These homemade rice cakes are easy to make and perfect for a simple snack. You can make them sweet or savory. They are soft inside, lightly crisp around the edges, and naturally gluten-free when made with certified gluten-free ingredients.
Homemade Rice Cakes Recipe
Updated in 2026: Based on reader feedback, this recipe post has been improved with clearer expectations, better texture tips, and troubleshooting notes to help you get the best results every time.
These homemade rice cakes are soft, lightly crisp on the outside, and surprisingly satisfying. Think of them more like a baked rice snack or savory muffin than the airy, puffed store-bought version.
If you’ve ever wondered how to make rice cakes at home without special equipment, this recipe is for you. No machines, no pressure tools, just simple ingredients and your oven.
They’re customizable, budget-friendly, and perfect as a snack, light breakfast, or even a savory side. You can make them sweet or savory depending on what you’re craving that day.
What Are Rice Cakes?
Rice cakes are a broad category of foods made from rice, but not all rice cakes are the same. The most common type found in stores are puffed rice cakes, which are light, airy, and made using high-pressure machines.
Homemade rice cakes, like the ones in this recipe, are completely different. They are baked instead of puffed, with a soft interior and lightly crisp edges. Think of them more like a baked rice snack or savory muffin rather than the dry, crunchy store-bought version.
Are Rice Cakes Healthy?
Rice cakes can be a healthy snack depending on how they are made. Store-bought versions are typically low in calories but not very filling, while homemade rice cakes can be more satisfying and customizable.
This recipe uses simple ingredients and allows you to control sweetness, salt, and add-ins, making it a flexible option for both sweet and savory snacks.
Important Note Before You Start
These are not puffed rice cakes like the ones from the store. Store-bought rice cakes are made with special high-pressure equipment, which gives them that airy, crunchy texture.
This homemade version is different. These rice cakes are:
- Soft inside
- Lightly crisp around the edges
- More filling and hearty
So if you’re expecting the exact texture of packaged rice cakes, this recipe will be different. But if you want an easy baked rice snack made with simple ingredients, these are delicious in their own way.
As you can see, some are darker, and some are more golden because I made both a sweet cinnamon version and a savory one.
The base recipe is mild, which makes it great for customizing. I like to add cheese, spices, or cinnamon and a sweetener, depending on the flavor I’m going for.
The shape and size are also customizable. My older brown rice cakes were thinner and made in a donut pan, but this time I used a muffin tin for a thicker, heartier result.
You can also experiment with other molds, but keep in mind that the size and shape will affect the baking time. Since these were made in a muffin tin, they took about 45 minutes until the tops were golden and the centers were set.
All you need is a high-speed blender and a muffin tin. That’s it. It really doesn’t get much easier than this.
Tips for Best Results
- Soak the rice first if your recipe card calls for blending raw rice. This helps improve the final texture.
- Blend until very smooth. A gritty batter can lead to uneven texture.
- Do not overfill the pan. Filling the molds too much can make the centers dense or gummy.
- Bake until the centers are set. The tops and edges should look golden, and the middle should not look wet.
- Let them cool before removing from the pan. This helps them firm up and release more easily.
Troubleshooting
Why are my rice cakes gummy?
They may need more baking time, the batter may have been too thick, or the rice may not have been blended smoothly enough.
Why are they too soft?
They were likely underbaked. Give them a few more minutes in the oven until the centers feel set.
How do I make them crispier?
Use a thinner layer of batter, bake a little longer, and let them cool completely. The edges will crisp more as they set.
Flavor Variations
- Savory: cheddar cheese, parmesan, black pepper, garlic powder, or chopped scallions
- Sweet: cinnamon, vanilla, sugar, Truvia, or your favorite sweetener
- Kid-friendly: a little shredded cheese and mild seasoning
I hope you can try these homemade rice cakes at home. If you do, please upload a pic on Instagram and tag me @Livingsweetmoments or use the hashtag #LivingSweet. I promise to repost it.
