March 20-25: Amazon's Big Spring Sale is here!
Don't Waste Your Money is supported by our readers. When you purchase an item through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The Best Sous Vide Machines

Last updated on March 15, 2024
Best Sous Vide Machine

Our Review Process

Don't Waste Your Money is focused on helping you make the best purchasing decision. Our team of experts spends hundreds of hours analyzing, testing, and researching products so you don't have to. Learn more.

Look for the DWYM seal for products that are the best in a category.

When you run across the words “sous vide” in a cookbook, it might seem like a complex term that’s only used with elaborate French dishes. In reality, it’s a simple way to get a perfect cook on your favorite proteins, like steak, chicken and pork. Buying a sous vide machine can make this French tradition an everyday classic in your kitchen.

Simplemost Media

Sous vide is a fancy term for placing your food in a vacuum-sealed bag, then cooking it in temperature-controlled water. (You can also use glass jars instead of bags, and eggs can be cooked in their shells.) There are a number of benefits to cooking your food sous vide. It offers more precise control over your cooking temperature, so it’s better for cooking tricky proteins, like fish. You’ll also notice a more even cook throughout meats like steak and pork loin.

Using a vacuum-sealed bag prevents moisture and nutrient loss, so your meals come out tastier and healthier. Sous vide cooking also helps your proteins soak up more marinade and enhances your meat’s natural flavor, so you won’t have to use additional salt or oils.

MORE: The Best Indoor Electric Grill

The sous vide method used to be a fine dining-only approach, but the rise of affordable home sous-vide machines have taken this French technique from fine dining to easy weeknight dinners. The two types of at-home sous vide machines are water ovens and immersion circulators, but all of our top picks are immersion circulators.

Kristin Forte/Simplemost Media

Thermal immersion circulators are electrically powered devices that move and heat water at an accurate, stable temperature. They hook onto the side of your cooking pot, then they heat up the water and circulate it. Once your water has reached the right temperature, you can drop your bagged meal into the pot, sit back and let the immersion circulator do the work.

New handheld immersion circulators, like the Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker Nano, come with digital displays that make it easier than ever to keep that perfect temperature.

Digital displays aren’t the only technology that’s making sous vide the next big thing. Some models are Bluetooth-enabled, so you can control them remotely. This sous vide also has an accompanying app for iPhone or Android, with a special visual doneness feature. It shows you exactly how your food will turn out before you even turn on your stove.

Immersion circulators are also great for anyone with a small kitchen who wants the sous vide experience. You’ll find a few are about the size of a champagne bottle, while others fit easily into your cutlery drawer.

Sous vide circulators come in different wattages. More watts help your water heat more quickly, and if you need to add cold food during cooking, it will help the water’s temperature rebound faster. The Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker Nano uses 750 watts of cooking power (about the strength of a small or medium microwave). Other brands are able to heat up liquids with an impressive 1,100 watts (which is a similar amount of power to a large microwave).

If you don’t know how to get started with your sous vide machine, several of our top picks come with recipe books. Anova, for example, comes with more than 1,000 recipes for every skill level.

Once you’re ready to dive into sous vide cooking, take a look at our Tips & Advice to figure out which sous vide machine is right for you.

Our Picks For The Top Sous Vide Machines

View All Recommendations
Product Overview
Our Take
 Top Pick

Anova Culinary AN500-US00 Professional Sous Vide Immersion Cooker, 1000-Watt

Don't Waste Your Money Seal of Approval

Anova Culinary

Professional Sous Vide Immersion Cooker, 1000-Watt

It takes just three steps to cook a delicious meal using this sous vide immersion cooker. Simply attach the cooker to your pot, add a packet of sealed food and use the cooker's app to control the device. If you'd like, you can also purchase this cooker with a lid or a storage case.

Overall Take

Cooks Like a DreamThis sous vide immersion cooker has a powerful 1000-watt motor.

