Late-night snackers comparing portions
If you want something crunchy after dinner or during the night, calories per cake help you assess the number you actually plan to eat. Any topping is a separate part of that portion.
Who is this choice for?
Shoppers considering a sweet-snack swap
Plain rice cakes, sweet-flavoured cakes and chocolate-coated mini cakes have different nutrition figures. Compare the particular products and serving sizes rather than assuming the category tells you what is in the pack.
Shoppers checking allergens
A gluten-free description does not answer every allergy question. Check the current pack’s ingredients and precautionary statements for the exact rice cake you choose.
What should you compare?
Start with the portion you intend to eat, then check the figures and ingredients that distinguish plain, seasoned and coated products.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Portion calories | Read kcal per cake and decide how many cakes make up your snack. Kallo lists 27 kcal per cake for its Organic Unsalted and Lightly Salted products; Sainsbury’s lists 29 kcal and ASDA 30 kcal for the cited salted products. | I want to know the calories in the number of cakes I will eat, rather than rely on the pack’s general description. |
| Coatings and sugars | Compare like-for-like per 100 g figures as well as the intended serving. Marks & Spencer lists 492 kcal and 29.3 g sugars per 100 g for its Milk Chocolate Mini Rice Cakes, against 386 kcal and 0.6 g sugars per 100 g for its Lightly Salted Rice Cakes. | If I want something sweet, I need to assess the coated product as its own snack, not assume it has the same nutrition as a plain cake. |
| Savoury flavour and salt | Check both kcal and salt per cake. Snack a Jacks lists 41 kcal and 0.26 g salt per cake for its Salt & Vinegar Jumbo Rice Cakes; the cited Sainsbury’s lightly salted cake lists 0.02 g salt per cake. | A stronger savoury flavour appeals to me, but I still want to compare the labelled portion and salt figure. |
| Toppings | Per-cake figures for the cited plain products describe the cake alone. Check the nutrition and amount of any spread, cheese or other addition separately. | I might eat rice cakes with a topping, so the base cake’s figure will not describe my whole snack. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the current pack’s ingredient list and precautionary statements. Kallo’s cited Organic Unsalted product says it may contain milk, sesame and soya; the cited ASDA Slightly Salted product says it may contain soya. | When an ingredient or allergen matters to me, I need information for the exact product and pack, not a category-wide assumption. |
| Timing | Consider whether you are hungry and the size of the snack. NHS Borders advises a light snack if you feel hungry close to bedtime or wake during the night, and advises avoiding caffeinated drinks close to bedtime. | If I am hungry late at night, I want a portion that fits that occasion; I am not choosing rice cakes as a sleep aid. |
Common buying mistakes
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Assuming all rice cakes have the same nutrition
Marks & Spencer lists 492 kcal per 100 g for its Milk Chocolate Mini Rice Cakes and 386 kcal per 100 g for its Lightly Salted Rice Cakes. The coating changes what you are comparing.
Read the figures for the specific format and compare the portion you intend to eat as well as the per 100 g values.
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Counting the cake but not the topping
The cited calories per plain rice cake do not include anything added to it.
Decide whether your snack will be plain or topped, then account for the amount and nutrition of the topping too.
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Reading gluten-free as allergy-free
Kallo’s cited Organic Unsalted rice cakes carry a precautionary statement for milk, sesame and soya, while ASDA’s cited Slightly Salted product says it may contain soya.
Check the current physical pack for the exact product rather than relying on a general gluten-free description.
Brand and product-line references
These examples describe particular rice-cake products and formats, not every product made by each brand.
Kallo
Kallo lists 27 kcal per cake for both its Organic Unsalted and Lightly Salted rice cakes.
- The Lightly Salted product lists 99.8% wholegrain brown rice and sea salt.
- The Organic Unsalted product carries a may-contain statement for milk, sesame and soya; check the exact pack for allergen advice.
Sainsbury’s
Its cited Lightly Salted Wholegrain Rice Cakes 135g list 29 kcal per cake.
