If you are a person who regularly eats rice, you know how difficult it is to get perfectly cooked rice every time. Fortunately, with the help of a rice cooker, you can get rid of this hassle.

The conventional rice cookers are primarily of large sizes, and if you regularly have to cook rice for one or two people, you should look for smaller ones.

Now the question is, how to choose the best small rice cooker as there are many options available in the market?

This article will review the ten best mini rice cookers in the market along with a buying guide and more.

Let’s check it out!

Preview
Top Choice
Dunar - Elonga Basmati Rice Premium 1121 Long Grain, 10 Lb
Best Value
Royal White Basmati Rice, 20 Pound (Pack of 1)
Runner-up
Pride Of India - Extra Long Indian Premium White Basmati Rice, 10 Pound (4.54 Kilo) Reclosable Bag - Naturally Aromatic, Aged, Flavorful, Slender, Non Sticky Grains - Great Value for Money
Title
Dunar - Elonga Basmati Rice Premium 1121 Long Grain, 10 Lb
Royal White Basmati Rice, 20 Pound (Pack of 1)
Pride Of India - Extra Long Indian Premium White Basmati Rice, 10 Pound (4.54 Kilo) Reclosable Bag - Naturally Aromatic, Aged, Flavorful, Slender, Non Sticky Grains - Great Value for Money
Top Choice
Preview
Dunar - Elonga Basmati Rice Premium 1121 Long Grain, 10 Lb
Title
Dunar - Elonga Basmati Rice Premium 1121 Long Grain, 10 Lb
More information
Best Value
Preview
Royal White Basmati Rice, 20 Pound (Pack of 1)
Title
Royal White Basmati Rice, 20 Pound (Pack of 1)
More information
Runner-up
Preview
Pride Of India - Extra Long Indian Premium White Basmati Rice, 10 Pound (4.54 Kilo) Reclosable Bag - Naturally Aromatic, Aged, Flavorful, Slender, Non Sticky Grains - Great Value for Money
Title
Pride Of India - Extra Long Indian Premium White Basmati Rice, 10 Pound (4.54 Kilo) Reclosable Bag - Naturally Aromatic, Aged, Flavorful, Slender, Non Sticky Grains - Great Value for Money
More information

Advantages of Using a Small Rice Cooker

Before diving into the main article, let’s discuss why you need to go with a small rice cooker instead of a conventional larger one.

Relatively Smaller

If you live single or have a small family of two persons, you probably don’t need a large kitchen. Thankfully, a small rice cooker for two persons will not take much of the space from your kitchen room.

On the other hand, if you are a person who travels a lot and wants to take the rice cooker easily with you wherever you go and have a quick meal loaded with the carb, your travel rice cooker can be a temporary solution.

With it, you can increase your stamina and energy on the go and enjoy a stress-free journey.

Able to Cook Different Dishes

Rice cookers are not the only expert at cooking rice; they can cook different dishes as well. If you want some vegetables with your fried rice, you can steam vegetables using the same cooking device.

Along with cooking different types of rice, such as brown rice, it also cooks dishes like soups, porridge, and steamed vegetables.

People who prefer to have soup before having a heavy meal, such as rice, can prepare soup as a starter as well.

Some of the rice cookers can cook rice, and at the same time, steam vegetables in a dedicated steaming basket.

Doesn’t Require Monitoring

As the cooker will take care of your rice, you don’t need to come to the kitchen and monitor the cooking process now and then. You sit back and relax, and after 40-50 minutes, you will get the fluffy rice.

Less Messy

Unlike a microwave oven, a rice cooker doesn’t spill or overflow the excess water, and it keeps your cooking environment neat and clean.

Perfectly Cooked Rice

Whenever you cook rice using a rice cooker, it will deliver you well-cooked rice. And you won’t have to worry about undercooked or overcooked rice.

You Can Keep the Rice Warm for Long-time

Often people don’t eat rice immediately after cooking. In this case, the best mini rice cookers come with the option to keep the rice warm for an extended period.

If you find your rice isn’t warm enough when you are about to eat it after a few hours, you have the ‘Reheat’ option to reheat the rice and present you fluffy and warm rice whenever you want.

Easy Cleaning Non-stick Pan

It isn’t enjoyable to see when rice sticks to the pan. In this case, you have to put extra effort into cleaning the pan.

Thanks to the removable non-stick pan that comes with almost every mini rice cooker, you will no longer have to see rice glued to the pan.

Non-stick pans, as the name suggests doesn’t let the rice stick to the pan and makes cleaning more comfortable as you don’t have to scrap for multiple times.

