The Best Rice Cooker in Australia
Find the best rice cooker for everyday meals, brown rice or a smaller kitchen, ranked on owner ratings and review counts, maker specifications and price, with Amazon Australia stock checked.
On this page
- The best rice cookers in Australia
- 1. Best overall: Breville Set & Serve LRC210WHT
- 2. Best brown rice cooker and multi-cooker: Panasonic SR-DL184WST
- 3. Best affordable rice cooker with steaming tray: Sunbeam Perfect Deluxe RC5600
- 4. Best budget rice cooker: Kambrook Rice Express KRC150WHT
- 5. Best for large batches and cooking control: Breville Rice Box Induction LRC800BSS2IAN1
- 6. Best compact rice cooker with a locking lid: Kambrook Rice Master KRC405BSS
- 7. Best for large batches on a budget: Russell Hobbs Turbo RHRC20BLK
- How we chose
- Rice cooker buying guide
Rice shouldn’t need your attention while you’re trying to get the rest of dinner ready. If you’re looking for the best rice cooker for everyday meals, we’d buy the Breville Set & Serve LRC210WHT: its straightforward controls, moderate price and 4.7 out of 5 from 154 owner reviews make it our first choice.
Want dedicated brown rice settings and more meal options? Choose the Panasonic SR-DL184WST. Spending as little as possible? The Kambrook Rice Express is our budget recommendation. All seven picks are in stock at Amazon Australia at our latest check.
The short answer
The best rice cookers in Australia
- Best overall: Breville Set & Serve LRC210WHT
- Best brown rice cooker and multi-cooker: Panasonic SR-DL184WST
- Best affordable rice cooker with steaming tray: Sunbeam Perfect Deluxe RC5600
- Best budget rice cooker: Kambrook Rice Express KRC150WHT
- Best for large batches and cooking control: Breville Rice Box Induction LRC800BSS2IAN1
- Best compact rice cooker with a locking lid: Kambrook Rice Master KRC405BSS
- Best for large batches on a budget: Russell Hobbs Turbo RHRC20BLK
| Product | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 | Breville The Set & Serve 8 Cup Rice Cooker (LRC210WHT) | from $67.96 | $67.96 at Amazon |
 | Panasonic Premium 10 Cup Rice Cooker And Multi-Cooker (SR-DL184WST) | from $199.00 | $199.00 at Amazon |
 | Sunbeam 7 Cup Perfect Deluxe Rice Cooker (RC5600) | from $59.00 | $59.00 at Amazon |
 | Kambrook Rice Express 5 Cup Rice Cooker (KRC150WHT) | from $49.00 | $49.00 at Amazon |
 | Breville The Rice Box Induction Rice Cooker (LRC800BSS2IAN1) | from $239.00 | $239.00 at Amazon |
 | Kambrook Rice Master 5 Cup Rice Cooker & Steamer (KRC405BSS) | from $64.00 | $64.00 at Amazon |
 | Russell Hobbs Turbo Rice Cooker (RHRC20BLK) | from $69.00 | $69.00 at Amazon |
1. Best overall: Breville Set & Serve LRC210WHT
If you just want rice ready alongside dinner, the Breville Set & Serve is where we’d start. You get cook and keep-warm functions without paying for a menu of meals you might never make.
The capacity suits cooking for several people or making extra portions. And keep-warm gives you some flexibility when the rice is ready before the rest of the meal.
Our take is that this is enough cooker for someone who wants a simple side dish. Its owner score has a substantial number of reviews behind it, and the price doesn’t demand that you use it for anything more ambitious.
Where it falls short is control. The stated functions are cook and keep-warm; if choosing a dedicated brown rice or multigrain program matters to you, spend more on the Panasonic below.
Pros
- Keeps rice warm while you finish dinner
- Removable non-stick bowl makes washing up easier
- Enough stated capacity for up to 16 serves
Cons
- Basic controls offer less cooking choice than the Panasonic’s dedicated menus
- Costs more than the Kambrook Rice Express if simplicity is your main requirement
Our verdict: Buy the Set & Serve for straightforward everyday rice. It’s our best overall choice because the owner rating, useful capacity and price make sense together.
2. Best brown rice cooker and multi-cooker: Panasonic SR-DL184WST
When brown rice, quinoa and soup are all part of your week, a basic cooker can feel restrictive. The Panasonic SR-DL184WST gives you dedicated menus rather than asking you to work everything around one cooking setting.
The brown rice menu is the reason we’d choose this over our top pick for someone who regularly switches grains. The delay timer also lets you plan when cooking finishes, rather than starting the cooker only when you’re ready to make dinner.
Panasonic says its fuzzy logic and surrounding heat deliver consistently cooked rice. That’s a useful reason to consider the upgrade, but it isn’t a promise that every batch will turn out perfectly.