- The listed ingredients include 99% wholegrain brown rice, and the label gives 0.02 g salt per cake.
- Use the current pack to confirm the figures for the product you buy.
Asda
ASDA’s cited Slightly Salted Rice Cakes 130g list 30 kcal per cake.
- The listed ingredients are brown rice and sea salt.
- The product carries a may-contain-soya advisory, so read the current pack if this matters to you.
Snack a Jacks
The cited Salt & Vinegar Jumbo Rice Cake is a seasoned alternative to the plain and lightly salted examples.
- Its label gives figures per cake: 41 kcal and 0.26 g salt.
- Compare those figures with your intended portion rather than assuming all savoury rice cakes are alike.
M&S
The cited M&S range illustrates how lightly salted, chocolate-coated and barbecue high-protein formats differ.
- Its Lightly Salted Rice Cakes list 386 kcal and 0.6 g sugars per 100 g.
- Its Milk Chocolate Mini Rice Cakes list 492 kcal and 29.3 g sugars per 100 g; its Barbecue High Protein Rice Cakes list 451 kcal and 0.60 g salt per 100 g. Compare the exact format and serving.
Rice-cake options on Joybuy
These options include lightly salted rice cakes and savoury- or sweet-flavoured cakes. Check each pack’s per-cake nutrition before deciding on a midnight portion.
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Kallo Organic Lightly Salted Rice Cakes 130g
A lightly salted option if you prefer a simpler flavour for a late snack. Check this pack’s calories per cake and precautionary allergen advice before choosing a portion.
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Snack A Jacks Jumbos Sour Cream & Chive Rice Cakes 117g
A savoury-flavoured choice if plain cakes are not what you want. For this 117g sharing pack, check calories and salt per cake, along with the milk allergen information on the current label.
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Kallo Jumbo Apple & Cinnamon Rice Cakes 127g
For a sweet-flavoured rice cake, this 127g pack offers an apple-and-cinnamon option. Compare its calories per cake and sugars per 100 g with a lightly salted product, and check the pack’s allergen advice.
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Kallo Blueberry and Vanilla Rice and Corn Cakes 131g
A sweet-flavoured rice-and-corn cake for those considering an alternative to plain rice cakes. For this 131g pack, compare per-cake calories, sugars per 100 g and the current allergen information.
Questions about rice cakes at night
Which rice cakes should I compare for a small midnight snack?
Start with calories per cake for the portion you intend to eat. Kallo lists 27 kcal per cake for its cited Organic Unsalted and Lightly Salted products, Sainsbury’s lists 29 kcal for its cited Lightly Salted Wholegrain product, and ASDA lists 30 kcal for its cited Slightly Salted product; none of those figures includes a topping.
Are chocolate-coated rice cakes nutritionally the same as plain ones?
No. Marks & Spencer lists 492 kcal, 29.3 g sugars and 22.7 g fat per 100 g for its Milk Chocolate Mini Rice Cakes, compared with 386 kcal, 0.6 g sugars and 2.5 g fat per 100 g for its Lightly Salted Rice Cakes. Check the serving size as well as these like-for-like per 100 g figures.
Will eating a rice cake help me sleep?
Do not choose rice cakes as a sleep aid. NHS Borders advises a light snack if you feel hungry close to bedtime or wake during the night, and advises avoiding caffeinated drinks close to bedtime; that advice does not establish a sleep effect for rice cakes.
Does gluten-free mean a rice cake meets my other allergy requirements?
No. Read the exact current pack: Kallo’s cited Organic Unsalted product says it may contain milk, sesame and soya, while the cited ASDA Slightly Salted product says it may contain soya. A gluten-free description does not replace those product-specific statements.
Which label details matter when comparing flavoured rice cakes?
Check calories for the portion you plan to eat, then compare sugars, fat, saturates and salt on a consistent per 100 g basis. Read the ingredients and allergen statements too: a flavoured or coated product should not be assumed to match a plain cake’s figures.