rice as it cooks. A larger 1.8-litre capacity option, it's a good size for families or larger households.

It has simple settings with just "cook" and "warm" functionality. The removable non-stick bowl can be taken to the table, and it comes complete with a measuring cup and a spatula.

Bottom line

These rice cookers are all capable options to help you perfect your home-cooked rice dishes and will take away the hassle of trying to cook rice in a pan. If you often prepare a variety of types of rice, the Yum Asia Mini Panda product offers a fantastic array of settings suited to the kind of cereal grain you're cooking.

Otherwise, it's best to consider capacity. If you're just cooking for yourself, the VonShef rice cooker is small but perfectly formed to make individual portions of rice. Alternatively, our overall best pick, the Judge Horwood JEA10 Family Rice Cooker can make up to 10 servings of rice in one go, so is absolutely perfect for larger families or people who entertain often.

Credits — The team that worked on this guide

Amy-Mae Turner As Amy-Mae's rice cooked in a pan generally ends up resembling wallpaper paste, she was a perfect fit to create this guide.