Best Small Rice Cooker: Sparing the Place on Your Plate

Why a small rice cooker? Well, because! I mean what to expect from a guy who lives with a wife and a cat? It’s a perfect device for preparing a meal for three of us.

To put joke aside, by definition, a small rice cooker has a capacity of 3 cups of uncooked rice. It might seem like a small portion, but three cups of uncooked rice will provide you six cups of cooked rice. And, you’ll agree that it is enough for a lunch or dinner for three adult people.

In general, rice cookers are pretty handy. They do not take too much place in the kitchen but they give you the possibility to prepare a whole variety of foods in less than half an hour. I’ll mention just soups and vegetables, and you’re free to let your imagination run wild, or simply visit your favorite source of recipes and find something saucy and delicious to cook. So, let’s dive into the list of best small rice cookers on the Amazon.

1. Dash DRCM200BK Mini Rice Cooker

We’ll start with Amazon’s choice for the best product in the category. The Dash stands behind this mini rice cooker, with 2 cups of capacity which gives you more control over portion size but also spares always so precious space in the kitchen. Besides rice, you’ll be able to cook soup, vegetables, pudding, and pasta (you can continue the list with the different kinds of sides and dips).

It’s very easy to use – it works on the “set it and forget it” principle. All you need to do is to add uncooked rice, veggies, and pasta, pour the water and press the “Cook” button. In about 20 minutes, and that’s how long this mini rice cooker needs to cook the meal, the cooker will automatically go to “Warm” mode, preventing you from overcooking or overheating the food.

The “Warm” function is something most of you will find extremely useful, but anyway, keep in mind you shouldn’t overuse it – for example, don’t leave it overnight. This way you’ll prolong the life of the device.

It uses only 200 watts of electric power, which makes it suitable for RV’s, or outdoor use in general. Also, the rice cooker comes with some additional items and features like cool-touch handles, a non-sticking and removable pot, a measuring cup, and a rice paddle. If you’re not sure what meals to prepare, you get the recipe book and access to the online recipe database.

The cooker is made in the USA, which some users might find important, and it is backed with a 1-year warranty.

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2. BLACK+DECKER RC506 Rice Cooker and Food Steamer

The next item on our list is the best seller in the category. It comes from BLACK+DECKER, and it’s not mini-size as the previous one, but still, it is small. With the capacity of 3 cups of uncooked or 6 cups of cooked rice, it exactly fits into the definition of a small rice cooker.

When it comes to features, it’s almost the same as the previous one. Besides rice, you’ll be able to cook or steam a pretty wide range of foods, like soups, vegetables, fish, etc., and that’s why it comes with a steaming basket. Also, it comes with a measuring cup, and please keep in mind to use it when measuring food, instead of a real cup. The package includes another useful kitchen item – a plastic spoon.

The pot is made of non-sticking interior and it’s completely removable, which also means it’s dishwasher safe.

It has two buttons on the outside – Cook and Warm – just as the previous one, and after the food is ready, the rice cooker automatically switches to “Warm” mode. The only difference, besides the capacity, is the wattage – this one uses 300 watts of electricity.

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3. Elite Gourmet ERC-003 Electric Rice Cooker

Another basic and affordable small rice cooker comes from Elite Gourmet. It’s round-shaped and just like its previous competitors comes with basic functions – Cook and Keep warm. We must note it’s one of the sturdiest built cookers on the list.

When it comes to features, there’s nothing special we could write about it. It’s 3 cups of uncooked rice capacity rice cooker. It comes with a removable pot made of aluminum, which is easy to clean. The measuring cup and the spatula are included in the package.

All you need to do is to put the food and water in the cooker, press the button and wait until it’s ready. The cooker will automatically switch to the “Keep warm” mode when the food is cooked.
So, again, it’s a basic rice cooker but does what it says, and according to pretty high ratings on Amazon, it works as advertised.

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4. Aroma Housewares 2-8-Cups Digital Rice Cooker

A bit more advanced and feature-rich rice cooker comes from Aroma. It stands out from its competitors even at the first sight – a whole bunch of predefined presets on the outside will give you the idea of how much more powerful this rice cooker is. You can choose between making white or brown rice, steaming veggies, keeping the food warm, and it even comes with a delay timer.

The whole package, along with a rice cooker, includes a removable non-sticking pot, steamer tray, measuring cup, and spatula (or a plastic spoon).

Another thing that differentiates it from its competition is the capacity. You can make up to 8 cups of cooked rice which is two cups more than the standard in the category.

Honestly, it’s our favorite and we highly recommend it.

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5. Zojirushi NS-LGC05XB Micom Rice Cooker

We’ve left the priciest but the highest-rated cooker for the end. Surprisingly, it almost has no negative reviews.

It comes with a whole bunch of predefined settings for preparing white, brown, or GABA rice. You even get the predefined settings for preparing sushi rice.

One of the most powerful features is a triple heater – bottom, side, and lid. Like the previous items, it comes with a removable lid and removable steam vent cap, which is especially useful when it comes to cooking on high-temperatures.

Maybe it seems a bit pricey, having in mind its competition, but actually, it’s worth every penny and it definitely won’t disappoint you. We highly recommend it.

