Best multi cookers for air frying, slow cooking and more

The best multi cookers are an all-in-one cooking saviour that can quickly turn out (almost) any meal you want. 

'Multi cooker' is a term slapped onto all sorts of cooking appliances these days. The top models can do everything an air fryer can, and also handle slow cooking, pressure cooking and much more. 

We've tested the most popular brands, from Ninja multi cookers (including the Ninja Speedi and Ninja 15-in-1) to Russell Hobbs and Tefal appliances. 

Two multi cookers excelled in all our tests, earning our Best Buy recommendation.

The multi cookers we tested

The biggest brands and most popular multi cookers are listed below.

Only logged-in Which? members can view the multi cooker test results below.

Join Which? to get instant access to our test results and Best Buy recommendations below.

All the multi cookers we tested are listed in alphabetical order below.

Only logged-in Which? members can view the best multi cookers from our tests.

Join Which? to get instant access to our test results and Best Buy recommendations.

Drew&Cole CleverChef 14-in-1 15L Multi Cooker

Most recently tested August 2023

Dimensions (HxWxD) 25 x 30 x 37cm

Measured weight 4.0kg

Functions Slow cook (low and high), brown/sauté, steam, stew, roast, bake, fish, poach, bread rise, yoghurt, rice, DIY mode (manually set temperature and time)

Need to know 92cm power cord; 5-litre capacity; accessories include steam tray; quick start guide; no recipe book included but free recipe app available on mobile devices, and recipes available at Drew&Cole; delay timer and keep-warm function; two-year guarantee; accessories are dishwasher-safe; one-year guarantee

Instant Pot Duo Crisp and Air Fryer Multi Cooker

Most recently tested August 2023

Dimensions (HxWxD) 36 x 35 x 35cm

Measured weight 6.1kg (7.4kg with air fryer lid on)

Functions Air fry, roast, bake, grill, dehydrate, pressure cook, sauté, slow cook, steam, sous-vide 

Need to know 120cm power cord; 5.7-litre capacity; accessories include pressure cooking and air frying lid, air fryer basket and base, grill/dehydrating tray, multi-purpose rack, EU plug and quick start guide, no recipe book included but available on mobile phone app and at Instant Pot; delay timer and keep-warm function; accessories are dishwasher-safe; one-year guarantee

JML Go Chef 8-in-1 Multi Cooker

Most recently tested August 2023

Dimensions (HxWxD) 26 x 34 x 41cm

Measured weight 4.5kg

Functions Roast, bake, sauté, steam, slow cook, boil, fondue, fry 

Need to know 87cm power cord; 5-litre capacity; accessories include glass lid, pouring lip on inner bowl, low and high racks, frying basket with handle and recipe book; hand-wash only; one-year guarantee

Ninja Foodi MAX 15-in-1 Multi Cooker OL750UK

Most recently tested August 2023

Dimensions (HxWxD) 36 x 35 x 36cm

Measured weight 11.7kg

Functions Pressure cook, steam meals, steam air fry, steam roast, steam bake, steam bread, air fry, grill, bake, dehydrate, prove, sear/sauté, steam, slow cook, yoghurt 

Need to know 82cm power cord; 7.5-litre capacity; accessories include smart lid, temperature probe, cook & crisp basket, two-tier reversible rack; quick start guide and recipe booklet; keep-warm function; accessories are dishwasher-safe; one-year guarantee, two-year if you register product with Ninja

Up your cooking game — best air fryers, best pressure cookers, best slow cookers 

Ninja Foodi Max 9-in-1 Multi Cooker OP500UK

Most recently tested August 2023

Dimensions (HxWxD) 35 x 42 x 38cm

Measured weight 9.5kg (10.7kg with pressure cooking lid)

Functions Air crisp, pressure cook, steam, slow cook, sear/sauté, grill, bake/roast, dehydrate, yoghurt  

Need to know 81cm power cord; 7.5-litre capacity; accessories include pressure cooking and air frying lid, two-tier reversible rack, cook & crisp basket; quick start guide and recipe book; keep-warm function; accessories are dishwasher-safe; one-year guarantee, two-year if you register product with Ninja

Ninja Speedi 10-in-1 Rapid Cooker ON400UK

Most recently tested August 2023

Dimensions (HxWxD) 32 x 35 x 35cm

Measured weight 7.2kg

Functions Speedi meals, steam air fry, steam bake, steam, grill, air fry, bake/roast, slow cook, dehydrate, sear/sauté 

Need to know 81cm power cord; 5.7-litre capacity; accessories include cook & crisp tray and recipe book; keep-warm function; accessories are dishwasher-safe; one-year guarantee, two-year if you register product with Ninja 

Russell Hobbs Good to Go 6.5L Electric Multi Cooker

Most recently tested August 2023

Dimensions (HxWxD) 24 x 47 x 31cm

Measured weight 3.3kg

Functions Roast, sear, sous-vide, slow cook, rice, steam, boil

Need to know 83cm power cord; 6.5-litre capacity; accessories include glass lid, steaming rack and roasting rack; no recipe book but instructions include cooking time and temperature suggestions for some ingredients; keep-warm function; dishwasher-safe; two-year guarantee

