One Button, Eight Makers: The Best Rice Cooker Cheap Enough to Start

A rice cooker does one job, and the cheapest models from established makers do it with the same basic parts as the expensive ones: a heating plate, a thermostat that clicks over when the water is gone, and a pot. Press one button and the cooker holds the rice warm until dinner. For a kitchen that makes Mexican rice, plain white rice for burrito bowls, or a pot of rice to go with beans, that is often all you need.

This guide covers the entry tier of each maker’s range: Tiger, Aroma, Proctor Silex, CUCKOO, Dash, Zojirushi, Hamilton Beach and BLACK+DECKER. We do not list prices, because they change by the week. Instead we compare what each cooker gives you, what you give up next to the picks in our guide to the best rice cooker, and how long each maker stands behind it.

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Quick verdict: the best rice cooker cheap enough for everyday rice

Five value rice cookers at a glance

Our five standout picks, one for each kind of buyer, with the capacity and warranty each maker or listing states. All eight rice cookers are reviewed in full below.

Product images from Amazon. Capacity and warranty are as stated by each maker or listing; check the listing before you buy.

What you give up with a cheap rice cooker

The cookers at the top of our main guide use fuzzy logic or induction heating: a small computer reads the temperature and adjusts the heat through soaking, boiling and steaming. That is why they make even rice in any batch size and have separate menus for brown rice, sushi rice and porridge. Every cooker on this page is a one-button, thermostat cooker instead.

One cycle for every grain. A basic cooker heats until the water is gone, then switches to warm. That works well for long-grain white rice, the rice in most Mexican cooking. Brown rice and wild rice need more water and a longer rest with the lid on, and the result is less predictable than with a menu setting.

Less forgiving batch sizes. A thermostat cooker does best near the middle of its range. Very small amounts in a big pot can scorch at the bottom, so match the cooker to how much rice you usually make.

Shorter keep-warm. Simple cookers keep rice warm with steady bottom heat, which dries the bottom layer after a few hours. Tiger states 12 hours for its conventional cooker; most listings here do not give a limit.

No timer. None of these cookers has a delay timer. If you want rice ready when you get home from work, look at the digital cookers in our rice cooker and steamer guide.

Eight picks for the best rice cooker cheap enough to buy today

Every cooker here is a maker’s basic one-touch model, and each is a different listing from those in our main rice cooker guide, our Japanese rice cooker guide and our steamer guide. One, the Zojirushi, is a smaller size of a cooker in the steamer guide, and we say why below. All eight were listed as in stock, not low in stock, when we checked.

How to judge rice cooker value

Capacity you will actually use. Rice cooker sizes count dry rice in a rice cup of about 6 ounces, not a U.S. cup. A 3-cup cooker makes about 6 cups cooked, enough for a family side dish; a 5.5-cup cooker makes about 11. Buy for the amount you cook most often, not the biggest party of the year.

Warranty and parts. A rice cooker has few parts to fail, but the nonstick pot wears. A longer warranty, like Proctor Silex’s three years or the two years on the Aroma and BLACK+DECKER listings, is the best sign of value at this tier. Before you buy, check that the maker sells a replacement inner pot, so a scratched pot does not retire the cooker.

The pot coating. Every cooker here has a nonstick pot. Use the plastic paddle that comes in the box, never a metal spoon, and wash the pot by hand if you want the coating to last, even where the listing says it is dishwasher safe. Dash uses a ceramic nonstick; Tiger lists a fluorine coating.

A steam tray. Most basic cookers include a tray or basket. It lets you steam vegetables or chicken above the rice, which turns the cooker into a one-pot dinner.

Rinsing and washing. A cooker with a rinse basket, like the Hamilton Beach or Proctor Silex, saves a colander. Otherwise, a fine-mesh strainer from our guide to the best rice colander does the job.

Can a cheap rice cooker make Mexican rice?

Yes, with a little care. Mexican rice starts with long-grain rice toasted in oil until golden, then simmered in a tomato and chicken broth with onion and garlic. A one-button cooker cannot toast the rice, so do that step in a skillet, then move the rice, the tomato broth and the aromatics into the cooker and press the button. Use the same total liquid the recipe calls for, since tomato puree counts as part of it, and give the rice ten minutes on warm with the lid closed before you fluff it.

If you prefer the stovetop, a heavy pan from our guide to the best saucepan for rice gives you more control over the toasting. For the difference between the red rice of Mexico and Spanish saffron rice, see Mexican rice vs. Spanish rice.

How we chose these eight rice cookers

We searched Amazon for the basic one-touch rice cookers of established makers: Aroma, Hamilton Beach, Proctor Silex, BLACK+DECKER, Dash, Zojirushi, Tiger, CUCKOO, Oster, Panasonic, Toshiba and Cuisinart. We kept only models listed as in stock, not low in stock, and dropped listings already reviewed in our other rice cooker guides. Panasonic’s small cookers were listed as low in stock, we found no Cuisinart or Instant Zest rice cooker in stock on Amazon, and we left out Oster’s basic cooker because its listing gives no warranty and adds nothing the BLACK+DECKER and Aroma do not.

We checked each brand against the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s recall database. The only cooking-appliance recall we found for these brands was a 2003 recall of Hamilton Beach and Proctor Silex slow cookers, which does not cover a rice cooker. We found no rice cooker recall for any maker on this page. Specifications come from each Amazon listing; where a figure is missing, we say “Not stated.” We have not used these cookers ourselves, and we do not list prices, so “cheap” here means each maker’s entry tier and what it includes.

Cheap rice cooker questions, answered

What is the best rice cooker on a budget?

For most families, the Tiger 5.5-Cup Conventional: a big pot, a steam basket and up to 12 hours of keep warm, per Tiger. For the longest warranty, the Proctor Silex 6-Cup.

What is the best rice cooker under 30, 50 or 100 dollars?

Prices change too often for a price band to stay accurate, so we compare what each tier includes instead. Every pick here is a maker’s entry model; click through to see today’s price.

Is an affordable rice cooker worth it?

Yes, if you mostly cook white rice. A basic cooker frees a burner, needs no watching and keeps rice warm. What you give up is even results with brown rice and very small batches, and a delay timer.

What is the best value rice cooker for a family?

Look at 5 to 6 cups dry. The Tiger, the Hamilton Beach 10-Cup and the CUCKOO 12-Cup all fit a family; the CUCKOO has the most room for parties.

Which cheap rice cooker is best for one person?

The Dash Mini, which makes 2 cups cooked. For a little more room, the Zojirushi 3-Cup or the Proctor Silex 6-Cup.

Our final pick for rice on a small budget

Buy the Tiger 5.5-Cup Conventional for a family-size cooker from a rice cooker specialist, or the Proctor Silex 6-Cup for three years of warranty cover. Choose the CUCKOO for party-size batches, the Aroma or BLACK+DECKER for a small cooker with a steamer, and the Dash Mini if you cook for one. For fuzzy-logic and induction cookers that handle every grain, see our main guide to the best rice cooker, and for Japanese-made models, our guide to the best Japanese rice cooker.

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Rice is half of a good plate of enchiladas. When you would rather someone else made both halves, see our menu or call to order.