Easy Way to Clean an Aroma Rice Cooker

How many of you use your rice cooker at least a few times a week?

Sure, I could cook rice on the stovetop. But I love being able to dump some rice, water, and seasonings in my rice cooker and just press a few buttons to get perfect rice.

The only downside is having to clean it completely after each use. It can be a hassle; but after awhile, you get used to it and cleaning it becomes a breeze!

I use an Aroma rice cooker for both brown rice, white rice, AND quinoa. And I do my best to clean it according to the manual. In this post, I go step-by-step on how I clean my rice cooker every time to keep it working like new.

Here are the basic steps. I go in more detail below:

• Remove inner pot and clean
• Remove inner lid and clean
• Wipe down rubber ring on lid
• Wipe down the top part of the pot
• Wipe down heating plate
• Clean the steam vent
• Remove condensation collector and clean
• Clean rice paddle and measuring cup
• Wipe down the outside
• Dry completely and re-assemble

Tools needed

• Non-abrasive soft sponge
• Wash cloth (Preferably a soft cloth)
• Drying towel
• Straw brushes
• Mild dish soap

Can the rice cooker parts go in the dishwasher?

You need to check the manual of your personal rice cooker to know for sure. For the specific Aroma rice cooker that I have, all removable parts can go in the dishwasher. The Aroma rice cooker manual says the pieces may have discoloration afterward but won’t affect the quality of use.

I personally handwash the inner pot and inner lid. But everything else goes in the dishwasher.

How to clean an Aroma rice cooker

Remove inner pot and clean

The inner cooking pot is where most of the rice can stick when it dries. If needed, you can soak the inside of the pot with plain water to soften up the stuck-on rice.

This is the first thing I start with. I use a sponge with dish soap and scrub gently until it’s fully clean. I also use either hot water or warm water.

Remove inner lid and clean

I’ve found that the inner lid gets especially dirty when I use a ton of seasonings in the rice cooker. Just like with the inner pot, I use a sponge with dish soap and gently scrub it clean.

Wipe down rubber ring on lid

The rubber ring, which helps seal the rice cooker, catches a lot of the condensation afterward.

I use a damp sponge or a washcloth and run it along the inside of the rubber ring. Then I use a dry cloth to get rid of the excess moisture.

The inside of a rice cooker lid can get messy as well, so I just use a clean cloth on it.

Wipe down the top part of the pot

This part frustrates me the most! The top area is where cooked rice can land when you scoop it out of the pot. And the edges right around the part where the lid connects can build up with water and seasonings.

As you can see from the picture, it’s frustrating trying to get around every nook and cranny.

I start with a damp sponge and get out as much as I can. Then I switch to a damp cloth and try to scrub in the hard-to-reach places.

Wipe down the heating plate

Sometimes extra food can make its way into the rice cooker. Wait until it’s fully cooled, then use a DAMP, not wet, washcloth to just wipe down the hot plate. This area should not get super wet, obviously, because it’s an electrical appliance.

Clean the steam vent

The steam vent area can be hard to get to, but we need to clean it. The easiest way I’ve found is by using these little straw brushes to get up in there. That helps to get rid of the buildup.

Then I go in with a washcloth and wipe down the rest.

Remove condensation collector and clean

I sometimes forget to pull this out, to be honest. And it gets gross.

This is one part of the rice cooker that can actually go in the dishwasher. You can do that, or scrub it thoroughly with a sponge and dish soap/water.

Clean rice paddle and measuring cup

Again, the spatula and cup can be cleaned in the dishwasher. Otherwise, simply use a sponge and dish soap to scrub clean.

Wipe down the outside

We need the outside to be sparkling, too! I just use a damp sponge or washcloth to wipe down the outside. Sometimes condensation rolls down the outsides from the steam, so a quick wipe-down will take care of that.

Dry completely and re-assemble

For best results, make sure all the pieces are completely dry before you put it all back together.

How I use my rice cooker

I only use my rice cooker for rice and quinoa. It’s a digital rice and grain cooker, as well as a food steamer. Mine came with a steamer basket, but I don’t even think I have it anymore!

For white rice, I use a water ratio of 2 parts water to 1 part rice, so 2 cups of water for every cup of rice. There’s a fill line on the inner pot where I fill with water pretty easily. My rice cooker holds up to 4 cups of rice, uncooked.

With brown rice, I typically add 2 1/2 cups of water because the cooking time is longer on brown rice.

Quinoa is basically just like white rice! It’s 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups of water, and I use the White Rice function. It’s a great way to get perfect quinoa every time.

Now, I’m definitely NOT perfect at cleaning my rice cooker! But this is the best way for me to easily clean my rice cooker and keep it working properly for its next use. I still get delicious rice every time, so it must be working right!