Homemade Rice Cakes (Easy Baked, No Special Equipment)
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice uncooked
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 2 eggs
- 2-3 tablespoons all purpose flour you may use Gluten free flour
- flavorings of your choice: for savory use 2 teaspoon parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. For sweet use 2-3 envelopes of Truvia and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a muffin tin or donut pan very well (or use silicone molds)
- Place the uncooked rice in a bowl and cover with water. Soak for 2–3 hours, then drain well. 👉 This step improves texture and prevents gumminess
- Add the soaked rice, water, eggs, flour, and salt to a high-speed blender
- Blend until completely smooth, like a thin pancake batter. 👉 If it feels gritty, keep blending.
- Stir in your desired flavorings (sweet or savory)
- our the batter into the prepared molds, filling only about 1/3 full.👉 Do not overfill or the centers may turn dense
- Bake for 40–50 minutes, until:Edges are goldentops are lightly crispCenters feel set and not wet
- Optional: Broil for 1–2 minutes at the end for extra crisp edges.
- Let cool for 10–15 minutes before removing from the pan.
Notes
They are:
- soft inside
- lightly crisp on the outside
- more filling and hearty
- Do not skip soaking
- Blend until fully smooth
- Fill molds only 1/3 full
- Bake until centers are fully set
- batter too thick
- rice not soaked
- underbaked
- bake longer until fully set
Bake for about 20 minutes since they are thinner.
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you make rice cakes without a machine?
Yes. These homemade rice cakes are made in the oven using a blender and a muffin tin, so you don’t need any special equipment. Traditional store-bought rice cakes require high-pressure machines, but this version is simple to make at home.
Why are my rice cakes gummy?
Rice cakes can turn gummy if the rice is not soaked, the batter is not blended until smooth, or they are underbaked. For best results, soak the rice, blend well, and bake until the centers are fully set.
How do I make rice cakes crispier?
For crispier edges, fill the molds less, bake a little longer, and broil for 1 to 2 minutes at the end if needed. Keep in mind that these homemade rice cakes are softer than store-bought puffed rice cakes.
Are homemade rice cakes healthy?
Homemade rice cakes can be a healthy snack depending on the ingredients you use. They are made with simple pantry staples and can be customized to be low sugar, gluten free, or more savory.
Can I make these rice cakes sweet or savory?
Yes. You can make these rice cakes sweet or savory. For a savory version, add cheese, herbs, or spices. For a sweet version, add cinnamon, vanilla, and your preferred sweetener.
You may also like:
Brown Rice Cakes
Crunchy Baked Sweet Potato Chips
Roasted Crispy Chickpeas
This makes a great lunchbox addition. For more healthy back-to-school snacks, take a look at this collection of easy homemade snack ideas for kids.
This looks so yummy!! Definitely printing this out and adding it to my collection
Thank you Supriya!
Can we use cooked rice for thid
No, Varinma, it wouldn’t work. Sorry
Hello, I have been searching for recipes to compare due to the comments on this one. I have only found a couple others and they both have similar ingredients to this one but include cooked rice instead of uncooked. I note you say it wouldn’t work on this comment but has it been tried?
Have you done these starting from a dried chickpea? I am moving to less packing and dried chickpeas is cheaper with less packaging. Any suggestions
I have never tried it but it does sound interesting
These were an utter failure for me!! I followed directions but outsides were crisp centers were way too soft! I’m bummed
I’m excited to try these. My son LOVES rice cakes but I’d like to add some nutrition to them like spinach or veggies. Would just a regular blender work? I just have a regular blender, not an infusion blender or food processor.
Yes! a regular blender will work, just make sure that the rice is really getting grounded. A few big pieces is ok
What kind of attachment for the processor did you use? Mine didn’t seem to be able to blend the rice – but I had no problem with the blender
Hi Kevin, I used my blentec blender and it did a great job.
Wondering if these can be made successfully vegan with flax eggs.
I’ve never tried then vegan Suzanne. But you certainly try! Let me know how they come out.
