For some reason, I always forget about rice cakes.

I rediscovered them last year when I was participating in a fitness challenge at my gym and had to stick to certain ratios of carbs, protein, and fats. They’re an amazing source of pre or post workout carbs, but once the challenge was over and I stopped tracking what I was eating, I quickly forgot about them again.

The past couple weeks I’ve had a new awakening to rice cakes again, but it can get a little boring just slathering on some nut butter (cashew FO LIFE) and chowing down. I think they’re underutilized as a healthy snack option, so I wanted to bring you some options to consider.

Some tips on keeping them healthy:

• keep in mind the amount of toppings. Use a thin layer of nut butters, chocolate, avocado, or anything that can be calorically dense.
• use toppings that check as many boxes as you can: protein, fat, and carb
• try not to use too many toppings that will swing the balance (e.g., multiple fruits + honey = lots of sugar)

The possibilities are really endless and these are just a few suggestions I have. I’d love to know some of your favorite topping combos in the comments!

Savory Rice Cake Toppings

Smoked salmon + cucumber + sea salt

Avocado + Heirloom tomato

Fried egg + bed of greens

Sweet Rice Cake Toppings

Greek yogurt + blueberries (or any berry)

Peanut butter + banana + honey

Chocolate tahini + pistachios + pomegranate seeds + sea salt

I had chocolate tahini in the house, so I used it here, but there are also other healthy chocolate options such as chocolate dessert hummus. Heck, if you’re really craving sweets, melt some dark chocolate on there instead! YOLO.

If you’re a rice cake fan, let me know some of your favorite rice cake toppings combos below!