Showdown! Instant Pot vs Rice Cooker – Which Should You Buy And Why?

Although both the Instant Pot and the rice cooker look quite similar in design and both cooking appliances do a good job at making rice to perfection, they are completely different in terms of their features.

Instant Pots are a type of multi-cooker that can do more than just cook rice, unlike the rice cooker. They have the capabilities to prepare meals including meat and steam vegetables with great results!

In its essence, the Instant Pot is an advanced rice cooker, but with features that can’t be found on other types of rice cookers.

So to settle the age-old debate of the Instant Pot vs. rice cooker, let’s dig deeper to understand what exactly both the appliances are, the key differences, some of the best ones to buy, and some FAQs about both the appliances.

If you end up buying an instant pot, be sure to bookmark my list of instant pot meal prep ideas!

Quick Summary: Who Are Rice Cookers and Instant Pots Best for?

A rice cooker is perfect for…

• Large families. Anyone who needs to cook rice in vast amounts can benefit from a rice cooker! If you have a lot of mouths to feed, you can’t go wrong with the massive capacity of a dedicated rice cooker.
• Those who only want to cook rice. If you’re looking less gadgets in the kitchen, a rice cooker is perfect. Perhaps you already have an air fryer or Crockpot, so the somewhat limited functionality of a rice cooker would be just better than a Crockpot.
• Anyone who wants perfect rice every time.  If you just can’t get your rice perfectly fluffy, you need a rice cooker. You’ll have perfect rice with no effort, you’ll wish you got a rice cooker sooner!

An Instant Pot is perfect for…

• Busy households. If you have a busy schedule, there’s nothing simpler than throwing some ingredients in the Instant Pot and having your dinner ready soon after!
• Those who want versatility. If you want to do more than just cook rice and grains, the Instant Pot is your new best friend! It can cook just about anything, and well!

What is an Instant Pot?

The Instant Pot is a multi-cooker that does all the pressure cooking for you in one easy device. An instant pot is not just an electric pressure cooker, but also has slow cook functionality and more!

An Instant Pot is like having your very own personal chef, ready at any time for anything you need, from pressure cooking brown rice to steam vegetables and even a yogurt maker. The Instant Pot has everything under control, so you don’t have to worry about under/overcooking anything while trying out new recipes!

Pros:

• Saves time: An Instant Pot is a time-saving appliance that can be used by busy people to cook food with delicious flavors in a short amount of time.
• Saves energy: the Instant Pot pressure cooker has several additional benefits, such as being more energy-efficient than other cooking methods.
• Economical: the Instant Pot prevents steam from escaping while keeping heat inside the Instant Pot due to high pressures created when liquids boil at low temperatures (such as water).
• Safe: The high pressure and temperature in an Instant Pot kill all microorganisms, so you can rest assured that your food is safe to eat!
• All-in-one: the Instant Pot has several cooking functions that eliminate the need for various cooking appliances.
• Healthier: The pots retain more minerals, vitamins, and flavor, which means you don’t need to use as much seasoning as usual because there is less water to dissolve the nutrients.
• Simple to use: These pots feature an easy control panel to set different functions and automatic timing.
• Easy to clean: The stainless steel pot can be removed and washed in the dishwasher or by hand. You can also put the rubber sealing gasket of instant pots in the dishwasher.

Cons:

• Costly: Aninstant pot is more expensive than a regular stovetop pressure cooker or pan
• Cumbersome: The pots are heavy and bulky compared to most regular pan sets.
• Potential hazards if used incorrectly: There are some safety concerns with an Instant Pot, but they can be overcome by following instructions carefully.

One thing to watch out for is the c6l and c6h instant pot errors! They can be a big issue in some instant pots, but you can typically get an Instant Pot replacement for free. 

What is a Rice Cooker?

What is a rice cooker? Well, if you’re looking to cook up some tasty grains in your own home, then a rice cooker might be the answer for you! Rice cookers are popular kitchen appliances specially designed to cook rice – although the modern rice cooker machines have more features.

Most rice cookers will have a bowl, thermostat, and a heat source, either electric or gas, to keep the perfect temperature for your rice – and rice cookers can automatically shut off once the rice is done so you don’t have to worry about burning anything.

Pros:

• It cooks rice perfect every time: Rice cookers cook all types of rice with the best flavors, texture, and aroma without fail or error.
• Safety features: Many rice cookers have an automatic shut-off function that turns off after hours of being unused.
• Easy to maintain: Rice cookers have a high safety rating and easy cleaning features.
• Somewhat versatile: A good rice cooker not only cooks rice but also other grains like oatmeal.
• Convenient: They have a keep warm feature, so rice lovers can always have warm rice.