Thanks for asking the vegab question qith flax egg i was windering the same thing with chia seeds
I have yet to try it with chia Rebecca, if you do, please let me know how it comes out
Have tried this recipe 3 times now. Followed to the letter once and then making adjustments to fix the issue that arise. The simple fact is that this recipe is crap. It doesn’t work, there is no way it could ever work. Sorry, but that’s just the truth
Hi James, I am so sorry it didn’t work out for you. What seems to be the problem when you bake then? Lack of crunchiness?
Horrific, to put it mildly. After grinding the rice to a POWDER and mixing the other ingredients I got a WATERY slop that would not mix properly or consistently, everything sank to the bottom. After baking, some of the cakes were obviously ninety per cent EGG and ninety percent UNcooked. The rest were like biting into a cake made of SAWDUST, with the flavor of WET CARDBOARD. This recipe is GARBAGE Rice cakes you buy in the store are flavorless but at least they have SOME texture to them, rigid and cruncy, not MEALY like a mouthful of SAWDUST. I hope Tiffany burns in hell for eternity.
Okay, you can keep your opinions to yourself if you’re going to spew nonsense and be so disrespectful and cruel. Sure, you didn’t like the recipe, but don’t get personal. Inflict your bad attitude on yourself and the people unfortunate enough to be around you.
Get a life karen sasdf. There is no need to so be childish and rude. Theyre rice cakes. Move on for fucks sake.
Sasdf Do you hear yourself? It’s a recipe. Telling someone to burn in hell for eternity over a recipe is over the top.
OMG! Are you okay, lady? Maybe you are lacking amino acids in your diet. I’ve noticed that strict vegans can be crabby because of nutritional deficiency, but… you’re a bit ridiculous.
After reading the recipe I decided not to make it because Rice cake is our culture food and I’ve been making them forever. one problem immediately surfaced after I read the recipe was the rice mixture will sink to the bottom while baking and makes the bottom of the cake denser than the top after baked . Or maybe I’m processing the recipe wrong but either way thank you for sharing .
You’re welcome CWS, thank you for your feedback. Have a great day.
It’s garbage, is this woman trying to sell blend tech blenders? It’s effing garbage.
Sorry, the recipe did not work out for you Curt. I will try to make a video this weekend to show the process
Can I grind the rice into flour first before blending? .. My blender is too weak to handle full rice grains
of course Ramez. As long as the rice is ground.
Can I use rice flour instead?
yes!!
I tried to recipe and to my disappointment it really didn’t come out well.The cakes were hard, didn’t have a nice texture and didn’t taste all that good either (even when covering them in my favourite nut butters. I’ll have to keep looking for a recipe or give up homemade rice cakes entirely.
Hi Isabelle, I’m sorry you were disappointed with the recipe and thank you for your feedback.
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Your recipes look great – definitely want to give them a try – but I WAS TOTALLY DISTURBED BY ONE OF THE ADS ON YOUR PAGE – I DON’T MIND ADS AT ALL, BUT THIS IS A TOTAL LIE – this is just a promotion for fracking – when we are trying to get away from the use of fossil fuels – USING FOSSIL FUELS IN COLORADO IS HIGHLY ENCOURAGED, many people complain of high energy costs, there are not a lot of high paying jobs here, and those who want to use RENEWABLE ENERGY LIKE SOLAR POWER ARE HIGHLY DISCOURAGED – I’m new to Colorado and working on leaving the state because I am so disappointed by the lack of environmental responsibility here
now – back to your recipes!
Oh my goodness! Thanks for telling me that Leslie. I will contact my ad company right away. That is unacceptable.
Just to end an argument between friends is it 1 & a half cups of water or just half a cup of water,thanks.
One and a half cups of water Joe
Hello Tiffany! Very attractive recipe! But it’s difficult for me to blend the rice with the blender. Can I soak it in water to soften before the blending of the rice?
I think my blender is a good 600W. Three knives. But when blending the rice is broken but not milled…
Hi Mihail, I’m afraid that soaking will prevent the rice cakes from becoming crispy. Maybe try blending them in the blender without the water. At the end not all pieces will be pulverized and that’s ok
How do you store these after baking.?
