Our List of Favorite RV 12V Appliances for Your Traveling Kitchen
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In one of the Facebook groups I’m in, someone asked for recommendations for RV 12-volt appliances. He was looking for a 12-volt coffee machine that uses pods, like the Keurig K cups, so that he could brew a consistent cup of coffee every day.
The poor guy got A LOT of answers…but pretty much none of them answered his actual question.
For Coffee Lovers: 6 Ways to Make Coffee in an RV (Even When Boondocking!)
So, I went on a quest to answer these myself.
And now I know why there was so much difficulty in answering his question! There are a lot of gimmicky gadgets that run on 12v, but not many good quality 12-volt appliances for your small RV kitchen.
Of course, if you’re in an RV with 12v batteries, you can always hook up an inverter to run your normal small kitchen appliances on 110 or 240v power. For many of these appliances, this will be your only option!
I wanted to look specifically at what is available in the 12v range. Since it is so limited, I’ve decided to include manual (no power at all) or battery (AA or lithium) powered options as well.
Of course, when you’re in an RV, you don’t want to overstuff your limited kitchen storage with gadgets just for the sake of it. But here are some kitchen appliances you might want to consider.
7 RV 12 volt appliances
1. 12 volt Coffee Maker RV
I’m sorry to say there isn’t one… except this one with mediocre ratings:
- 12V Espresso Machine--- Professionally desiged espresso machine for drinking espresso in the car, 110w,the power is from the cigarette lighter socket. You can enjoy fresh espresso in the car on the way of trip or during camping.
However, there are a couple of other options. You just need to heat up the water and use these manual or battery-powered espresso makers.
I’ll start with the most popular and highest rated espresso coffee maker, the Aeropress. This is getting rave reviews on Amazon and it seems to appeal to A LOT of true coffee snobs connoisseurs.
- A standard single Espresso shot – 50 ml water tank capacity and it can yield about 45 ml of espresso (about 1. 35 Liquid ounce).
Or there is the somewhat more fiddly type where you add the hot water and then manually pump the water through the coffee:
- [BE YOUR OWN BARISTA] Achieving the perfect espresso shot is far from easy. The Nanopresso works best with finely ground coffee that is tamped hard. Thanks to its innovative construction and easy operation, Nanopresso will help you brew perfect cups with a nice and dense crema layer every time.
Or you can get a similar battery powered one, but no pumping, just press the button and the coffee comes through.
- A standard single Espresso shot – 50 ml water tank capacity and it can yield about 45 ml of espresso (about 1. 35 Liquid ounce).
I’m suddenly realizing that I am a coffee snob because this next option is 12 volt but my first thought was “ew absolutely not.”
- 【12V COFFEE MAKER】Power your car coffee maker by connecting to your vehicle's cigarette lighter socket. This innovative power supply ensures you can brew your favorite drip coffee in 15mins while on the move, instead of being confined to a fixed power supply indoors.
It has pretty good reviews, though!
2. 12 volt Blender
The options here are limited to mini blenders (to mix up drinks like a nutri-bullet) or a hand-powered blender!
- Plugs into a vehicle's cigarette lighter for pre-game and other outdoor parties
You will also find plenty of these types of mini-blenders; powered by a lithium battery that you can recharge with USB. If you don’t fancy the one below, I would search Amazon for ‘car mini blender’ to get the widest selection.
- Powerful and Efficient: Equipped with 6 stainless steel blades and operating at approximately 24,000 rotations per minute, Hotsch personal blender effortlessly blends ice, frozen fruits, and leafy greens, preserving more vitamins and nutrients in drinks.
And if you’re up for the physical challenge, you can go hand-powered all the way!
- The rotate blades are made from 420 stainless steel, Just rotate the handle then everything will be done in seconds.comfort soft grip lid, anti-skid base and a large handle for easy leverage,The large capacity of 1.5L can meet the needs of your family
Similarly, a stick blender may do the trick.
- POWERFUL – Equipped with a high-speed 300-Watt motor, it quickly and seamlessly blends ingredients together to make delicious and healthy smoothies, pureed soups, marinades, sauces, juices, and much more.