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Best Small Rice Cooker for Baby Food

You maybe haven’t thought about it, but a small rice cooker is such a versatile device and you can use it instead of the baby food processor. A small rice cooker is great for preparing food in different situations while the baby food processor has only one purpose, also it’s a lot cheaper. Besides that, it gives you more control over what your baby eats. Even if the choice is restricted to only mashed fruits and vegetables, you can still choose groceries, the way you prepare and store them.

Panasonic SR-3NAL Rice, Steamer & Multi-Cooker

Our recommendation comes from Panasonic. It’s a nice looking, compact rice cooker, that will provide you with 1.5 uncooked or 3 cups of freshly cooked rice. The same goes for other vegetables and fruits. You can’t help but notice that its capacity is twice as small as of the rest of the small rice cookers on our list. But it has something in common – it’s really simple to operate – one push of a button and you’re ready to go.

When it comes to features, the body is made of aluminum; it comes with an aluminum-coated non-stick inner pan with clear measuring lines for water; and a measuring cup. Also, the cooker comes with a tempered see-through glass lid with a plastic knob, so you can carefully monitor the food that you put in.

Overall, it’s quick, nice looking, and affordable (if you just became a parent you’ll know that every buck matters).
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Best Small Rice Cooker with Steamer

You probably know that the latest trends concerning human nutrition habits strictly recommend consuming fresh fruits and vegetables whenever it’s possible. But what about meat?

According to information available online, steaming is probably the healthiest way to prepare meat.

Steamed meat:

• saves huge amounts of important nutrients;
• retains minerals and vitamins;
• saves energy;
• there is no need to use cooking oil and thus is much healthier;
• the meat comes out more tender and juicy – containing its natural juices.

Aroma Housewares 6-Cup (Cooked) (3-Cup Uncooked) Pot Style Rice Cooker and Food Steamer (ARC-743-1NG)

This pot-styled small rice cooker comes with a perfect food steamer suitable for a whole variety of foods, including meat. This means you’ll be able to cook rice below and steam meat and vegetables above, at the same time. When it comes to functions, there is, of course, the cook button which automatically switches off to keep-warm mode when the food is done. Also, there is a button for the keep-warm function.

The device comes with a non-stick inner pot, aluminum steam tray, rice measuring cup, and a nice plastic spatula.

It’s a nice-looking, high-quality device that does the job, and you must admit it’s pretty affordable.
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Best Small Rice Cooker for Travel

If you like to take your eating habits on the trip, and if you like to eat the food that you prepare, this small rice cooker is perfect for you. It’s made for tireless travelers, and most of them know how sparing space and money is important while traveling, especially if you do it on a small budget.

While you need to find your way to spare the money, we’ve found the best rice cooker that will spare space in your luggage, and you’ll still be able to eat what you want, how you want, and wherever you want.

WHITE TIGER Portable Mini Rice Cooker

The cooker comes from the White Tiger. It’s made of aluminum and with enough capacity to prepare the meal for two – just in case if you take your partner or a friend on a journey. It comes with a PFOA-free non-stick inner pot, rice paddle, spatula, and a measuring cup. Also, like the previous small rice cooker, it features the automatic keep-warm function but the indicator light, too. It’s lightweight, quick, and easy to clean.

So, if you plan even a small weekend trip, this is a perfect device for preparing soups, stews, rice, oatmeal, or even deserts.
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Best Non-Toxic Small Rice Cooker

All right. We’re living in an era where we’re all trying to be more nature-friendly, and day after day there is more public awareness about limited resources on the Earth. We also know how much damage we’ve done to nature in the past decades, even centuries. That’s why “back to nature” became the imperative of the XXI century. Do at least what you can. Using natural, biodegradable materials in production is one of the ways. On the other side, we tend to pick what we eat and how we prepare the meals more carefully. That’s how this small rice cooker came to the list.

High-Fired VitaClay 2-in-1 Rice N Slow Cooker in Clay Pot

The body of this cooker is made of metal, but the inner pot is made of natural mineral-rich clay. The pot features a natural non-stick interior. That means that there is no coating made with the use of any chemicals or even aluminum. Since this cooker comes with a double lid, one of them, the one that sits on top of the pot, is also made of natural clay.

So, the cooker has a double lid, which means it’s more energy efficient than most of its competition. It has a simple control panel and it’s very easy to clean. When it comes to functions there are four pre-programmed cooking settings – rice, brown rice, stew, or soup. When you click one of them, the next step is setting up a timer from 30 minutes up to 12 hours, and you’re done.
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How to use a small rice cooker

The usage of the small rice cooker is more than simple. It’s probably the simplest kitchen appliance to use since most of them usually have one button only – cook. The other most common sort of small rice cookers is one with the two pretty straightforward and self-explanatory buttons – cook and keep-warm. And that’s what we like about it – there is no too much thinking, no long manuals, nor can you do something wrong in any way.

So, this shortest usage manual will refer to the – basic rice cooker with the capacity of up to 3 – 4 cups of uncooked rice. In case the cooker you’ve purchased has more advanced options, please refer to the instruction manual that usually comes with such kinds of appliances. And get ready, since this is going to be fast: pour enough water in the cooker; put the right amount of rice using a measuring cup that usually comes with the cooker; click the Cook button. That’s it. If your small rice cooker has a keep-warm function, then the cooker will automatically switch to keep warm mode.

So, that’s all the philosophy about how to use a small rice cooker.

Last update on 2024-10-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API