Snacks & chocolate · Glycemic index
Do rice cakes spike blood sugar?
Moderately. Rice cakes have a high GI of 87, and an 18 g serving (2 cakes) has a medium glycemic load of 12. Puffed rice cakes are among the highest-GI snacks in the international tables. Each cake is light, so two cakes carry a medium glycemic load, but they offer little fiber, fat or protein to slow the rise.
Key numbers
- Glycemic index
- 87
- High GI
- Glycemic load
- 12
- Medium GL
- Available carbs
- 14 g
- 0.8 g fiber
- Serving
- 2 cakes
- 18 g · plain, puffed
GI vs GL for rice cakes
The glycemic index (GI) compares how fast the carbohydrate in a food raises blood sugar against pure glucose (100), using a fixed amount of carbohydrate. The glycemic load (GL) adds the other half of the story — how much carbohydrate a normal serving actually contains: GI × available carbs ÷ 100. For rice cakes: 87 × 14 g ÷ 100 ≈ 12.
That figure is an average reported in the 2008 international GI tables (“Rice crackers/crisps: 87 ± 2 (average of multiple studies)”). In the 2021 tables, puffed rice cakes tested 91 (low-amylose Calrose rice) and 61 (high-amylose Doongara rice), and a plain Japanese rice cracker 91.
Eating a different amount? Work out the glycemic load of your portion.
How to eat rice cakes with less of a spike
- Top each cake with nut butter, hummus, cottage cheese or avocado rather than jam.
- Stick to one or two cakes.
- For a crunchy base with a lower GI, try a slice of dense rye bread instead.
Lower-GI swaps
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Frequently asked questions
What is the glycemic index of rice cakes?
Rice cakes have a glycemic index of 87, which is high. That figure is an average reported in the 2008 international GI tables (“Rice crackers/crisps: 87 ± 2 (average of multiple studies)”). An 18 g serving (2 cakes) contains about 14 g of available carbohydrate, giving a glycemic load of 12 (medium).
Is rice cakes good for prediabetes?
Rice cakes are often chosen as a 'light' snack, but for prediabetes they are not a good default because they raise blood sugar quickly. If you like them, top them with nut butter, cottage cheese or avocado.
Why do rice cakes have such a high GI?
They are made from puffed, heavily processed rice, and USDA data show little fat in plain rice cakes to slow digestion. Rice crackers and crisps averaged 87 in the 2008 tables, and a puffed rice cake made from low-amylose rice tested 91 in 2021.
Sources
GI values come from the international GI tables; carbohydrate and fiber per serving are calculated from USDA FoodData Central.
- Atkinson FS, Foster-Powell K, Brand-Miller JC. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2008. Diabetes Care. 2008;31(12):2281–2283, Table 1
- USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 170250: Snacks, rice cakes, brown rice, plain, unsalted
- Atkinson FS, Brand-Miller JC, Foster-Powell K, Buyken AE, Goletzke J. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values 2021: a systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr. 2021;114(5):1625–1632, Supplemental Table 1
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, The Nutrition Source — Carbohydrates and Blood Sugar
Data last checked .