The Best Non-Toxic Rice Cookers of 2026
16 of the 20 rice cookers PFAS Authority has graded score below its 70 point pass mark for PFAS and other toxins, 80% of the category, as of November 2026, leaving 4 that pass. The highest graded is Instant Pot 12 Cup Rice and Grain Cooker at 75 out of 100.
Every grade below is built from published materials, ingredient lists, certifications and brand disclosures, scored on one public rubric and ranked best-graded first. Each score links to the full breakdown of what earned it, and the numbers across the whole dataset are published too.
Are rice cookers non-toxic?
4 of the 20 rice cookers we graded clear our screen and 16 do not. Non-toxic is not a defined or regulated term, so what we can tell you is what our graders recorded. Beyond PFAS, the hazards found or left unruled-out on rice cookers in this category are microplastics, aluminium leaching, heavy metals, VOCs and off-gassing, undisclosed ingredients. The highest graded here is Instant Pot 12 Cup Rice and Grain Cooker at 75 out of 100.
Quick picks
A second brand to consider
TIGER JNP-1800 10-Cup Uncooked Rice Cooker and WarmerThe best grade here from a brand other than the winner
75 Excellent
Why Instant Pot 12 Cup Rice and Grain Cooker wins, and what it beats
Every grade on this page is one sum. A category starts from a baseline, each disclosed material or coating adds risk points, and each thing the brand or a third party has published takes them away. Below is that sum for the winner, then for 2 products it beats, so you can see exactly where the 60 points between the top and the bottom of this rice cookers ranking come from.
The winner
Made of Stainless steel pot with no nonstick coating.
- +30Category baseline. The starting point for this type of product, before anything specific to this product is counted.
- +15No PFAS disclosure. No public statement from the brand about PFAS in this product.
- -20Bare uncoated material. Recorded as a bare, uncoated material with no surface coating or treatment.
25risk points in total, which is a grade of 75
What the grade does not fix. It still carries one risk factor, No PFAS disclosure, and our graders recorded 3 other hazards on it. See the full breakdown.
What it beats, and why
What puts it behind. Stain-resistant finish, +20 points. Stain-resistant finishes are a common PFAS use. The winner carries no such factor.
Made of Stainless steel inner pot, aluminum heating plate, non-stick inner surface (coating unspecified).
- +30Category baseline
- +20Stain-resistant finish
- +15No PFAS disclosure
65risk points, a grade of 35
What puts it behind. Non-stick, chemistry undisclosed, +40 points. Marketed as non-stick without stating the coating chemistry. The winner carries no such factor.
Made of Aluminum cooking bowl with unspecified nonstick interior coating.
- +40Non-stick, chemistry undisclosed
- +30Category baseline
- +15No PFAS disclosure
85risk points, a grade of 15
No product on this page was physically tested by us. Every number above comes from published materials, ingredient and coating disclosures, certifications and brand statements, scored on one public rubric. Formulations change without notice, so check the current product listing before buying.
What to watch for in rice cookers
Beyond the PFAS grade, these are the things our graders recorded on the 20 rice cookers in this category. We assess from materials, brand statements and published research. We do not lab-test.
- Microplastics
Plastic fragments small enough to shed from a product into food, water or air without anyone seeing it.
Found on 2 of these rice cookers. Plausible but unconfirmed on 2 more, meaning nobody has ruled it out. EPA
- Aluminium leaching
Aluminium migrating out of cookware, bakeware or an antiperspirant into food or skin.
Found on 1 of these rice cookers. Plausible but unconfirmed on 6 more, meaning nobody has ruled it out. ATSDR
- Heavy metals
Metals such as antimony, nickel and chromium migrating from a material into what touches it.
Plausible but unconfirmed on 4 more, meaning nobody has ruled it out. ATSDR
- VOCs and off-gassing
Volatile compounds that evaporate out of a material at room temperature, which is what a new product smell is.
