As its name suggests, a multi cooker is a unique kitchen appliance that can perform several different cooking functions to produce a wide variety of different foods and recipes, often replacing several of your existing appliances.
For time poor families, a multi cooker can be such a fabulous investment and can really help you to better manage mealtimes as well as your household as a whole. It makes it easy to enjoy nutritious and delicious home cooked meals every day with minimal fuss, all in the one cooking vessel, so clean up is a cinch as well! Also perfect for meal prepping, multi cookers allow you to cook large quantities of nutritious food while you’re out doing things more important than slaving over the stove.
So simple to use, just pop your raw ingredients in, choose the appropriate function and with the push of a button your automated multi cooker will do the rest for you.
Cook anything from curries and stews, soups and risottos to gorgeous roasts, crispy veggies and even desserts, yoghurts and baked goods. Saving so much time, energy and money whilst delivering mouth watering, healthy meals, it sounds almost too good to be true and it’s no wonder that more and more Australian families are making the investment into their health, time and perhaps even sanity!
Read on to see our selection of the best multi cookers in Australia and our buying guide on how to choose so you can get the best model for you.
1. Nutri Ninja OP300
The best multi cooker with air fryer lets you create virtually anything all in the one pot
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Functions: Pressure cooker | Slow cooker | Air fryer | Rice cooker | Sear/saute | Steam | Bake | Grill | Roast.
Our top choice for the best multi cooker in Australia is the Nutri Ninja OP300. This impressive appliance is a beast of a machine and lets you cook virtually anything you can think of. Not only a slow cooker, it also functions beautifully as a pressure cooker, steamer and even air fryer, with searing, sauteeing and baking settings, to name just a few.
Its standout feature is its unique TenderCrisp technology which combines pressure cooking with air frying to cook and crisp food perfectly all in the same appliance - think perfect roasts with moist flesh and crispy skin - even pork crackling!
The large digital display is easy to read and use, with well marked sections and functions and a large on/off button. When in use, the timer is displayed so you can see how your meal is progressing at a glance, and it automatically switches to the keep warm setting when complete.
The inner pot is very generous in size and will fit a whole chicken or standard 20cm cake tin so it’s definitely large enough to feed the whole family.
It’s worth keeping in mind that the unit is very large and heavy and will take up considerable space on your benchtop, however we can forgive that as the Nutri Ninja essentially replaces many other kitchen gadgets. It features dishwasher safe components for easy clean up, however the crisper lid is not removable and has a few frustrating cracks and crevices that are tricky to keep clean.
Best For Baking
2. Breville Multi Cooker 9 in 1
Our top pick for baking bread and cakes
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Functions: Pressure cooker | Slow cooker | Rice cooker | Saute/sear | Steam | Deep fry | Bread maker | Pizza and pasta maker | Yoghurt and jam maker.
The Breville Multi Cooker 9 in 1 features nineteen baking and cooking functions, designed to replace nine different appliances in one stylish and compact unit. Slow cook, sautee, deep fry, steam, bake, make rice, yoghurt, risotto, the list goes on.
Its standout feature, and one we don’t see often in multi cookers, is that it excels as a bread maker with different programs to suit different types of bread, whether it be whole wheat or gluten free. There’s even an express bake function so you can enjoy warm, freshly baked bread in less than the time it takes to watch a movie.
Precise temperature control with independent heating elements and inbuilt sensors continuously monitor and control temperature for the same perfect results every time, no matter that dish. With a programmable timer, it will remember all your favourite cooking times to save even more time, and has an auto off function and power interruption protection for safety.
All the cooking accessories you’ll need are included, and not just the expected cooking bowl, steam basket and ladle but also measuring cups and spoons and even a cheese strainer. A downloadable recipe ebook is available for your cooking inspiration and helps you to get to know your way around your new multi cooker.
3. Tefal Cook4me+
A multitude of pre-programmed recipes makes this easy for even the most novice of cooks
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Functions: Pressure cooker | Slow cooker | Rice cooker | Saute/sear | Steam | Simmer | Reheat.
With 150 pre programmed recipes, Tefal Cook4me+ is perfect for those who need a little help with meal ideas as well as those who need a little help with cooking full stop! This clever multi cooker guides you through the whole process, including when to add ingredients and which cooking function to use and when.
For more confident cooks, there are five different manual cooking functions - pressure, steam, brown, simmer and reheat, automatically cooking for the correct amount of time based on weight and servings.