Easy to Operate

Small rice cookers have an automatic cooking mechanism that only requires your approval through the push button. All you need to do is push a button and rely on the cooker.

Comes with Handful of Accessories

Last but not least, these rice cookers come with some useful accessories like a steaming tray, spatula, and measuring cup. These accessories will make every step comfortable and hassle-free cooking.

Top 10 Best Small Rice Cooker of All Times

Choices are many, and it’s hard to decide which one to buy without doing some research. Luckily, you don’t need to do a further study since I’ve already done it.

Compiling my research, these are my top choices to make things easy for you!

1. Dash DRCM200GBPK04 Mini Rice Cooker

Dash DRCM200GBPK04 Mini Rice Cooker is perfect for two-person or students living in dorms. If you struggle to prepare a leisurely breakfast, quick lunch or dinner, or even snacks, this rice cooker can help you with all these regards. You can use it as a mini rice cooker for traveling as well.

The cooker doesn’t only allow you to cook rice; you can cook oatmeal, stew, pasta, soup, quinoa, and even steam vegetables. So, if you want to have fried rice with veggies, this cooker will be enough for you in that case.

The rice cooker’s best part is that it automatically turns off after cooking the rice. Therefore, it doesn’t overcook or overheat the rice and other ingredients and delivers you properly moist and fluffy rice to enjoy your mealtime.

This compact-looking rice cooker featuring the ‘keep warm’ function will keep your meal warm enough for hours. Very often, rice becomes sticky, and it’s pretty annoying to swallow sticky rice. Luckily, this cooker doesn’t make the rice sticky even if you keep it in warm mode.

No matter how big or small the kitchen is, its compact shape will easily fit your kitchen décor. The cooking pot is PFOA-free nonstick, and easily cleanable even with the dishwasher. It has got a glass lid to cover the rice while cooking.

You will get a rice paddle, a recipe book that includes 14 delicious recipes, and a measuring cup with the package.

Pros

  • It turns off automatically after cooking rice
  • Keep warm function keeps rice warm and fluffy
  • Compact design easily fits small size kitchens

Cons

  • It doesn’t have an on/off switch
  • The glass lid isn’t of good quality
  • When it boils, it spills some amount of water out

Check Latest Price

2. Oyama 3 Cup (uncooked rice) Traditional Rice

This 3-cup rice cooker weighs just 2.5 pounds, making it easy to carry from one place to another. The cooker can feed four people as 3 cups of uncooked rice cups turn into 6 cups of cooked rice. Due to its average size, it will not take that much space in your kitchen room.

The exterior of this rice cooker is made of stainless steel, making it quite durable and easy to clean. Stainless steel and the white color combination give it an elegant look and fit pretty well with kitchen room décor.

When it comes to the cooking part, you need to put rice and pour water in the bowl and forget about it. The cooker will automatically turn off when it finishes the cooking process. You can concentrate on other works while cooking. It comes with a steamer tray for steaming veggies.

This rice cooker’s best-selling part is that it automatically turns on the ‘keep warm’ mode after cooking the rice. According to the manufacturer, it can keep your rice warm for 12 hours. This feature is quite impressive for a small rice cooker at this price point.

Nobody likes that situation when rice sticks to the cooking bowl, and it gets hard to clean. Thanks to its non-stick pan, it doesn’t allow the rice to stick to it and makes it very easy to clean. The cooker has a glass lid to cover the bowl while cooking. Again, the color combination is quite majestic to see.

Pros

  • Stainless steel makes it durable and rusts free
  • It turns off automatically after the rice is cooked
  • Switches automatically to keep warm mode after cooking
  • Cooks rice within 20-25 minutes

Cons

  • Sometimes it switches to warm mode before the rice is cooked
  • Fast cooking burns the bottom part of the rice

Check Latest Price

3. Oyama 6-Cup (Uncooked) Rice cooker

If you are looking for a rice cooker that comes with some essential functions, take a look at Oyama’s six-cup uncooked rice cooker. This rice cooker is ideal for mid-size families turning six cups of uncooked rice into 12 cups of cooked rice. Good enough for a family of five to six members, right?

Cooking two different items is time-consuming, especially for always in a hurry and prefer to have a quick meal. This cooker comes with a steamer tray that stays inside the cooking bowl and allows you to cook rice and steam other foods for the complete rice dish at your dinner or lunch table.

Operating this cooker is something that everyone can do very quickly. It only requires you to put the rice and the necessary amount of water and press the cook button. The cooker will take care of different processes on its own.

