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Plain rice cakes are often just made from rice and maybe some salt, so in that case they are vegan! But with flavored rice cakes, ingredients need to be looked at to determine if a product is vegan.
This is similar to the post I wrote about whether or not tortilla chips are vegan.
Plain rice cakes are great with various toppings, and you can also find mini rice cakes that are great for snacking!
Keep reading to learn about some common non-vegan ingredients to look out for in flavored rice cakes!
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Non-Vegan Ingredients In Rice Cakes
Here is an explanation of some common non-vegan ingredients that you may come across in flavored rice cakes. There can of course be other non-vegan ingredients in certain rice cake products as well, and to be certain you should reach out to the company that makes the product you are interested in.
Sugar – Sugar is sometimes filtered through bone char, which is exactly what it sounds like – charred animal bones. Many large companies that sell products in the US use multiple sugar suppliers, and usually at least one of them uses bone char to filter their sugar.
To find out if I product contains sugar that is processed with bone char, you need to ask the company that makes the product.
Caramel color – Caramel color is made from sugar, which may be filtered through bone char, as explained above.
Milk ingredients – Some flavored rice cakes contain various milk ingredients. This will usually be mentioned under the list of ingredients because dairy is a common allergen.
Example: Quaker Chocolate Rice Cakes contain milk chocolate chips and there is a “contains” statement that includes milk.
Look out for various milk ingredients, including any kind of cheese or butter. Some rice cakes also have whey or lactose as an ingredient.
Natural flavor – This is a difficult ingredient for vegans, because natural flavor can be sourced from plants or animals, and this is usually not mentioned on packaging. If the natural flavor comes from milk, this will be mentioned because it is a common allergen.
However there are many animal ingredients that may be hidden in natural flavors, and to check you need to ask the company if their natural flavors in the products you are interested in are vegan or not.
Are Quaker Rice Cakes Vegan?
Quakes makes 2 unflavored rice cakes that are definitely vegan:
- Quaker Salt Free Rice Cakes
- Quaker Lightly Salted Rice Cakes
They also make plenty of flavored rice cakes, but none of them are confirmed to be vegan. Some of them are dairy-free, but contain natural flavor of unknown origin and/or sugar that may be processed with bone char.
None of their Rice Crisps are confirmed vegan either.
Are Lundberg Rice Cakes Vegan?
Not all Lundberg rice cakes are vegan, but many are. Here are their vegan rice cake products:
- Whole Grain Rice Cakes - Brown Rice Salt-Free (also comes in an organic version)
- Whole Grain Rice Cakes - Brown Rice Lightly Salted (also comes in an organic version)
- Organic Cinnamon Toast Rice Cakes
- Organic Wild Rice Cakes
- Organic Kettle Corn Rice Cakes
- Organic Tamari With Seaweed Rice Cakes
- Organic Thin Stackers - Brown Rice Lighlty Salted
- Organic Thin Stackers - Red Rice & Quinoa
- Organic Thin Stackers – Basil & Thyme
- Organic Thin Stackers – Brown Rice Salt-Free
- Organic Thin Stackers – Cracked Black Pepper
- Organic Thin Stackers – 5 Grain
- Organic Rice Cake Minis – Sea Salt
- Organic Rice Cake Minis – Buffalo Ranch
- Organic Rice Cake Minis – Ginger Seaweed
Toppings For Rice Cakes
There are so many delicious toppings for rice cakes! With plain rice cakes, pretty much any topping will pair well with them.
If you have a savory flavored rice cake, use savory toppings like hummus and veggies. For sweet flavored rice cakes, try a nut butter with fruit and/or chocolate chips.
Below are a bunch of topping ideas that you can mix and match!
Toppings for savory rice cakes:
- Hummus
- Sliced onion
- Sliced sautéed mushroom
- Sliced tomato
- Vegan cheese slices
- Nutritional yeast
- Avocado
- Chopped nuts
- Crushed red pepper
- Savory seasoning (dill, garlic powder)
Toppings for sweet rice cakes:
- Peanut butter and other nut butters
- Sliced banana
- Sliced strawberry
- Ground cinnamon
- Chocolate chips
- Cocoa powder
- Shredded coconut
- Maple syrup
- Shopped nuts
