Steam Tray or Tacook Plate? The Best Rice Cooker Steamer Picks

A rice cooker with a steamer does two jobs in one pot. Rice cooks in the bottom, and a basket or tray sits above it in the steam, holding vegetables, fish, chicken or a few dumplings. When the rice is done, the rest of the plate usually is too. For weeknight cooking that means one appliance, one outlet and one pot to wash.

Our main best rice cooker guide compares cookers on rice alone. This page narrows the choice to cookers that come with a steaming basket or tray, and explains the differences that matter for steaming: how big the basket is, whether the rice and the steamed food cook in step, and how easy the basket is to clean.

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Quick verdict: which rice cooker steamer to buy

Each pick below names its steaming accessory, its capacity and its settings, so you can match one to the size of your household.

Five rice cooker steamers at a glance

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

Product images from Amazon. Capacities are in uncooked rice, measured with the cup that comes with each cooker (about 6 ounces, or three-quarters of a US cup). Accessories are as stated by each maker or listing.

Our picks for the best rice cooker steamer

Our main rice cooker guide already reviews Tiger’s JBV-A10U with its Tacook tray, KitchenAid’s grain and rice cooker with its steamer basket and Aroma’s 20-cup ARC-150SB, and our Japanese rice cooker guide covers Toshiba’s induction cooker with a steam basket. To give you new options, none of those is repeated here. These eight all include a steaming basket, tray or plate, and range from a 2-cup personal cooker to a 10-cup family size.

How to choose a rice cooker with a steamer

Almost any rice cooker can steam if you put a basket in it. What separates these machines is how well the steaming fits around the rice.

1. Basket, tray or plate

A basket, like the Cosori’s or Hamilton Beach’s, holds loose vegetables such as broccoli florets. A tray or plate, like Tiger’s Tacook plate or Aroma’s steam tray, suits a single layer of fish, sliced vegetables or dumplings. A stainless steel basket or tray, as on the Cosori and Zojirushi, avoids plastic touching hot food. Aroma’s pop-up basket is the only one here that sits above the pot rather than inside it.

2. Timing the rice and the steamed food

Food in the basket cooks for as long as the rice does. Tiger’s synchro-cooking setting is designed for that, but on other cookers you may need to add delicate food, such as fish or spinach, partway through. Most of these cookers also have a steam-only setting for when you want steamed vegetables without rice.

3. Capacity in rice-cooker cups

Rice cookers measure in their own cup, about 6 ounces of uncooked rice, not a US 8-ounce cup. Two cups suit one person, 4 to 6 cups a couple or small family, and 7 to 10 cups a family or a party. Always measure with the cup in the box.

4. Settings for the rice you cook

For Mexican rice and other long-grain dishes, a sauté setting like the Cosori’s lets you toast the rice before cooking. Our guide to Mexican rice vs. Spanish rice explains that step. If you mostly cook plain white rice, a one-switch cooker such as the Zojirushi or Toshiba is enough.

5. Cleaning

Steaming adds condensation and drips, so look for a detachable inner lid or steam cap, as on the Tigers and Toshiba, and a basket that goes in the dishwasher, as on the Cosori and Hamilton Beach.

How we picked these eight rice cooker steamers

We searched Amazon for rice cookers sold with a steaming basket, tray or plate, then removed every cooker already reviewed on our main rice cooker and Japanese rice cooker pages, anything not in stock and near-duplicate models. We checked each maker’s claims about the steaming accessory; Zojirushi’s 3-cup NHS-06, for example, is sold as a rice cooker and steamer but its maker says the basket comes only with the larger models, so we chose the 6-cup NHS-10. Specifications come from the makers’ product pages where we could read them, and from the Amazon listings; we write “Not stated” where they are silent.

We used America’s Test Kitchen’s 2025 rice cooker review for independent findings; of our picks it covered only the Aroma ARC-914SBD. We searched the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s recall database for Tiger, Cosori, Aroma, Hamilton Beach, Zojirushi and Toshiba and found no recall of a rice cooker from any of them. We have not used these cookers ourselves.

Rice cooker and steamer questions, answered

What is the best rice cooker and steamer for a family?

For four or more, the Hamilton Beach 37548 and the Cosori CRC-R501 have the biggest baskets and capacities here. If you want the rice and the steamed dish to finish together, Tiger’s 10-cup JAX-T18U has a synchro-cooking setting.

Can you steam vegetables while rice cooks?

Yes, that is what the basket is for. America’s Test Kitchen notes that many rice cookers come with removable steam trays that sit above the rice, and the food cooks in the steam from the pot. Cut vegetables to an even size, and add quick-cooking ones later if your cooker allows it.

What is a Tacook plate?

It is Tiger’s name for its steaming plate. It sits above the rice, and the synchro-cooking setting times the cycle so that the rice and the food on the plate finish together.

Can a rice cooker with a steamer cook tamales?

Only a few small ones at a time, and they need to stand upright with room for steam. For a full batch, see our guide to the best electric tamale steamer.

Is a rice cooker with a steamer better than a separate steamer?

For a weeknight plate of rice and one steamed side, yes, since it uses one appliance and one outlet. For large amounts of vegetables, a dedicated steamer or a pot with a basket gives you more room.

Our final pick for rice and steaming in one pot

Buy the Tiger JAX-T10U if you want rice and a steamed main dish that finish together, or the Cosori CRC-R501 for the most settings and a stainless basket. The Aroma ARC-914SBD is the budget choice, the Hamilton Beach 37548 suits families who rinse their rice, and the Zojirushi NHS-10 is the simplest. For cookers chosen on rice alone, see our best rice cooker guide.

Rice is half the plate at most Mexican meals; our guide to why rice and beans come with everything explains why. When you would rather someone else did the cooking, see our menu or call to order.