It not only provides you perfectly cooked rice every time but also offers the ‘keep warm’ function to keep the rice warm and soft for about 24 hours. Unlike the conventional rice cooker, its warm position doesn’t make the rice sticky.

If you need to have a quick lunch or dinner without wasting time, you can cook rice in the morning and have it at lunch or dinner.

The rice cooker comes with a measuring cup, cooking instructions, a steam tray for veggies, and a rice paddle. 

Pros

  • Cooks fast without burning rice at the bottom
  • Keep warm function for 24 hours
  • Steam tray for steaming veggies

Cons

  • Steam and condensation come out from its steam opening
  • The lid doesn’t lock tightly
  • Keep warm burns the rice if left for a long time

Check Latest Price

4. Aroma Simply Stainless 3-Cup (Uncooked) to 6-Cup (Cooked) Rice Cooker

If great features and multi-function is your concern, you can think seriously about this rice cooker, especially if you have a mid-size family. The cooker will provide you with six cups of perfectly cooked rice to make your mealtime enjoyable.

It comes with a 100% surgical-grade stainless steel inner pot. So, there is no doubt about its durability. Non-stick cooking pots usually get scratches and peel off at mid to heavy usage; luckily, it’s not the case with this 304-grade stainless steel pot.

Furthermore, the inner pot is removable, so it wouldn’t take much effort to clean it. You can wash it with the dishwasher.

You can cook six different types of foods with this rice cooker. Along with white rice, you can also cook brown rice. Things don’t end here. You can also cook pasta, omelets, oatmeal, and even bake cakes. The cooker is perfect for cooking soup, chili, and jambalaya as well.

With its one-touch operation, anyone can cook rice using this cooker. If you don’t have time to wait for 40 minutes to have rice, you really should consider this rice cooker that can cook rice within 15-20 minutes. It automatically switches to keep warm mode after cooking.

The rice cooker comes with a durable tempered glass lid, a measuring cup, and a serving spatula. 

Pros

  • Multi-function rice cooker
  • Cooks fast within 20 minutes
  • 304-grade durable stainless-steel inner pot
  • Keep warm mode automatically turns on

Cons

  • It doesn’t turn off until it is unplugged from the power
  • Rice sticks to the bottom of the inner pot

Check Latest Price

5. Aroma Housewares 8-Cup (Cooked) (4-Cup UNCOOKED) Digital Rice Cooker and Food Steamer

This family-sized compact rice cooker can serve 8 cups of cooked rice, which means you have to put 4 cups of uncooked rice in it. This programmable digital rice cooker can deliver you restaurant-quality rice at your lunch and dinner table.

With this rice cooker, you will be able to cook both white and brown rice. Besides just cooking rice, you can also prepare oatmeal, jambalaya, chili, soups, and even more. It comes with a steam tray for steaming veggies and meats.

This rice cooker doesn’t require any monitoring or stirring. You can help your child with his homework, get involved in creative activities, or read books while the cooker does its job.

After cooking the rice, it will automatically stop cooking, switch to the keep warm mode, and keep your meal well moist for hours. This rice cooker offers a 15-hour delay timer for families on the go to have delicious meals whenever they need.

The cooker has got a white color coating that will suit any kitchen décor. Although it’s pretty big, it’s worth having such a rice cooker for mid-big size families.

The package comes as usual with a steam tray, a serving spatula, and a measuring cup. Its inner pot is non-stick and easy to clean. 

Pros

  • Programmable digital rice cooker
  • Can steam veggies and meats while cooking rice
  • A closed lid leaves no room for water splashes
  • 15-hour delay timer
  • Automatically switches to keep warm mode

Cons

  • There is no handle in the pot to carry
  • The non-stick surface isn’t of good quality

Check Latest Price

6. Aroma Housewares 20 Cup Cooked (10 cups uncooked) Digital Rice Cooker

Are you looking for a rice cooker for parties? Take a look at this 20-cup cooked rice cooker from aroma housewares. This rice cooker will be more than enough to feed a big family and the guests and perfect for those who throw parties often.

You can add 10 cups of uncooked rice to this cooker, but it’s still able to maintain a close look. Nowadays, rice cookers don’t only cook rice. Likewise, this multi-function rice cooker can steam foods and even bake cakes along with cooking rice.

With this unit, you will cook both white and brown rice, flash rice, steam veggies, and meats. You can steam chicken, seafood in the steaming tray as well. When your meal is ready, the rice cooker will make a chime sound to grab your attention.

