Best Bamboo Steamers in Australia (2026)

Bamboo steamers are the cheapest way to turn a new-home kitchen into a dumpling kitchen. You set the woven basket over a pot or wok of simmering water, stack a second tier if you have one, and the food cooks in gentle steam while the bamboo lid quietly soaks up the drips that would otherwise fall back and turn your bao pasty. There are no elements, no timers and nothing to break.

The catch is that most of the baskets sold in Australia look identical in a photo and behave nothing alike in the kitchen. Some warp and split after a month because the bamboo is thin and the rings are only glued. Others sit too small for a standard pot, or arrive with a lid that never quite fits. So we pulled the bamboo food steamers you can actually add to cart on Amazon Australia right now, checked each one's live price, stock, star rating and review count, and sorted the sturdy from the flimsy. These are baskets for dumplings, bao, fish and veg, not clothes or garment steamers, which are a different product entirely.

Below are seven baskets worth your money, what each one is best for, and the traps to avoid when you buy your first one.

Which bamboo steamer is best in Australia?

For most people the Joyce Chen 2-Tier 10-Inch is the one to buy. It is a proper 25 cm two-basket set with a lid, it fits a standard wok or a wide pot, and it carries more steady reviews than anything else here, so you know what you are getting. If you want the same job in a simpler basket, the Helen's Asian Kitchen is honest, well-cut bamboo with a lid that fits and sits neatly in a wok. And if you just want to try steaming without spending much, the Abizarch Handmade 10-Inch is the cheapest basket of our seven picks and still rates well. The rest of the list covers premium brands, a silicone-liner kit and a three-piece set for batch cooking.

Compare the best bamboo steamers at a glance

Every basket below is in stock on Amazon Australia at the price shown, which moves daily, so treat the figures as a guide and check the live card.

How we evaluated these bamboo steamers

NestPath researches rather than lab-tests. Here is what shaped the shortlist.

• We only kept bamboo food baskets that were in stock on Amazon Australia with a sane price, and dropped resellers charging double.
• We captured each basket's live star rating and review count on the same day, and gave weight to baskets with a long track record.
• We read the recurring complaints in reviews, warping, splitting rings, a lid that will not seat, and favoured builds that avoid them.
• We checked real fit: diameter in centimetres, number of tiers and whether the basket suits a wok or a straight-sided pot.

Joyce Chen 2-Tier: the safe pick for most kitchens

If you want one basket to buy and forget about, this is it. The Joyce Chen is a full 25.4 cm (10 inch) set with two stacking baskets and a domed lid, so you can steam a tray of dumplings on top and a plate of greens underneath at the same time. It is the most reviewed steamer of our seven picks, and the score has stayed high across thousands of buyers, which is the closest thing to a guarantee you get with cookware this cheap.

The bamboo is thick enough that the rings hold their shape, and the woven lid does its job of absorbing steam instead of dripping it back onto your bao. Ten inches is the sweet spot: wide enough to lay out a dozen dumplings without them touching, but still happy sitting in a standard wok or balanced on a 24 cm to 26 cm pot. It ships flat-packed and needs a quick rinse and a first empty steam to lose the raw-bamboo smell, then it is ready to go. For a first-home cook building out a kitchen, this is the basket we would put in the drawer next to the wok.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

The rings are pegged bamboo, not steel-banded, so if you leave it soaking in water it will eventually loosen, treat it like a wooden board and dry it fully. The lid sits a touch loose out of the box, which is normal and tightens as the bamboo settles. And at 25 cm it is too wide for a small saucepan, so check your pot before you buy.

Helen's Asian Kitchen: everyday value that keeps showing up

Helen's is the basket you see in half the dumpling videos online, and for good reason. It is 100 percent natural bamboo with a lid, it sits neatly in a wok, and it has racked up thousands of reviews at a keen price. If the top pick is out of stock or you simply want to spend a bit less without dropping to a no-name basket, this is the obvious swap.

What people like is how honest it is. There is nothing clever here, just well-cut bamboo, a lid that fits and enough depth to steam bao without them squashing against the roof. It handles the classics, pork dumplings, gow gee, steamed fish with ginger and shallot, and a tier of vegetables, and it cleans up with a rinse and a dry. Because Helen's has been on shelves for years, spare tiers and liners are easy to find if you ever want to stack a third basket.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

The finish is more rustic than the premium brands, with the odd rough edge you can sand smooth in a minute. Some listings ship a single tier rather than two, so read the option you are adding to cart. And like any glued-ring basket, it hates being left wet, so air it fully between uses.

Abizarch Handmade 10-Inch: the tightest budget

This is the cheapest basket of our seven picks, and it does not feel like a compromise. It is a handmade 10 inch steamer with two layers and a lid, the reviews so far are strong, and it does the same job as the brand-name baskets. For a share-house kitchen or a first flat where you are not sure how often you will steam, it is a low-risk way in.