Tefal Cook4me Touch CY912840 Smart Multi Cooker With Extra Crisp Lid

Available from Harvey Norman (£369) - without extra crisp lid

Most recently tested August 2023

Dimensions (HxWxD) 24 x 47 x 31cm

Measured weight 6.6kg (8.7kg with extra crisp lid)

Functions Pressure cook, steam, stir fry, stew, manual mode (plus air fry, roast, grill, bake, manual mode with extra crisp lid)

Need to know 93cm power cord; 6-litre capacity; accessories include steam basket; quick start guide and 250 built-in recipes; touchscreen controls; multi cooker can connect to wi-fi to add your own recipes to the appliance; delay timer, reheat and keep-warm functions; accessories are dishwasher-safe; two-year guarantee

How we test multi cookers

We select the bestselling multi cookers from popular brands and retailers and put them through our tough tests. We buy all the products we test, so you know our reviews can be trusted. 

We regularly revisit the multi cookers on sale to see if there are any more popular models that need testing. When we find them, we do.

Cooking 

• We follow the exact instructions or recipes provided. If there aren't any, we follow the packet instructions.
• We rate each multi cooker on the overall cooking experience, how long it takes to cook (including any preheat time), and how the food looks and tastes afterwards.

Running costs

• We calculate how much it costs to run each multi cooker.  
• We also check the cost per gram of food. 

Ease of use

• A panel of testers follows the instruction and recipe booklets provided, rating how clear and useful they are
• We assess how easy it is to operate, program and view food while cooking, and how easy it is to see that food is done or needs turning.

Washing

• We hand-wash each multi cooker after every test and rate how easy it is to scrub clean

Why you can trust us: at Which? we're free from manufacturer and retailer influence. Find out more about our impartiality and how your support helps us to stay editorially independent

What is a multi cooker?

A multi cooker uses automated cooking programs to cook various types of food. 

Some multi cookers are labelled as pressure cookers or air fryers but have other cooking functions, such as fry, roast and grill. Others are more like slow cookers, with a less powerful heating element built into the base.

For testing purposes, we asked Which? members which programs they would most use on a multi cooker and from this defined a multi cooker as: an appliance with at least five different modes of cooking; one of these needs to be air frying or roasting/baking; and at least one other function from pressure cooking, slow cooking or steaming.

See how other Ninja products did in our tests — best air fryers, best frying pans and best knife sets

Can you cook anything in a multi cooker?

In theory, yes, as long as your multi cooker has the correct program (you probably don't want to 'grill' rice or 'stew' a cake).

Our tests found some key differences in how multi cookers performed, however.

• Instructions and recipes make a big difference to your cooking experience Some multi cookers give step-by-step guidance and tables with cooking programs and settings for various ingredients. Others throw you in at the deep end, leaving you to guess the best mode to cook your dinner with.
• Multi cookers that can air-fry give better results for roasting and baking They gave crispier and more even results, usually in less time than multi cookers that couldn't air fry.
• Steam-bake programs made the best cake They gave a crisp crust while being much more moist inside
• Chips cook in roughly the same amount of time, no matter the multi cooker Air fried chips were the best, but there was a noticeable difference in quality across the multi cookers we tested. 
• Roasted chicken results varied a lot Some looked pale and sweaty after cooking for the instructed time. The best multi cookers delivered crispy-skinned chicken in less than an hour.
• Be aware of pre-heat times They are usually not included in the quoted cooking time in recipes, but can be 10 minutes or more if you're pressure cooking or steaming. We factored in pre-heat times when rating how fast each multi cooker delivered.
• You get what you pay for You don't necessarily need to spend top dollar, but multi cookers priced at more than £100 performed better overall in our tests.

Compare our reviews of the best saucepans and saucepan sets

Are multi cookers energy efficient?

Yes, multi cookers offer an energy-efficient way to cook your food. They have smaller capacities than ovens, so if you're cooking a banquet, you may be better sticking with the traditional oven.

We found that larger multi cookers cost a bit more to run than smaller ones, but obviously you can cook more food in one go. When you calculate the cost per gram of food, there’s little difference in running costs between different multi cookers.

However, there is a difference when comparing multi cookers to other methods of cooking:

• Chips cost an average of 13p to cook 320g in a multi cooker. The same amount costs 8p in an air fryer, and 24p in an electric oven.
• Cake costs 12p on average in a multi cooker, although the cost ranged widely from 5p to 17p. A typical air fryer will cost about 6p to bake the cake, while an electric oven would cost 20p.
• Roast chicken in a multi cooker costs 23p on average to cook a 1.7kg chicken - similar to an air fryer at 15p, but much less than an electric oven at 32p. While pressure-cooking a chicken is the cheapest method, costing you around 9p, you don't get the crispy skin produced by air frying or roasting in a great multi cooker.

Make your home more energy efficient: 10 ways to save on energy bills