What are the best rice cookers for under $50?

6

Options
Considered

20

User
Recs.

Jun 16, 2019

Last
Updated

Here’s the Deal

6 Options Considered

Best rice cookers for under $50	Price	Timer	Weight
-- Aroma Housewares ARC-914SBD	$31.47	Yes	4.2 pounds
-- Oster 004722-000-000	$18.96	No	3 pounds
-- Hamilton Beach Rice & Hot Cereal Cooker 37541	$46.31	Yes	3 pounds
-- Cuisinart CRC-400	$46.59	No	4.8 pounds
-- Aroma 20 Cup Cooked (10 cup uncooked) Digital Rice Cooker, Slow Cooker, Food Steamer	-	-	-

Aroma Housewares ARC-914SBD

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Top Pro

Good feature and functionality ratio

This is a great rice cooker with a decent set of features - all with a price of less than $50. The pre-cook timer, the “keep-warm” mode, and the inclusion of steaming are great additional features that bump up the value of the cooker. See More

Top Con

Annoying beeping sound

Once the cooking ends, the cooker announces it with a loud, high pitched beeping which can be really annoying. The sound cannot be disabled or made quieter. See More

Specs

Weight :4.2 pounds

Multiple settings:Yes

Product Dimensions :8.5 x 9.3 x 8.7 inches

Top Pro

Can make food in advance

The pre-cooking timer can be set for up to 15 hours. It means you can put all the ingredients into the cooker, set the timer, go to work, and have a warm, delicious dinner waiting for you when you return home. See More

Top Con

Foods cannot be slow cooked

Slow cooking is when a dish is best made over a longer period of time with a lower temperature setting. Sadly, the predefined options do not include this feature. See More

Top Pro

Cooks rice for the perfect amount of time

The rice is always cooked for the right amount of time. It is not neither undercooked nor burnt and tastes simply delicious. See More

Top Con

Small steam basket

The steam basket, where you place all the food that you want to steam-cook, is rather small and shallow. The size is enough for only 1 portion or maybe 2 smaller portions. See More

Top Pro

Small to moderate sized

The cooker’s capacity can hold up to 4 cups of uncooked rice, which, in turn, turns into approximately 8 cups of rice. This is a medium amount and can be sufficient for up to 3 people. See More

Top Pro

Easy to clean

The inner pot and inner lid are both removable and dishwasher safe. The inner pot also has a teflon coating which is a non-stick surface that eases cleaning even more. See More

Top Pro

Keeps your food warm after cooking

Once the cooking is done, it automatically transitions into “keep-warm” mode to maintain your food’s temperature until you want to actually eat it. See More

Top Pro

Convenient controls

The buttons are big and their functions are clear. With three available presets, the operating is easy and straightforward. See More

Oster 004722-000-000

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Top Con

Not big enough to cook for multiple people

The small size means it won’t be able to cook enough food at once for multiple people. It can hold up to 6 cups of cooked rice, which is reasonable, given its compact size. Such amount is best for 1 or 2 people See More

Top Pro

Very cheap

This rice cooker is very cheap. Because of its price, it really cannot have many additional features. Still, it has a great value because of its quality cooking. See More

Specs

Weight :3 pounds

Multiple settings:No

Product Dimensions :9.2 x 10.2 x 9.5 inches

Top Con

Cannot cook meals in advance

It doesn’t have a programmable timer which would allow planning meals in advance. See More

Top Pro

Can make two dishes at the same time

The optional steaming tray allows cooking two separate dishes at once. Doing so saves energy and time. See More

Top Con

Water sometimes overflows

When cooking rice within the indicated margins, the water can still overflow and be a bother when it comes to cleaning. This simply shouldn’t happen with these kinds of appliances. See More

Top Pro

Won’t allow food the get cold

When it's done cooking, it automatically enters the “keep warm” mode which won’t allow your food to get cold and will maintain the meal warm for whenever you’re ready. See More

Top Con

Doesn’t offer a choice between cooking settings

The only choices are “cooking mode” and a “keep warm mode”. Because of this, you have to solely rely on the only cooking setting it provides. See More

Top Pro

Easy to clean

The non-stick pot and the steaming plate are both removable and dishwasher safe. Can’t really be more convenient. See More

