In theory, we could say that pretty much any random rice cooker could be a candidate for the best rice cooker for brown rice because they will cook it, just as they cook white rice. The only difference is that it takes longer.
However, since we’re only here to find the best, we’re certainly going to be selective.
Of course, there will be at least one Zojirushi model included in our search for the best rice cooker for brown rice. After all, Zojirushi is as famous in this field as Ninja is for air fryers or KitchenAid for stand mixers or Vitamix for blenders, etc.
In general, the models from Zojirushi aren’t cheap. After all, the Zojirushi Pressure Induction Heating Rice Cooker & Warmer line costs anywhere from $400 to $850, depending where you’re buying it from, which model you’re going for, and whether you’re lucky to come across it on sale or not. Well, they also have some products that are lower priced, costing around $200-$300.
Zojirushi is certainly not the only one that can cook brown rice perfectly so there will be many other products from other brands among my recommendations.
Plus, I always try to include a few decent affordable options to balance the pretty expensive models, whether I’m looking for amazing rice cookers, superb Dutch ovens, pans for risotto, air fryers, etc.
The alternatives will come in the form of the Cuckoo Micom Rice Cooker CR-0655F, Reishunger Mini Rice Cooker & Steamer, Instant 20-Cup Multigrain Cooker, Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1.
Table of Contents
Best Rice Cooker for Brown Rice Reviews
My top two picks are the Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker and the Zojirushi NP-NWC10XB Pressure Induction Heating Rice Cooker & Warmer.
However, both these Zojirushi models are very expensive. I won’t argue that they’re incredibly popular and highly praised by buyers, the ratio of positive reviews to negative reviews is absolutely amazing.
Still, there are going to be people who want something in the $100 price range. And that’s where products like the Cuckoo Micom Rice Cooker CR-0655F, Reishunger Mini Rice Cooker & Steamer, Instant 20-Cup Multigrain Cooker, Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 come in.
It’s always good to have a whole variety of options so that everyone can find the best rice cooker for brown rice for their needs and budgets.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for alternatives and you decide that electronics are not for you in this case, I recommend checking out my reviews for the best pots for cooking rice.
1. Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker & Warmer: Overall the Best Rice Cooker for Brown Rice
This Zojirushi might have a very adorable name but the price isn’t cute at all. It’s not cheap, that’s for sure.
But if you’re ready to make an investment and you’re interested in buying one of the highest rated models at the moment, you might be very interested in the Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker & Warmer.
On the other hand, if you’re interested in this brand in particular but you only have a budget around $50, there’s the Zojirushi NHS-06 3-Cup (Uncooked) Rice Cooker. It’s far from my favorite but maybe some of you will be intrigued by the cheap price and take a chance on it.
Components
- nonstick inner pot with stay cool side handles that allow quick and easy transporting
- rice measuring cup (green cup) – for pre-washed rice (171mL)
- rinse-free rice measuring cup – for white rice, semi-brown, brown, sweet (180mL)
- nonstick rice spatula and spatula holder
- recipes
The inner lid is detachable for easy cleaning. I like that.
There are two sizes to choose from:
- 5.5 cup
- 10 cup
They look the same and have the same functions but the inner pot is going to have a different size.
Features
The first thing I want to mention is that the Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy has a special brown rice menu setting for soft, delicious rice.
By only mentioning that we can understand that this Zojirushi has put some thought into their brown rice setting, which I love.
Zojirushi loves talking about special technology features when it comes to their more expensive models.
For example, for this one they mention that the Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker & Warmer features advanced Neuro Fuzzy logic technology that allows the appliance to think for itself. It makes fine adjustments to temperature and heating time to cook perfect rice every time.
I will admit that I’m a sucker for technologies like these. I love appliances that are well designed.
The menu settings include:
- White (regular/sushi, softer or harder)
- Mixed
- Porridge
- Sweet
- Semi-brown
- Brown
- Rinse-free
- Quick cooking
We also get 2 settings for delay timer.
It truly is one of the most impressive appliances at the moment, especially for people who enjoy cooking more than white rice. It’s amazing for people who enjoy complex appliances with a varied menu for different types of grains.
And an automatic keep warm feature with an extended keep warm and reheating cycle.
Last but not least, I want to mention that the Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker & Warmer is made in Japan.
How to cook brown rice with the Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy
Before cooking the rice, we must wash the rice.