You get the full 25 cm footprint, so it is not one of those tiny 15 cm baskets that only fits four dumplings. The weave is tidy, the lid seats properly and it is light enough to lift in and out of a pot of boiling water without drama. It is tied for the highest star rating of our picks, though on a much smaller review count than the established brands, so treat the score as promising rather than proven. Line it with baking paper or a round of cabbage and it will handle dumplings, buns and veg happily.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

The review history is short, so there is less long-term data on how the bamboo ages than there is for Joyce Chen or Helen's. As a handmade basket the finish varies slightly unit to unit. And the rings are pegged bamboo, so the usual rule applies: dry it out, never leave it soaking.

Ken Hom Excellence: made for smaller pots

Ken Hom is a name Australian cooks know from decades of wok books, and the Excellence steamer is the tidy 20 cm option in our list. That smaller diameter is the point: it drops neatly into a 20 cm to 22 cm saucepan, so you do not need a wok or a wide stockpot to use it. If your cooktop and cupboards are compact, this is the basket that actually fits.

It is a two-tier set with a lid in a warm brown finish, and the build quality is a step up from the budget baskets, tighter weave, cleaner edges and rings that hold their round. Twenty centimetres still fits eight to ten dumplings per tier, which is plenty for two people, and the shallower footprint means it comes to steam faster because the pot underneath is smaller. It is a lovely first steamer for a couple rather than a crowd.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

The trade-off for the neat size is capacity: if you regularly cook for four or more you will be steaming in batches. It commands a small brand premium. And the brown finish, while smart, is a coating, so avoid scrubbing it hard.

CrownSpire Kit: no-stick steaming out of the box

The most common bamboo-steamer frustration is dumplings welding themselves to the slats. The CrownSpire kit solves that on day one because it is the only one of our seven picks that ships with a reusable silicone liner, so you can skip the baking-paper-and-scissors routine and just drop the mat in. It is a two-tier basket with a dim sum kit of extras, and it carries the joint-highest star rating in our list.

The silicone liner is perforated so steam still gets through, it peels clean and it goes in the dishwasher, which the bamboo itself should not. That makes this the easy-clean pick for anyone who wants to steam on a weeknight without a fiddly setup. The bamboo basket is well made in its own right, so even once the novelty of the liner wears off you are left with a solid two-tier steamer. You are paying for the kit, not just the basket.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Silicone liners block a little airflow, so very wet items can steam a touch slower than they would on bare bamboo or paper. The extras in the kit are nice-to-haves rather than essentials. If you are happy cutting your own paper rounds, a plainer basket will do.

Hcooker 2-Tier: the one built to resist warping

Warping and splitting are what kill cheap bamboo steamers, and the Hcooker is engineered against exactly that. It is the only pick here ringed with stainless steel banding, a metal band wrapped around each rim that holds the bamboo round even after dozens of steaming sessions. It is the priciest basket of our seven picks, and it is the one to buy if you want a steamer that survives heavy use.

Reviewers who steam weekly single this basket out for keeping its shape when glued-ring baskets have long gone oval. The two tiers are deep, the lid seats well and the banding also makes it feel more solid in the hand. If you have caught the dumpling bug and expect this to be a regular Sunday job rather than an occasional novelty, spending up here is the sensible move. It fits a standard wok or a wide pot the same as the other full-size baskets.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

The steel banding adds cost, so this is the wrong basket if you only steam a few times a year. It is a little heavier than a plain bamboo basket. And the metal still needs drying to avoid marks, so it is not a licence to leave it wet.

Masterproofing 3-Piece Set: for batch cooking

When you are feeding a table, a single two-tier basket means steaming in shifts. The Masterproofing set gives you three pieces to stack at 25 cm, so you can run more food through in one go without hovering over the pot. It is a mid-priced set with a solid review score, and it is the pick for households that cook dumplings for a group rather than for two.

The extra stacking piece is the whole idea: more surface area, fewer rounds, and the ability to keep a finished tier warm on top while the next one cooks below. At a full 25 cm the baskets take a generous load of bao or dumplings, and the bamboo is thick enough to handle repeated use. It is a practical set for family cooking or for anyone who likes to prep a big batch and freeze half.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Three tall tiers need a lot of steam, so give the pot a head start before you load the top basket or the upper tier can lag. The extra height also means it will not tuck under a low rangehood shelf. And as with every glued-ring basket here, dry it fully and it will last.

Which bamboo steamer should you buy?

Match the basket to how you actually cook and your cooktop, not to the fanciest photo.

What to look for in a bamboo steamer

A good basket comes down to five things.

Diameter and pot fit. This is the one people get wrong. A 25 cm (10 inch) basket needs a wok or a pot at least 24 cm wide, while a 20 cm basket suits a normal saucepan. Measure the pot you will use before you buy, because a basket that is too wide just tips off the rim.

Tiers. Two tiers let you cook two things at once and are the standard for a reason. A third tier is only worth it if you regularly batch cook, because the top basket is slow to reach full steam.