Top Con

It has no on/off switch

You have to unplug the power cord every time you want to turn it off. See More

Hamilton Beach Rice & Hot Cereal Cooker 37541

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Top Pro

Can prepare food for multiple people

The rice cooker is pretty large, especially for its price. It can hold up to 10 cups of uncooked rice which will become 20 cups of cooked rice. This amount is large enough for around seven people. See More

Top Con

Best used with only white rice

Brown and long-grain rice are not as finely cooked as regular white rice. This is expected since the predefined settings do not include different types of rice other than white rice. See More

Specs

Weight :3 pounds

Multiple settings:Yes

Product Dimensions :11.42 H x 11.3 W x 10.59 D

Top Pro

Can cook a lot of different foods

On top of cooking various types of rice, it can also cook pasta, whole grains, beans and even use the steaming option for vegetables, meat or fish. A lot can be done with just this one appliance. See More

Top Con

Foods cannot be "fine-tuned"

The cooking settings are predefined and cannot be changed, thus making it impossible to fine tune any food with very specific temperatures and cooking times. See More

Top Pro

Meals can be prepared in advance

The timer can be set for up to 15 hours, meaning, it will wait for up to 15 hours before starting the cooking process. This way you can plan your dinner in the morning, set the timer, leave, and have a meal ready just when you arrive home. See More

Top Con

Short power cord

The power cord is just around 28 inches long. It can really limit the places where you could keep it. See More

Top Pro

Automatically keeps food warm

When it is done cooking, it will automatically shift into “Keep warm mode” to keep your food warm until you want to actually eat it. Be advised that rice shouldn’t be kept in this mode for longer than ~10 hours, as it can get really dry. See More

Top Pro

Interface is easily understood and used

The interface is quite clear and very easy to use. The buttons are obvious with their functions and the predefined settings make cooking even easier. See More

Top Pro

Easy to clean

The inner bowl has a non-stick surface and is dishwasher safe. The inner lid can also be removed but has to cleaned manually. See More

Top Pro

Good for white and brown rice

Since there's a dedicated brown rice cooking feature, you don't have to pre-soak brown rice yourself. See More

Cuisinart CRC-400

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Top Con

Water tends to overflow with the glass lid

The water can overflow during cooking if the glass lid is on, making cleaning more cumbersome than necessary. To prevent this, use the steaming pot instead of the glass lid to seal the cooker. See More

Top Pro

Neat design

The square design is a unique one. The build is made from stainless steel which adds to the look and the square design, its small size, and a retractable power cord makes it easier to store. See More

Specs

Weight :4.8 pounds

Multiple settings:No

Product Dimensions :10.7 x 10.1 x 9.9 inches

Top Con

Doesn’t always cook perfectly

You can follow the instructions on what ratios to use and still have unsatisfactory cooked rice. It is best to experiment yourself with the water and rice ratios to achieve the best results. See More

Top Pro

Keeps the meal warm after it is done cooking

After it detects that the food is done, it automatically switches to the “keep warm” mode. The cooker will keep the food warm until you actually want to eat it. But look out not to leave rice for too long in this mode, as it will dry out. See More

Top Con

Cannot be turned off

You have to plug the power cord in order to switch it on or off. After it is done cooking, it will stay on the “keep warm” mode indefinitely, potentially ruining the food and expending energy if left on for far too long. See More

Top Pro

Can also steam food while cooking

The optional steaming pot allows cooking such foods like fish, meat, or vegetables during the time when the rice is cooking. It saves energy and time. See More

Top Con

Doesn’t have many features

Despite its price, it doesn’t have many additional features, like a timer or multiple cooking settings to choose from. See More

Top Pro

Small to medium sized

Given the compact design, it only has room for 4 cups of uncooked rice. This, generally, is enough only for one to three people. See More

Top Pro

Easy to clean

All parts are removable and dishwasher safe. It also has a non-stick cooking bowl. Combined, these features make cleaning very easy. See More

Aroma 20 Cup Cooked (10 cup uncooked) Digital Rice Cooker, Slow Cooker, Food Steamer

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Top Pro

Multi-functionality

Steams and slow-cooks in addition to making rice. See More

Black & Decker RC3203 3-Cup Rice Cooker, White

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Top Pro

Cook-pot insert is dishwasher safe

There is no need to wash the inside cook-pot by hand when done using as it is dishwasher safe, which saves time and castle. See More

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