That’s not necessary for pre-washed rice but it is necessary for all other types that are cooked in a rice cooker, including brown rice. Check out my recommendations for the best rice washer if you want to know more.
So, we measure the brown rice with the white cup, we add the cups to the inner pot and we proceed to wash the rice.
Then, we just have to adjust the water level scale for brown rice, which you’ll find inside the inner pot.
It’s all really simple. We place the inner pot inside the appliance and we press the Brown setting.
You can also check out this video if you want a visual guide about how it’s done.
The standard cooking time for brown rice is 84-107 minutes. It’s a long process so we could say that that’s one downside about the Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy. Well, even on the stovetop it takes a long time to cook brown rice. At least with a rice cooker we don’t have to spend time watching a pot, the appliance does all the work for us.
And we can use the timer if we want to program it to be ready at a certain hour within a 13 hour time frame.
Zojirushi also advises us that if we’re cooking brown rice in rice cookers that don’t have this specific setting, then we should allow the rice to soak for 30 minutes.
2. Zojirushi NP-NWC10XB Pressure Induction Heating Rice Cooker & Warmer
I’m certainly not going to say that this Zojirushi Pressure Induction Heating Rice Cooker & Warmer model is my favorite. And I believe that the above Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy is a much better choice as the best rice cooker for brown rice. If you can afford the price.
I actually thought about reviewing this Pressure Induction Heating Rice Cooker & Warmer model as more of a curiosity. To see for ourselves what an appliance that costs more than $500, if it’s not on sale, can offer.
Plus, there are actual buyers who appreciate and love this expensive Zojirushi model. So, if you’re keen on spending that kind of money, you might enjoy this review.
On the other hand, if your budget is in the $100 range, I recommend checking out the next recommendations: Reishunger Mini Rice Cooker & Steamer, Instant 20-Cup Multigrain Cooker, Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1.
Components
We get the same components:
- nonstick inner pot – this Pressure Induction Heating Rice Cooker & Warmer has a capacity up to 5.5 cups, the inner pot is platinum infused to help rice cook sweeter
- white cup for all types of rice that is not pre-washed
- green cup for pre-washed
- nonstick spatula – always fluff the grains once they’re done cooking
- spatula holder
Features
The Pressure Induction Heating is top of the line. It consists of several models, each with different prices. I think the NP-NWC10XB is among the best from this expensive line.
The name for this line comes from the fact that these models use pressurized cooking and AI to cook perfect rice. It seems that AI has managed to find rice cookers, too.
Pressure cooking turns beta starch into alpha starch for softer and easier to digest rice.
The superior induction heating (IH) makes fine heat adjustments to cook fluffier grains.
The menu settings are:
- White (regular, softer or harder)
- Umami
- Mixed
- Sushi/Sweet
- Jasmine
- Porridge
- Congee
- Brown
- GABA brown
- Steel cut oatmeal
- Rinse-free
- Quick cooking
We also get automatic keep warm, extended keep warm and reheat functions.
This is where the major differences are between the Zojirushi NP-NWC10XB Pressure Induction Heating Rice Cooker & Warmer and the Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy.
The menu for the Pressure Induction line is much more complex with a lot more options.
However, if we absolutely don’t need all this complexity, then you can save some serious money and buy the Neuro Fuzzy that comes in two sizes: 5.5 cup and 10 cup.
It’s also made in Japan.
How to cook brown rice with the Zojirushi NP-NWC10XB
The same instructions that we had for the Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy also apply here.
We measure the grains with the white cup, we add them to the inner pot and then we wash the grains until we get almost clear water.
We add water according to the Brown level inside the inner pot so it’s all extremely easy.
And then we press the Brown setting and we let the machine do its thing.
And we can use the timer if we want the rice to be ready somewhere in the next 13 hours.
The estimated cooking time for brown rice is 76-83 minutes. It’s slightly faster.
3. Cuckoo Micom Rice Cooker CR-0655F: Best Value for Money
I really love the Cuckoo Micom Rice Cooker CR-0655F. If you can’t afford the Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker & Warmer, which remains my top favorite, I think you might want to consider this affordable model from Cuckoo.
Cuckoo is a Korean manufacturer that makes their rice cookers in Korea. Zojirushi is a Japanese manufacturer that makes theirs in Japan. We can’t go wrong with either.