Also, this rice cooker comes with a slow cook and a 15-hour delay timer. With its programmable slow cook function, you can make roasts, chili, jambalaya, soup, stew.

A delay timer offers you flexible mealtime planning and can have your rice ready even when you return home after a long busy day. The cooker also has an automatic ‘keep warm’ function that turns on after cooking and keeps the rice warm until serving on plates.

To cook rice in this digital rice cooker, you will only need to add rice and water and push the cook button. The non-stick inner pan consists of aluminum. So, there is no reason to worry about its durability and cleaning process.

The lid got a handle on it, making the cooker easy to carry from one place to another. You will get a measuring cup, a steaming tray, and a serving spatula with the package. 

Pros

  • Multi-function cooking compatibility
  • Automatic keep-warm function
  • 10-hour delay timer
  • 10-hour slow cooking function

Cons

  • Difficult to operate for older citizens
  • The inner pan isn’t removable and challenging to clean due to the size
  • The lid collects condensation
  • More significant in size compared to other traditional small rice cookers

Check Latest Price

7. Small Electric Rice Cooker Food Steamer 5 Cup Mini Rice Maker

No products found.

The primary reason why people purchase a rice cooker is to save their precious time, as nobody wants to wait for hours to cook rice. What if I say this cooker can cook rice for you in just 20 minutes?

You heard me right. Although this cooker is relatively small in size, it has the option to cook rice quickly. Unlike the other quick rice cookers, it doesn’t affect the quality of the rice. It can be a groundbreaking deal for those who don’t want to spend much time cooking.

This rice cooker is from Cusibox and comes with 5 cup rice capacity. 5 cups uncooked rice cooker is ideal for small families, singles, and couples. People these days prefer rice cooker that has multi-function cooking options. This rice cooker stands firmly regarding this matter too.

You can cook white, brown, jasmine, mixed rice, and other grains with this unit, e.g., oatmeal. It also includes a steaming tray that can steam veggies as well as eggs. According to the manufacturer, it doesn’t overflow water on the hot steamer.

Like other rice cookers, this cooker also comes with the ‘keep warm function’ that is a must for those who delay their mealtime for hours. The function turns on automatically after cooking the rice and 

keeps it at optimal temperature for more than 12 hours.

It has a nonstick removable stainless-steel inner pot, and you can clean it even with a dishwasher. You will not see any stickiness in this pan because of its nonstick & stainless-steel pot. You will get a detachable condensation collector, a measuring cup and rice scoop, and a steaming basket with the cooker.

Pros

  • The quick cooking function makes rice within 20 minutes
  • Multi-function rice cooking options
  • Can steam veggies, eggs, fishes
  • Keep warm function works about 12 hours
  • Stainless steel non-stick inner pan

Cons

  • The given paddle consists of flimsy plastic.

No products found.

8. Instant Pot LUX Mini 3 Qt 6-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker

Have you ever wondered about buying one kitchen appliance and getting six devices for free? It’s what happens if you purchase instant pot LUX mini 3. The smart cooker combines a pressure cooker, rice cooker, slow cooker, saute, warmer, and steamer.

This multi-useable electronic cooker features the latest 3rd gen microprocessor technology that can cook dishes 2 to 6 times faster than other conventional cookers. Due to its fast cooking technology, it is incredibly energy efficient.

The microprocessor monitors temperature and pressure, sets the time, adjusts the intensity of heating and duration. It even considers the volume of foods that provide impressive cooking results and maintains the consistency of each dish.

As it is a smart cooker, it comes with lots of different cooking options. There are ten built-in cooking options: soup, meat, stew, egg, saute rice, porridge, steam, keep warm, slow cook, pressure cook, etc.

It has a dedicated egg program that makes soft, medium, and hard-boiled eggs within a few minutes. To adjust your cooking plans, it comes with a ’24-hour delay’ start timer. Furthermore, after cooking, ‘keep warm’ mode turns automatically on and holds the warmness of foods until you serve on plates.

The cooking pot is fully sealed, ensures the nutrients and flavors, and doesn’t compromise the aroma. With this pot, your kitchen temperature will not increase. The inner pot has a non-stick coating, and 304 food-grade stainless steel ensures its durability.

The exterior has a brushed stainless steel finish that is fingerprint-resistant. It has got a large and clean display panel for you to operate correctly.