Cons:

• Time-consuming: Rice cookers take longer to cook rice because it needs gentle heating in order to not damage the starch molecules, which makes it delicious and fluffy.
• Costly: Rice cookers cost more money than standard kitchen pots and pans.
• Limited functionality: Most rice cookers only have one function to cook rice and other grains – limited functionality.

Instant Pot Vs. Rice Cooker: The Main Differences

The differences between an Instant Pot vs. rice cooker are often conflicting.

Many people who own an Instant Pot and a rice cooker claim that they can’t live without their respective types of cooking equipment. While instant pots and rice cookers look similar in shape and design, the inside functionality is very different!

Versatility

If you want a versatile machine that can do everything apart from washing the dishes, you’ll want an Instant Pot pressure cooker!

These pots can cook many delicious meals from stews to bread, and cakes – and most pots come with a cookbook with lots of recipes to try out.

Modern rice cookers, on the other hand, only offer limited versatility with the rice cooking and porridge function. However, these machines will cook any type of rice perfectly from brown rice, white rice, wild rice, etc.

Cooking Times

The Instant Pot is the clear winner in the race to get food on the table the quickest. Instant Pots are designed for speed cooking, and the rice cooker is basically a slow cooker for rice cooking.

For example, if you were to cook 5 cups of white rice in the rice cooker, you would be waiting for one hour vs. an Instant Pot (pressure cooker) that will do it in under 10 minutes and give you 10 cups of prepared rice.

Cost

Electric rice cookers are far cheaper than other pressure cookers by almost half. You can pick up rice cookers in various models for less than $50, whereas the electric slow cookers cost around $100, depending on the quart size and features you want.

Most Instant Pots come as standard with seven cooking modes, and because of their multi-use cooking system, instant pots require a higher price tag than the rice cooker and other kitchen appliances.

Saying that, Instant Pots are worth the money. For 100 bucks, you essentially get your own personal chef with the Instant Pot! If you aren’t the best at rice cooking, then spending $40 on a rice cooker is also money well spent!

Size

Most traditional instant pots have a 6-8 quart capacity that gives enough servings to feed around 8 people, which isn’t bad compared to how quickly it takes instant pots to make the food.

When you want enough rice to feed a small army platoon, the rice cooker certainly wins with a whopping capacity of 20 cups of perfectly cooked rice.

Safety Features

In terms of safety features, the Instant Pot comes out on top once again because instant pots are equipped with a pressure release valve that protects users from hot steam escaping when the lid is open.

The slow cooker system works great to release the steam before you can open the lid, whereas the rice cooker lacks this safety feature, and rice lovers can easily burn themselves from hot steam when opening the lid too soon.

Ease of Use

Both rice cookers and Instant Pot machines are easy to use with a digital control panel.

Since Instant Pots have far more functions than modern rice cookers have, instant pots take more cooking time to understand the many cooking options available to you, from slow cooking at different temperatures to sauté pan mode with cooking options of simmering, browning, or thickening – and also a yogurt maker mode.

Most Instant Pots have a quick one-touch cooking setting to make life easier, and the rice cookers just cook rice! Once you have decided which rice you are using, you press the button, and the specializeder rice cooker cooks delicious rice for you.

Various cooking appliances come with a manual if you’re in doubt about how to use a certain function.

Ease of Cleaning

The stainless steel interior of the Instant Pot makes it easy to clean. Some models have a nonstick coating that can go in the dishwasher as well, while other parts are detachable for thorough cleaning yourself!

Rice cookers are also easy to clean and have nonstick interiors. Although, some models have interior parts that don’t detach from the inner pot, making it harder to keep them clean.

Durability

Many Instant Pots are well-built and durable stainless steel appliances with many lasting five years or more – provided they’re treated well and kept clean!

Rice cookers, on the other hand, have a guarantee of 1 year and can become faulty over time.

A common issue with rice cookers is that they can catch fire when there is an imbalance of not enough rice and too much water, which causes excess steam to build up inside.

Recipes

When it comes to what types of meals these machines make, the Instant Pot wins over any food steamer!

Instant Pots have several cooking functions ranging from slow cooking, instant pot rice cooking, soup, pot roast, yogurt, and cakes. In contrast, rice cookers have one main function of cooking rice perfectly. 

However, some newer rice cooker models have extra features to cook porridge, oatmeal, and beans.