With a price well under $150 and the fact that it has a capacity of 6 uncooked cups, which translates into 12 cups cooked (for white rice), I would say that the Cuckoo Micom Rice Cooker CR-0655F is a fantastic appliance.
I also recommended it as one of the best Korean rice cookers.
Components
We get the usual:
- nonstick inner pot
- spatula
- measuring cup
- steam plate – we can use the Cuckoo Micom Rice Cooker as a steamer, which happens with quite a few rice cookers
Menu options
- Glutinous (white rice)
- Turbo
- Mixed
- GABA (brown rice)
- Porridge
- Steam
- Baby food
- Multi-cook
- Auto clean
- My mode
- Reheat
- Keep warm
- Preset timer
Features
What I love a lot is the 6 cup uncooked capacity. It means that people with medium and even large families can consider buying the Cuckoo Micom Rice Cooker CR-0655F. That’s great if you’re looking to spend around $100 on the best rice cooker for brown rice.
We can cook brown rice for 2-4 persons, while we can cook white rice for 2-6 persons.
The brown rice takes 83-91 min to cook but that’s pretty typical for most rice cookers. Even Zojirushi takes a long time to cook brown rice. It’s completely normal.
On the other hand, white rice is cooked in 35-53 min.
We can cook porridge for 1-1.5 persons in 90 min.
The inner pot comes with markings for white rice, brown rice and porridge so it will be easy to use. However, if there is something you might no figure out from the user manual, I recommend looking for guides on YouTube.
4. Reishunger Mini Rice Cooker & Steamer
I love the Reishunger Mini Rice Cooker & Steamer quite a lot actually. The only thing that kept me from reviewing it here is the fact that, as the name suggests, it’s a mini model.
Well, some people might actually love the small capacity and the totally cute design.
The price under $150 and the overall quality of the Reishunger Mini Rice Cooker & Steamer makes it a top pick as the best rice cooker for brown rice. As long as you don’t have to feed a large family.
It can certainly work best for 1-3 people.
Components
The Reishunger Mini Rice Cooker & Steamer was my top recommendation as the best ceramic rice cooker because it has an inner pot that is coated with ceramic.
That means that it’s the perfect choice for those who are looking for PFAS, PFOA, PTFE-free appliances.
Plus, we get a non-stick coating because a ceramic coating is always non-stick.
We also get:
- measuring cup
- rice spoon
- ladle
- and steamer insert for vegetables
Thus, we can also steam a bit of veggies, which is fantastic.
Features
It cooks more than rice and it’s an incredibly versatile appliance.
We get settings for:
- Standard
- White
- Brown
- Sushi
- Steam
- Crispy
- Baking
- Congee
I love all these settings. Of course, the Brown setting is the one that interests us the most but all the others are amazing, as well.
It features an innovative 7-phase cooking technology for perfectly cooked rice.
How to cook brown rice with the Reishunger Mini Rice Cooker & Steamer
In the user manual the instructions are:
- 1 cup rice with 1.75 cups water
- 2 cups rice with 3.5 cups water
- 2.5 cups rice with 4.35 cups water
The rice : water ratio is 1:1.75.
The cooking time is around 62 minutes so it’s a pretty fast appliance.
As long as you don’t mind that the max amount we can cook is 2.5 cups, then I think that you might love the Reishunger Mini Rice Cooker & Steamer.
5. Instant 20-Cup Multigrain Cooker
Besides making an awesome pressure cooker, one of the most popular kitchen appliances for the last years and that positive trend continues, Instant also makes a dedicated rice cooker.
I obviously prefer the pressure cooker. But the Instant 20-Cup Multigrain Cooker can be an alternative for people who absolutely don’t have anything to do with a pressure cooker. And they don’t want to risk going through confusing instructions or having unnecessary cooking functions that they won’t ever use.
The Instant 20-Cup Multigrain Cooker is absolutely easy to use, which I love.
The design is also gorgeous. I love the almost completely white look. That pop of black is a nice touch, as well.
Plus, the price around $100 is also pretty nice.
However, if you want a product that costs around $50, I recommend the Instant Zest 8 Cup One Touch Rice Cooker. It’s an amazing appliance with all the cooking functions that we might need and the price around $50 is pretty hard to beat.
