Is it a good idea to look for the best ceramic rice cookers? Okay, that might have been a weird question to start our search for the best rice cookers with ceramic inner pots because that’s what we’re looking for when we look for the best ceramic rice cookers.
However, let me tell you why I’m starting this quest with that particular question.
There are 4 types of inner pots for rice cookers, which means that they are made from 4 different materials: stainless steel, non-stick, ceramic, and clay.
Previously, I wrote an article reviewing the best stainless steel rice cookers. That was not an easy thing to do. This time around, looking for ceramic inner pots for these wonderful appliances is not going to be easy either.
The fact is that non-stick inner pots are the most popular. These are the ones we’ll come across whether we’re looking for cheap or expensive appliances.
Let’s take Zojirushi as an example because it is one of the most popular brands for these appliances. It’s maybe like KitchenAid for mixers. And maybe like Ninja for air fryers because they make amazing air fryers that are some of the most popular and best sold on the market.
Thus, Zojirushi is incredibly popular. And all their models are non-stick, which can be amazing and most people don’t care about the type of inner pot that Zojirushi models come with because they’re just such good appliances. They also make some of the best rice cookers for brown rice.
However, those who only want to cook in PFAS, PFOA, PTFE-free appliances, will need to look for ceramic, clay or stainless steel rice cookers.
There are also ceramic air fryers for those looking for PFAS, PFOA, PTFE-free appliances in other areas, as well. Thus, it’s not a feature that applies only to rice cookers.
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Best Ceramic Rice Cookers Reviews
While I started by asking if it were a good idea to look for the best ceramic rice cookers, I definitely believe that it’s worth looking for them if we want to enjoy PFAS, PFOA, PTFE-free cooking in many areas of our life.
I only meant that question because this type is harder to come across. Regular, non-stick inner pots from brands that don’t specify what their coating is made of are the most numerous. So they’re easy to shop for no matter our budget. Of course, those from Zojirushi, which are among the most popular, are certainly not cheap at all.
Of course, ceramic rice cookers are also non-stick so we’re not missing out on that particular feature.
The difference is that manufacturers specify that the inner pots have a ceramic non-stick coating that is PFAS, PFOA, PTFE-free. On the other hand, if you only read non-stick coating, no ceramic in sight, then we can assume that that’s not a PFAS, PFOA, PTFE-free coating.
That’s the difference between these two types of non-stick inner pots.
While I complained that non-stick ceramic rice cookers might not be as popular as those models with regular, non-stick coatings, there are still some amazing products to recommend. I’m going to enjoy writing my reviews for each of them.
And these wonderful models will manage to satisfy a wide array of budgets so that’s great, as well.
Some will also describe their coating as healthy ceramic coating, which is great.
1. Reishunger Mini Rice Cooker & Steamer – Small Rice Cooker Japanese Style with Ceramic Inner Pot
Let’s start with the obvious. And that is that I love the design for this tiny appliance.
I also love that we get a bunch of colors to choose from: black, mint, pink, red, and white. It’s hard to choose a favorite but I hope you like the available color options.
Now that we got the obvious out of the way, it’s time to look deeper.
I should also mention that, while the Reishunger Mini Rice Cooker & Steamer is not exactly the cheapest model we could buy, it’s quite affordable. It would be a good match for people with a budget around $150 or a bit under.
Also, Reishunger is a company that was launched in 2010. They’re a newer manufacturer that has managed to win customers from around the world. I’m definitely impressed with their appliance and it’s totally my pleasure to review it as one of the best ceramic rice cookers.
The idea behind this business started from a question: Why did the most popular food in the world taste like cardboard with salt in Germany?
That’s definitely funny. And I’m glad that I didn’t have such an unpleasant experience with rice in my life, even when cooking it on the stovetop. Which I did for many years before I decided to splurge on a rice cooker when I had the money for it.
Components
- steamer insert
- measuring cup
- inner pot – ceramic coated
- spoon & ladle
It can cook approx. 3 cups of rice for up to 3 persons.
It’s certainly small. It is described good for feeding 1-3 people.
Check out my reviews for the best rice washer if you don’t want to wash the rice in the inner pot. I love using a rice washer because almost all rice needs a good rinse. One exception is when we’re making risotto, we don’t wash rice for risotto.
Features
We are promised a premium inner pot and perfectly cooked rice. That sounds amazing.
The inner pot is high quality.
It is made of stainless steel with double, non-stick ceramic coating.
