Best Multi-Cookers of 2023 – Consumer Reports

Not long ago, Instant Pot was the only name in the multi-cooker game. But competition has been heating up. We now test 18 brands, ranging in price from $70 to more than $600.

Does spending top dollar for one of these multitasking countertop appliances get you a better braise? The answer used to be yes—to a degree. One of our top-rated multi-cookers, the Breville Fast Slow Pro, costs about $275. But that’s roughly $100 more than the highly rated Chef iQ Multi-Functional Smart Pressure Cooker.

More recently, we tested the Wolf Gourmet Multi-Cooker, a hefty high-end model with a price to match. It can go for up to $650 (the most expensive model we’ve ever tested) and is one of the worst performers in our tests. On the flip side, the best in our tests today comes in well under $200.

You can find it in our multi-cooker ratings, which cover two categories: models that pressure-cook and those that don’t.

“Pressure-cook models are ideal for quickly cooking tough cuts of meat, or beans, but you won’t save a lot of time with other foods, like steamed rice,” says Ginny Lui, CR’s test engineer for countertop cooking appliances.

We test pressure-cook mode on the models that have it by cooking pork ribs and beef-and-bean chili. Then we test other dedicated functions, including slow-cooking chili and beef stew, steaming rice and vegetables, sautéing onions, and keeping food warm. Some models even have functions for baking, air-frying, crisping, dehydrating, and sous vide.

For each test, CR staffers sample the dish and judge the food’s taste and tenderness. Testers also evaluate convenience factors, such as the clarity of the touch controls and how easy it is to program each multi-cooker, and they assess the durability of the coating on the interior pots.

Read on for reviews of seven of the best multi-cookers from our tests, listed in alphabetical order. CR members can also dig into our complete multi-cooker ratings.