Rice crackers are a staple in my household. Obviously, they’re great with savory toppings—we usually go with sliced cheese, deli turkey, a pickle chip, and a dab of hot sauce—but they work with sweet stuff, too. Peanut butter and strawberry jam on a crispy, crunchy sesame seed-flecked rice cracker? Heaven. A bonus is that rice crackers are typically pretty low fat and low cal, not to mention gluten free. (If you’re looking for our full ranking of the best gluten free crackers, we’ve got you covered.) !
In this taste test, we were looking for rice crackers that are thin and crispy (thick rice crackers can really dry out your mouth) and actually taste like something. Rice crackers should taste like roasty, toasty rice, not like crunchy air. Note: I didn’t include Japanese rice crackers in this taste test (I’m talking the little shapes, glazed with a salty sauce, sprinkled or wrapped with nori). They’re one of my favorite snacks, but we’ll tackle them in a separate taste test. Here’s our ranking of the best rice crackers at the grocery store.
- Signature Select Wasabi Flavored Rice Crackers
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I know I said that rice crackers shouldn’t taste like crunchy air; frankly, without the wasabi seasoning, that’s what you’d get here. But with the delicate coating of wasabi seasoning? Delicious. These are the best rice crackers if you crave snacks that kick you right in the nostrils. While these would certainly be even better if they contained sesame seeds (there’s a theme to this ranking and it’s that rice crackers taste better when they contain a seed of some sort,), they’re really unique and tasty. I want to top these with creamy havarti and some spicy mustard.
Credit: Merc / Albertsons
- Sesmark Savory Rice Thins
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These are very similar to Trader Joe’s Savory Thins (spoiler: those are our top rated rice crackers), but just a little less flavorful. Still, they have that roasty sesame seed flavor that really makes rice crackers sing. Basically, if you don’t or can’t shop at Trader Joe’s (I know they’re not as ubiquitous in some states as they are in others), keep an eye out for these gluten free rice crackers. Or, if you shop at Albertsons-owned stores (like Vons, Tom Thumb, Jewel-Osco, etc.), Signature Select’s sesame rice crackers are really good, too!
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Trader Joe’s Multiseed Savory Thin Mini Crackers with Tamari Soy Sauce
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These crackers are like a cross between Asian rice crackers (the little shaped ones) and regular snacking crackers. They’re coated (glazed, really) with a tasty, savory teriyaki-like sauce and they’re scattered with flax seeds for a nutty crunch. I swear, these almost taste a little like nori to me. The size makes them better for dipping than for topping (I recommend these with TJ’s edamame hummus), but they’re so flavorful, you’ll be perfectly happy snacking on them by themselves. These are the best gluten free rice crackers if you like an extra burst of umami.
Credit: Merc
- Trader Joe’s Savory Thins
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If Trader Joe’s ever discontinues these rice crackers, my husband and I will probably perish. They have the perfect amount of salt—they’re dusted alllll over with it. They have so much sesame flavor and such a light crispy crunch. I buy these rice crackers all the time, but I’m not ranking them just to prove I have good taste in crackers—I’m ranking them because they are genuinely the best rice crackers you can buy. (I also recommend keeping them in the fridge so they stay fresh and crispy since the package is hard to seal!)
Credit: Merc
Best Flavored
Best Sesame Flavor
Best Mini
Best of the Best
Other rice crackers we tried: Good Thins Simply Salt, Blue Diamond Almond Nut-Thins, Blue Diamond Artisan Nut-Thins, Edward & Sons Vegetable Rice Snaps, Edward & Sons Unsalted Rice Snaps
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!