It also ensures 3D heat distribution for evenly and perfectly steamed rice.
The Reishunger Mini Rice Cooker & Steamer boasts of innovative 7-phase cooking technology for perfectly cooked rice that offers full rice flavor, perfect consistency, and nutrient-saving preparations.
It comes with 8 programms:
- Standard
- White
- Brown
- Sushi
- Steam
- Crispy
- Baking
- Congee
Beyond cooking rice we can steam fish, vegetables or meat.
And the baking function indicates that we can even bake cakes, which is certainly unexpected.
But I always love versatile appliances so I love that the Reishunger Mini Rice Cooker & Steamer makes it possible for users to cook more than rice. That’s awesome.
We also get buttons for menu, timer, hr +1, min +10, warm/stop, and start.
The keep warm function works for up to 24 hours. It switches to keep warm as soon as the rice is cooked.
The timer function allows us to plan cooking our rice up to 24 hours in advance.
I think it’s pretty easy to use and the menu with the LED display makes things quite easy to figure out, even for complete beginners. Of course, make sure to read the user manual at least once.
Cleaning it is simple, as well. Do it all by hand. It’s not dishwasher safe. And I recommend all non-stick inner pots to be washed by hand.
Wash the removable inner pot and the small collecting container with warm water and a little detergent.
How to use it
If you want to know more about the Reishunger Mini Rice Cooker & Steamer Small Rice Cooker Japanese Style with Ceramic Inner Pot, you can check out the user manual here.
Let’s go over some important things briefly.
Before using it properly, wash the components by hand with warm water and soap. Then, fill in the pot half full with water and boil it for 20 mins on Standard to remove the unpleasant smell. Then, we can cook our rice or steam veggies, fish, meat or even bake cakes.
The max fill quantity for the Reishunger Mini Rice Cooker & Steamer is 3.5 cups for normal white rice and 2.5 cups for full grain rice.
The cooking times are:
- 26 min for standard (for normal white rice)
- 26 min for white (long-grain rice, Indian basmati, Persian sadri, Asian jasmine)
- 62 min for brown – it’s pretty fast if you’re looking for the best rice cooker for brown rice
- 30 min for sushi
We can say that it’s one of the best brown rice cookers besides being one of the best ceramic rice cookers. The same goes for all other types of rice.
Of course, always wash your rice thoroughly before adding it to the inner pot to get it cooked.
The rice / water ratio for white rice is 1:1.25. It also applies to long-grain rice, Indian basmati, Persian sadri, Asian jasmine, and sushi rice.
The brown rice / water ratio is 1:1.75.
We also get instructions for the steam cooking function that can be done while simultaneously cooking rice or without rice.
We get recommendations for: carrots, broccoli, spinach, pumpkin, potato, sweet potato, corn, chicken, fish, prawns, scallops, dumplings.
2. Yum Asia Sakura Rice Cooker with Ceramic Bowl: Overall the Best Ceramic Rice Cooker
Could we say that the Yum Asia Sakura Rice Cooker with Ceramic Bowl is going to be the best ceramic rice cooker for everyone?
Of course not.
Even if I think that the Yum Asia Sakura Rice Cooker with Ceramic Bowl is among the best if we’re set on buying an appliance with a ceramic-coated non-stick inner pot, there are also a few things we must pay attention to.
The price under $200 is definitely not cheap. But the Reishunger Mini Rice Cooker & Steamer is not cheap either and it has a significantly smaller capacity.
Another thing you should check out, before making your final purchase, is at least a few negative reviews.
The percentage of negative reviews is not very high and that’s another reason for really liking this Yum Asia Sakura Rice Cooker, especially if you’re looking for a cooker with a bigger capacity.
Capacity
We are informed that the Yum Asia Sakura Rice Cooker has an 8 cup (1.5 L capacity).
That means that it can cook 8 cups of uncooked white rice. 16 cups cooked white rice.
Of course we can also cook just 1 cup of rice if that’s what we want. But we can also cook 8 if we have 8 people to feed.
And 6 cups of uncooked brown rice. 12 cups cooked brown rice.
That’s a fantastically big capacity. The Yum Asia Sakura Rice Cooker definitely justifies its price with such a big capacity. It’s amazing for large families. This cooker is a titan.
It’s the total opposite of the Reishunger Mini Rice Cooker & Steamer that I reviewed above. I like that one a lot but its 3 cup capacity is really small. Well, it’s clearly called a mini rice cooker so it’s not trying to hide anything.