Components
- nonstick inner pot (coated aluminum cooking pot)
- measuring cup
- rice spoon
- stainless steel Steam basket for the CarbReduce setting and the Steam setting
Features
The settings we get are pretty amazing:
- White rice
- Brown rice
- CarbReduce
- Mixed grains
- Quinoa
- Steam
- Slow cook
- Sauté
It’s certainly a bit more complex than other rice cookers, which is awesome.
The card reducing technology reduces carbs and sugars in rice up to 40% without sacrificing taste and texture. But we really don’t need that if we’re cooking brown rice. This one is for white grains.
What I have a problem with is that 20-cup in the name.
We should make it clear that the max dry rice capacity is:
- Up tp 7 cups for white rice
- Up to 6 cups for brown rice
How to cook brown rice with the Instant 20-Cup Multigrain Cooker
This is going to sound really strange.
The instructions for brown rice are:
- Cook time: 10 minutes – this it totally misleading, the machine starts counting down during the last 10 minutes of the cooking cycle but it will take around 50-90 minutes to cook the grains
- Min dry rice: 1 cup
- Max dry rice: 6 cups
- Rice to water ratio: 1 cup rice to 1.2 cups water
Well, the machine will also calculate cooking times based on the quantity of grains added. In general, I would say that it will take at least 50-60 minutes to cook brown rice and it might also take almost 90 minutes.
Well, most buyers who use it to cook both white and brown rice love it. It’s perfect for white, brow, quinoa & steel cut oats.
6. Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1
Does it seem strange that my last recommendation for the best rice cooker for brown rice is a pressure cooker?
Those who know about the Instant Pot will say no because they are aware just how many cooking functions this appliance has.
It’s also one of the best sellers in rice cookers so it’s clear that many people will choose to cook the grains in the Instant Pot.
Besides the fact that it’s so versatile and we can cook so many dishes in just one appliance, there is another reason for choosing to recommend the Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1.
That is due to the price of this appliance.
For those who are looking for a pretty decently priced product, the Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 might be what you want to focus on.
With a price around $100 or cheaper for the smaller size, this Instant Pot is among the cheapest rice cookers that we could get that also has a high ratio of positive reviews and a very small ratio of negative reviews. It’s hard to come across affordable options that don’t scare potential buyers away with their negative reviews.
Because, while there certainly are many options that cost $20-$30, I am not exactly convinced that I would choose any of those.
Components
First of all, there’s the stainless steel inner pot.
There’s no non-stick coating but I actually like that. If you only want to use appliances with non-stick inner pots, the Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 is not the right choice for you.
It offers us the amazing possibility of PFAS, PFOA, PTFE-free cooking due to that stainless steel inner pot.
We get to choose between 3 sizes:
- 3 quart
- 6 quart
- 8 quart
I love all these different sizes because they address everyone, from people who cook for 1-2 people (3 quart) to small-medium families (6 quart) to large families (8 quart).
Features
The 7-in-1 functionality means that the Instant Pot can be used to:
- Pressure cook
- Slow cook
- Rice
- Steam
- Saute
- Make yogurt
- Warm – it can also work as a microwave alternative
In order to use it as a steamer, we’ll have to buy an accessory. You can check out my article featuring the best potato steamers if you want to find out more.
Steaming vegetables, fish, and even meat would certainly be a function I would take advantage of. In fact, I love it so much that I have a pretty big digital food steamer to feed my family quickly and in order to achieve a more balanced diet. Double win.
There are 13 customizable Smart Programs:
- Soup|broth
- Meat|stew
- Bean|chili
- Poultry
- Rice
- Multigrain
- Porridge
- Steam
We also get buttons for:
- Slow cook
- Sauté
- Pressure level
- Delay start
- Keep warm
- Cancel
- Yogurt
- Pressure cook
We use the Rice setting only for white rice.
For all the other types, including brown, Jasmine, etc. we need to use the Pressure setting or the Multigrain setting.
Thus, with the Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 we don’t get a dedicated brown rice cooking setting, which can be a problem for some people.
I totally understand why some people might prefer getting a rice cooker appliance only because it will include a brown rice setting and easy to follow instructions for adding water. We saw that that’s the case for Zojirushi models.
How to cook brown rice with the Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1
If we’re cooking white rice, we use the rice setting, which is pretty easy.
The auto cooking time for white rice is:
- 8 minutes for al dente / white rice (less)
- 12 minutes for normal texture / white rice (normal) – the one that most of us will prefer
- 15 minutes for softer texture / white rice (more)
It’s incredibly fast because rice cookers will need 2-3 times that only for white rice. The Instant Pot can also adjust cooking time based on the amount of cups we add to the inner pot.
