What can I put on rice cakes to lose weight?

Pick a protein topping such as 1/4 cup cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, tuna or deli turkey, then add vegetables or fruit. Those combos land at 69-96 calories with 6-12 g protein, which keeps you fuller than jam or chocolate.

What are the best high-protein rice cake toppings?

Tuna with light mayo (96 calories, 11.6 g protein), cottage cheese with strawberries or tomato (79-83 calories, 7.9 g), Greek yogurt with cucumber (69 calories, 6.1 g) and turkey with mustard (76 calories, 5.8 g).

Are rice cakes healthier than bread?

Not by default. Per 100 g, whole-wheat bread has 252 calories, 12.4 g protein and 6 g fiber, against 387 calories, 8.2 g protein and 4.2 g fiber for brown rice cakes. Rice cakes just come in smaller, 9 g portions.

How many rice cakes can I eat a day?

There's no set limit. Two topped rice cakes from this list make a 130-190 calorie snack, which fits most calorie targets. Count them in your daily total like any other food.

Is peanut butter on rice cakes healthy?

Yes, in a measured amount. One level teaspoon of peanut butter adds 32 calories, so a rice cake with 1 tsp peanut butter and a few banana slices is about 93 calories. A level tablespoon instead pushes it past 150.

20 Rice Cake Toppings Under 100 Calories (Sweet and Savory)

Q: How many calories are in a rice cake?

A plain brown rice cake weighs about 9 g and has 35 calories, 0.7 g protein and 7 g carbs (USDA). Flavored multigrain, sesame and corn versions are within a calorie of that.

Q: Are rice cakes good for weight loss?

They can help because one cake is only 35 calories, but they aren't low in calories per gram: 387 per 100 g, more than bread. They work best as a light, crunchy base for a protein topping.

A plain rice cake has 35 calories, so you have about 65 calories left for toppings if you want to stay under 100. The toppings that fill you up best at that budget are protein ones: cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, tuna or deli turkey.

For something sweet, a level teaspoon of nut butter with fruit, or a thin layer of jam or chocolate, still fits. Every combo below is built from USDA FoodData Central values, with the rice cake included in the total.

Key takeaways

One rice cake (9 g) = 35 calories and 0.7 g protein. Flavors barely change that.
Best protein pick: 1.5 oz tuna with 1 tsp light mayo, 96 calories and 11.6 g protein.
Measure nut butter. 1 level tsp is 32 calories; a level tablespoon is 96.
Rice cakes aren't low-calorie per gram. At 387 calories per 100 g they're denser than bread. The small portion is what helps.

How many calories are in a rice cake?

USDA weighs a standard rice cake at 9 g. Flavored rice cakes land within a calorie of the plain one, but salted versions carry more sodium.

Rice cake (USDA)	Calories per cake (9 g)	Calories per 100 g	Sodium per cake (mg)
Brown rice, plain, unsalted	35	387	2
Brown rice and corn	35	385	15
Brown rice, multigrain	35	387	23
Brown rice, sesame seed	35	392	20
Brown rice and buckwheat	34	380	10

A plain rice cake has about 7 g of carbs, 0.4 g fiber and 0.3 g fat. Caramel, chocolate and other dessert-style rice cakes vary by brand, so check the label.

Sweet rice cake toppings under 100 calories

Each total includes the 35-calorie rice cake.

Topping	What goes on it	Calories	Protein (g)
Peanut butter and banana	1 tsp peanut butter, 30 g banana (about 1/4 medium)	93	2.2
Dark chocolate and banana	5 g dark chocolate (70-85%), 30 g banana	91	1.5
Ricotta, honey and lemon zest	2 tbsp part-skim ricotta, 1/2 tsp honey	88	4.3
Cream cheese and jam	2 tsp cream cheese, 1 tsp jam	87	1.4
Peanut butter and jam	1 tsp peanut butter, 1 tsp jam	85	1.9
Cottage cheese and strawberries	1/4 cup 1% cottage cheese, 2 medium strawberries	83	7.9
Almond butter and honey	1 tsp almond butter, 1/2 tsp honey	78	1.9
Dark chocolate and sea salt	7 g dark chocolate (about 1/4 oz), melted, pinch of salt	77	1.3
Greek yogurt, honey and cinnamon	50 g nonfat Greek yogurt (about 3 tbsp), 1/2 tsp honey	76	5.9
Apple butter and cinnamon	1 tbsp apple butter	64	0.8

To melt the chocolate, microwave it on the rice cake for 15-20 seconds and spread it with a knife. Thick Greek yogurt holds better than regular yogurt, which soaks in.