Pros

  • Intensely fast with its 3rd gen microprocessor
  • 6 in 1 kitchen appliance
  • 70% energy efficient
  • Ten different cooking functions
  • ‘24-hour delay’ timer with ‘keep warm’ mode
  • Extremely durable food-grade stainless steel inner pan
  • 3-ply bottom for efficient heat distribution

Cons

  • The cleaning process isn’t that easy
  • The rubber sealing ring absorbs food odors

Check Latest Price

9. Instant Pot DUO Plus 3 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker

At number nine, we have another multi-cooker on the list. If you have a small to mid-size family and your kitchen room isn’t that big to have separate space for a pressure cooker, a rice cooker, and all other essential cooking appliances, take a look at this 9 in 1 multi-cooker.

This one is an upgrade to the previously reviewed multi-cooker. Instant Pot DUO Plus 3 combines the functions of 9 kitchen appliances into 1. You can use this as a pressure cooker, rice cooker, slow cooker, steamer, saute, yogurt maker, sterilizer, and warmer.

Like the previous one, this instant pot is of 3-quart capacity. But there are two more options to go with for prominent families; the six and eight-quart versions.

Its 3rd gen microprocessor constantly looks after temperature, pressure, duration, and how intensely the cooking is. The cooker considers the volume of the food and efficiently distributes heat to ensure consistency among different dishes.

With its rice cooking option, you can cook various types of rice. An egg cooking function can cook half, medium, and hard-boiled eggs within a few minutes. Furthermore, you can sterilize milk and utensils with the sterilizing process.

The smart cooker features a ’24-hour delay’ timer to help you with planning your mealtime. After cooking, it automatically turns on the keep warm function and keeps the food warm enough until you are ready to have it.

Its fully sealed cooking environment traps the nutrients, flavors, and aromas and makes no compromise regarding the taste of foods. The non-stick inner pan consists of 3-ply food-grade stainless steel that is exceptionally durable.

The exterior of this cooker consists of stainless steel that leaves no room for fingerprints. Its lid has a holder to move the pot to wherever you go safely. 

Pros

  • 9 in 1 kitchen appliances
  • 13 programmable cooking functions
  • 3rd gen microprocessor technology cooks three times faster
  • ‘Keep warm’ and ‘24-hour delay’ timer
  • Extremely durable stainless-steel inner pot
  • Energy efficient

Cons

  • Difficult to operate for older persons
  • Food sticks to the inner pot
  • The sealing ring holds food odors

Check Latest Price

10. Zojirushi NS-TSC10 5-1/2-Cup (Uncooked) Micom Rice Cooker

Lastly, this rice cooker is from Japan. If you have any idea how well the Japanese rice cookers cook rice, you might have come across this one. Zojirushi NS-TSC10 is one of the mid-budget and high-end rice cookers. For those who regularly eat rice, this cooker can be a perfect choice.

When it comes to cooking, this 5.5 cup (uncooked) rice cooker is an absolute genius. You can cook white/brown rice, sushi, mixed rice, sweet rice, porridges, and fried rice. Things don’t end here; furthermore, you can steam veggies and even bake cakes in it.

This rice cooker’s most significant selling point is its micom and ‘fuzzy logic’ technology that controls and adjusts the temperature and cooking time considering various cooking factors.

Factors such as temperature, humidity, the water temperature can affect the cooking process. A rice cooker with ‘fuzzy logic’ smartly handles these factors and provides perfectly cooked rice every time. So, even if you forget about the cooking, it will not overcook or undercook your foods.

The cooker features an automatic ‘keep warm’ function that turns on after cooking and holds steam of the rice for about 24 hours. Also, its ‘reheat’ function allows you to rewarm the rice just before you are about to have it.

There are two default delay time presets of 6 and 18 hours. But you can adjust the time so that you can have your rice ready as soon as you return home. Offering a quick-cooking function, it can prepare rice in just 25 minutes.

Its nonstick inner pan prevents rice from sticking, thus makes it very easy to clean. You will have the advantage of the retractable power cord that comes with the cooker. Inside the package, you will find a rice scoop and a steaming tray to steam veggies along with cooking rice.

Pros

  • Micro computerized ‘Fuzzy logic’ cooking technology
  • LCD control panel
  • Multi-function cooking
  • Stainless steel Exterior
  • Two delay timer presets
  • Automatic ‘keep warm’ & ‘Reheat’ function
  • Retractable power cord

Cons

  • Cooking time is longer than conventional cookers
  • Not suitable for long-grain rice
  • Inner pan scratches and peels

Check Latest Price

What Makes the Best Small Rice Cooker?

Although a small rice cooker doesn’t cost that much still it’s an investment where you want to make sure you don’t have to find a replacement anytime soon. Therefore, before choosing a personal rice cooker, consider the things below.

