Best Small Rice Cooker Reviews
A small rice cooker can prepare meals for an individual or a small family home. The capacity ranges between 2 to 5 cups.
These appliances are affordable, easy to use, transport, and store. They can also be used by a variety of people. For example, campers, students in dorms, and small apartments.
When choosing a small rice cooker, it’s important to ensure that you’re getting the most features.
The key features are the keep warm, delay start, quality material, versatility with use, and warranty. Also, have a budget in mind as the prices vary.
What Is the Smallest Rice Cooker?
The smallest rice cooker I have come across is the Dash Mini Rice Cooker. It is a mini cooker with a capacity of only two cups.
A great thing about this mini rice cooker is that it works as easily as a majority of the other rice cookers. Moreover, you can use it to prepare more than rice.
The small rice cooker is great for one person or a small family. Read a full review of the Dash Mini rice cooker below, it’s among the best small rice cookers in the market.
How Much Is Small Rice Cooker?
A small rice cooker costs between $20 to $180. The price is determined by its size, cooking capacity, and brand.
Rice cookers with a capacity of 2 or 3 cups will cost you less than $50 in most stores. Popular brands under this category are Dash, Aroma, Black and Decker, and IMUSA.
Where Can I Buy Small Rice Cooker?
You can buy small rice cookers in regular neighborhood stores or order online. There are a variety of options- Walmart, Target, Amazon.
The options allow you to choose what is most convenient for you. Whether you prefer to see the product before purchase or prefer stress-free delivery to your doorstep.
Reviews of the Best Small Rice Cooker
We’ve reviewed 7 of the best appliances in the market. For each review, we’ve mentioned the key features, product suitability, and why you should consider buying it.
1. Aroma Housewares ARC-954SBD Rice Cooker
The ARC-954SBD is a compact rice cooker. It has a capacity of 2.5Quarts which is equivalent to 8 cups of cooked rice.
You can prepare 2 to 8 cups of cooked rice which comfortably suits an individual or a small family. It has dimensions of 8.25 x 9 x 8.5 inches.
The rice cooker is made using Teflon-coated aluminum that is BPA-free. The interface for operating it is user-friendly with the buttons well displayed.
Numerous buttons on the appliance demonstrate how multifunctional the Aroma Housewares ARC-954SBD Rice Cooker is.
It is multifunctional in terms of ways you can prepare the rice and the variety of dishes you can prepare.
It gives the flexibility to prepare white rice, quinoa, brown rice, oatmeal, and other side dishes.
The Sauté-then-Simmer feature comes in handy to sauté foods at high heat and switch to simmer when you add the liquid.
This feature is great for preparing risotto, chili, and Spanish rice. The automatic Keep Warm feature is also present to maintain the temperature of your ready meal.
Read: Can A Rice Cooker Be Used to Keep Food Warm?
You’re also able to steam more than one meal at a time thanks to the steam tray enabling you to save time when preparing your meals.
The Aroma small rice cooker has a programmable 15-hour delay timer giving you time to plan for preparing your meals.
Upon purchase, the package comes with accessories such as a rice measuring cup, a steam tray, and a serving spatula.
2. Dash Mini Rice Cooker
The Dash Rice cooker has dimensions of 8.3 x 6.5 x 16 inches. It is a 200-Watt cooker that is compact and highly portable.
The rice cooker is made using plastic and metallic material. It also features a nonstick coating and ensures hassle-free cleaning.
It has a straightforward user interface. You press the indicated button and the cooking process begins.
There are indicator lights to monitor when the appliance is on cooking mode or keep warm.
The mini rice cooker has cool-touch handles that facilitate the transport of the appliance from one point to another.
It has a 2-cup capacity making it suitable for users with a small kitchen, college dorm, camper, or first apartments.
The rice cooker is available in 5 different colors, you can easily fit the appliance with your aesthetics.
For accessories, the Dash rice cooker comes with a rice paddle and measuring cup. These ensure that you’re able to accurately measure the portions and avoid a mushy outcome.
A recipe book and recipe database access are also available to give you options when cooking. You can prepare rice, stew, oatmeal, pasta, and quinoa for your meals or snack.
The best part, this rice cooker has one year warranty from the manufacturer.
3. Black+Decker 3-Cup Rice Cooker
The BLACK + DECKER appliance is a 3cup rice cooker with dimensions of 8 x 8 x 6.5 inches and a weight of 2.43lbs.
This rice cooker capacity creates room for both individuals and large families. You can prepare 1 to 3 cups of cooked rice.
It’s a stylish rice cooker, white, and can also be used to prepare oatmeal, stews, and soups. There is a removable non-stick bowl that is dishwasher safe.
This makes cleaning quick and stress-free. The small rice cooker prepares your meals in 20 to 30 minutes depending on the quantity.
It also features an automatic keep-warm that comes on when cooking is done.
There are indicator lights with different colors that help you determine whether the appliance is cooking or in keep-warm mode.
The lid on the rice cooker is made from tempered glass. This not only makes it durable but also easy to maintain.
The Lid also has a built-in holder and steam vent for ease of use.
You also get a food steaming basket that allows you to prepare vegetable meat and other healthy meals.
Included with the product are a measuring cup and spoon. You can use the cup to measure the rice. The plastic serving spoon comes in handy to prevent you from scratching the non-stick bowl.
