Best Vegetable Steamer 2023: 5+ Detailed Reviews

Top 5 Best Vegetable Steamers 2023:

1. Aroma Housewares Pot Style Rice Cooker And Food Steamer
2. Hamilton Beach 37530A
3. Premier Housewares Steamer with Glass Lid
4. Cuisinart Digital Glass Steamer
5. BELLA 13872

Planning on losing all those extra pounds that have accumulated during the lockdown?

Steaming food is an excellent way to lose weight while eating tasty food. Unlike boiling, where food is submerged in hot water, steaming utilizes the power of water vapor rising off the boiling water. This results in fish, veggies, and fruits that are moist and tender, but not soggy.

What’s more, steam also locks in the taste and doesn’t reduce vitamins and minerals. On top of all that, steaming food doesn’t require any oil or butter, which reduces the calorie count.

With the best vegetable steamer, you’ll be able to prepare tasty meals for your entire family. From beans and broccoli to fish and shrimp, there’s hardly any meal they won’t like, we guarantee it!

Unfortunately, finding the best model for your needs requires a lot of research. You have to factor in the capacity, budget, type of steamer, and much more. Not to mention browsing through hundreds of vegetable steamers available on the market.

Thankfully, you’re at the right place. We did all the necessary research for you and compiled it in this nifty little article. Today you’ll find out which are the five best vegetable steamers on the market, why you should buy one, and what factors you should consider when purchasing one.

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5 Best Vegetable Steamers In 2023: Detailed Reviews

Here are our top five picks for the best vegetable steamer. We have no doubt in mind that at least one of the products below will catch your eye. To make sure of that, we include both stovetop and electric vegetable steamers.

1. Aroma Housewares Pot Style Rice Cooker And Food Steamer – Editor’s Choice

If you’re familiar with Asian cuisine, you already know a rice cooker is a standard kitchen appliance with many capabilities. And while you can cook rice and vegetables over the stovetop, most pots aren’t even close to the perfection that is this device.

The best thing about this device besides its versatility is its simplicity. On the whole machine, there are only two buttons and one switch. The switch is used to turn this vegetable steamer on and off, and you have buttons for cooking and warming. No timers, no fancy (but confusing) features, just turn it on and wait for the veggies or rice to get cooked.

When it comes to capacity, this vegetable steamer can cook seven cups of raw rice at once or around a pound of vegetables.

Both the rice-cooking and steaming pot that comes with this steamer feature a non-stick coating. This ensures that even if you mess up, you won’t have to slave over the sink to clean the pots. The pots and all other accessories are dishwasher safe, so cleaning afterward is super simple. Just chuck everything in the dishwasher and forget about it.

2. Hamilton Beach 37530A – Runner Up

Hamilton Beach is well-known for its high-quality kitchen appliances, and its 37530A vegetable steamer is no exception. This nifty little device will steam all your favorite foods without you having to check up on it every few minutes, all thanks to its timer function.

This vegetable steamer can handle up to 5.5 quarts of food. This is enough to cook a meal for a small family. And even if you’re by yourself, since it comes with a multi-tier pot, you can remove one and just cook food for yourself.

The best thing about the multi-tier pot that comes with this vegetable steamer is that you can use it to prepare several types of food at once. For instance, you can have fish steaming in the bottom tier, while fresh veggies are cooking on the top. This way, the vegetables will take up all the fish aroma while remaining perfectly crunchy.

To make things as easy on you as possible, 37530A features an easy-to-use touchpad that allows you to set the timer, adjust the temperature, and choose between cooking and warming modes. The water tray is easy to remove and refill, even mid-cooking.

The only issue we have with this vegetable cooker is that the accessories are not dishwasher safe. However, this is more than justified when you factor in how much value you’re getting for your money.

3. Premier Housewares Steamer with Glass Lid – Best Stovetop Vegetable Steamer

Electric kitchen appliances can really clutter up the kitchen. This is especially true if you don’t have a storage room or a cupboard to store devices you don’t use that often. However, we all have a cabinet for all the pots and pans. This is why the third place in our list goes to stovetop vegetable steamers from Premier Housewares.