Components
- ceramic inner pot – it is described as being a high quality 5-layer 2mm Ninja ceramic coated inner bowl with easy lift handles
- measuring cup (180 mL)
- spatula
- steam basket
- soup ladle – that’s one component that we usually don’t come across when we investigate rice cookers
The ceramic inner pot features water levels for short/long grain, brown, porridge.
Features
The main settings for rice are:
- White/long grain
- Short grain/sushi
- Brown rice
These are the types of rice grains we can cook by simply selecting any of these three types.
We also get the following settings:
- Regular
- Fast cook
- Rice
- Porridge
- Soup
- Steam
- Slow cook
- Crust
- Cake
- Yoghurt
All these presets illustrate just how versatile the Yum Asia Sakura Rice Cooker is. We get a lot of options, which is great to see because this model is definitely not cheap but not very expensive either.
According to them, it uses at least 7 phases of cooking types which includes preheat, absorb water, heating, boiling, steam, cool down and keep warm with steam which are each calculated for time and temperature using Yum Asia’s unique cooking profiles.
3. TLOG Mini Rice Cooker 2.5 Cups Uncooked: Cheap Ceramic Rice Cooker
The TLOG Mini Rice Cooker is certainly quite popular.
It’s also a lot more affordable than the Reishunger Mini Rice Cooker & Steamer that I reviewed above.
It can be an interesting option for those with budgets well under $100. That’s another plus in its favor.
However, I should warn you that there are quite a few negative reviews that you should check out before buying it.
Nevertheless, if you’re looking for one of the best ceramic rice cookers on a budget around $60, I think this model could be a good fit.
Of course, you also have to be okay with the smaller capacity of up to 2.5 cups of uncooked rice.
Well, the 2.5 cups of uncooked rice yield up to 5 cups of cooked rice.
It can have enough cooking capacity for maybe a family of 3.
But I would say that it’s better suited for single people or for a couple. It’s a small size so I don’t think it will be enough even for 3 people with smaller appetites.
This appliance is really tiny and just adorable. It’s also described as a travel rice cooker so that might be something that interests some of you.
The really tiny size makes it perfect for people who live in tiny spaces. Or for those who simply have too many appliances and need a rice cooker that can fit into the smallest corner.
Components
- steamer tray (stainless steel)
- clamp for the steam tray
- measuring cup (it’s a 160 ml cup, which is smaller than what some of you might expect)
- inner pot – ceramic coated, PFAS, PFOA, lead, and cadmium free cooking
- spoon
- anti-scald suction cup for the lid
It mentions that the inner pot is dishwasher safe but I vehemently recommend washing it by hand with a gentle sponge. It ensures that the ceramic non-stick coating will last longer.
The trick with all non-stick coatings, whether they’re ceramic or made with Teflon or granite, is to avoid scratching them and to protect them from any damage. Non-stick coatings in general are not going to last for a decade or more so we must make sure to treat them gently.
Features
We get buttons for:
- Rice
- Pre-set
- Soup/congee
- Brown rice
- Keep warm/cancel
- Yogurt
The manufacturer mentions that the TLOG Mini Rice Cooker can suit different eating habits, including rice, pasta, soup, brown rice, oatmeal, multi-grains.
The steamer tray can be used for veggies, fish, and poultry.
We get a 12-hour delay timer if we want our rice ready at a certain point in time in the next 12 hours.
Once it’s cooked, the keep warm function kicks in for 10 hours.
4. GreenLife Healthy Ceramic Nonstick 4-Cup Rice Oats and Grains Cooker
Another very small option as the best ceramic rice cooker is this one from GreenLife.
I definitely like the white, small design so that’s great.
I must also mention that I love the price around $40. It’s pretty much among the cheapest rice cookers with ceramic inner pot that we could buy.
Capacity
Let’s make one thing clear: those 4-cups rice that are mentioned in the title are of cooked rice.
Thus, the capacity for the GreenLife Healthy Ceramic Nonstick 4-Cup Rice Oats and Grains Cooker is 4 cups cooked rice.
So, the capacity is 2 cups uncooked rice.
It’s very small.
This GreenLife ceramic rice cooker is good for 1-2 people max but it’s definitely not suitable for feeding more people at one time.
I must also say that I would appreciate it if all manufacturers mention the cups of uncooked rice they can cook because it would be so much easier for all buyers if that was the standard measurement for their capacity.