1. Brand

If you are convinced about a particular brand, you will look for products of that brand. So, choose a brand wisely.

In the market, you will find lots of different types of rice cookers from other brands. Many that you probably didn’t hear the name before, but you might end up buying an underrated rice cooker due to the low price.

Many reputable brands make good-quality rice cookers. Zojirushi, Instant Pot, Oyama, Aroma, Panasonic, Dash, Tiger, etc., are the most popular rice cooker brands that provide quality products with satisfying customer service.

2. Types of Rice Cooker

There are few numbers of advanced cooking technology and mechanism for rice cookers.

Microwave Rice Cooker

Likewise with most other microwave cooking machines, a microwave rice cooker uses steam to cook rice and foods. This kind of rice cooker is not expensive compared to others. The cooker consists of solid plastic that lasts easily for years.

Micom Rice Cooker

This type works with a computerized microchip that uses thermal sensors to check and adjust the temperature, calculate the cooking time, and deliver perfectly cooked rice.

Induction Rice Cooker

Induction rice cookers use a new technology that passes heat by creating an electromagnetic field through a conductive material. It’s an advanced cooking technology that is safe and energy-efficient. An induction rice cooker cooks faster than other conventional cookers.

Fuzzy Logic

Different kind of rice requires different temperature and time to cook. Fuzzy logic calculates the precise fluctuations in both the cooking time and temperature for each program.

If you need to cook different types of rice regularly, then you should look for this technology in rice cookers. Also, fuzzy logic stands pretty well to cook brown rice, jasmine rice, porridge, oatmeal, and seafood.

3. Multi-Function Facility

Some advanced rice cookers have multi-usages purposes along with just cooking rice. You can cook rice and at the same time steam vegetables, meats in a steaming tray, make oatmeal, porridge, seafood, etc.

Some units come with a slow cooking function, and you can cook soups, stew, and bake cake.

4. Capacity

Rice cookers come in various sizes. 1-3 cup size is considered low capacity rice cookers that are best for single individuals or small families. A rice cooker of three cups size is more than enough to use as a travel rice cooker.

Small Rice Cooker

If you are looking for a rice cooker for one person, a one-cup rice cooker would be the most appropriate.

Four to ten-cup rice cookers are for mid to prominent families. There are rice cookers capable of carrying 20 cups of rice for commercial and occasional usage.

5. Energy Saving

As a rice cooker is one kind of heater, it will consume a lot of power. Therefore, you must choose a rice cooker that comes with energy-saving ratings. Energy-efficient rice cookers use advanced cooking technology and are expensive.

6. Easy Settings

If you are looking for a budget small rice cooker for one person without any fancy features, go with simple operating rice cookers.

Advanced rice cookers come with complicated user settings that are not suitable for senior citizens.

7. Warm Heating Function

Rice cookers with a warm heating function can keep the rice warm enough after cooking for hours.

8. Dimensions

Dimensions depend on the capacity. Less the power, less the dimensions would be. If portability is your concern, go with a cooker that has small sizes.

9. Light Weight

Lightweight rice cookers are easy to clean and have great portability. However, if you find a rice cooker with great features and a removable pan, go for it. Removable rice cookers are easy to clean.

Top Rated Small Rice Cooker Brands on the Market

Before purchasing a thing, most people see the brand name. If the brand is well known and has a good reputation, customers rely on that brand for product quality and customer service.

In this section, I will talk about the top 5 small rice cooker brands dominating the market.

1. Aroma Houseware

Aroma houseware is America’s leading company for manufacturing home appliances. They stand among the top choices to the customers for low-mid budget rice cookers. In their product lineup, they have both conventional and induction heating rice cookers.

Aroma Houseware

They produce good-quality rice cookers with multi-function cooking options. Their rice cookers feature stainless steel. They have implemented advanced cooking features like ‘keep warm’ mode, ‘delay timer’ to their cookers.

A different thing about aroma brands is; they make rice cookers with a large capacity. You will see 20 cup rice cookers in their lineup. They also have a rice cooker that is an expert at cooking brown rice.

2. Instant Pot

Instant pot is one of the best-selling home appliance brands on Amazon. The company primarily makes multi-use programmable rice cookers.

They also produce smart cookers that combine different cooking functions into one cooker. You will find in their cookers to work as a pressure cooker, rice cooker, steamer, slow cooker, saute, yogurt maker, sterilizer, warmer, and more.

Instant Pot

Their rice cookers come packed with features and innovative ideas. They have a microprocessor that can cook three times faster than conventional cookers. Their cookers cook fast and are energy-efficient as well.