Some Of The Best Instant Pots

1. Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Pressure Cooker

The new, innovative, and cool Instant Pot Duo is a dream come true!

• The appliance has so many features that make your life easier. It can slow cook food, maintain high temperatures while reducing cooking times, and it perfectly cooks meats/fish/veggies and other foods.
• Unlike the Lux 6-in-1 Pot with ten built-in programs, this pressure cooker has a massive 14 built-in programs, making it the ultimate convenience appliance.
• This cooking appliance has so many smart features that make cooking easier and more efficient for any home cook. One of these programs allows you to set the timer for cooking meals and an automatic keep-warm setting. 
• There is also a setting for delaying the cooking process for a maximum of 24 hours in this cooking appliance.
• This cooking appliance will last several years with its extremely durable construction.

Read more: Instant Pot Duo vs Duo Nova

2. Instant Pot Lux 6-in-1 Pressure Cooker

With its 6 functions, the Instant Pot Lux V3 Pressure Cooker is an all-inclusive kitchen appliance that can do it all.

In addition to being affordable and offering many different amenities as other models do – such as letting you pressure cook or warm up food – there are also some extra perks worth noting about this specific version.

• This Lux V3 has 10 amazing built-in programs that can cook meats, eggs, cakes, porridges, steam veggies, other foods and pretty much anything you fancy for dinner – all with the press of a button!
• This Lux V3 is a 6-quart machine that easily handles medium-sized families of 6, or you can choose from smaller and larger options to cater to your needs.
• This cooking appliance is super easy to use with its state-of-the-art digital control panel display and comes with 10 safety mechanisms that prevent accidents from happening.

Some Of The Best Rice Cookers

1. Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy

• The Zojirushi rice cooker uses the latest fuzzy logic technology to control temperature and heating time, ensuring that your rice is cooked to perfection.
• This good rice cooker has an amazing 10 cup capacity! It can be used for white rice, brown rice, porridge, sweet rice, rinse-free, and quick cooking.
• The Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy has an indicator that lets you know when it’s done cooking by sounding off with a beeping noise after your desired rice is cooked perfectly.
• The large LCD screen on this rice cooker makes it easy to use, even if you’re not much of a tech-savvy person, much like the Instant Pot Lux V3 and the Aroma rice cooker.
• This cooking appliance is easily cleaned with a detachable inner pot.

2. Cuckoo Electric Heating Rice Cooker

• Meet the best-rated electric rice cooker on Amazon, Cuckoo Electric Heating Rice Cooker. This South Korea-made product is not only sleek in design but also comes with fuzzy logic technology like the Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy rice cooker to enhance the cooking experience and quality.
• It can cook 6 cups of dry rice perfectly with two functions, allowing you to maximize your meal’s potential by using a slow cooker setting or fast boiling methods for perfectly cooked rice with delicious taste every time! Note that this capacity is smaller than that of the Zojirushi Neuro – it might not be big enough if you have a large family to cook for.
• The inner pot is designed to evenly distribute heat and help create perfect rice. Clean-up is a breeze with an aluminum core covered in Teflon that prevents rice from sticking to the inner pot – unlike boiling it in a stainless steel pot on the stove.
• Lastly, the LCD panel is user-friendly and easy to read – just like an Instant Pot, you’ll be able to select the perfect setting with ease.

How to Cook Rice in an Instant Pot

To cook tasty Instant Pot rice, first you will need to rinse the rice several times until the water becomes mostly clear. Then, add the rinsed rice, water (follow measurements on the rice package) and a dash of salt to the pot. Next, close the lid and switch the vent to the sealed position. Press the rice button on the Instant Pot, then wait till the instant pot timer counts down. Allow allow the rice to rest for around 10 minutes before releasing the pressure valve. Easy as that!

How to Cook Rice in a Rice Cooker

Preparing rice in a rice cooker is a breeze. First, rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Next place the rinsed rice into your cooker and add water and salt to taste. If you prefer softer rice, add a bit more water or reduce it for a firmer texture. Close the lid tightly, plug in the appliance and let it do the work for about 15 minutes. A beep will alert you that the rice is done. When ready, serve the fluffy rice and savor the sweetness.

FAQs

Final Verdict

The comparison of the rice cooker vs Instant Pot leads to a clear winner – the Instant Pot.

It takes less time than the traditional methods, can be used for more than just cooking rice, and has various additional features that make life easier in your kitchen – all while making delicious meals at the touch of a button!If you need more helping picking between kitchen products like an air fryer, check out my Instant pot vs air fryer comparison!