The Reishunger Mini Rice Cooker & Steamer – Small Rice Cooker Japanese Style with Ceramic Inner Pot is just a bit bigger with a 3-cup uncooked rice capacity but it’s also considerably more expensive.
Well, I like this one from Reishunger slightly more but the cooker from GreenLife is certainly a better option is your budget is strictly under $50.
Components
- ceramic inner pot – free of PFAS, PFOA, lead, and cadmium
- measuring cup (it’s a 160 ml cup, which is smaller than what some of you might expect)
- spatula
The inner pot features water measurements for white rice and brown rice.
We can cook 2 cups of white rice.
And 1.5 cups of brown rice.
The cooking time for white rice is estimated between 25-60 minutes. That’s a very broad range.
The cooking time for brown rice is 50-90 minutes.
Quinoa: we can cook up to 1/2 cup and add 1 cup of water and estimated cooking time is 20-40 minutes.
Steel cut oats: cook up to 1 cup, add 2 1/2 cup of water and estimated cooking time is 20-40 minutes.
Features
We get presets for:
- White rice
- Brown rice
- Quinoa
- Steel cut oats
It’s definitely versatile so I like that.
The same manufacture has an almost identical model that is called a rice and bean maker. It has a Beans button instead of the Quinoa button. Otherwise, they’re identical.
This rice maker from GreenLife also comes with fuzzy logic technology. It utomatically adjusts to your home’s unique conditions to make your rice better.
I should also mention that there are quite a few negative reviews that you should check out.
Overall, the GreenLife Healthy Ceramic Nonstick 4-Cup Rice Oats and Grains Cooker is a very popular choice if your budget when looking for the best ceramic rice cooker is around $50 or a bit under.
5. Kinto Kakomi Rice Cooker Ceramic
This is certainly different from the classic rice cooker we might expect to come across.
It mostly looks like a black pot. There’s no power cord, there’s no display, there are no buttons.
Actually the Kinto Kakomi Rice Cooker Ceramic is cookware, similar to a Dutch oven.
And just like a Dutch oven or other pans and pots, we use the Kinto Kakomi Rice Cooker on gas cooktops.
It’s a pot, basically. But it’s still called a rice cooker.
Still, I am completely aware that most people, when they’re looking for the best ceramic rice cookers, are looking for appliances that cook for us when they’re plugged in. They’re not expecting to come across a pot that goes on the gas stovetop.
Let’s see what makes this pot so special and what justifies that price around $100. I also recommended it as one of the best pots for cooking rice, although it’s definitely not cheap.
Features
I love the design, I love the whole black color, the shape of the pot, the handles, and the lid.
Plus, I love that there are reference lines inside the pot for measuring rice and water.
It has a rounded shape to create convection for each grain of rice to be cooked evenly.
The double lid generates the right level of pressure to cook fluffy rice.
And this pot is actually made of ceramic. It’s made entirely of ceramic. It’s not a metal coated in a ceramic non-stick coating.
The pot’s ceramic material releases far-infrared radiation which heats the ingredients inside. That will also result in a fluffy textured rice.
It is microwave, oven, direct fire, and dishwasher safe.
However, we are advised to wash with care so maybe I would prefer washing it by hand. It’s important to keep it intact since it’s not a cheap pot. Since it’s made entirely of ceramic, don’t drop it because it will crack.
However, it is highly heat resistant so, as long as you don’t drop it, it won’t crack.
It tolerates a heat-temperature difference of 500 degrees C.
It has a very low water absorption rate, which prevents lingering odors and residue.
Of course, you can cook whatever meals you want in the Kinto Kakomi Rice Cooker. It doesn’t work only for cooking fluffy, wonderful rice.
If you want to see just how versatile it is, check out their website. We can even use it for baking bread.
How to use it
For 1 cup of rice, add water up to the bottom line.
For 2 cups, add water up to the top line.
It includes a measuring cup and we can use that one, too.
For 1 cup of rice, add 1 cup + 20ml of water and double for 2 cups of rice.
All in all, the Kinto Kakomi Rice Cooker might not be the classic appliance some of you expected to encounter but it’s still one of my favorite picks, one of the best ceramic rice cookers without any doubt, even if it’s not exactly cheap.
6. Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1
I am totally aware that we’re here to review the best ceramic rice cookers but I’m going to deviate a bit from that path.
It’s not that I don’t love the models that I recommended above.
