Review | Only Organic Carrot & Apple Rice Cakes

Only Organic Carrot & Apple Rice Cakes are a popular baby snack often found in supermarket baby aisles. They’re marketed as an organic, iron-fortified option that dissolves easily for babies learning to manage finger foods. Let’s take a closer look at what’s actually in them and how they stack up nutritionally.

What’s In It?

Rice(84%), Carrot Juice Concentrate(9%), Apple Juice Concentrate*(7%), Mineral (Iron).*Certified Organic Ingredients

Cost

A 35g packet costs around $4, which works out to roughly $11.43 per 100g. This makes them quite expensive compared to many other snack options. For reference rice cakes without the "baby" labelling start from around $1.10 per 100g. Pretty significant difference.

Allergens

Manufactured in a facility that also handles soy, milk and sesame.

Taste

The carrot and apple juice concentrates give these rice cakes a lot of sweetness and flavour compared to plain rice cakes.

Texture / Age Recommendation

These rice cakes have the typical light, airy texture you would expect from baby rice snacks. They dissolve fairly easily in the mouth which makes them suitable for babies who are learning to manage finger foods. The packet label states not suitable for babies under 8 months.

Nutrition Info

The product is fortified with iron, providing 2mg per 4 rice cakes or 10mg in each packet which can be helpful for babies and toddlers who may not be consuming a lot of iron-rich foods yet.

Sugar content is 13g per 100g. This quite high for a product for babies. Ideally we're looking for 5g or less sugar per 100g.

What We Like

• Very simple ingredient list
• Certified organic ingredients
• Iron fortified
• Low Sodium
• Dissolves easily which can support early finger food practice
  

What We Don’t Like As Much

• Cost - Very expensive compared to other rice cakes without the baby targeted labelling
• Sugar - 13g per 100g. The label states "naturally sweetened with fruit" which is technically accurate however the "fruit" included is actually fruit juice concentrate which is essentially another way of saying sugar. We're certainly not about demonising sugar here but it
• The name - A little misleading considering the carrot and apple are simply juice concentrates.

How to Serve to Balance the Meal

Overall Rice Cakes on their own don't provide a great deal nutrition wise. They are predominantly energy from carbohydrates which isn't a bad thing but this type of energy is used up very quickly by little bodies and will have them feeling hungry again faster. Pairing them with a topping that provides fat and protein will help turn them into a perfectly balanced snack. 

FAQ

Are Only Organic rice cakes suitable for babies?
Yes. Their light texture means they dissolve easily and can work for babies learning to manage finger foods.

Do they contain added sugar?
The sweetness comes from carrot and apple juice concentrates so whilst not technically  an added sugar under labelling laws it is certainly a type of sugar that has been added into this product.

Are they a good everyday snack?
They can be a convenient snack option, but they’re best served alongside other foods that provide more nutrition and fullness.