People counting their desk-snack portion
If you keep rice cakes at work or carry them in your bag, compare the calories in the number you expect to eat, rather than treating every variety as the same-sized snack.
Who is choosing rice cakes for work?
People planning a larger snack
If a plain cake alone does not suit the gap between meals, decide whether to add a topping or another food. Count it as part of the snack rather than using the cake's calorie figure for the whole portion.
People checking dietary requirements
Gluten-free or vegan wording does not replace the ingredient and precautionary allergen information on a particular pack. This matters especially when switching between plain and flavoured products.
What to check before choosing
Start with the portion you would take to work, then compare the nutrition and ingredients of the exact products you are considering.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Portion calories | Check kcal per cake or stated serving, the cake size, and how many you plan to eat. Include toppings when calculating your snack portion. | I want to know what my whole work snack adds up to, not just the figure printed for one cake. |
| Salt, sugars and fat | Compare the nutrition panels per 100 g and, where given, per portion. Check the exact flavour: plain, seasoned and coated products have different ingredients. | A calorie figure matters to me, but I also want to compare salt, sugars and fat before choosing a regular desk snack. |
| Snack format | Decide whether you want a plain base, a ready-flavoured cake or rice cakes with a planned topping. Count the topping as part of the portion. | If I am adding hummus or soft cheese, I need to account for that alongside the rice cakes. The British Dietetic Association gives two rice cakes with either topping as a snack example. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the current ingredient list and any 'may contain' statement for the exact pack. Check flavoured varieties separately from plain ones. | I need to check whether a product fits my dietary requirements, even when its front label says vegan or gluten free. |
Common buying mistakes
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Assuming every rice cake has the same calorie count
Sainsbury's lists 27 kcal for a Kallo lightly salted cake, 37 kcal for a Snack a Jacks Sour Cream & Chive cake and 58 kcal for a Snack a Jacks Chocolate Chip snack. The stated servings are not all the same size or format.
Compare the exact product and flavour using the portion you intend to eat.
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Counting one cake when you plan to eat several
A per-cake figure covers only one cake. Three cakes, for example, are a different snack portion from one, even before a topping is added.
Decide how many cakes you will take to work and use the pack's nutrition information to calculate that portion.
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Letting the calorie figure stand in for the full label
The Snack a Jacks Sour Cream & Chive product listed by Sainsbury's contains milk and has 0.1 g salt per 9.7 g cake. Its ingredients and allergen information matter separately from its calorie count.
Read the nutrition panel and ingredient list, particularly when choosing seasoned or coated cakes.
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Counting only the rice cake when adding a topping
The nutrition figure for a plain cake does not cover anything spread on it. Hummus or soft cheese also brings its own ingredients and allergens.
Plan the amount of topping and check its label as part of the complete snack.
Brands and product ranges to compare
These details describe particular products and ranges, not every rice cake bearing the same brand name.
Kallo
Its Organic Lightly Salted Rice Cakes offer a plain wholegrain option for comparing calories per cake.
- Sainsbury's lists the 130 g pack at 27 kcal per rice cake, made with organic wholegrain rice and sea salt.
- The same listing says the product may contain milk, sesame and soya. Check the pack if those allergens matter to you.
Sainsbury's
Its own-brand 135 g Rice Cakes are another plain option with a stated per-cake figure.
- Sainsbury's lists 29 kcal and less than 0.01 g salt per cake.
- Although prepared to a vegan recipe, the product is labelled unsuitable for customers with a milk allergy due to manufacturing methods.
Snack a Jacks
The Sour Cream & Chive Sharing Rice Cakes provide a ready-flavoured alternative to a plain cake.
- Sainsbury's lists 37 kcal and 0.1 g salt per 9.7 g cake for this product.
- It contains milk and may contain wheat, soya, mustard and other cereals containing gluten. Read the current pack before buying for an allergy.
M&S
Its Lightly Salted Rice Cakes are a wholegrain brown-rice option; other products in the range use different flavours and formats.
- M&S lists 386 kcal, 3.4 g fibre and 0.33 g salt per 100 g for its Lightly Salted Rice Cakes.
- A per-100-g figure is not a per-cake figure. Check the portion and the particular pack when comparing it with flavoured or chocolate varieties.
Rice cakes and crackers on Joybuy
These options include plain or lightly salted cakes, lightly salted rice crackers and flavoured varieties for an office snack. Compare each pack's stated portion rather than assuming a cracker and a cake have the same calorie count.
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Kallo Organic Lightly Salted Rice Cakes 130g
A plain, lightly salted option if you want to plan your snack by the cake. Joybuy and Sainsbury's each list 27 kcal per cake for this 130 g product. Sainsbury's says it may contain milk, sesame and soya; check the pack if relevant.
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The Snack Organisation Presents Lightly Salted Rice Crackers 100g
Lightly salted rice crackers offer a different format from an individual rice cake. Use the pack's serving size to compare the amount you would take to work, and check its ingredients and allergen information.
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The Snack Organisation Presents Sweet Chilli Rice Crackers 100g
Choose this 100 g pack if you want a ready-flavoured rice cracker rather than a plain base for toppings. Compare the serving you would eat and check the salt and allergen declarations for this flavour.
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Snack A Jacks Jumbos Sour Cream & Chive Sharing Rice Cakes 117g
A savoury-flavoured cake for eating without a topping. Joybuy describes this 117 g product as 38 kcal per cake, while Sainsbury's lists 37 kcal per 9.7 g cake; check the figure on the pack you buy. Both listings identify milk ingredients.
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Kallo Blueberry and Vanilla Rice and Corn Cakes 131g
These flavoured rice and corn cakes offer a sweet alternative to plain or savoury packs. Check the kcal and sugars for the portion you plan to eat, along with the current ingredient and allergen statements.
Questions about office-snack rice cakes
Are all rice cakes equally low in calories?
No. Sainsbury's lists 27 kcal per cake for Kallo Organic Lightly Salted Rice Cakes, 29 kcal for its own-brand Rice Cakes and 37 kcal per 9.7 g cake for Snack a Jacks Sour Cream & Chive. Compare the exact product and the number you intend to eat; toppings add to the snack portion.
Should I compare rice cakes per 100 g or per cake?
Use the per-cake or serving figure to work out your planned snack, and per-100-g figures to compare products with different portion sizes. The NHS explains that packaged-food nutrition labels give values per 100 g and sometimes per portion; the portion on a pack may not be the amount you choose to eat.
What if I want rice cakes with a topping?
Include the topping when planning the snack. The British Dietetic Association gives two rice cakes with hummus or soft cheese as an example; check the amount and label of the topping because the rice cake's nutrition figure covers only the cake.
Does vegan or gluten-free wording settle an allergy check?
No. Read the current pack's ingredients and precautionary allergen statement. Sainsbury's describes its own-brand rice cakes as prepared to a vegan recipe but unsuitable for customers with a milk allergy due to manufacturing methods; its Kallo Organic Lightly Salted listing says the product may contain milk, sesame and soya.