9 Rice Cake Brands, Ranked Worst To Best

Rice cakes have come a long way since I remember them in my tweens and teens. At the time, they were considered the ultimate health food, along with SnackWells, which seemed to define the '90s. Now marketing has changed a bit, and it's just another snack to keep on hand. Not just that, but there's so much more rice cake variety than I remember. It's not just plain; you can see so many flavors, like cinnamon, chocolate, and even tomato basil or barbecue protein-rich options. 

That is to say, you don't have to feel bored with the flavors out there. I was curious to see what modern rice cakes are like and to try a variety of brands to get a feel for what they have to offer. I tried nine brands and got a couple of options from six of them to better understand the nuances between them. I judged the rice cakes by their taste, texture, and value for the price. However, I'll also mention other flavors a brand may offer and how easy it is to locate, as this plays a part in accessibility. 

Signature Select is part of the Safeway, Vons, and Albertsons empire. I purchased mine at the latter store, and I was put off the moment the Signature Select Salt Free Rice Cakes touched my teeth. This option is exactly how I remember rice cakes all those years ago. This is salt-free, so there's not much flavor going on there, but that's fine because it makes it pretty versatile for toppings. The plain rice puff flavor isn't the issue; the styrofoam-like texture is the culprit. 

It's like the opposite of stale, where it's far too soft with little to no give as I bite into it. The salt-free aspect doesn't provide much flavor, so while that doesn't help the situation, it isn't really the reason Signature Select comes last. The texture is so unappetizing, I couldn't manage to take but a couple of bites; I don't think I'll be able to work my way through the bag of semi-soft rice cakes. On the plus side, the price is nice, and it only has a small variety of flavors available. However, with so many other better options out there, I can safely tell you to skip this brand.

To be fair, nothing is quite as bad as Signature Select's offerings, so I think a lot of the options may be a personal preference. The Quaker Chocolate is ultimately not too tasty, in my opinion. The chocolate essence remains on the exterior, so it's like Quaker dunked the rice cake in a cocoa concoction and called it quits. It's not enough to carry the rice cake into flavorful territory. There are some teensy chocolate chips on top, but overall the flavor isn't very chocolatey. 

The Quaker Lightly Salted option is better. The salt adds a burst of flavor compared to the no-salt Signature Select, and the crisper texture is a welcome contrast, too. Lightly Salted doesn't have any major issues, but it's not a stand-out among the other options. It's a safe and easily accessible option, and that is reason enough to buy it if you have it nearby. Plus, there are lots of other flavors to pick from — like Everything and White Cheddar — that may be worth checking out. 

Quaker's rice cakes are actually a pretty vintage offering from the brand, so it's interesting to see some of its more modern flavors. It also has reasonable pricing working in its favor. However, compared to the flavors and textures of other rice cake brands, this can stay toward the bottom of the pack. It just doesn't stand out.

Locating Like Air was like tracking Bigfoot. I came close; I got a sighting, but it was strangely hard to locate. I'd placed an order for the Birthday Cake flavor via Sam's Club, only to have it canceled when it was out of stock. I tried to grab it at two Albertsons that claimed to have them in stock, but again, I was met with stock issues. Like Air's Brownie flavor wasn't even on my radar, but it was the only thing I could find from the brand. 

After trying it, I think it's pretty good. The miniature chocolate cake delivers more successfully, giving it a lead over Quaker. Plus, the texture is quite enticing. The cakes are mini, crunchy, and easy to nibble on. The chocolate exterior is more balanced here, whereas the Quaker cake is larger and has a clearer unflavored interior. 

Like Air doesn't really taste brownie-like, just more like a cocoa-sprinkled rice cake, but it's good enough to keep noshing. It advertised sprinkles, but I didn't see any. I'd be happy to eat this again and definitely want to get my hands on the other flavors. But still, Like Air wasn't the best brand I tried. It lacked the cocoa flavor I was seeking (and received) from others on this list. As far as mini rice cakes go, there's a better brand coming up later as well. Like Air has four flavors: Cookie Dough, Brownie, Birthday Cake, and Cinnamon Bun, if you want other options. The Brownie flavor wasn't impressive enough to rank any higher.