Cooking times up to 80% faster than traditional methods and its large capacity allows you to prepare meals for 2, 4 or even 6 people. Despite its large capacity, it’s surprisingly lightweight and takes up little kitchen bench real estate.
The delayed start function is handy as it allows you to choose when your multi cooker begins cooking, so you can have your meals start while you’re at work and have them freshly finished as you walk through the door.
We especially love that the removable inner bowl has convenient cool touch handles, so you can simply lift it out of the cooker and serve straight to the table, saving you from washing up a serving plate. It’s also dishwasher safe for the easiest clean up ever.
4. Breville The Fast Slow Pro
Automatic time, temperature and pressure adjustment for precise cooking
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Functions: Pressure cooker | Slow cooker | Rice cooker | Saute/sear | Steam.
For pressure and slow cooking deliciously tender meats, vegetables and grains, you can’t go past Breville’s The Fast Slow Pro. Understanding that some foods are suited to pressure cooking whilst others to slow cooking over time, it automatically adjusts time, temperature and pressure to produce the best results, all thanks to the dual sensors that accurately monitor the contents of the 6L bowl.
The automatic steam release is the Fast Slow Pro’s standout feature. Adjusting itself to different foods, it ensures nothing is ever overcooked, tough or chewy by releasing steam at just the right time completely hands free. Any meat cooked in the Fast Slow Pro is practically guaranteed to be wonderfully tender and full of flavour, making it highly recommended for those who love to cook and eat meat.
With an intuitive, user friendly interface featuring an extra large, backlit LCD display, navigating the many different settings and presets is a piece of cake. It also tells you exactly what’s happening inside the cooker at any given moment, including a pressure indicator and countdown timer.
The Fast Slow Pro offers eighteen cooking functions as well as a whopping ten pressure settings for those who like to experiment. The ceramic coated bowl is dishwasher safe and the wide moat catches condensation and any accidental spills for easy clean up.
5. Philips Viva Collection All in One Cooker
Super versatile with additional safety features to provide peace of mind for the entire family
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Functions: Pressure cooker | Slow cooker | Sauce thickening | Saute/sear | Stew | Hot pot | Jam | Yoghurt | Bake.
The Philips Viva Collection All in One Cooker allows you to pressure cook, slow cook, sear, sautee and more and comes with twenty preset menus to really take the hard work out of meal preparation.
This advanced cooker utilises new technology for faster heating, resulting in up to 35% reduced cooking time. The pot is now more durable and resistant to scratches, thanks to the ProCeramic+ coating. Moreover, you have the flexibility to adjust cooking time, temperature, and pressure according to your specific cooking requirements. It is available in 6L and 8L pot sizes, catering to families of all sizes.
Featuring a large touch screen panel, this cooker ensures ease of use and readability. The Viva Collection All in One includes a convenient countdown timer. Once the cooking process is complete, the cooker automatically switches to a keep-warm mode, maintaining the food's temperature for up to 12 hours.
Packed with extra safety features, this intelligent cooking system is a great choice for those with young children or who otherwise prefer to be extra careful when it comes to safety. The automatic pressure release goes off if abnormally high pressure is detected inside the cooker and a child safety lock delivers peace of mind as well as preventing little hands tampering with the settings.
6. Instant Pot Duo Nova
Advanced safety features meets ultimate convenience in this user friendly model
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Functions: Pressure cooker | Slow cooker | Rice cooker | Saute/sear | Steam | Yoghurt maker | Food warmer.
This clever seven in one multi cooker ticks all the boxes when it comes to versatility, convenience and safety, and is one of our firm favourites. With fourteen auto cook programs all accessible with just one press, you’ll be preparing, cooking and warming delicious meals every day of the week with ease.
A quality pressure cooker, rice cooker, slow cooker and yoghurt maker, you can make everything from entrees, sides, mains and desserts, and is an amazing tool for efficient meal prepping. Aside from the fourteen preset functions, you also have the option to program up to three different customised temperature settings so Duo Nova can remember the way you cook your favourite recipes.
The advanced easy seal lid automatically locks in all the delicious flavours and nutrients of your meal, and when it’s time to release the steam, the quick release button is easy, quick and safe, with virtually no risk of burning.
Duo Nova also gets full points for ease of cleaning and user friendliness. The stainless steel exterior and lid is quick and easy to wipe down and the inner pot, lid and steam rack are all dishwasher safe. The LCD display is large and bright enough to see clearly from across the room with sensible, well marked buttons.