Thi steamer set comes with one pot of boiling water and two pots for steaming. The steaming containers are around 3 quarts in volume, so you won’t have any trouble cooking meals for the entire family. The pot for boiling water is a bit bigger but is compatible with the lid, so you can use it to make soup or other foods.

The whole set is built out of high-grade stainless steel, so don’t worry about these pots breaking down any time soon. Of course, the entire set is dishwasher-safe, ensuring there’s zero hassle after you’re done cooking.

The best thing about this product is that it cost half as much as an electric vegetable steamer. Unfortunately, unlike electric steamers, stovetop vegetable steamers don’t have any advanced features.

4. Cuisinart Digital Glass Steamer – Best High-End Vegetable Steamer

Whenever there’s talk about kitchen appliances, it’s only a matter of time before someone mentions Cuisinart. This is why the fourth place in our list of the best vegetable steamers goes to Cuisinart and their amazing Digital Glass Steamer.

The first thing we noticed about this vegetable steamer is its build quality. With a glass container and a stainless steel body, this device looks and feels like it can last for decades. And once you factor in how expensive it is, there’s no wonder it was built to last.

As you might’ve gathered by now, this vegetable steamer comes with a single-tier container. However, this container is built out of glass and has a 5-quart capacity. Making some fish and veggies? With this vegetable steamer, you’ll be able to make enough fish and veggies in one go to feed your entire family.

The best thing about this device is that it comes with pre-programmed food settings. You can choose between seafood, poultry, vegetables, and manual. Of course, there is also a 60-minute countdown timer.

On top of all this, cleaning this steamer is incredibly easy since all accessories are dishwasher safe.

5. BELLA 13872 – Best High-Capacity Vegetable Steamer

So, far we’ve talked about mid-size vegetable steamers. The fifth place in our list breaks this cycle. Bella 13872 comes with a two-tier steaming chamber that’s a whopping 7.4 quarts in capacity. This is more than enough to prepare a healthy lunch for a large family!

Thanks to the two-tier system, you can prepare two meals at once. We personally like putting some chicken or fish in the bottom tier and broccoli on the top. This way, the broccoli is taking up the meat aroma, which makes it more palatable for people that aren’t that keen on eating veggies.

When it comes to ease of use, Bella 13872 is incredibly easy to use. You don’t have to disassemble the device to pour in more water. All you have to do is pull out the tray and add water. For convenience, there is a water gauge right next to the timer.

Even though it doesn’t come with pre-programmed modes, you won’t have any trouble nailing every meal. Thanks to the reference table that’s printed right next to the timer, you won’t have to guess how long you have to steam vegetables, poultry, fish, eggs, or rice.

Our only gripe with this product is the plastic smell. This is why we recommend you give it a thorough wash before you start cooking with it.

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What Are Vegetable Steamers And Why You Should Buy One

So, what is actually a vegetable steamer? Well, a vegetable steamer is a kitchen appliance that cooks your food by steaming it instead of boiling it. They usually feature tightly closed containers to ensure no steam escapes the cooking vessel.

But why buy one? Isn’t steaming food just a fad?

You’ll be surprised to hear that steaming food has been around for as long as human civilization. The first-ever instance of steaming food can be found in Gunma Prefecture in Japan, where scientists excavated steaming paraphernalia dating back to the stone age.

There are tons of reasons why you should buy a vegetable steamer. However, the main reason is health. Steamed food is healthier than boiled, fried, or even grilled food.

Steaming preserves the nutrients that are usually lost when you boil or fry food. This happens because most nutrients are water or oil-soluble, which means when you boil or fry it, the nutrients get dissolved. What’s more, since there’s no oil involved in the cooking process, you’re not adding any extra calories to your meal.