I tried Lieber's Sea Salt and the Dark Chocolate Coated varieties. I quite like the thinness of the rice cake, which makes it seem crisp and fresh. The Sea Salt's texture is crunchy, with a somewhat tight consistency, so it doesn't flake off as easily. It's a solid offering, but doesn't exactly stand out.

The Dark Chocolate option, however, seemed soft and stale — typically, rice cakes soften and lose their crunch when stale, the opposite of things like bread that get hard. I liked the even chocolate coating, but the cocoa taste could not mask the slightly stale softness. There also appeared to be some whitish blooming on the chocolate, which happens when it changes temperature (often in the heat). This can sometimes affect the taste and texture. 

Here, I found the chocolate with bloom was a little softer, with less snap than the other portions. Lieber's was also somewhat harder to locate, so if you're interested, you may need a keen eye or to ship from places like Amazon or Target. It's a perfectly tasty, if not pricey, brand, but others delivered a better product.

I really like Element's Organic Dark Chocolate Dipped Rice Cakes. The cocoa is bittersweet with a delicious earthy flavor. The cakes are somewhat thin, so they seem quite dessert-like with the nice layer of cocoa. It falls in the middle as far as sweetness, with that cocoa addition to mellow it out. The cake's snappiness is enticing, and overall, this offering is easy to eat. It has a bit of bloom but not as prominent as Lieber's. 

I saw some other dipped Element options, but I was generally trying to stick with certain flavors to compare them to other brands better. For example, there's White Chocolate Strawberry, which would make a tasty treat and makes it stand out from some other brands. Element is ideal for those seeking an organic rice cake with quality flavors. I preferred the richness of the cocoa to Lieber's, regardless of the latter's bloom. Still, I think other options strike a better balance between rice cake and chocolate.

Additionally, unless you get it on sale, Element is pretty pricey given that it only has six rice cakes — over $1 per cake. However, it's cheaper to buy them in bulk if you want to go that route. I genuinely like and appreciate the organic, minimal ingredients, but I can't see myself getting this regularly when there are more affordable brands.

I tried a couple of Sprouts options: the Brown Rice Cakes and the Organic Dark Chocolate Dipped ones. Like Element, the dark chocolate option is organic, but at a much lower price. If I had to pick between the two, Sprouts is a clear winner. I could get two packs for just a smidge more than Element's. Sprouts also has a white chocolate strawberry option, so it's obvious the brand is trying to emulate Element there, too. It has a touch of bloom, but less than the previous two brands.

The chocolate is a tad sweeter, though, but still has a delicious cocoa earthiness to help round it out. It's definitely a treat, a large one at that. Despite being light, they are satiating. As for the plain rice cakes, I like the thinness here. It still offers crunch, but doesn't seem as drying as a thicker cake base might. The thinness makes it easier to spread on hummus, cheese, or even peanut butter, and it offers a better ratio for whatever you want to top it with. The crunchiness is satisfying for both plain and choco options. Of course, the caveat is that you can only buy these at Sprouts. You can't go wrong, but something about the next brand really stands out. 

Lundberg is available at various retailers, so it shouldn't be too difficult to locate at least some offerings from the brand. I opted for the Organic Cinnamon Toast Rice Cakes and the Organic Brown Rice Cakes. The cinnamon ones are perfectly sweet and spiced, like a ready-made dessert. It would work nicely with a bit of almond butter or cream cheese and sliced berries for something heavier. The sweetness is the most noticeable, but the cinnamon comes toward the end of the bite. 