Ring construction. Cheaper baskets glue and peg the bamboo rings; the sturdiest use a metal band around the rim. Banded baskets like the Hcooker resist the warping and splitting that ends most cheap steamers, but pegged bamboo is fine if you dry it properly.

The lid. A woven bamboo lid is the whole trick of this style, it absorbs steam so condensation does not drip back and turn your buns soggy. Check the lid actually seats on the top basket; a loose lid lets steam escape.

Liners. Food sticks to bare slats, so you will line the basket with baking paper, a round of cabbage or lettuce, or a reusable silicone mat. A kit like the CrownSpire includes the mat; with any other basket, budget for paper or cut your own.

How do you care for a bamboo steamer?

Bamboo is a natural material, so treat it like a wooden chopping board, not a saucepan. Before the first use, rinse the basket and steam it empty for about 10 minutes to clear the raw-bamboo smell and swell the fibres.

After cooking, do not soak it and never put it in the dishwasher, both loosen the rings and invite mould. Rinse it under warm water, use a soft brush on any stuck bits, and skip the detergent where you can, since bamboo holds soapy flavours. If something is really baked on, a little bicarb on a damp brush lifts it.

The single most important step is drying. Stand the basket and lid apart somewhere airy until they are bone dry before you put them away, because storing a damp basket is how you get black spots. Lining the basket every time, with paper, cabbage leaves or a silicone mat, keeps oils and starches off the bamboo and makes cleaning almost nothing. Do that and even a budget basket lasts for years.

You'll also want

A few extras make steaming easier and protect the basket.

• A reusable silicone liner so dumplings never stick; the CrownSpire kit bundles one in.
• An extra stacking tier for batch nights, which is where the Masterproofing 3-piece set earns its keep.
• A steel-banded basket if your current one has warped; the Hcooker holds its shape.
• A carbon-steel wok to seat the basket over, covered in our wok guide.
• A rice cooker for the sides, from our rice cooker picks.
• The everyday pots and pans to round out the kitchen, in our cookware guide.

The competition

A few baskets came close but did not make the cut. The Avanti Bamboo Steamer is a familiar homewares-store name and fine in the hand, but its Amazon rating sits lower and less consistent than our picks, so you are paying for the brand more than the build. The Davis and Waddell Asia One two-tier reviews well, but its listing often has no live buy-box price, which makes it hard to recommend as a buy-now basket. The Pearl Metal seiro baskets are nicely made Japanese steamers, though the Australian listings run small at 18 cm and score below our shortlist. And plenty of tiny 15 cm baskets show up cheap in search, but they only fit a handful of dumplings and are a false economy for anyone cooking a real meal. Electric and metal steamers are a different category again, and none of them give you the dry, drip-free lid that makes bamboo worth using.

Bamboo steamer FAQs

Are bamboo steamers worth it?

Yes, for anyone who cooks dumplings, bao, fish or vegetables. The woven bamboo lid absorbs steam instead of dripping it back onto the food, so buns and dumpling skins stay dry rather than going soggy the way they do under a metal lid. They are cheap, they need no power, and a well-dried basket lasts for years, which makes them one of the best-value tools you can add to a new kitchen.

What size bamboo steamer should I buy?

Match it to your pot. A 25 cm (10 inch) basket is the all-rounder and suits a wok or a pot at least 24 cm wide, while a 20 cm basket fits a normal saucepan and cooks for one or two people. Measure the pot you plan to use before you buy, because a basket that overhangs a small pot will not sit safely.

How do you use a bamboo steamer in a wok or pot?

Add a few centimetres of water to a wok or wide pot, bring it to a simmer, then sit the loaded basket over the water so the base is above the waterline, not touching it. Cover with the bamboo lid and keep the water at a steady simmer, topping it up with hot water if it runs low during longer cooks. Line the basket first so food does not stick to the slats.

Do you need to line a bamboo steamer?

You should, because food sticks to bare bamboo and burns onto the slats. Line it with a round of baking paper, a few cabbage or lettuce leaves, or a reusable silicone mat before you add the food. Lining also keeps oils and starches off the bamboo, which makes cleaning almost nothing and helps the basket last longer.

How do you stop a bamboo steamer going mouldy?

Dry it fully before you store it. Never soak the basket or put it in the dishwasher, just rinse it under warm water, then stand the basket and lid apart somewhere airy until they are bone dry. Storing a damp basket in a cupboard is the main cause of black mould spots, so the drying step matters more than the washing.

Keep setting up your kitchen

If a steamer is going in the cupboard, these guides cover the rest of the kit.

• Best woks in Australia
• Best rice cookers in Australia
• Best cookware sets in Australia
• Best knife sets in Australia
• Best slow cookers in Australia
• The kitchen essentials checklist

About the author

Anish Puri founded NestPath in 2026 after going through the Australian first-home-buyer process himself. NestPath focuses on Australian first-home buyers because the existing review sites are American, generic, or both. Anish handles editorial selection across the homeowner hub. Reach out: hello@nestpath.com.au