Their best-selling series are Duo, Lux, Duo Plus, Ultra, Smart Bluetooth, and Gem Multicooker.

3. Zojirushi

Zojirushi is a Japanese home appliance manufacturing company. As they make Japanese rice cookers, their cookers come with more rice cooking options than other brands. Their rice cookers are experts at cooking different types of rice.

Zojirushi

The brand manufactures rice cookers with ‘micom’ and ‘fuzzy logic’ technology that considers temperature and time and applies different cooking temperatures and durations for different rice types.

They make the most premium quality programmable rice cookers loaded with advanced features like keep warm, delay timer, reheat, and more.

4. Panasonic

You will hardly find people who are not familiar with the brand Panasonic. They are one of the leading brands for manufacturing home appliances.

Panasonic

Their rice cookers are compact in shape and offer lots of cooking options. Zojirushi also produces rice cookers with ‘fuzzy logic’ advanced cooking technology that uses its mathematical logic to avoid overcooking or undercooking.

Panasonic rice cookers also offer their customers different cooking presets as well. If you want a stylish and compact designed low to mid-budget rice cooker that will fit well in your small kitchen room, then Panasonic might be the brand you want.

5. Oyama

If you are looking for a basic rice cooker for one or two people, you need to focus on Oyama rice cookers. Most of their products feature stainless steel.

Oyama

Although their products are of small capacity, most of them have the keep warm functionality. The rice cookers can cook rice in just 25 minutes, much quicker than most other advanced rice cookers.

The best part is its portability. Due to the small size, you can take an Oyama branded rice cooker anywhere you want. It can be a companion for your next tour. Also, if you have a small kitchen room, an Oyama rice cooker will fit nicely without taking much of the space.

How to Take Care and Maintain Your Small Rice Cooker?

No matter how much you have spent on your rice cooker, you always want to use it for years without any issue. Follow our top suggestions to take proper care of your small rice cooker.

 Small Rice Cooker
  1. When it’s about washing the rice, always use a separate basket or bowl. Avoid soaking it inside the inner pot of your rice cooker.
  2. If you don’t wipe the outside of the inner pot and place it into the cooker when it is wet outside, it will damage the heating elements of the cooker. Therefore, after putting rice, make sure you wipe the outside of the inner pot.
  3. Most rice cookers come with a keep-warm function that can keep your rice warm for 12 to 24 hours. But it isn’t recommended to leave the rice in keep warm mode for too long because warm-heat for an extended period can damage the coating of old inner pots.

So, if you need to keep your rice warm, keep it for 6 hours.

  1. It’s always good for your rice cooker to have a thick layer of water and rice to avoid burning out.
  2. Don’t recook the old rice by adding further water. Rice cookers aren’t programmed to detect this strange balance of already cooked rice with an added amount of water. You can go with the option of reheating the old rice again.
  3. Be extra careful when you are about to cook something other than rice. If there are too many ingredients, it might overflow and get inside your cooker’s electrical elements.

So, if you are not cooking, by maintaining the measurements accordingly, be careful with your experiments.

  1. To wash the inner pot, use a soft sponge. If dried rice is at its bottom, pour some hot water on it instead of scrubbing it. Then leave the rest to the sponge.
  2. Don’t operate your cooker near any water source.
  3. After cooking, keep the inner pot clean to keep it free from rust and corrosion.
  4. Please don’t keep the rice inside the pot for a long time or encourage bacteria to grow.

Make More Delicious Foods with Your Small Rice Cooker

Whenever you see a picture of a rice cooker, it always comes with some delicious-looking menu. Your rice cooker also has the potentiality of cooking more than just rice. Here are ten delicious foods that you can easily make with your rice cooker.

Taco Meatballs

Take a bowl and combine bread crumbs, milk and mix it. Now, add two eggs, beef, onions, bell pepper, cheese, cumin, taco seasoning, and use your blessed hands to combine them and form meatballs.

Then add one tablespoon oil to the cooker and put the meatballs, and start cooking the meatballs for four minutes on all sides. After finishing, put them on a plate, add water and diced tomatoes, and cook for 10 minutes. Serve on a plate with sauce.

Caprese Chicken

Add chicken, tomatoes, vinegar, stock, Italian seasoning, pepper, and salt into the rice cooker. Now, cook for 15 minutes.

Then add mozzarella to the chicken, switch the cooker to warm mode, and heat for four more minutes. After four minutes, the cheese should melt.