As I’ve already mentioned, if we want to cook brown rice in the Instant Pot, we need to use the Multigrain setting. That’s what their user manual recommends.
The cooking time under the Multigrain settings are:
- Less: 20 min cooking time for al dente texture
- Normal: 40 min for brown rice
You can try both settings and then see which texture you like best.
You can also check out this video for an additional guide. The recipe is for 2 cups brown rice and 2 ½ cups water.
On the other hand, there will be other people who follow a 1:1.5 rice : water ratio, as in this video and cook it on manual at high pressure for 15 minutes with 10 minutes to release the pressure.
Brown rice recipes in a pressure cooker
If you’re buying the Instant Pot, things are not as straightforward as using any of the above appliances that I recommended aa the best rice cooker for brown rice.
On the other hand, we can buy cookbook and cook a variety of dishes with brown rice.
One example is the Instant Pot Cookbook by Matilda Armstrong. It includes more than a few brown rice recipes that are cooked in the Instant Pot.
Thai brown rice tray is one of those. The rice, water, and salt are added to the inner pot. The lid is sealed and we select Rice and set cooking time to 22 minutes. Allow sitting for 10 minutes then perform a quick pressure release and unlock the lid. Fluff the rice and continue with all the other steps and ingredients.
Thus, this cookbook cooks brown rice in 22 minutes on Rice cooking function.
The brown rice : water ratio uses is 1 cup brown rice : 1 1/4 cups water.
Throughout the Instant Pot Cookbook by Matilda Armstrong, brown rice is cooked in this manner.
Thus, it seems that we can cook brown rice with the Rice setting with that ratio. And it will only take 22 minutes with 10 minutes sitting. So 32 minutes in total.
Other recipes from that cookbook are: chicken fried brown rice, brown lentils and rice with goat cheese, turkey and brown rice salad with peanuts, pork stroganoff with rice, Korean-style beef with rice & scallions, brown rice-chorizo soup, rice & beans, button mushroom quinoa & brown rice, etc.
Is the Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 the best rice cooker for brown rice?
I love the Instant Pot but I am aware that some people will just prefer buying a normal rice cooker as the best rice cooker for brown rice because it’s just so much easier to use. I totally get it.
My top recommendations for the best rice cooker for brown rice remains the Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker & Warmer.
All in all, the Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 is a great appliance that is versatile and awesome. But it’s pretty complicated when it comes to using it as the best rice cooker for brown rice and that’s why it’s actually my last recommendation and not among my top ones, like all those other amazing rice cookers with dedicated Brown settings that are so easy to use.
Best rice cooker for brown rice FAQs
Let’s answer some important questions related to our search for the best rice cooker for brown rice.
1. Do rice cookers work for brown rice?
Pretty much all rice cookers that can cook white rice can also cook brown rice just as well. They’re really good for both types and more. The difference is that if, for example, a rice cooker has a 4 cup uncooked capacity that capacity refers to white rice and it will mean that we can only cook 3 cups of brown rice. The capacity is smaller for brown rice than for white rice. That’s the only difference.
2. Why does brown rice stick to rice cooker?
I recommend washing your rice grains thoroughly before adding them to the pot and adding the water. Removing the starch from the grains might prevent the grains from sticking to the rice cooker.
3. What is the average cooking time for brown rice in a rice cooker?
Let’s take as examples some of the appliances that I recommended as amazing options for the best rice cooker for brown rice. Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker & Warmer mentions that the standard cooking time is 84-107 minutes. The estimated cooking time for brown rice is 76-83 minutes for the Zojirushi NP-NWC10XB. The brown rice takes 83-91 min to cook with the Cuckoo Micom Rice Cooker CR-0655F. Thus, it will generally take at least 80 minutes for brown rice in a rice cooker but some smaller capacity rice cookers will be faster, taking around 60 minutes to cook 1-2 cups of brown rice.
4. Is it feasible to cook just 1 cup of rice in my mini cooker?
If we’re buying a mini rice cooker like the Reishunger Mini Rice Cooker & Steamer we can cook 1 cup, 2 cups, and 2.5 cups of brown rice. But the same applies even to very large rice cookers. We can cook just 1 cup in whatever model you get as the best rice cooker for brown rice, if that’s the quantity you need.