Its 4.8 owner score is encouraging, though it comes from 33 reviews. We’d weigh that more cautiously than the Breville Set & Serve’s larger review count.
The bigger objection is price: it costs nearly three times as much as our top pick at the latest Amazon check. We’d pay the difference for the menus and scheduling. For plain rice a few nights a week, we’d keep the money.
Pros
- Dedicated menus make switching between rice types more straightforward
- Delay timer helps fit cooking around your schedule
- Soup and slow-cook functions extend its usefulness beyond rice
Cons
- A substantial price increase over the basic cookers here
- The 4.8 rating rests on just 33 reviews
- The “10 Cup” name needs care: the supplied capacity description specifies cooked rice
Our verdict: This is our choice for brown rice and varied meals. Buy it for the programs you’ll actually use, and confirm the uncooked-rice limit in the manual before planning large batches.
3. Best affordable rice cooker with steaming tray: Sunbeam Perfect Deluxe RC5600
If you’d like your rice cooker to handle vegetables or fish as well, the Sunbeam Perfect Deluxe RC5600 is a sensible step beyond the basics. Its removable steaming tray adds a useful job without the price of a programmable multi-cooker.
Automatic keep-warm is handy when dinner timings don’t quite line up. Sunbeam also says the sealed jar-style design distributes heat evenly for fluffy white and brown rice. We’d treat “perfectly cooked every time” as the maker’s claim, rather than something a cooker can guarantee.
The owner rating gives us a good reason to recommend it at this price. But if steaming isn’t part of your routine, the cheaper Kambrook Rice Express is the more economical purchase.
Pros
- Steaming tray adds vegetables and fish to its cooking options
- Automatically keeps rice warm after cooking
- Pan, collector and listed accessories can be washed in warm, soapy water
Cons
- Costs more than the Rice Express if you only need rice cooking
- Its 4.5 owner score is below the Set & Serve’s 4.7, with similarly substantial review counts
Our verdict: Choose the Sunbeam when you’ll use the steaming tray and want to keep spending modest. For rice alone, we’d choose either the cheaper Kambrook or our top-rated overall recommendation.
4. Best budget rice cooker: Kambrook Rice Express KRC150WHT
You don’t need an expensive appliance just to stop supervising a saucepan. The Kambrook Rice Express is the cheapest pick here, and its one-touch operation keeps the decision simple.
The glass lid lets you see the rice without lifting it, while the removable bowl makes cleaning less awkward. Those are practical features to keep when buying on a tight budget.
A 4.6 score from 64 reviews is a reassuring starting point. Our take is that this is the best basic rice cooker here for someone who wants to spend less, provided its stated 10-serve limit covers the batches you make.
Pros
- Lowest purchase cost in this guide
- One-touch controls keep operation straightforward
- Glass lid lets you monitor cooking without opening it
Cons
- The stated 10-serve limit won’t cover larger batches
- Less cooking control than the dedicated programs on the Panasonic and Rice Box
Our verdict: Buy the Rice Express if price matters most and you want simple rice cooking. There’s little reason to pay for more functions unless you’ve already got a job for them.
5. Best for large batches and cooking control: Breville Rice Box Induction LRC800BSS2IAN1
Cooking a large batch is one thing; wanting separate settings for sushi rice, congee and quinoa is another. The Breville Rice Box Induction covers both, but we’d only spend this much if those cooking choices matter to you.
Breville says the induction heating produces efficient, even cooking, while fuzzy logic adjusts the time and temperature for each rice function. In practice, the reason to pay for that system is automatic adjustment rather than doing the timing yourself.
The progress display is also useful if you’re coordinating the rest of dinner: it shows the cooking stage and counts down the final 15 minutes.
The catch is substantial. This is the dearest pick at our Amazon price check, and its 4.67 rating comes from only 12 reviews. That’s promising, but we’d want a clear need for its programs before paying the difference over the Panasonic.
Pros
- Dedicated cooking programs cover several rice styles and other meals
- Progress display helps you coordinate serving time
- Stated capacity accommodates up to 25 serves
Cons
- Highest purchase price among these seven picks
- Just 12 reviews behind the owner rating
Our verdict: Buy the Rice Box for large batches and its specific cooking programs. Skip it if you mainly want a bowl of everyday rice; the cheaper models make more sense for that job.
6. Best compact rice cooker with a locking lid: Kambrook Rice Master KRC405BSS
A crowded benchtop is a good reason to consider a compact cooker. The Kambrook Rice Master pairs a manufacturer-described compact design with a locking lid, so it’s our small rice cooker recommendation for that combination.
Kambrook says the lid seals steam inside for fluffier rice. The one-touch controls keep it straightforward, so you’re choosing this for its format rather than a collection of cooking menus.