This product is backed by a 2-year limited warranty.
There are a variety of other sizes (6 to 28 cups) of this BLACK + DECKER rice cooker for people who need to cook for larger families or functions.
4. Zojirushi NS-TSC10 Rice Cooker and Warmer
The Zojirushi NS-TSC10 is a rice cooker made from stainless steel measuring 14 x 10.1 x 8.5 inches. It is an appliance made with the convenience of the end-user in mind.
The Zojirushi is among the largest on this list with a capacity of up to 5.5cups and a wattage of 610.
It features a micro computerized logic technology that expands the settings and utilization of the appliance.
There are 8 settings that include: sushi/white, mixed, sweet, cake, quick-cooking, steam, porridge, and brown rice.
These features give you a variety of options to play around with. Moreover, it has a steam basket that can not only prepare rice but also vegetables and seafood.
There’s an LCD panel with timer and clock functions that are easy to read. You’re able to set up the rice cooker promptly.
Read: When Does A Rice Cooker Know When To Stop?
The Zojirushi has 2 delay timer settings to allow you to dictate your cooking time. You also have the keep warm, extended keep warm, and reheat functions once the meals are ready.
To that effect, there are interchangeable beep signals and melody that help you keep tabs on the cooking processes.
Cleaning this appliance is quick as the inner cooking pan is nonstick, rice does not stick to it. Also, most of the parts are removable including the inner lid allowing you to access the sections easily.
The Zojirushi rice cooker features a built-in retractable power cord. It makes it manageable to transport and store the rice cooker.
The manufacturers offer two size options- 5.5 and 10 cups capacity rice cookers.
5. Oster 3-Cup Rice Cooker
The Oster is an affordable small rice cooker that measures 9 x 10 x 9.3 inches. It’s the CKSTRCMS65 model that comes in black and red.
This small rice cooker has a capacity of 1.4liters which is equivalent to 3 cups of dry rice and 6 cups of cooked.
It features a non-stick removable inner pot. The rice does not stick onto the material making it easy to clean after use.
You can prepare a variety of dishes such as rice, vegetables, mashed potatoes, frittatas, oatmeal, banana bread, and hardboiled eggs.
Operating the appliance is one touch as it requires a simple button push. This Oster 3 cup rice cooker also has the keep warm feature that enables to keep the ready dish at optimal temperature.
There’s also an auto shut-off feature that shuts the appliance down completely after a prolonged period of operation.
This safety feature is key in preventing fire breakout or damage to the appliance.
Read: Can A Rice Cooker Cause Fire?
The tempered glass lid features a steam vent that aids in regulating the cooking pressure and temperature. It also aids in preventing the accumulation of excess moisture.
Like with the other options, it comes with a steaming basket, ladle, and measuring cup.
6. Cuisinart CRC-400 Rice Cooker
The CRC-400 rice cooker from Cuisinart is a uniquely designed silver appliance. It features a square shape finished with brushed stainless steel.
The capacity of this small rice cooker is 4 cups. You can comfortably prepare 4 to 7 cups depending on your need.
It has chrome-plated handles that allow easy transportation.
You’re able to cook rice, vegetables, and meat with this stainless-steel Cuisinart CRC-400 rice cooker.
When done cooking, the appliance automatically switches to warm to maintain the temperature before serving.
There’s a lever control with warm and cook settings. Warm and cook indicator lights aid in monitoring the appliance.
The package comes with a stainless-steel steaming basket, glass lid, nonstick aluminum cooking bowl, measuring cup, and paddle.
It’s a perfect rice cooker for individuals who are looking for a unique and affordable appliance that can cook for an individual to medium-sized families.
You can find the 8-cup option here.
7. Toshiba Digital Rice Cooker
The Toshiba rice cooker is a professional Japanese-style appliance. It measures 11 x 9 x 8 inches, with a capacity of 3 cups and 460 watts.
The rice cooker is compact and perfect for a small family.
There are 8 pre-programmable cooking settings. They include white rice mixed grain, brown rice, cake, porridge, slow cook, quick rice, and egg.
The product is designed using smart fuzzy logic technology. This technology offers a triple heating function that facilitates even cooking.
There is a smart LED digital panel display that helps when using and navigating the settings. It also features 2 delay timer settings for users on the go.
Please note that the egg and cake settings don’t have a delay start. There’s also a 24-hour keep-warm function.
A convenient and sleek handle is in place to safely carry and move the rice cooker. It’s also easy to store due to its compact size.
The product comes packaged with a non-stick inner pot, inner lid, and detachable steam vent.
All of the small rice cooker sections are easy to remove, clean, and reassemble. The best part, Toshiba offers a one-year warranty upon purchase.
Conclusion
Small rice cookers come in handy for individuals, small families, and users in transit. A majority of the rice cookers discussed prepare more than rice.
You can create meals and snacks alike. The price of a small rice cooker ranges between $20 and $180 depending on the capacity, brand, and features.
Get yourself any of the products reviewed and start the journey of preparing your meals stress-free.
If you have any of the rice cookers mentioned, let us know which one and how your experience has been.
For me, I started with the Dash Mini Rice cooker and later upgraded to the Zojirushi NS-TSC10.
Also find out Why Do Rice Cookers Boil Over?