Plausible but unconfirmed on 4 more, meaning nobody has ruled it out. EPA
- Undisclosed ingredients
Not a chemical. The absence of one, where we found no statement from the brand about what it uses.
Found on 1 of these rice cookers. Plausible but unconfirmed on 1 more, meaning nobody has ruled it out. FTC
The safest rice cookers we graded, lowest PFAS risk first
- 1
Highest grade here
- Stainless steel pot with no nonstick coating
- We found no PFAS statement from the brand
- Stainless steel corrosion and metal leaching
3 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
Find an alternative on Amazon - 2
- Stainless steel inner pot and non-coated heating elements
- We found no PFAS statement from the brand
- Mineral and microbial buildup in heating element
2 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
Find an alternative on Amazon - 3
- Stainless steel inner pot, aluminum outer housing
- Stainless steel nickel content
2 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
- 4
- Stainless steel inner pot and exterior; no nonstick coating disclosed
- Stainless steel corrosion and rust formation
4 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
Find an alternative on Amazon
You may also be interested in
Top-graded picks in the categories readers replace first, every one scored on the same rubric.
- polypropylene filter housing, carbon/sediment cartridge
- We found no PFAS statement from the brand
- Bacterial growth in spent cartridges
3 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
Aquasure
Premier Series 75 GPD Under Sink Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration System
- RO membrane, carbon filters, stainless steel housing
- We found no PFAS statement from the brand
- Bacterial and microbial growth in housing and filters
4 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
Avocado
Vegan Mattress
- organic cotton, natural latex, coconut coir, recycled steel coils
- The brand calls it PFAS-free, which we have not verified
- Heavy metals
2 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
All the rice cookers that pass, side by side
Sorted by score. A higher score means lower PFAS risk. Scored against 4 hazards that apply to this category.
| # | Rice Cookers | Score | Rating | Made of | Key concern |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Instant Pot 12 Cup Rice and Grain Cooker | 75 | Excellent | Stainless steel pot with no nonstick coating | Stainless steel corrosion and metal leaching |
| 2 | TIGER JNP-1800 10-Cup Uncooked Rice Cooker and Warmer | 75 | Excellent | Stainless steel inner pot and non-coated heating elements | Mineral and microbial buildup in heating element |
| 3 | Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker & Warmer | 75 | Excellent | Stainless steel inner pot, aluminum outer housing | Stainless steel nickel content |
| 4 | Zojirushi NHS-06 Rice Cooker/Steamer | 75 | Excellent | Stainless steel inner pot and exterior; no nonstick coating disclosed | Stainless steel corrosion and rust formation |
The verdict on rice cookers
Instant Pot 12 Cup Rice and Grain Cooker grades 75 out of 100, the highest here. It is stainless steel pot with no nonstick coating. We found no PFAS statement from the brand, so the grade rests on materials alone.
Choose TIGER JNP-1800 10-Cup Uncooked Rice Cooker and Warmer instead if you want a second option at 75 out of 100, stainless steel inner pot and non-coated heating elements.
We hold no price data, so nothing here is a budget recommendation. Grades are model-based assessments from published materials and disclosures, not laboratory tests.
The rice cookers we would skip
Lowest scoring in this category, worst first, with the reason.
- 15Aroma 4-Cup Cooked, 2-Cup Uncooked Rice Cooker Food SteamerBad
Aluminum leaching
- 15Instant Pot 20-Cup Programmable Rice Cooker and Food SteamerBad
Non-stick coating degradation (Teflon-type coating fume risk if present)
- 15Instant Pot RIO 6 Qt. Multi-CookerBad
Non-stick coating (lid) degradation and shedding
What we check on rice cookers
- Heavy metals. Lead, cadmium, arsenic and others that accumulate in the body. FDA
- Lead. A heavy metal with no safe exposure level, especially for children. ATSDR
- Cadmium. A toxic heavy metal found in some glazes, pigments, and batteries. ATSDR
- Pesticide residue. Residues that can remain on conventionally grown produce. EPA
Full point-by-point rubric on the methodology page.