Both options, though, have immaculate texture — probably my favorite of the bunch. It has a dense, crisp texture that's crunchier than any other offering and also makes them seem extremely fresh. It's also quite uneven, which gives it a rustic, homemade quality. This is the kind of product that holds up well without crackling or turning into pulverized dust as you bite into it. The plain rice cake has a neutral flavor to pair with anything you want, but it'd be good for a heartier meal — like if you want to top it with cream cheese and smoked salmon. There are loads of ways to use rice cakes as the base of your summer snack. Texture can only get you so far, though; there are two other options that are considerably more interesting in that department.

I've eaten loads of food from Trader Joe's — like every one of its muffins or random protein-rich products – but I can't say that I've ever bought the rice cakes. And, well, they're really fantastic. While rice cakes are not the most intriguing food I've eaten in my lifetime, and I wouldn't necessarily rush to TJ's for its Brown Rice Cakes or Chocolate Dipped Rice Cake Thins, they are admittedly among the best. The thinness is a major selling point because they are easier to bite into — they are the thinnest of everything I tried. 

I will say they are a little delicate, with a unique, extremely compact structure, as if the puffed rice was smashed down to create the foundation. It is much smoother than other cakes, which can be helpful when applying things like nut butter, jam, cheeses, or other condiments. The overall flavor and versatility make it a great rice cake offering. The square shape is interesting and somewhat ergonomic.

I really appreciate the flavors and the chocolate rice cake's cocoa-forward taste; it isn't quite as sweet as Sprouts, which I particularly enjoy. It allows me to better taste the bittersweet notes of cocoa, which makes it feel like a rich, elevated treat rather than a sugar bomb. It doesn't lay on too thick, so it partners nicely with the thin cake base. Better yet, it also has affordability on its side; it's even cheaper than Sprouts, for around the same weight of product. Now I know that if I want a chocolate-covered rice cake, TJ's is the place to get it.

If you want a rice cake that doubles as a dessert, the only correct answer is Drizzlicious. I've tried many of the brand's flavors, and they're all delightful. While the Cookies & Cream mini rice cakes were my last-ranked option, they are still really tasty compared to other rice cake brands. I even preferred it to Like Air's Brownie option, which is effectively the same cocoa-laden profile. 

For this taste test, I tried Cinnamon Swirl, Birthday Cake, and Cookies & Cream. The small, delicate rice cake bites are easy to pop into your mouth and have a fantastic crunch with a slightly complex flavor. While white rice flour is the primary ingredient, it also includes corn flour, tapioca starch, quinoa, chia, and flax, so it doesn't taste so straightforward. This results in a more multi-dimensional flavor combination, but the sweet drizzle on top makes them even more scrumptious. 

All the flavors are enticing; the texture is wonderfully crunchy, with an almost creamy, mildly cooling icing. If you're anything like me, it is hard to keep your hand out of the bag. Drizzilicous is so easy to eat that I'd suggest the largest size you can find. Sam's Club offers Drizzilicious Fudge Brownie Mini Rice Cakes for just under $5, but I like to get the variety pack at Costco when they are in stock. This brand offers amazing mini rice cake treats that even rice cake haters can appreciate.

I went all around town to grab these rice cakes and also had some shipped to try the widest selection. I attempted to stick with similar flavors: plain (salted and unsalted), chocolate, and cinnamon. I was supposed to get another birthday cake flavor and cinnamon variety (so I could compare them against at least two brands), but the order was canceled and out of stock, respectively, and I couldn't find any similar flavors to replace them.

I tried similar flavors side by side. That means I ate the plain offerings one after the other; chocolate was tried together, followed by other flavor options. This helped me identify the differences between them. I initially thought flavor would be the main component, but after trying a couple, I quickly realized that texture was almost just as vital. Price and value are occasional contributing factors, but not as major ones. If anything, they simply back up why a brand ranked where it did. 

For the unsalted and salted plain varieties, I was looking for a neutral-tasting rice cake base. The chocolate-flavored ones needed a balance between rich, bittersweet chocolate and rice cake. Other flavored options need to offer an interesting enough flavor to entice me to repurchase. Rice cakes with firm, crisp textures fared better than softer ones.