Finally, transfer the chicken and tomatoes to your serving dish. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil and serve with bread pieces.

Rice Noodles with Beef

Add oil to the cooker, cover it and set it to cook. When the pot gets warm, add beef, cook for about 10 minutes, and make sure to cook the meat well. Now, take the meat out of the pot and keep it on a plate.

Then add black bean paste, garlic, broccoli, and water into the pot and cook for three minutes. The veggies will tender after three minutes. After that, add noodles with soy sauce and half green onion and then mix them well.

Now, put them on the plate with the beef and mix it. Your dish is ready.

Banana Bread

Add a small amount of butter to the cooker and set it to cook. Take a large bowl and mix one and a half cups flour, four third cups sugar, two tsp baking powder, half tsp baking soda, and half tsp salt.

Take another bowl and stir three ripe bananas, one-third cup butter, one fourth cup milk, and an egg. Now add this mixture to the previously made mixture and combine them until incorporated. Lastly, please put it in the rice cooker and bake for one and a half hours.

Chicken and Cheese Omelet

Stir four eggs, half cup shredded cheese, one-fourth cup cooked chicken, two tsp chopped green onions, three tsp milk, pepper, and salt. Now put it into the rice cooker and leave it for 15 minutes.

Chicken and Shrimp Pasta

Add oil to the cooker and when it gets warm, add garlic and cook it for a minute. Now, add chicken, then stir and cook it for 5 minutes. Before cooking the chicken, add shrimp and further cook for 4 minutes.

After that, add oyster stock and sauce, cover it and cook till it boils. Turn on the warm mode and simmer for 8 minutes.

Next, add white pepper and salt, broccoli, and cooked pasta and mix them well. When the pasta absorbs the liquid, serve it with sliced red chili.

Blackberry Cobbler

Lightly grease a glass bowl of 7 cups and set it aside. Add blackberries, sugar, lemon juice to another bowl and toss them to combine and keep in a refrigerator.

Take another bowl and add baking powder, flour, and salt then stir it to combine. Further stir milk and butter.

Now, spread the mixture to the glass bowl and pour blackberries over it. Then pour some water into the rice cooker and insert the glass bowl. Cover it and set it to cook. When you see water starting to boil, cook for 15 minutes. Switch to warm mode and heat it for 30 more minutes.

Remove the cobbler from your rice cooker and leave it for 15 minutes. Now serve this delicious dessert.

Frittata with Veggies

Pull together zucchini, potatoes, and pepper and make it brown in a pan. Then put them into the rice cooker. Serve with slices of crusty bread.

Rice Cooker Quinoa

Rinse the quinoa and add some water, and put it into the cooker. Then have it along with fresh herbs, lemon juice, and almonds.

Braised Cabbage

Add half cabbage chopped, half tsp salt, half tsp pepper, and a half cup of water in your rice cooker. Cook for 30-40 minutes until its bottom becomes brown and caramelized a bit. Stir in a small amount of butter for added flavor.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a small rice cooker take to cook rice?

It depends on the type of rice cooker. On average, it generally takes 30-50 minutes to cook rice. If the cooker has a quick-cooking function, it will take about 25 minutes.

How much water do I put in my rice cooker?

Again, it depends on the type of rice you want to cook. For each one cup of rice, you will need to add;

430 mL water for white long grain rice

360 mL water for white medium grain rice

300 mL water for white short-grain rice

520 mL water for brown long grain rice

For basmati or jasmine, don’t use more than 1 ½ cup, 360 mL water for one cup rice. The drier rice you want, the less water you need to put.

Can I prepare anything besides rice in a rice cooker?

Again, it depends on the type of your cooker. These days, most rice cookers come with multi-cooking presets that allow you to steam veggies, meats, prepare soup, stew, porridge, and bake cakes.

There are smart multi-cooker rice cookers that you can use as a pressure cooker, slow cooker, steamer, yogurt maker, and many more.

What are the uses of a steaming tray or basket?

Rice cookers come with steaming trays or baskets that allow the users to steam vegetables and meats at the same time while the rice is cooking. It saves both your time and effort. You are preparing two different dishes at the same time.

Do you soak brown rice before cooking?

Brown rice takes a lot of time to cook compared to white rice. That’s because you need to soak the brown rice before cooking, and the grains need more time to cook properly. You can make it fast by soaking it overnight. It will reduce 45 minutes from its total time of cooking.

Conclusion

Hopefully, this review and buying guide on the best small rice cooker will help you decide to buy a rice cooker that will meet your need. Be sure to consider the key things to look for while purchasing a rice cooker.