For a reduced-fat TV-night snack, start with a plain or lightly salted rice cake if you also want to keep sugars down: Tesco lists Kallo Lightly Salted Wholegrain cakes at 2.8g fat and 0.5g sugars per 100g, while Marks & Spencer lists its Lightly Salted Rice Cakes at 2.5g fat per 100g. Both fat figures meet the NHS low-fat threshold of 3g or less per 100g. Flavoured cakes can meet that threshold too, but compare sugars, salt and the number of cakes you plan to eat rather than judging them by calories per cake alone.
The useful starting point is what you want from the snack besides a lower fat figure: a plain base, built-in flavour or ingredients that meet your dietary requirements.
If you are choosing rice cakes in place of a different TV snack, compare fat and saturates per 100g, then check the values for the number of cakes you expect to eat. A small per-cake calorie figure is not a substitute for either comparison.
Sweet and savoury rice-and-corn cakes offer alternatives to plain rice cakes. Check sugars on sweet varieties and salt on savoury ones, even when the pack describes the product as low fat.
Seasonings and may-contain statements differ between products. If an ingredient or allergen matters to you, use the current label for the exact variety rather than assuming that every rice cake has the same contents.
Compare products on the same per-100g basis first, then use per-cake figures to work out your planned portion. The NHS defines low total fat as 3g or less per 100g; that threshold does not describe a product’s sugars or salt.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Total fat | Read total fat per 100g against the NHS low-fat threshold of 3g or less per 100g. Check saturates separately; the NHS low-saturates threshold is 1.5g or less per 100g. | I want to compare reduced-fat options on the same basis, rather than assuming that a small cake is low in fat. |
| Portion | Use per-cake or per-serving values for the number you plan to eat. Compare pack serving sizes with your own portion rather than treating one cake as the whole snack. | For a film or programme, I may eat more than one cake, so the portion figures need to reflect that. |
| Sugars | Compare sugars per 100g between plain and sweet-flavoured varieties. Tesco lists 0.5g per 100g for Kallo Lightly Salted Wholegrain cakes; Sainsbury’s lists 14.4g per 100g for Kallo Blueberry & Vanilla Rice & Corn Cakes. | I like a sweet flavour, but I want to see how its sugars compare with a lightly salted option before choosing. |
| Salt | Read salt per 100g on savoury varieties and compare it with a plainer option. Tesco lists 1.0g per 100g for Snack a Jacks Sour Cream & Chive Jumbo Rice Cakes. | A savoury cake appeals to me; I also want its salt figure to be part of the decision. |
| Ingredients | Check the exact variety’s current ingredients, declared allergens and may-contain statement. Tesco lists milk as an ingredient in Snack a Jacks Sour Cream & Chive cakes, alongside further may-contain warnings. | If I avoid particular ingredients, I need to check the pack I am buying, not rely on the words “rice cake”. |
A per-cake figure describes one cake, while per-100g values give you a consistent basis for comparing different products.
Compare the per-100g nutrition values, then use the per-cake figures to calculate your intended portion.
Sainsbury’s lists Kallo Blueberry & Vanilla Rice & Corn Cakes as low fat and gives 14.4g sugars per 100g. Tesco lists 1.0g salt per 100g for Snack a Jacks Sour Cream & Chive cakes.
When flavour matters, compare sugars or salt directly with a plain or lightly salted product as well as checking fat.
A seasoning can change which allergens are present: Tesco lists milk in Snack a Jacks Sour Cream & Chive cakes and gives additional may-contain warnings.
Read the ingredients and allergen statement on the current pack of the exact variety you choose.
Tesco lists Kallo Beetroot Veggie Cakes at 12.0g fat per 100g. That does not meet the NHS threshold of 3g or less per 100g for a low-fat product.
If reduced fat is your main criterion, compare veggie cakes on the same per-100g basis before substituting them for rice cakes.
These examples show why the exact variety matters: a brand or retailer name alone does not tell you a rice cake’s fat, sugars, salt or ingredients.
Kallo has lightly salted rice cakes, flavoured rice-and-corn cakes and veggie cakes in the cited UK grocery listings.
Its Sour Cream & Chive Jumbo Rice Cakes are a savoury rice-cake option in the Tesco listing.
M&S Lightly Salted Rice Cakes provide a plain comparison point for a TV-night snack.
Tesco’s cited product listings give nutrition and ingredient details for specific Kallo and Snack a Jacks varieties.
Sainsbury’s cited listings include Kallo lightly salted rice cakes and Blueberry & Vanilla Rice & Corn Cakes.
These Joybuy options cover a lightly salted rice cake and a savoury-flavoured rice cake. Compare their current pack labels with your priorities for fat, sugars, salt and ingredients; the products above are separate examples, not Joybuy listings.
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A lightly salted option if you prefer a plain base for your TV-night snack. The pack is 130g; check its current per-100g figures and serving size for your planned portion, and read its cross-contamination statement if relevant to you.
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A savoury-flavoured option if you want flavour built into the cake. The pack is 110g; compare the current label’s fat, sugars and salt per 100g with a lightly salted alternative. Check the ingredient and allergen statement, particularly if barley, wheat, oats, rye or celery matters to you.
No. The NHS defines low total fat as 3g or less per 100g, but that figure does not describe sugars, salt or your portion. Compare those values on the exact products you are considering, particularly when choosing between plain and flavoured cakes.
Use per 100g to compare different products on the same basis, then use per-cake or per-serving figures to work out the portion you intend to eat. A low calorie figure for one cake does not describe a snack made up of several cakes.
Yes. Sainsbury’s lists Kallo Blueberry & Vanilla Rice & Corn Cakes at 2.1g fat per 100g, below the NHS low-fat threshold, and also lists 14.4g sugars per 100g. If you are comparing it with a plain cake, read both figures rather than relying on the low-fat description alone.
No. Tesco lists milk as an ingredient in Snack a Jacks Sour Cream & Chive Jumbo Rice Cakes. Check the ingredients and may-contain statement on the current pack of the exact variety before choosing it.
Not on that description alone. Tesco lists Kallo Beetroot Veggie Cakes at 12.0g fat per 100g, above the NHS low-fat threshold of 3g or less per 100g. If reducing fat is your main reason for choosing rice cakes, check a veggie cake’s per-100g figure before making the switch.