One study showed that steaming broccoli preserves chlorophyll and vitamin C. The same research also showed that boiling, microwaving, stir-frying caused significant loss in chlorophyll and vitamin C. So, if you’re sick of tasting bland broccoli, or any other vegetable for that matter, you should try steaming it.

With a vegetable steamer, you are also preserving the anti-cancer properties of various foods. In an article published by Tufts University, steaming preserves cancer-fighting compounds in broccoli and other types of cruciferous vegetables.

With a vegetable steamer, you can also prepare fish. In fact, steaming fish preserves omega-3 acids and has fewer calories, and makes it tastier. Just like steamed vegetables, steamed fish has a much better texture and is much less soggy than boiled fish.

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Factors You Should Consider When Buying A Vegetable Steamer 

Before you make your final decision, here are 5 factors you should consider to purchase the best vegetable steamer for you. 

1. Type 

Vegetable steamers fall into one of four categories: 

• Bamboo steamer – If you’re looking for a traditional vegetable steamer, a Bamboo steamer is a perfect choice. Bamboo vegetable steamers usually consist of two to three similarly sized brackets. These brackets are mounted on top of each other so you can cook multiple foods at once. Bamboo steamers are quite unwieldy because you have to put them in an even bigger pot with boiling water. 
• Aluminum and stainless steel vegetable steamers – These vegetable steamers can be found in almost every kitchen. Just like bamboo steamers, aluminum, and stainless steel, vegetable steamers have multiple levels. Unlike bamboo steamers, aluminum or stainless steel steamers can be used on induction tops, which gives them a significant advantage.
• Electric vegetable steamers – The main benefit of these steamers is that you don’t have to stand over them while it cooks. Because most electric vegetable steamers come with a timer function. There are also features like delayed start, pause button, and reheat. Electric vegetable steamers can also cook many foods without mixing the flavors together. 
• Microwave vegetable steamers – Most people don’t like this type of vegetable steamer. They’re usually made from cheap plastic material that gives the food a bad taste and affects the overall quality of the food. 

2. Size

The size may be the most crucial factor when searching for the best vegetable steamer for your kitchen. 

You should choose the size of the vegetable steamer depending on how much you usually cook. If you’re cooking just for yourself, a smaller one will do the job. If you’re preparing a meal for the whole family, a bigger vegetable steamer is better. 

Our personal favorites are collapsable and expandable vegetable steamers because you can get the best of both worlds. With such a steamer, you can cook different amounts of food depending on if you’re cooking for yourself, for the whole family, or when you have guests. 

3. Material

The material of which the vegetable steamer is made is also a crucial factor to consider. 

If you go for a vegetable steamer made from bamboo, except that it won’t look very great and hygienic after frequent use. 

With stainless steel and aluminum vegetable steamers, you can’t make a mistake. Even after several years of frequent use, they’ll look almost the same as the day you bought them. The only reason you’ll probably stop using this steamer is if you get bored of it, or find a new one on sale. 

We don’t recommend vegetable steamers made of plastic. Many people have complaints about such steamers. If they’re made from cheap plastic, the food you cook will get a strange aroma and taste. So, if you really want to get a vegetable steamer made from plastic, make sure they’re safe for use and don’t leave the strange taste of plastic. 

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Conclusion

Before we sign off, let’s do a quick recap.

If you’re looking for the best vegetable steamer on the market, we recommend you pick up an Aroma Housewares Pot Style Rice Cooker And Food Steamer. Thanks to its non-stick steaming pot and rice pot, excellent capacity, and ease of use, you will enjoy healthy eating for a long time.

Our runner-up is the Hamilton Beach 37530A. This vegetable steamer could’ve been in the first place on our list if only it was dishwasher safe. Besides that one downside, this product offers excellent capacity and is easy to use.

Lastly, for those that are looking for something more low-tech, we recommend picking up Premier Housewares Steamer with Glass Lid. This is one of the best stovetop vegetable steamers on the market because it’s built to last, offers enough capacity to feed an entire family, and is easy to clean.