Savory rice cake toppings under 100 calories

Topping	What goes on it	Calories	Protein (g)
Tuna and light mayo	1.5 oz light tuna in water, 1 tsp light mayo, pepper	96	11.6
Goat cheese, honey and walnut	1/2 oz soft goat cheese, 1/2 tsp honey, 1 walnut half	96	3.7
Quick egg salad	1/2 hard-boiled large egg, 1 tsp light mayo	86	3.9
Cream cheese and smoked salmon	2 tsp cream cheese, 1/2 oz smoked salmon, dill	85	3.9
Avocado and everything seasoning	2 tbsp mashed avocado, a pinch of seasoning	81	1.3
Cottage cheese, tomato and pepper	1/4 cup 1% cottage cheese, 1 tomato slice	79	7.9
Pizza rice cake	1 tbsp marinara, 14 g shredded part-skim mozzarella (about 2 tbsp)	79	4.4
Turkey, mustard and cucumber	2 slices deli turkey breast, 1 tsp mustard, 1/4 cup cucumber slices	76	5.8
Hummus and cherry tomato	1 tbsp hummus, 1 sliced cherry tomato	73	2.1
Greek yogurt, cucumber and dill	50 g nonfat Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup cucumber slices, dill	69	6.1

For the pizza version, microwave for about 30 seconds until the cheese melts. Seasoning blends, dill, lemon zest and pepper add flavor for close to zero calories.

High-protein rice cake toppings

A rice cake on its own has almost no protein, so the topping has to do the work. These five give you the most protein for the calories:

Tuna and light mayo: 11.6 g protein, 96 calories.
Cottage cheese with strawberries or tomato: 7.9 g protein, 79-83 calories.
Greek yogurt with cucumber and dill: 6.1 g protein, 69 calories.
Greek yogurt with honey and cinnamon: 5.9 g protein, 76 calories.
Turkey, mustard and cucumber: 5.8 g protein, 76 calories.

If you want a full snack rather than a bite, two of these make a 145-190 calorie plate with 12-20 g of protein. Our comparison of cottage cheese vs Greek yogurt shows which one fits your macros better, and canned tuna nutrition covers light vs white tuna.

Are rice cakes good for weight loss?

They can be, for one reason: portion size. A single cake is 9 g and 35 calories, so it's hard to overdo. Per gram, though, rice cakes are dense. They have 387 calories per 100 g, compared with 252 for whole-wheat bread and 266 for white bread.

Whole-wheat bread also has more protein (12.4 g vs 8.2 g per 100 g) and more fiber (6 g vs 4.2 g). Swapping bread for rice cakes saves calories only because you eat less of it. See bread calories per slice to compare your usual loaf.

What makes a rice cake snack filling is the topping. Plain rice cakes are mostly starch and digest quickly. Adding protein, like the cottage cheese or tuna options above, is what turns them into a snack that holds you over.

Tips to keep rice cake toppings under 100 calories

Level the teaspoon. Nut butters are about 600 calories per 100 g. A level teaspoon of peanut butter is 32 calories; a level tablespoon is 96. Our peanut butter guide has the per-tablespoon numbers.
Weigh once, eyeball after. Weigh 30 g of banana or 50 g of yogurt a few times and you'll learn what it looks like.
Spread thin, then pile vegetables. Cucumber, tomato and leafy greens add volume for 1-4 calories per rice cake.
Watch the drizzle. Each 1/2 tsp of honey is about 11 calories, so two drizzles quietly add 20.

For more snack ideas in the same range, see snacks under 100 calories. Logging snacks like these in Nutrify takes a photo or a quick search, and you can check how they fit your day with the macro calculator.