3. 12v Kettle
There are plenty of 12 volt kettles out there. Here are a couple of nice looking ones:
- Portable And Multiple Temperature Options- LINGYOKY car kettle is small and lightweight, with the functions of boiling water and keeping warm. The 12V/24V mini electric kettle keeping warm function can set the temperature range within 86-203℉ by "Temp+" or "Temp-". Meets your needs for coffee, tea, milk and more. Truck heated travel mug is designed for in-car use, so you can greatly enhance your sense of happiness in the car.
- 【Portable and Multi Function】- It not only be used as a Car Electric Kettle, but also a vacuum cup. It will not leak water when put in your bag, it is more convenient to carry, perfect for travel or business trip. You can enjoy hot water, tea and coffee anytime in your car, or prepare milk for baby.
- Portable Kettle for Travel - QRAGJBM mini kettle has a capacity of 450ml/15.2oz, and is only 9 inches and weight 1.1 pounds. Electric travel kettle's compact size and hidden handle are designed for those who like to travel and work for business or be in the office. The tightness of travel water boiler also makes it safe to put liquids in your bag or suitcase without leaking. Small tea kettle is lightweight and save space, ideal for your travel or business trips.
4. Sandwich press or grill (12v)
- Full featured grill and creates delicious meals
Or… this could be the time to collect some firewood, polish off your fire-lighting skills and crank out the cast iron sandwich press or panini press.
- From the foremost designer of pie irons comes a specialty sandwich press designed to make delicious grilled Italian Panini sandwiches
May as well toast some marshmallows while you’re at it!
5. 12 volt Frying Pan
- Plugs directly into a 12-Volt power port
6. 12v Slow cooker
- Plugs directly into 12-Volt power port to provide hot meals while camping or traveling
7. 12 volt Rice Cooker
- CAPACITY: 1L mini rice cooker using for 1-2 people. Non-stick Inner Pot （One-piece design).
Is there a 12 volt microwave?
Surprisingly, I have been able to find a 12 volt microwave. It’s by WaveBox and, while the first reviews it got were pretty bad, the next ones were still bad. It’s no longer in stock and likely no longer made.
- Rugged portable microwave with integrated coolbag cooks and cools on the go
RV 12 Volt Appliances
I have to say, I’m really surprised at the lack of 12 volt appliances on the market. I’m sure it has everything to do with power output (or lack of), but I’m still surprised.
And as I said at the beginning, an inverter solves most of your converting-AC-to-DC-problems anyway.
Do you have any RV 12V appliances that you’d recommend? Share in the comments!
For a better selection of appliances for your RV, check out: Best Small Kitchen Appliances for the RV
I love RVing! I share about our journey around Australia, how we came to do this trip, all the planning involved, and snapshots of what life on the road is like.
For a chopper/mini food processor you can use Crank Chop. It pulls with a string like a mini lawn mower. We have a crank chop and it does a great job. will cut up onions, peppers, makes fresh salsa – it just depends on how many times you pull – 1, 2 or 3 how fine the chop is. Ii think there are a few different name brands. also good for coffee is a personal drip – some are made by Melitta. We just got a collapsible silicon one that stores flat. It’s cone shaped and you put a paper filter in it and pour hot water through it; cna make a small pot or do over a Thermos (vacuum bottle) for a larger amount. We are in the process of outfitting our RV for boondocking (free camping) and we are trying to find any appliance that does not require electricity at all. We also use a butane stove, Compact and the cnas that fit in are about the size of a can of hairspray or whipped cream. We have used butane stoves for over 30 years, on the boat, in the trailer, camping and at large gatherings to keep food warm or at a fish fry (we had 3 going on picnic tables) to do appetizers for about 60 people.
Oh wow, thanks for all that helpful information Lora! 🙂
So those crank chops work huh. I had seen some other manual blenders (the ones with the winding handle) and people complained about them but this obviously has a better mechanism and has heaps of good reviews. -Here it is on Amazon if anyone else wants to see what we’re talking about: https://amzn.to/2ISYCyD
We’ve used the butane stoves here too, but we seem to go through the cans at a furious rate. So we now use a gas stove connected to an LPG (propane) bottle.
After doing the research for this post, I’m fully in agreement with you. No-electricity-needed-at-all is the best way to go!