We’d still check its dimensions against your available space before ordering. “Compact” is useful guidance, but it doesn’t tell you whether it’ll fit beside the kettle.
Its price sits above both the Rice Express and Sunbeam, while its owner score is lower. That makes it a specific recommendation for someone who wants a compact locking-lid model, rather than our general value choice.
Pros
- Compact design suits buyers trying to limit benchtop clutter
- Water markings help with preparation
- Removable non-stick bowl simplifies cleaning
Cons
- Costs more than the Rice Express and Sunbeam
- Its 10-cup cooked-rice limit is restrictive for larger batches
Our verdict: Choose the Rice Master if compact size and a locking lid are your priorities. Otherwise, we’d spend less on the Rice Express or choose the Sunbeam for its steaming tray.
7. Best for large batches on a budget: Russell Hobbs Turbo RHRC20BLK
If you’re making rice for plenty of people, capacity can matter more than extra menus. The Russell Hobbs Turbo takes 10 cups of uncooked rice, yielding up to 20 cups cooked, without the cost of either programmable model.
The dishwasher-safe pot is a worthwhile convenience after a large meal. And Russell Hobbs explicitly says you can steam food while the rice cooks, which gives the basket a clear role in dinner preparation.
Don’t choose it on the “Turbo” name alone. The 30% speed claim applies at maximum capacity against the GFMC14, not against the other cookers in this guide.
Its 4.1 score from 149 reviews is the lowest owner rating among these seven picks. We’d accept that compromise for affordable large-batch cooking, but it’s why this isn’t our everyday recommendation.
Pros
- Large rice batches without a multi-cooker price
- Dishwasher-safe pot reduces hand washing
- Basket lets you steam food while cooking rice
Cons
- Lowest owner rating in this guide
- The speed claim doesn’t establish an advantage over the other picks here
Our verdict: Buy the Russell Hobbs when you need up to 20 cups of cooked rice at a modest price. If that capacity isn’t necessary, we’d favour the stronger owner scores of the Breville Set & Serve or Sunbeam.
How we chose
These rice cooker reviews are based on owner ratings and review counts, maker specifications, and price and stock checks at Amazon Australia, JB Hi-Fi and The Good Guys. We weigh the score alongside how many owners rated each model, then consider useful features and price; a high score from a few reviews doesn’t automatically come first. Every pick was in stock at Amazon Australia when checked.
Rice cooker buying guide
If you’re cooking for fewer people, check what “cups” means
For anyone searching for the best small rice cooker in Australia, capacity is a sensible starting point. But cup labels need care: uncooked cups, cooked cups and serves aren’t interchangeable.
The Rice Express is described as making up to 10 serves, while the Rice Master is described as making 10 cups of cooked rice. Don’t treat those as identical measures. Check the manual for the amount of uncooked rice you can add and the minimum batch size.
Physical size matters separately. If cupboard or bench space is the problem, compare the listed dimensions with the space you’ve actually got.
If brown rice is your regular dinner, prioritise its cooking setting
Our brown rice cooker choice is the Panasonic because it has a dedicated brown rice menu alongside other grain settings. The Breville Rice Box also lists a brown rice program.
Sunbeam states that its Perfect Deluxe cooks white and brown rice, but that’s different from listing a separate program. Choose according to how much control you want rather than assuming every rice cooker offers the same settings.
If you only need a basic rice cooker, keep the spending down
A one-touch cooker is a sensible purchase when extra programs won’t get used. The Rice Express keeps the cost lowest here; the Set & Serve adds a stated larger serving capacity and keep-warm controls.
Our view is that a high quality rice cooker should suit the meals you make. A longer menu doesn’t justify a higher price on its own.
If you want steamed food too, check the exact promise
The Sunbeam includes a tray for vegetables and fish. The Russell Hobbs specifically supports steaming food while cooking rice.
If you’re searching for the best small rice steamer, check both the cooker dimensions and the tray’s usable space before buying. Rice capacity alone doesn’t tell you how much food the steamer will hold.
If washing up is what puts you off, check the cleaning instructions
A removable bowl is easier to get to than one you have to clean inside the appliance. Follow the manual’s care instructions for its coating.
The Russell Hobbs explicitly lists a dishwasher-safe cooking pot. Sunbeam specifies washing its listed removable parts in warm, soapy water. Don’t assume every non-stick bowl can go in the dishwasher.
If you’re choosing by brand, compare the actual models
There isn’t one best rice cooker brand for every buyer. Even the two Brevilles here serve different needs: the Set & Serve keeps things basic, while the Rice Box adds specialised programs at a much higher price.
Start with the capacity and functions you’ll use, then look at the owner score and review count. That’s a more useful decision than paying extra for a name.
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