The Best Non-Toxic Rice Cookers of 2026

We scored 15 rice cookers for PFAS forever chemicals and other hazards, then ranked them best-graded first. The top pick is Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker & Warmer at 75/100. Every score below links to the full breakdown of what earned it.

Narrow it downStainless Steel Rice Cookers
How to read these scores. PFAS Authority is a scoring system, not a laboratory. We do not test products ourselves. Each grade is a model-based assessment built from published ingredient lists, materials, certifications, brand disclosures, recalls and third-party lab results where they exist. Read the full rubric to see exactly what adds and removes points.
73% of the 15 rice cookers we scored fail our PFAS and toxin screen.
PFAS Authority, September 2026. Free to cite with a link. See the full dataset.

The best-scoring rice cookers for PFAS risk

  1. 1
    Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker & Warmer

    Zojirushi

    Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker & Warmer

    Stainless steel inner pot, aluminum outer housing

    PFAS Grade75Excellent
    Overall Grade67Good
    ⚠️

    Stainless steel nickel content

    Limited concern

    70
    💨

    Rubber gasket off-gassing or degradation

    Limited concern

    70

    Lower PFAS concern; standard rice cooker with non-coated stainless interior, but brand offers no explicit PFAS transparency.

    ⚠Starting grade for this product type

    Why this gradeBuy
  2. 2
    Zojirushi NHS-06 Rice Cooker/Steamer

    Zojirushi

    NHS-06 Rice Cooker/Steamer

    Stainless steel inner pot and exterior; no nonstick coating disclosed

    PFAS Grade75Excellent
    Overall Grade53Good
    ⚠️

    Stainless steel corrosion and rust formation

    Limited concern

    70
    ⏳

    Rubber gasket and seal degradation

    Moderate concern

    45
    ⚠️

    Bacterial or mold growth in lid chamber

    Limited concern

    70
    ⚠️

    Hexavalent chromium release from stainless steel under extreme conditions

    Limited concern

    70

    Medium-high risk; stainless steel construction but Zojirushi offers no PFAS disclosure.

    ⚠Starting grade for this product type

    Why this gradeTop-graded picks →
  3. 3
    Instant Pot 12 Cup Rice and Grain Cooker

    Instant Pot

    12 Cup Rice and Grain Cooker

    Stainless steel pot with no nonstick coating

    PFAS Grade75Excellent
    Overall Grade59Good
    ⛏️

    Stainless steel corrosion and metal leaching

    Limited concern

    70
    💨

    Silicone gasket degradation and off-gassing

    Limited concern

    70
    ⚠️

    Bacterial growth in water reservoir or seal cavities

    Limited concern

    70

    Medium-high risk; stainless steel pot with no nonstick layer reported.

    ⚠Starting grade for this product type

    Why this gradeTop-graded picks →
  4. 4
    TIGER JNP-1800 10-Cup Uncooked Rice Cooker and Warmer

    Tiger

    JNP-1800 10-Cup Uncooked Rice Cooker and Warmer

    Stainless steel inner pot and non-coated heating elements

    PFAS Grade75Excellent
    Overall Grade59Good
    ⚠️

    Mineral and microbial buildup in heating element

    Limited concern

    70
    ⛏️

    Stainless steel corrosion and iron leaching

    Limited concern

    70

    Medium-high risk; no nonstick coating means minimal Teflon-family coating risk.

    ⚠Starting grade for this product type

    Why this gradeTop-graded picks →

Every rice cookers that passes, side by side

Sorted by score. A higher score means lower PFAS risk. Scored against 4 hazards that apply to this category.

#Rice CookersScoreRatingMade of
1Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker & Warmer75ExcellentStainless steel inner pot, aluminum outer housing
2Zojirushi NHS-06 Rice Cooker/Steamer75ExcellentStainless steel inner pot and exterior; no nonstick coating disclosed
3Instant Pot 12 Cup Rice and Grain Cooker75ExcellentStainless steel pot with no nonstick coating
4TIGER JNP-1800 10-Cup Uncooked Rice Cooker and Warmer75ExcellentStainless steel inner pot and non-coated heating elements

The rice cookers we would skip

Lowest scoring in this category, worst first.

Instant Pot RIO 6 Qt. Multi-Cooker

Instant Pot

RIO 6 Qt. Multi-Cooker

stainless steel inner pot, unspecified non-stick coating on lid

PFAS Grade15Bad
Overall Grade3Bad
🫧

Non-stick coating (lid) degradation and shedding

Limited concern

70
⏳

Seal ring and gasket degradation

Limited concern

70
⚠️

Electrical component moisture ingress and mold

Limited concern

70

Unspecified non-stick lid coating presents PFAS concern without disclosure.

⚠Nonstick, coating undisclosed

Why this gradeTop-graded picks →
Instant Pot 20-Cup Programmable Rice Cooker and Food Steamer

Instant Pot

20-Cup Programmable Rice Cooker and Food Steamer

Stainless steel body; inner cooking bowl material unspecified by brand

PFAS Grade15Bad
Overall Grade0Bad
♾️

Non-stick coating degradation (Teflon-type coating fume risk if present)

Limited concern

70
🔩

Aluminum leaching (if uncoated aluminum bowl underneath)

Limited concern

70
🍂

Coating adhesion and peel into food

Limited concern

70
⚠️

Bacterial growth in steam vents and seals if not maintained

Limited concern

70

High risk; unspecified inner bowl coating warrants caution.

⚠Nonstick, coating undisclosed

Why this gradeTop-graded picks →
TIGER JNP-1000 Rice Cooker and Warmer

Tiger

JNP-1000 Rice Cooker and Warmer

Inner bowl coating, nonstick type unspecified by manufacturer

PFAS Grade15Bad
Overall Grade0Bad
🫧

Nonstick coating degradation and particle shedding

Limited concern

70
🔩

Aluminum leaching from bowl substrate

Moderate concern

45
♾️

Teflon-type coating fume risk from overheating

Limited concern

70
⚠️

Bacterial growth in crevices and warm settings

Limited concern

70

High risk; skip until Tiger discloses inner bowl coating.

⚠Nonstick, coating undisclosed

Why this gradeTop-graded picks →

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 that will not say

4 of the brands here publish nothing about PFAS at all. Silence is not evidence of harm, but it is why none of them score well on disclosure.

Aroma, Instant Pot, Tiger, Zojirushi.

Common questions about PFAS in rice cookers

Is rice cookers PFAS free?

Mostly not. Of the 15 rice cookers we have scored, 73% fail our PFAS and toxin screen, which leaves 4 that pass. The highest scoring is Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker & Warmer at 75 out of 100. The lowest is Instant Pot RIO 6 Qt. Multi-Cooker at 15.

Which rice cookers grades best for PFAS?

Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker & Warmer, at 75 out of 100, which we band as Excellent. It is stainless steel inner pot, aluminum outer housing. The runner up is Zojirushi NHS-06 Rice Cooker/Steamer at 75.

Which rice cookers should I avoid?

The three lowest scoring we hold are Instant Pot RIO 6 Qt. Multi-Cooker at 15, Instant Pot 20-Cup Programmable Rice Cooker and Food Steamer at 15, TIGER JNP-1000 Rice Cooker and Warmer at 15. The problem with the first is that unspecified non-stick lid coating presents PFAS concern without disclosure.

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 will not say whether they use PFAS?

4 of the brands we scored in this category publish nothing about PFAS at all, including Aroma, Instant Pot, Tiger, Zojirushi. Silence is not evidence of harm, but 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.

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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 15 rice cookers.