I absolutely love the Reishunger Mini Rice Cooker & Steamer, it’s high quality, has a multitude of cooking functions and it’s very easy to use.
I also love the Kinto Kakomi Rice Cooker Ceramic, even though it’s a pot that goes on the gas stovetop and not an appliance that we plug in and program it to cook at a certain time. But it’s an incredible pot and it’s entirely made of ceramic and not metal coated with a ceramic non-stick coating.
And the TLOG Mini Rice Cooker is the affordable option for those on a budget well under $100, even though it’s not my absolute favorite. Especially because it’s so tiny, which is not a problem for one or two people but it’s certainly not a good match for a large number of people.
Therefore, this size question is the thing that made me want to review an appliance that allows us to cook a lot of cups of rice. I wasn’t capable of finding a ceramic rice cooker that allows us to cook 5, 6 or more cups of rice.
So, I decided to recommend the Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1, even if it’s a stainless steel rice cooker. But that still ensures PFAS, PFOA, PTFE-free cooking so that’s enough for me and it might be good enough for some of you, as well.
Components
- stainless steel (18/8) inner pot with tri-ply bottom
- lid has a steam release valve for pressure cooking
- rack to steam veggies or use as a trivet for the inner pot
There are 3 sizes to choose from: 3 quart (cooks up to 3 servings), 6 quart (cooks up to 6 servings) or 8 quart (cooks up to 8 servings).
No matter which size we choose, we get the same components and the same cooking functions.
Features
What I want to mention is that the Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 is more than a rice cooker. It’s such a complex kitchen appliance, which is amazing. And I totally appreciate the affordable price.
It’s also one of the most popular, best sold appliances at the moment. And it has an amazing positive – negative reviews ratio, it’s impressive on all fronts.
The Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 is a: pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, sauté pan, yogurt maker, food warmer, sterilizer.
We get buttons for:
- Soup|broth
- Meat|stew
- Bean|chili
- Poultry
- Rice
- Multigrain
- Porridge
- Steam
- Slow cook
- Saute
- Pressure level
- Delay start
- Keep warm
- Cancel
- Yogurt
- Pressure cook
This long list of buttons clearly indicates what the Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 is capable of cooking. It’s impressive and I love it.
We can choose between cooking fast, under pressure by selecting pressure level and the time, or we can cook slow, under the slow cook function.
Pressure cooking allows us to cook meals up to 70% faster.
How to use it
We cook white rice with the Rice cooking function. It is designed for parboiled or long grain white rice.
The auto cooking time is:
- 8 minutes for al dente / white rice (less)
- 12 minutes for normal texture / white rice (normal)
- 15 minutes for softer texture / white rice (more)
Basically, most of us will choose the 12 minutes (normal) option.
Furthermore, the Instant Pot will also adjust the time based on how many cups of rice we’re cooking
However, for other types of rice, like brown rice, I recommend using the Pressure cook function.
Set the time for 22 to 28 minutes for brown rice.
For wild rice, it will be 25 to 30 minutes.
Jasmine rice should take 3 to 5 minutes.
All in all, while the Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 has a stainless steel inner pot, I still wanted to recommend it here where we’re looking for the best ceramic rice cookers, for those who want to benefit from PFOA, PTFE-free cooking but in a bigger size and for an affordable price.
Best ceramic rice cookers FAQs
Let’s answer a few frequently asked questions related to the best ceramic rice cookers.
1. Are ceramic rice cookers better?
I wouldn’t exactly say that ceramic rice cookers are better. What we can say with certainty is that they’re better for people looking for rice cookers that ensure PFAS, PFOA, PTFE-free cooking . The other type that ensures that is stainless steel rice cookers. Clay rice cookers are the same but those are definitely harder to find than ceramic and stainless steel models.
2. How do you clean a ceramic rice cooker?
Treat it like any nonstick pan that you’ve ever had. The ceramic coating is nonstick so it must be treated gentle. Wash it by hand with warm water, soap, and the soft part of the sponge. Don’t ever use the abrasive part of the sponge because it can scratch the ceramic nonstick coating. Avoid soaking the inner pot in water for too long.
3. Can you use steel wool on ceramic?
Absolutely not. That will scratch the ceramic nonstick coating horribly, which will then make food stick to the metal that is hidden underneath by the nonstick coating.
All in all, I hope you enjoyed my recommendations for the best ceramic rice cookers and that you’ll be able to find the perfect model for your household.