Room temperature in a zip top bag or tupperware
I made these. Pretty good. Used a ninja blender first to grind rice like flour or maybe like cornmeal. Then i added other ingredients. I slightly sprayed muffin pan. And only put about a tablespoon in bottom of pan. Cooked maybe 35 minutes until brown. Cooled. Mine were more cracker or chips like. But really good
Hi Mary Ellen! Good idea on grinding the rice first. Thanks for your feedback!
Would it work if I just used rice flour instead of grinding the rice?
I haven’t tried it with flour. If you do, let me know how it come sout
Thank you so much for this recipe. It was a hit with friends and family.
I followed your advice about adding my own touches: 1 teaspoon Trader Joe 21 Seasoning Salute and 1/8 teasooon flaked red pepper. Everything else was the same for the savory ones.
Thanks for your feedback Mimine! Glad you liked them. The 21 seasoning sounds like an amazing idea! I wonder if the everything bagel seasoning would work as well>?
Can you make these without any type of flour?
If you use whole wheat you need to add a bit more liquid
Since the water and rice mixture does not blend together well (rice sinks) I am not quite sure how much water or how much rice to put in.
Jacqui, can you try processing the rice first and then adding the water?
Ok so I just made these, and they did not turn out like yours. I used wholr wheat flour and added just a little bit more liquid like you suggested. When i poured the mixture into the muffin pan I noticed a lot of the rice mixture was in the bottom. I baked them for 50 minutes. They were very wet on the inside. The taste was ok, bit definately not like they were supposed to turn out
Oh no Ruth! So sorry they didn’t work out, my guess is that the rice was not completely ground when you blended the rest of the ingredients
The batter separated with the ground rice sinking to the bottom. When baked, this left a gooey top layer that did not cook, despite leaving them in the oven for an additional 20 minutes.
The part underneath was very dense, not inedible, but not the light, crispy, fluffy cracker like cake that I was expecting.
Not sure what the deal was.
I am so sorry that happened Carson! I am guessing the batter wasn’t properly mixed and/or rice wasn’t fine enough
I followed the recipe to the t. and same thing it immediately separates. I think 1.5 cups of water is too much. And did you make this? because there is no way this is how they are made.
Hi! Does the rice need to be almost a flour consistency? My cakes came out very heavy and dense at the bottom. Should the mixture be very wet? I’m not sure where I’ve gone wrong. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Kate! They should be as ground as possible and yes the batter is liquid
Can these be made with puffed rice?
yes!
Do you have a recipe that would use puffed rice (cereal) for the rice cakes?
Thanks
Hi Paul, I do not.. All the trials I’ve done with puffed rice have been unsuccessful 🙁
Do you think they would come out ok using wild rice & do you think it would still come out ok if you omit the flour? Cheers!
Hi Mayde, I don’t think it will work. Sorry.
I have made this twice now as a healthy snack for my 16 month old. I blend the rice completely in my nutribullet before I add the eggs, flour and a pinch of cinnamon. I also add in a handful of strawberries and blueberries (while keeping all the liquid to a cup and half as the recipe directed) then a tablespoon of milled organic flaxseed. I add 2 tablespoons to the bottom of a slightly sprayed muffin pan. It’s ready in about 25 minutes and my little one loves it. So do I if I am honest. Thanks for the recipe.
You’re very welcome Nenmy! The addition of berries and flaxseed sound like a great idea.
These never set up. I even turned my oven up to 400 degrees finally because they were just a watery mess. I’m a very experienced baker and cook and generally can execute a recipe without issues but I’m just going to have to throw these away.
Loved making these and going ,to do them often. Recipe works so well thanks
Thanks for your feedback Andrew. Glad you liked the recipe
After reading lots of comments about how these cooked. I made sure I ground the rice fine in my high speed ninja, added only 1 cup of water in lieu of 1 1/2cup. Used 2T coconut flour and 2 eggs. Blended in Ninja then cooked in my old fashioned waffle iron. Turned out great. They are probably a little more dense with less water but cooked up nicely.