 Runner Up

Breville Space Saving WiFi Sous Vide Machine

Breville

Space Saving WiFi Sous Vide Machine

At only 11 inches tall, this sous vide immersion cooker is ideal for those who are short on space, but it still packs plenty of power for all your cooking. It can heat water comparably to much larger cookers and the magnetic bottom means you can attach it to your pots without a clamp.

Overall Take

Easiest to StoreIf you're limited on kitchen space, you'll love that this sous vide immersion cooker is small enough to store in your silverware drawer.

 Strong Contender

Instant Pot Accu Even Cooking Sous Vide Immersion Cooker, 800-Watt

Instant Pot

Accu Even Cooking Sous Vide Immersion Cooker, 800-Watt

The sleek design of this sous vide immersion cooker makes it easy to store without sacrificing functionality. You'll get a manual jam-packed with cooking instructions and an easy-to-use interface that requires no Wi-Fi or app connectivity. The 12-volt DC motor brings quiet operation to let you set it up and forget it until your meal is ready.

Overall Take

Best PortabilityYou may not always use your circulator at home and, if that's the case, this sous vide immersion cooker is lightweight and portable.

 Best Value

SOUSVIDE ART Hands-Free Sous Vide Immersion Cooker, 1000-Watt

SOUSVIDE ART

Hands-Free Sous Vide Immersion Cooker, 1000-Watt

You'll get a complete kit when you opt for this top-notch sous vide immersion cooker. It comes with 15 vacuum sealer bags, two clips, two clamps, a pump and a timer. The machine itself has a powerful 1,000-watt motor and is designed for hands-free use.

Overall Take

Lots of ExtrasHealthier cooking is possible with this sleek black sous vide immersion cooker.

What to Look For

  • How often do you plan on using your sous vide machine? If you want a few steaks for occasional dinner parties, a budget pick like the Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker Nano will work just fine. For regular sous vide experiences, you may want to pony up for an investment model.

MORE: The Best Digital Meat Thermometer

  • How much power do you want from your immersion cooker? Higher-wattage cookers will help you cook faster by heating up your water more quickly. However, it’s easier to trip a circuit breaker if your kitchen is old or not wired for that much juice. The 750-watt Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker Nano might take a bit longer to get going, but it won’t leave you poking around your fuse box with a flashlight.
  • What types of containers will you use for your sous vide cooking? The immersion circulator has to clamp onto the side of your pot, so you’ll want to measure the pot’s thickness and make sure your sous vide machine has a large enough clamp for a firm grip on the side. The Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker can be shifted up or down on your pot to adjust the height, and you can adjust the screw in the back for a tighter fit. Other circulator clamps are large and hook up in seconds, but they’re not as adjustable.
  • New moms can benefit from sous vide cookers, too. They can heat milk or formula to a perfect 98.6 degrees every time.
  • Sous vide machines don’t get very dirty, but they’ll need a quick cleaning if you start noticing mineral buildup from water. To rinse the buildup away, just dilute equal parts water and vinegar in a small pot and place your cooker inside. Set the cooker’s temperature to about 140 degrees Fahrenheit, and let your cooker heat the liquid. Then remove the cooker once it’s reached the right temperature. The cooker’s display can be cleaned with a damp microfiber cloth.

More to Explore

Cooking is a marriage of art and science, and sous vide machines are a great example of that. In the late 1960s, French and American engineers mastered food-grade plastic films and vacuum packing. Since sous vide machines could keep packaged foods in a water bath at a consistent temperature, they were perfect for sealing and pasteurizing industrially prepared foods for longer shelf life.

MORE: The Best Griddle for Outdoor Grilling

Sous vide finally broke into restaurants in 1974, when French chefs Pierre Troisgros and Georges Pralus started using the machines to cook foie gras while losing as little fat as possible. The delicious results made sous vide machines a staple in commercial and household kitchens alike.

More to explore