Chef-Reviewed Best Rice Cooker Under $100

Last Updated on May 30, 2022 by

What is the Best Rice Cooker Under $100?

You have probably seen lots of good ones for 20-30, but which is the best rice cooker under 100? You should be willing to spend a little extra for that big difference.

A cooker under $100 should have a stainless steel bowl and keep-cool handle. It should have unique rice menu options, and the capacity should be sizable for 2-6 cups of raw rice. Additional features like the keep warm, see-through lid, and Indicator lights are a big plus.

Cooking rice in a pot is cool but a rice cooker helps you to automate cooking more rice than you need for a meal. Your rice could even be ready and hot the next morning for breakfast or your onigiri for lunch. Some rice cookers keep rice hot for 24 hours before getting crispy.

Are cheap rice cookers good?

Some well-built cheap rice cookers are good. They do the same job as the more expensive ones—it cooks the rice and knows when to stop cooking.

Some premium rice cookers only get so costly due to added accessories and features you may not necessarily need, so not worth your money.

You don’t need to spend big for a decent performance. Besides, you are looking for the following in a budget rice cooker:

  1. Efficiency

A budget rice cooker from a reliable manufacturer is built for efficiency, particularly coupled with the fact that they take less energy, compared to the larger ones. They also typically cook up to 6 cups of raw rice only, so less water is consumed.

  1. Speed

Your rice should be ready in 30 minutes, depending on the manufacturer and cups of rice though.

  1. Fluffy and delicious rice

You may find it difficult to get that fluffy, delicious rice when cooking on the stove. The burner will not know to turn down to a low enough simmer to steam the cooked rice at some point.

You will then get scorched or burned, which is not exactly appetizing. However, a budget rice cooker achieves this result – fluffy and delicious – conveniently.

  1. Automation

The beauty of automation in the kitchen is that you focus on other recipes while the affordable cooker below $100 does the cooking unsurprised.

This means you do not have to stand over the cooker while it cooks, except if you have a see-through lidded cooker you want to experience the process.

  1. Non-stick

Most rice cookers under 100 have durable nonstick inner cooking pans. While some are coated, others use stainless steel to prevent burning rice. Stainless steel is preferable since you do not have to worry about the coating peeling into your food.

Best rice cooker under $100

We have selected and reviewed the best rice cookers under 100 you should buy for your delicious rice. Our selections are based on capabilities and performance.

  1. Aroma Housewares Select Stainless Rice Cooker & Warmer with Uncoated Inner Pot, 6-Cup(cooked) / 1.2Qt, ARC-753SG, White

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Investing in Aroma Housewares rice cooker will get you to enjoy the following:

Coating-free inner pot

This rice cooker does not use coating, so you would not be having your rice infiltrated by chemicals. It is a purely food-grade 304 stainless steel cooking pot we confirmed is durable.

Design

A one-touch auto rice cooker with a fool-proof design. Allows up to 6 cups of uncooked rice and cooks after you add water and push down the lever to start.

Smart cooking

Designed to tell when your rice is ready for you to set a timer. It also switches to the keep warm mode on its own to keep the rice warm in your absence.

Compact size

Its compact size makes it sizable for a small apartment, dorm, camper, and RV. Apart from rice, this 6-cup rice cooker also cooks your soups, omelets, pasta, oatmeal, and more.

In the pack

We received a BPA-free rice spatula and measuring cup in the pack. The handle of the rice cooker is also designed to hold the spatula for your cooking.

What we like

Easy to clean

After cooking, we find it easy to clean this rice cooker since it uses a stainless steel/aluminum pot. We recommend giving it a little soak to soften the bottom.

Dishwasher safe

The pot is very dishwasher-safe, making cleaning even easier and more convenient.

Non-coated

This pot is designed against Teflon non-stick chemicals that fall into your food over time.

One-touch design

You only need to press a button, for rice cooking to commence.

What we don’t

A little sticky

Since it does not use Teflon nonstick and is 100% stainless steel, the cooking bowl seems to stick. Our solution is to scoop as much using your non-metallic spatula and then soak the bowl in cold water.

You could also swirl a little olive oil around inside to keep the bowl from getting sticky.

Does not turn off automatically

This cooker will not turn off on its own but switches to the keep warm mode. It only turns off when unplugged. Nonetheless, it is generally a good rice cooker for the price.

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  1. CUCKOO CR-0675F | 6-Cup (Uncooked) Micom Rice Cooker | 13 Menu Options: Quinoa, Oatmeal, Brown Rice & More, Touch-Screen, Nonstick Inner Pot | White

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For under 100 dollars, Cuckoo CR-0675F is the rice cooker you want to get the meal ready at dawn.

13 menu options

Has 13 menu options, including scorched rice, white rice, and porridge.

Capacity

A massive 6-cup capacity for raw rice despite its small size. However, it allows 12 cups of cooked rice cooker for the perfect serving.

Customization

Cuckoo lets you customize how you want your rice texture. You can select sticky rice, soft rice, or savory rice.

Convenient design

This rice cooker features a removable nonstick inner pot, auto-clean function, detachable inner lid, and excess water drainage dish.

What we like

Easy-clean inner pot

There is a use of a non-toxic, non-stick inner pot to prevent burning rice and for easy cleaning.

Detachable lid

You can remove the lid from the body after use to make cleaning easier.

Fast cooking

We cooked 3 cups of uncooked rice in about 30 minutes. We took this test twice in one week, with the same result.

Keep warm

We noticed that this cooker will automatically switch to the “keep warm” mode As long as you leave it plugged. This feature allows you to cook the rice unsupervised without the risk of burning.

