Best Multi-Cookers of 2024

The 6-quart Zavor LUX LCD is the highest-rated model in our multi-cooker ratings—and for good reason. It receives perfect scores in our tests for pressure-cooking succulent, fall-off-the-bone ribs; steaming broccoli and carrots; and slow-cooking thick, tender chili. On top of that, its rice-cooking performance is very good. The 1,000-watt cooker has a stainless steel insert, which proved to be more durable than nonstick-coated inserts in our tests.

The 6-quart Breville Fast Slow Pro BPR700BSS has a pressure-cook mode and—like all the cookers with that mode in this group—aces our test of that function. It’s also masterful at slow cooking. Our beef stew turned out tender and ready to eat in 5 hours, and the chili was tender and delicious in 7 hours.

Steaming is top-notch because this 1,100-watt cooker doesn’t use pressure for that mode. (Unlike other models, the lid on this Breville doesn’t lock during steaming, so you can monitor your broccoli’s shade of green and avoid overcooking.) The ceramic nonstick coating is a cinch to clean and didn’t show any scratches after testing.

This 8-quart Instant Pot is one of the largest pressure cookers we’ve tested. It’s also one of the best performers in our lab tests. The 1,500-watt cooker excels at both pressure-cooking and slow-cooking, and it does a respectable job at sautéing. It’s loaded with features, including an air-frying mode and a two-tier air-fry basket, dehydrate function, stainless steel inner pot, and storage cover.

The 6-quart Instant Pot Max is impressive, particularly when it comes to making rice and sautéing, receiving very good scores in those modes. But here’s our beef: Every time we made chili using dried beans in pressure-cook mode, a “Food Burn” message appeared as the cooker was reaching pressure. We had to stop, stir the chili, close the lid, and let it reach pressure again.

Instant Pot says the food-burn alert is a safety mechanism that stops heating to prevent food from burning, but it adds that this warning can also occur when cooking very starchy foods that settle at the bottom of the pot. To test the sous vide feature, we cooked chicken breasts for 3 hours; they were tender and delicious.

The Blue Diamond Weekday Wonder has an impressive overall performance. It’s stellar at pressure-cooking and sautéing, and functions as a great slow cooker and rice cooker as well. Its one downside is that the steaming performance is just so-so. This model comes with a two-year warranty and accessories including a steam rack, measuring cup, spoon, and condensation collector.

The 6.5-quart 1,460-watt Ninja Foodi OP302 garners excellent ratings in pressure-cooking, sautéing, and rice-cooking. It has a pressure lid, plus a separate crisping lid that houses a fan to facilitate air-frying.

We pressure-cooked a 4½-pound chicken in 35 minutes, then crisped it, and the result was a beautifully browned bird. Air-fried french fries and chicken nuggets were delicious. The dehydrate function works as promised, but you can’t dehydrate much food at once, even if you buy the $30 dehydrating rack, as we did. And because the unit weighs 21 pounds without its 3-pound pressure lid, it’s difficult to move around.

The 6-quart 1,350-watt DeLonghi Livenza is another multi-cooker without a pressure-cook function, so fast cooking isn’t its promise. But its slow-cooking mode is top-notch, with the model earning a strong rating in that test. It also earns top-notch scores for sautéing and steaming, both tests that few models ace.

This cooker has a baking function, too, which we tested with mixed results. Our chocolate chip bars were nice and chewy on top but burnt on the bottom around the corners of the pot. Like the Cuisinart above, this cooker’s oblong shape is useful for bulky roasts and racks of ribs.