Thanks for your feedback Cindy! glad they worked out for you
Is the batter supposed to be super watery? Mine isn’t like a batter, it’s like a soup.
Yes!
Wish I had read the comments before trying… same results as many. Used my blendtec to make the rice nice and fine, blended rest of ingredients, went to pour in a muffin tin and all that came out was water leaving a fine rice mud in the bottom.
thanks for the feedback Chris. Sorry it didn’t work for you
Can you use Minute Rice?
Yikes! never tried it with minute rice. If you do, let me know how they come out
Wow yum I used gluten free flour and egg replacers they came out great I’m very happy with them.. thank you so much for taking the time to share this amazing recipe.. very much appreciated..
You’re welcome Chris! thanks for your feedback!
Cute pics, but these are so strange. They taste like raw rice and the texture is so bizarre. It’s definitely nothing like a rice cake! It’s like an egg muffin with rice in it.
I don’t understand how people say this was good. Mine separates out. I’ve blended. I’ve healed the rice. It’s too liquid. It separates immediately.
Can you send a video?
This recipe did not turn out well at all. My food processor wasn’t able to grind down the rice fine enough. If we basically want it as fine as rice flour, would it not make more sense to just call for rice flour in the recipe instead of asking to grind our own?
Hi Kat! sorry about that. A lot of people don’t have rice flour at home. I left some chunks in my rice cakes as well and they turned out fine.
Where is the video? Anxious to try….
Ray
it’s coming! too many people quarantined in my house right now making noise 🙂
Hello. Has a video been made yet?
I cooked these on my Traeger pellet smoker at 350 for 45 minutes as directed-delicious! The only tip that I would add is to keep stirring as you fill-I used muffin pan sprayed with Vegetable oil . Tastes so much better than commercial rice cakes-also I’m on sodium restriction so I didn’t add salt and it’s difficult to find salt free rice cakes in stores. Thanks so much-this is a winner and easy too!
Thanks for your feedback Michael! Love the idea of cooking them using a smoker
Sad and angry. Thanks a lot. Next time I’ll just throw my eggs and rice straight into the trash to save time. I really wanted this to work so I could say hey guys take it easy you’re being awfully harsh, but now I know why! I tried adjusting temp, time, even tried flipping them halfway thru! What a waste! I think you are aware this recipe doesn’t work considering the comments and also the fact that there are no similar recipes to be found. I will be sure to avoid your recipes in the future. Just so you know, you are the first bad review I have ever posted. Ever! So the fact that I’m doing this says a lot.
Hi Sarah. I am sorry you’re sad and angry. I know how frustrating is when a recipe does not work out.
Yes, these rice cakes have been controversial. I’ve made it plenty of times and while some people have had success with it, a lot of people haven’t. I still haven’t figured out is it because of the equipment or simply the answer is to substitute regular rice for rice flour, which I suspect would yield a different result.
Thanks so much for your comment and feedback.
I made this tonight. But I think the amount of water is too much.
My Wolfgang Puck food processor also did nothing to the rice so I ground the rice in a coffee grinder. I stirred the mixture constantly while putting it in muffin tins and they did turn out consistent throughout, but the consistency of the finished product was like corn bread. I even had to bake them for 1 hour and 10 minutes and I’ve checked my oven temperature and it is accurate.
I thought that 2 teaspoons of cheese wasn’t quite enough so I put 1 tablespoon of Parmesan and 1 tablespoon of cheddar and they were extremely bland with little cheese flavor.
It’s a nice recipe but it’s not crunchy mine came out almost like a scone but looks like it does on your photos
Annoyingly I also had the same issue where both of my blenders could not blend the rice down!
should i fill the muffin tin 3/4 or 1/2 full?
1/2 is fine
Should have listened to the 1 star reviews. Mine did back but the rice didnt mix and it was grinded to a powdered. I haven’t tried them yet but I bet its going in the trash.
