Which Zojirushi Bread Maker Should You Buy? Virtuoso Plus vs Supreme vs Maestro vs Mini

There is nothing like waking up to the smell of fresh bread. A good bread maker makes that an ordinary weekday thing: you add flour, water, yeast and salt, choose a course, and it kneads, rises and bakes on its own. Zojirushi, the Japanese maker best known for rice cookers, calls its bread makers Home Bakery, and they are among the most popular in the US. Zojirushi sells five models here, and choosing one comes down to two questions: how big a loaf you want, and which extras you'll actually use. This guide compares them using Zojirushi's product listings on Amazon (October 2026).

First, pick a loaf size

A 2-lb machine bakes a long loaf that slices like store-bought sandwich bread, enough for a family for a few days. A 1-lb machine bakes half as much, which suits one or two people and takes up less counter space. If you're unsure, think about how fast your household goes through a loaf: fresh homemade bread has no preservatives, so a smaller loaf you finish quickly can be the better choice.

2-lb models

The drawings below are simple illustrations, not product photos. Prices and stock on Amazon change often, so check the product page for current details.

Virtuoso Plus BB-PDC20: the one bread lovers rave about. Two kneading blades work the dough thoroughly, and a second heater in the lid, on top of the one in the base, bakes the loaf evenly so the top browns as nicely as the sides. Its healthy courses cover multigrain, whole wheat, rapid whole wheat, gluten free, salt free, sugar free and vegan, and a rapid course turns out a white or whole wheat loaf in 2 hours 25 minutes.

• Bakery-style loaves: two blades and a lid heater for an evenly baked, golden top.
• For every diet: gluten-free, sugar-free, salt-free and vegan courses.
• Best for: families who eat bread every day and care how it turns out.

Virtuoso Plus BB-PPC20: the PFAS-free version. Zojirushi says every area that touches food is free of PFAS (including PTFE and PFOA) and BPA. The menu is wide: white, whole wheat, European, multigrain, gluten free, salt free, sugar free, vegan, rapid white and whole wheat, dough, sourdough starter, cake, jam and Homemade. Three Homemade memory settings let you save your own knead, rise and bake times, and a 13-hour delay timer means you can load it at night and wake up to bread. Choose it if nonstick chemistry matters to you.

Supreme BB-CEC20: the versatile classic. It bakes a rectangular 2-lb loaf with the crust shade you choose, and goes well beyond bread: cakes, jam, dough, a sourdough starter setting and even meatloaf. A nonstick pan makes the loaf easy to remove and clean up. A good choice if you want a full-size Zojirushi and don't need the Virtuoso's extras.

1-lb models

Maestro BB-SSC10: for bread with nuts, seeds and fruit. Its auto-add dispenser drops in nuts or dried fruit at the right point in the kneading, so you don't have to wait for a beep, and it comes out for washing. It has the healthy courses (multigrain, whole wheat, gluten free, salt free, sugar free, vegan), dough for bread, pizza and pasta, cake and jam, three Homemade memory settings and a full-color book of 50 recipes.

Mini BB-HAC10: small, simple and easy to put away. It bakes 1-lb loaves and cakes, makes cookie and pasta dough and fresh fruit jam, and has a quick-bake cycle. A 13-hour delay timer, a viewing window and a carrying handle make it easy to use and store. The pick for one or two people, or a small kitchen.

Bake rice as well as bread? See our guide to Zojirushi rice cookers.

Which one suits you?

• The best loaf for a family: Virtuoso Plus BB-PDC20.
• The same, with PFAS-free food-contact parts: Virtuoso Plus BB-PPC20.
• A full-size machine for bread, cakes and jam: Supreme BB-CEC20.
• Bread full of nuts, seeds and raisins: Maestro BB-SSC10.
• One or two people, or a small kitchen: Mini BB-HAC10.