What we don’t

No spatula holder

Unfortunately, there is no spoon holder attached to this rice cooker.

Unclear numbers in the pot

We have a problem with the tagged numbers inside the bowl. Since our pot is black, Cuckoo did wrong to also write the numbers in black.

This makes it extremely hard to recognize the number needed to measure water. You have to use your flashlight or cell phone light to read the numbering.

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  1. BLACK+DECKER 16-Cup Cooked/8-Cup Uncooked Rice Cooker and Food Steamer, White

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BLACK+DECKER is a good name in the industry and a reliable rice cooker maker. This model of rice cooker under 100 offers the following:

Capacity

The capacity is large enough for anywhere from 3-16 cups of cooked rice.

Steaming basket

This affordable rice cooker includes a steaming basket for making healthy meals with vegetables, fish, and so on.

Removable non-stick bowl

The cooking bowl is non-stick and removable for easy cleaning with your dishwasher or hand washing.

Keep warm mode

The keep-warm mode is an automatic feature that keeps your delicious rice ready for serving, even without your supervision. This function is enabled immediately after cooking is complete.

Heat settings

Features dual heat settings. This cooker knows to stop heating when moisture is fully absorbed.

What we like

Steam vent

We like the steam vent designed in the lid for steam to escape at the perfect pace.

Built-in lid holder

When you open this cooker, just drop the lid on the lid holder to conveniently hold it on either of the side handles.

Indicator lights

The different indicator lights tell when this cooker cooks rice or keeps it warm.

Tempered glass lid

We think the glass lid is durable. It also gives a clear view of rice while cooking is in progress.

What we don’t

Does not saute

This rice cooker model does not support sauteing.

Crispy warm setting

The warm setting tends to quickly get the rice crispy brown. The solution is to remove the rice once cooking is done.

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  1. Zojirushi NHS-10 6-Cup (Uncooked) Rice Cooker

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It seems the whole internet is all about “Zojirushi is the best rice cooker under 100”. But this is the truth anyway. Zojirushi brings the following to the table:

Capacity

A 6-cup cooker/steamer with the keep warm function to wake you up to fresh rice in the morning.

Steel steaming tray and cooking bowl

The steaming tray is made of stainless steel for easy cleaning and the cooking bowl is nonstick inner to prevent burning while cooking.

Transparent lid

We love how the lid design is a see-through glass that keeps your curious mind watching the rice cooker in action.

Stay-cool handle

Cooking for something typically heats the handles but Zojirushi NHS-10 are designed to stay cool for convenience.

What we like

Cooking speed

We cooked 2-3 cups of raw rice in about 25-30 minutes.

Inner pot and steamer

The steamer tray is an extra while there is also a cooking bowl marked with graduations to guide you with the correct amount of water.

What we don’t

Keep warm dries rice

The keep warm mode tends to dry the rice quickly. We suggest letting the meep warm feature run for less than 2 hours.

No timer

Unfortunately, this unit does not use a digital timer. It only has a button/lever to push down for cooking to start.

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  1. Instant Pot Duo Plus 9-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Sauté, Yogurt Maker, Warmer & Sterilizer,3 Quart Stainless Steel/Black

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You have probably heard of the Instant Pot but doubted its ability. Well, this Duo Plus model costs just under 100 but operates like a more expensive rice cooker.

Multi-menu

Apart from your rice, this cooker can slow cook, pressure cook, make yogurt, steam, sauté pan, sterilize, and warm food.

Venting

Comes with an improved easy-release steam switch that quickly releases steam and automatically resets once you close the lid.

Cooking feedback

Has real-time cooking feedback that shows the cooking progress bar, which tells the cooking stage your cooking program has reached.

Cleaning

The finish is fingerprint resistant, uses stainless-steel sides and the lid is completely dishwasher-safe to make cleaning easier than ever.

What we like

Safety features

There are more than 10 safety features, including a safety locking lid and overheat protection.

Food grade bowl

The cooking bowl is food stainless-steel with a tri-ply bottom for more cooking. The design secures the pot for perfect sautéing so that it does not spin.

What we don’t

Glass lid

It does not come with a glass lid, so you have to buy it separately.

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  1. COMFEE’ Rice Cooker, Slow Cooker, Steamer, Stewpot, Saute All in One (12 Digital Cooking Programs) Multi Cooker (5.2Qt ) Large Capacity, 24 Hours Preset & Instant Keep Warm

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Capacity

Large enough for 20 cups of cooked rice, 3-6 pounds of meat, and a whole chicken. It will suit your household, parties, or any outdoor activities.

User-friendly

Quite user-friendly while we tested it out. Its digital panel and LED display also make it fun and convenient.

Safety

Lets you cook the rice with the touch handle remaining cool for the chef to safely and comfortably open the cooker.

Cleaning

Its stainless steel external housing makes it easy to clean. The non-stick coating ensures that rice does not stick, so you can easily clean the inner pot.

What we like

Dishwasher safe

We washed the inner pot and all accessories we received with this cooker in the dishwasher without issues. The manufacturer also recommends using a dishwasher to automate the washing process.

Keep warm

The keep warm mode enables automatically and stays for 12 hours.

Delay timer

It features a 24-hour delay timer for your flexible rice meal planning while you are sleeping, at work, or focusing on other recipes.

What we don’t

No spoon rest

Be ready to be without spoon rest.

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Final thoughts on Best Rice Cooker Under $100

Rice is a staple food consumed by more than 50% of the population in the world, including you. As such, you want to give it a fluffy, delicious cook with a cooker to unlock the complete flavor. If you are on a budget under 100, the aforementioned rice cookers are your go-to solution.