I gave this another try but used rice flour instead and used 1 cup of water cause 1 & 1/2 cup seem too much. It only seem to rise around the edges and not much all around itself. Added everything bagel seasoning. Not great but okay.
thanks for your comment
Wtf is up with this comment section?? I’ve never seen so many toxic people in one place. Tiffany, you’re doing great. Thank you for sharing and please disregard the unwarranted hostility. Clearly they’ve got some seriously unresolved personal issues.
Thank you for your kindness Izzy. Have a great day!
Can we make with rice flour
yes!
I think a very big problem with your recipe is peoples expectations. I think those that are unhappy were expecting a recipe for puffed rice cakes like Quaker type. Yours is very good but if they think more – English muffins gone rice they might be less disappointed. It’s a great way to cut down on wheat products.
Hey i made your recipe and i think its going well but what is the consistency supposed to be in the middle after fully cooked? Ive had mine baking for even longer than 50 minutes and the insides are a weird white goopy batter
leave it longer until crunchy
Hi you said that 1 rice cake have 71 kcal. But what about the gram?
same, 71 grams
I gave this another try but used rice flour instead and used 1 cup of water cause 1 & 1/2 cup seem too much. It only seem to rise around the edges and not much all around itself. Added everything bagel seasoning. Not great but okay.
when baked as is [1/2 full in a muffin cup: we didn’t care for the dense gumminess or thickness]…but we realized when baked in a flat cookie sheet it was thin and cripsy & great for sheet pan toad in a hole…we just poured the batter into a 11 x 17 cookie sheet and sprinkled cooked ground sausage over the top…baked til done and it was great…thought we’d have to give up on a family favourite when trying to avoid gluten but this makes a great substitution…didn’t know what the consistency of the ground rice was supposed to be like ie: granular or flour so we just measured the weight of 1 cup of rice and used an equal amount of rice flour instead…
These are great. I followed everything and they came out just fine. Kids loved them.
Hi
How long would they last after baking in airtight container.
Which size muffin tray did use mini or Normal.
I used normal size. They would like 4-5 days in a tight container
Same issues as the majority of people have commented on. Even with a fine rice flour type of blend I don’t think this recipe would work well.
However, if any of you are reading this comment after the recipe failing miserably wondering what you did wrong, don’t throw away those rock/egg muffins yet! I ripped apart a couple at a time and re-food processed them with about a tbsp of water and 2 tbsp of flour. It will form a dough-like material that can then be baked on a greased cookie sheet for about 20-30 minutes on 375°F to make a mini pizza crust or crackers (depending on the thickness you roll it out to.)
Figured I’d share my solution to the food waste with everyone!
These didn’t turn out quite the way I was expecting, but no matter: They’re tasty! My son said they’re “the best thing that’s happened all day.” When the rice sank to the bottom of the food processor bowl, I abandoned plans to use muffin tins and instead poured the batter into a 9 x 13 pan; I baked for about 40 minutes, until the custard was set. I’ll be making these again. Thank you, Tiffany! (And I second the comments about ignoring the haters. I’m so glad you shared this recipe and am happy I found it.)
You’re welcome Kate! glad you and your son enjoyed them 🙂
100% trash
AGREED!!! Wish I had never made these
These are garbage. I should have listened to the other commenters saying not to make these. First off what a watery mess. I’m not sure how that will ever work. Also every other recipe online uses cooked rice not raw. These are hard as rocks and taste like eating raw rice. Don’t waste your time! Find another recipe! Food is way too expensive to deal with this nonsense.
I’m sorry the recipe didn’t work out for you Heather. Thanks for your feedback
I have read every single comment on this post and I am so keen to try this to see which camp I end up in – the haters or the supporters 🙂 and also so keen to know why this recipe turns out so well for some and so badly for others, hmmmm
Hi Amy! yes, this recipe has been controversial (to say the least) – Using rice flour instead of blednding the rice and water will help with this recipe 🙂 let me know how it comes out
These were more like english muffins than rice cakes but still edible… I have read that if you want them to pop / fluff up like rice cakes then you need heat and pressure which uses specialised equipment.