Best For Rice
7. Russell Hobbs Express Chef Digital Multi Cooker
Super accessible for first time users and busy families
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Functions: Pressure cooker | Slow cooker | Rice cooker | Saute/sear | Steam | Roast | Soup | Pudding.
Ideal for those who don’t need all the bells and whistles yet are still looking for a versatile multi cooker, the Russell Hobbs Express Chef Digital Multi Cooker is affordable, reliable, and effectively replaces several of your other kitchen gadgets.
Featuring ten pre-programmed menus, you can pressure cook, slow cook and saute to create all your family’s favourites such as curries, risottos and even desserts with just the press of a button, all in less than an hour. It also features a useful delay start function where you can set the timer to suit your schedule and have dinner ready exactly when you want it with no fuss and no stress. For those running behind schedule, not to worry, as the warming function automatically turns on when the timer is up and cooking has stopped.
Three levels of pressure cooking allow the ultimate flexibility in cooking, and it performs perfectly with a variety of starchy foods, making the Russell Hobbs Express Chef best multi cooker for rice, be it brown, white or black rice.
8. Sunbeam Aviva PE6100
Easy to use with an extra large and informative display panel
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Functions: Pressure cooker | Slow cooker | Rice cooker | Saute/sear | Steam | Simmer.
This large, 6L capacity multi cooker can be used as a pressure cooker or slow cooker for creating all of your family favourites in a sleek and compact unit that will look right at home on your kitchen bench. One of the easiest multi cookers to use and great for beginners, it has all the expected features such as a keep warm setting and time delay and an extra large and clear display panel that tells you exactly what is happening at any given moment.
Seven cooking functions are pre-programmed in, covering all your basics, namely sauteeing, browning, simmering, steaming, rice, pressure and slow cooking and all accessible with just one push of a button.
One of the Sunbeam’s downfalls would be that its parts are not dishwasher friendly, making cleaning up a bit more of a chore than we think it should be. It does, however, have a wide condensation collecting moat that will ensure no spills get inside the unit, and comes complete with useful accessories including a serving spoon, rice spoon, measuring cup and cooking rack ideal for steaming.
Best For Vegetarians
9. MasterPro MPMULTICOOK
Our favourite choice for delivering beautiful and complex vegetarian dishes
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Functions: Pressure cooker | Slow cooker | Rice cooker | Saute/sear | Steam | Sous vide | Pasta maker | Yoghurt | Preserving.
This is a fantastic entry level multi cooker, recommended for those who are interested in using a multi cooker everyday and keen to start experimenting, but aren’t quite ready to make the full commitment in terms of full features and price point.
With twelve functions including some of the less common options such as sous vide, yoghurt and pasta making, you’re free to experiment with different cooking styles and techniques without the risk of messing it all up!
The six included pressure functions lend themselves well particularly to vegetables, grains and legumes, making the MasterPro the best multi cooker for vegetarians who are looking to add some more variety into their meals. It’s also ideal for canning and preserving foods such as homemade jams, sauces and pickles, with this model not only able to cook and prepare, but also seal and sterilise jars.
Simply pop in your raw ingredients, press a button, and the MasterPro will do the rest, indicating its progress with a countdown on its digital display. Fully adjustable temperature lets you take more control whenever you’re ready, and its warming function will keep your food warm for up to eight hours.
10. Crock-Pot Express Crock XL Multi Cooker
No frills versatility from the makers of the original slow cooker
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Functions: Pressure cooker | Slow cooker | Rice cooker | Saute/sear | Steam | Boil| Simmer| Yoghurt.
From Crockpot, the original slow cooker, is this versatile multi cooker that replaces five common kitchen appliances. Use it for pressure cooking, sauteing, slow cooking, steaming and cooking rice to create an endless amount of meal possibilities.
There are seven preset meal settings that will have dinner on the table in less than an hour, thanks to the pressure cooking function which promises cook times up to 70% faster than the oven or stovetop. The optional manual function is perfect for those who like to experiment and the delayed timer and automatic warming setting are both convenient if you have other things to attend to during the day.
Very forgiving for new or less confident cooks, it features a large, easy-to-read digital display. With a generous capacity of 7.6L, it is large enough to feed a medium to large family and serves as the perfect partner for hassle-free weekend meal prep.