The rice cookers brands we found no PFAS statement from
We found no PFAS statement from 6 of the brands here. That is our research, not proof a brand has never said anything, and it is not evidence of harm. It is why none of them score well on disclosure.
Aroma, Cuckoo, Elite Gourmet, Hamilton Beach, Instant Pot, Tiger.
The brands that have published something, and what each of them actually said, are in our record of what every brand has said about PFAS.
Common questions about PFAS in rice cookers
Are rice cookers PFAS free?
16 of the 20 rice cookers PFAS Authority has graded score below its 70 point pass mark for PFAS and other toxins, 80% of the category, as of November 2026, leaving 4 that pass. The highest graded is Instant Pot 12 Cup Rice and Grain Cooker at 75 out of 100. The lowest graded is Aroma 4-Cup Cooked, 2-Cup Uncooked Rice Cooker Food Steamer at 15 out of 100.
Are rice cookers non-toxic?
4 of the 20 rice cookers we graded clear our screen and 16 do not. Non-toxic is not a defined or regulated term, so what we can tell you is what our graders recorded. Beyond PFAS, the hazards found or left unruled-out on rice cookers in this category are microplastics, aluminium leaching, heavy metals, VOCs and off-gassing, undisclosed ingredients. The highest graded here is Instant Pot 12 Cup Rice and Grain Cooker at 75 out of 100.
Which are the safest rice cookers to buy?
On our grades, Instant Pot 12 Cup Rice and Grain Cooker at 75 out of 100, which we band as Excellent. Then TIGER JNP-1800 10-Cup Uncooked Rice Cooker and Warmer at 75. These are model-based assessments from published materials, ingredient lists, certifications and disclosures, not laboratory tests, so treat them as the lowest risk we can evidence rather than a safety guarantee.
Which rice cookers grade best for PFAS?
Instant Pot 12 Cup Rice and Grain Cooker, at 75 out of 100, which we band as Excellent. It is stainless steel pot with no nonstick coating. The runner up is TIGER JNP-1800 10-Cup Uncooked Rice Cooker and Warmer at 75.
Which rice cookers should I avoid?
The three lowest scoring we hold are Aroma 4-Cup Cooked, 2-Cup Uncooked Rice Cooker Food Steamer at 15, Instant Pot 20-Cup Programmable Rice Cooker and Food Steamer at 15, Instant Pot RIO 6 Qt. Multi-Cooker at 15. The problem with the first is that high risk; unspecified nonstick coating leaves PFAS exposure unclear.
How can you tell if rice cookers contain PFAS?
In this category we check for heavy metals, lead, cadmium, pesticide residue. Lead, cadmium, arsenic and others that accumulate in the body. Language like stain resistant, water repellent or easy release usually means fluorinated chemistry even when PFAS is never printed on the box.
Which rice cookers brands have not published a PFAS statement?
We found no PFAS statement from 6 of the brands we scored in this category, including Aroma, Cuckoo, Elite Gourmet, Hamilton Beach, Instant Pot, Tiger. That is what our research turned up, not proof a brand has never said anything, and a missing statement is not evidence of harm. It is the reason those brands cannot score well on disclosure.
Do you lab test rice cookers?
No. We score from published ingredient lists, materials, certifications, disclosures and third party lab results where they exist. Where a product has been independently tested we use that result and say so.
More kitchen and cooking categories we have graded
Same rubric, same scale. These are the categories closest to rice cookers.
Get the graded list, free.
The products we score each week, and the best-graded alternative in every category.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Does a particular brand of rice cookers have PFAS?
We also wrote this up at length. PFAS in Rice Cookers, Where Only the Inner Pot Matters
Want to filter the whole category yourself? Browse all 20 rice cookers.