The Best Rice Cookers for 2026: Zojirushi, Cuckoo and Aroma
By Claire Whitmore. Last updated October 2026.
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A dedicated rice cooker makes better rice than most of us manage on the stove, and it does it at the push of a button. Rinse the rice, add water to the line, and you’re free to focus on the rest of dinner. Good cookers turn out aromatic, evenly cooked grains every time and keep them warm for hours.
Our picks come from Wirecutter’s rice cooker guide, updated in November 2025. Its team has tested rice cookers for over a decade; the latest round pitted 13 models against each other, cooking sushi, jasmine and short-grain brown rice in each at minimum and maximum capacity and trying the quick-cook settings. It intentionally included PFAS-free models. We haven’t tested these cookers ourselves, and prices change often.
Quick answer: the Zojirushi NL-EAC is the rice cooker to buy, especially if you mostly eat jasmine or other long-grain rice. Get the Cuckoo CRP-P1009 10-Cup Electric Pressure Rice Cooker if you mainly eat sushi or brown rice. The Aroma Select Stainless and Aroma Pop-Up Steamer models are the budget picks, and their 3-cup siblings are best for small households.
Our picks at a glance
| Pick | Best for | Capacity (uncooked) | Bowl | Approx. price* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zojirushi NL-EAC | Jasmine and long-grain | 5.5 or 10 cups | PTFE nonstick | About $180 to $200 |
| Cuckoo CRP-P1009 | Sushi and brown rice | 10 cups | PTFE nonstick | About $280 |
| Aroma Select Stainless Rice & Grain Cooker | Budget, PFAS-free | 14 cups (cooked) | Stainless steel | About $45 |
| Aroma Rice & Grain Cooker with Pop-Up Steamer | Budget, easy cleanup | 16 cups (cooked) | Ceramic-coated | About $45 |
| Aroma 3-Cup Select Stainless / Ceramic | Small households | 3 cups (up to 6 cooked) | Stainless or ceramic | Under about $35 |
*Prices from Wirecutter’s buying links at the time of writing.
The best rice cookers
1. Zojirushi NL-EAC: best overall
Best for: households that mostly eat jasmine and other long-grain rice.
The NL-EAC made the best jasmine rice of any cooker Wirecutter tested: fragrant, fluffy and distinct, with just the right chew. It uses fuzzy logic, a chip that adjusts cooking for small errors in water and for ambient conditions, and has settings for white, brown, long-grain and jasmine rice plus steel-cut oats and quinoa.
It’s more compact and modern than most Zojirushis, its lid pops open gently with a button, and it’s the only model tested with a detachable cord. The nonstick bowl wipes clean easily, though it isn’t dishwasher-safe, and there’s no external steam trap to clean. It replaces the longtime pick, the Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy NS-ZCC10, which costs about $60 more.
It’s slow; it took the longest of all models tested, and a full pot of brown rice took over an hour, though a quick-cook setting can finish in as little as 25 minutes. Its sushi and brown rice came out slightly wet.
Pros
- Best jasmine rice tested
- Fuzzy-logic cooking
- Compact, modern design
- Easy to clean
Cons
- Slow
- Short-grain rice a bit soft
- Bowl not dishwasher-safe
2. Cuckoo CRP-P1009 10-Cup Electric Pressure Rice Cooker: best for sushi and brown rice
Best for: larger households that eat short- and medium-grain rice often.
Pressure is key to great short-grain rice, and the CRP-P1009 made the best sushi and brown rice in testing. Sushi rice was soft, chewy and pearly even after an hour on warm, and brown rice was nutty with the bran intact. It’s fast too: sushi rice was ready in under 30 minutes and brown rice in about 40, roughly twice as fast as the Zojirushi.
Audio alerts tell you when it moves between stages and warn before pressure releases, and a removable rubber lid insert makes cleaning easier. It comes only in a 10-cup size, is about as big as a small toaster oven, weighs around 17 pounds, and its jasmine rice was a bit mushy.
Pros
- Best short-grain and brown rice
- Fast pressure cooking
- Large capacity
Cons
- Big and heavy
- Long-grain rice a bit soft
- Expensive
3. Aroma Select Stainless and Aroma Pop-Up Steamer: budget picks
Best for: occasional rice eaters and anyone avoiding PFAS.
These under-$50 cookers made sushi and jasmine rice on par with models twice the price and finished in around 28 minutes, much faster than the Zojirushi. A single switch starts cooking and flips to warm when done. The stainless version is PFAS-free and dishwasher-safe, though rice sticks a little; the ceramic-coated version releases rice easily but must be hand-washed and will lose its slickness over time.
Without rice-type settings or fuzzy logic, you may need to tweak water ratios, as brown and jasmine came out slightly firm. They don’t do well with very small batches, and rice on the bottom started to brown after about 90 minutes on warm.
Pros
- Inexpensive
- PFAS-free bowls
- Fast and simple
Cons
- May need water adjustments
- Not great for single cups
4. Aroma 3-Cup Select Stainless and Aroma Rice & Grain Cooker with Ceramic Coating: best for small batches
Best for: dorms, small kitchens and one- or two-person households.
These compact versions of the budget picks have the footprint of a small toaster, about 8 inches tall and wide, and produce up to 6 cups of cooked rice. They made the best rice of the low-cost compact models tested, with pleasantly sticky sushi rice and sweet jasmine, though brown rice was inconsistent and rice browned after about 30 minutes on warm.
Pros
- Tiny footprint
- Cheap
- PFAS-free options
Cons
- Inconsistent brown rice
- Warm setting browns rice quickly
Rice cooker or Instant Pot?
An electric pressure cooker like the Instant Pot can make white rice that’s fine if you’re not too discerning, but Wirecutter found its brown rice dense and far less fluffy than the Cuckoo’s. If rice is a staple in your house, a dedicated cooker is worth the counter space. If you want one appliance for stews, beans and more, see our guide to the best electric pressure cookers.
About nonstick coatings
The Zojirushi and Cuckoo picks use PTFE-based nonstick bowls. The FDA’s review of studies concluded that negligible amounts of PFAS migrate to food from nonstick coatings, particularly when they aren’t scratched or heated above about 500 °F; rice cookers typically top out around 212 °F. Use the included plastic paddle and rinse rice in a separate bowl to protect the coating. If you’d prefer to avoid PTFE, the Aroma stainless and ceramic models are good alternatives.
What to look for
- Your rice: steam-and-fuzzy-logic cookers excel with long-grain; pressure models excel with short-grain and brown.
- Capacity: buy for how much you typically cook; big cookers struggle with tiny batches.
- Controls: clear settings, or a simple switch if you prefer.
- Cleaning: a removable lid or insert and no hard-to-reach steam trap.
- Speed: premium Zojirushis are slow; pressure and basic models are faster.
FAQ
Do I need to rinse rice before cooking?
Many cooks rinse to remove excess starch for fluffier grains. Do it in a separate bowl to protect nonstick coatings.
How long can rice stay on warm?
High-end models keep rice well for hours, while budget models may start browning rice on the bottom within 30 to 90 minutes.
Can a rice cooker make other foods?
Many can make porridge, oatmeal, quinoa or steamed vegetables and dumplings.
Why is my rice mushy or hard?
Adjust the water slightly, especially on basic models without rice-type settings.
The bottom line
The Zojirushi NL-EAC is the rice cooker we’d buy for most households, with superb jasmine rice and a modern design. Short-grain and brown rice fans should get the faster Cuckoo CRP-P1009, and the Aroma models deliver good rice on a budget, without PFAS.