Clean up will be a cinch with its dishwasher safe, non-stick inner pot. If you are nervous about pressure cookers and accidentally burning yourself with escaping steam, this Crockpot features an airtight lid that locks firmly into place until the pressure is correctly released. It’s a great, no fuss all rounder for those new to multi cookers.
How to choose a multi cooker
We go through some handy hints about what you should consider when deciding on the best multi cooker for you and your family.
- Capacity. Maybe the most important, and certainly the most practical, consideration is the capacity of your multi cooker, which comes down to how many people you need to feed with each cook. A capacity of 5.5L or larger is considered generous and should will feed a family of four to six. For those using their multi cooker for meal prep, you will probably want to find the largest capacity multi cooker and bench space and budget allows.
- Functions. Multi cookers are all boasting their many features, but in reality you probably won’t use them all. It’s best to think about how you will use your multi cooker and choose a model to fit this need, rather than just choose the model with all the features you can imagine. You might now feel inspired to try your hand preserving jams over Christmas, but unless you already make jams, you’re unlikely to start just because your new multi cooker allows it. The pressure and slow cook functions are standard in multi cookers and for most people, probably the two most useful functions. Those who cook a lot of meats will appreciate a good saute function. Love the aroma of freshly baked bread? Look out for models with a good bake function.
- Features. All features in a multi cooker should make your life easier, after all, that’s what you want from a multi cooker. Amongst the most useful features to look out for include a built in timer and a delayed timer. If you have a young family, then pay attention to the specific safety features available such as a child safety lock and automatic steam release.
- Cleaning. After dinner, you’ll want the clean up to be as fast and easy as possible. Look for models that are easy for you to clean. Dishwasher safe inner pots, lids and accessories are obvious, but also consider how easy the exterior is to clean. A flat touch screen is easier to wipe down than a model with buttons where bits of grime can hide, and make sure there are no unnecessary cracks and crevices in the design, no matter how aesthetic, as it’s amazing how quickly food and grease will build up.
Functions of a multi cooker
It’s called a “multi” cooker for a reason, but what exactly are the multiple ways you can cook with it? Here’s a quick run down of the common functions to look out for.
- Pressure cooker. Replacing your dedicated pressure cooker, this function is designed to cook meals very quickly. With the airtight lid locked, heat, steam and pressure build up in the pot to create a higher temperature that can be achieved in the oven, thereby cooking foods faster. Use it to cook any food suitable to add water or other liquid to to tenderise and stew, or any food you can steam, such as fish, rice and veggies.
- Slow cooker. This function is designed to cook foods over a low heat for a long time. Particularly good for the cheaper, tougher cuts of meat as the extended cooking time tenderises the meat as well as bringing out maximum flavour and locking in nutrients.
- Saute. Also called browning, it’s used to saute onions and sear meats, which you would normally achieve in a pan on your cooktop and is essential for amplifying flavour and aroma. It’s super handy to be able to sear and then cook all in the same pot, but keep in mind that although certainly sufficient, your multi cooker probably won’t be able to match the same beautifully golden, caramelised sear you’d be able to achieve in a sizzling hot pan.
- Steam. For the health conscious, steaming is a fabulous way to cook without using oils or fats, whilst still keeping nutrients intact. Most multi cookers come with dedicated steaming racks perfect for steaming your favourite veggies, fish and dumplings.
- Rice cooker. This function cooks perfect rice just as your dedicated rice cooker will, with many models having custom settings for different types of rice. The only consideration is, if your rice is already cooking in your multi cooker, then you won’t be able to use it to also cook your main dish. If you're in search of the best rice cooker for your family in Australia, we've got you covered with a comprehensive article featuring a selection of top-rated rice cookers
- Baking. For those who are into desserts, the bake function delivers you beautifully moist cakes, puddings and even fresh bread, with just the press of a button.
- Yoghurt. For the yoghurt fans, turn milk into delicious and nutritious yoghurt quickly and for a fraction of the cost of buying ready made yoghurt from the shop.
- Air fryer. Air fryers are all the rage at the moment, so you might be looking out for this feature on your multi cooker. It works by circulating very hot air around the food to form the delicious, crispy exterior you love about fried foods, with a fraction of the fat content. This function can also be used to crisp the skin of meats such as chicken, duck, and even pork crackling, so a multi cooker with an air fryer function will be able to deliver the tastiest roasts with moist, tender flesh and crispy skin.