Rice Krispies Vs. Fruity Pebbles (Which is Best?)

Rice Krispies and Fruity Pebbles are both kinds of cereal aimed at kids and are very similar in structure, which is why Fruity Pebbles are now being used as a colorful alternative in a cereal treat bar.

It’s pretty obvious that Fruity Pebbles are going to have additional ingredients to give them their iconic colors, but is one better than the other when it comes to nutrition?

In this article, I’ll compare Kellogg’s Rice Krispies head-to-head against Post Fruity Pebbles to find the difference between ingredients and nutritional content. Read on to find out which cereal comes top in the most categories, and take a look at our poll to see which cereal is best for flavor.

Ingredients Comparision

When you look at the ingredient comparison between Kellogg’s Rice Krispies and Post Fruity Pebbles, you can see the main ingredients of each cereal are the same being rice and sugar.

Both kinds of cereal contain added salt, and Fruity Pebbles contain additional colors to give them their unique appearance. Rice Krispies and Fruity Pebbles are fortified with added vitamins and minerals, which I’ll cover in more detail later in this article.

Rice Krispies Ingredients	Fruity Pebbles Ingredients
Rice, sugar, contains 2% or less of salt, malt flavor.	Rice, Sugar, Canola Oil, Salt, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Red 40, Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Turmeric Oleoresin (color), Blue 1, Blue 2, BHT and BHA added to preserve freshness

Rice Krispies Vs. Fruity Pebbles Nutritional Comparison

We’ll now take a look at the nutritional comparison, and because each cereal has a different recommended serving size, I’ll be comparing them per 100g of cereal to keep the comparison accurate. I’ll also include the per serving data for information.

To clarify, the products I’m comparing are Kellogg’s Rice Krispies and Post Original Fruity Pebbles (other varieties are available).

Best for Calorie Content

The calorie content of Rice Krispies and Fruity Pebbles are pretty similar, but of the two, Rice Krispies contain 14 fewer calories per 100g of cereal.

Neither kind of cereal are particularly high in calories, and this is only a consideration if it’s something you’re tracking.

Cereal Type	Calories Per 100g	Calories Per Serving
Kellogg’s Rice Krispies	375kcal	150kcal (per 40g serving)
Post Fruity Pebbles	389kcal	140kcal (per 36g serving)

Best for Carbohydrate Content

I’ve included carbohydrates for information but not in the overall comparison because neither cereal can be considered a low-carb breakfast option.

So for information, the cereal that is lowest in carbs is Fruity Pebbles, which contains just 4g fewer carbs per 100g compared to Rice Krispies; however, Fruity Pebbles are higher in sugar, which I’ll cover in the next section.

Cereal Type	Carbohydrates Per 100g	Carbohydrates Per Serving
Kellogg’s Rice Krispies	90g	36g (per 40g serving)
Post Fruity Pebbles	86g	31g (per 36g serving)

Best for Sugar Content

The biggest difference between Rice Krispies and Fruity Pebbles is the sugar content, with Fruity Pebbles containing over three times the amount of sugar of Rice Krispies.

To explain this in terms of a daily recommended value, a serving of Rice Krispies contains 8% of the daily value compared to Fruity Pebbles which contain 25%.

Cereal Type	Sugars Per 100g	Sugars Per Serving
Kellogg’s Rice Krispies	10g	4g (per 40g serving)
Post Fruity Pebbles	33g	12g (per 36g serving)

Best for Protein Content

Protein content is becoming increasingly important to consumers when choosing a certain food and although neither kind of cereal is particularly high in protein, Rice Krispies contain 2g more protein than Fruity Pebbles.

Cereal Type	Protein Per 100g	Protein Per Serving
Kellogg’s Rice Krispies	7.5g	3g (per 40g serving)
Post Fruity Pebbles	2.8g	1g (per 36g serving)

Best for Fat Content

If fat content is an important consideration for you, Rice Krispies come out top in this category because they don’t contain any fat or saturated fat.

Fruity Pebbles are also very low in fat with only 1.5g per 100g of cereal and they don’t contain any saturated fat.

I can also confirm that neither Rice Krispies nor Fruity Pebbles contain any cholesterol.

Cereal Type	Fat Per Serving	Saturated Fat per Serving
Kellogg’s Rice Krispies	0g	0g (per 40g serving)
Post Fruity Pebbles	1.5g	0g (per 36g serving)

Best for Fiber Content

Most breakfast cereals contain fiber especially if they’re made from whole grain or bran-based ingredients, but with Rice Krispies and Fruity Pebbles, neither contain any dietary fiber.

This is because they’re both rice-based, so it’s a bit like eating white rice, in that it’s bulk carbs but no fiber.

If you’re looking for a cereal with a high fiber content, check the ingredients for whole-grain wheat and especially bran which generally means they’re high-fiber.

Cereal Type	Dietary Fibre Per 100g	Dietary Fibre per Serving
Kellogg’s Rice Krispies	0g	0g (per 40g serving)
Post Fruity Pebbles	0g	0g (per 36g serving)

Best for Sodium/Salt Content

Rice Krispies and Fruity Pebbles have added salt and per weight, they both contain a similar amount, but of the two, Rice Krispies are slightly lower in sodium per 100g.

Cereal Type	Sodium/Salt Per 100g	Sodium/Salt per Serving
Kellogg’s Rice Krispies	500mg	200mg (per 40g serving)
Post Fruity Pebbles	528mg	190mg (per 36g serving)

Best for Vitamins/Minerals

Rice Krispies and Fruity Pebbles are fortified breakfast cereals which means they have added vitamins and minerals to help consumers to get closer to their daily values of certain nutrients.

Although Rice Krispies are higher in vitamin D, iron, and vitamin B6, Fruity Pebbles are higher in vitamins and minerals in more categories.

Vitamin/Mineral Type	Rice Krispies Daily Value %	Fruity Pebbles Daily Value %
Vitamin D	15%	10%
Iron	60%	6%
Thiamin	30%	35%
Riboflavin	30%	40%
Vitamin B6	30%	25%
Vitamin C	–	10%
Vitamin A	–	50%
Vitamin B12	30%	80%
Niacin	30%	40%
Folic Acid	50%	60%
Zinc	–	15%

Best for Flavor/Texture

To judge which cereal is best for flavor and texture, we need to get a wider public opinion.

Please help our future readers (and us) by voting for your favorite, and once you vote you can see the winner so far (no personal information is required to vote).

Best for Price

Because Rice Krispies and Fruity Pebbles are sold in different box sizes, I’ve calculated the average cost per ounce based on prices at the time this article was written.

Below are the current average prices of each cereal:

• Kellogg’s Rice Krispies 18oz box = $3.28 / 18.2¢ per ounce
• Kellogg’s Rice Krispies 25.2oz box = $5.25 / 20.9¢ per ounce

• Post Fruity Pebbles 19.5oz box = $3.98 / 20.4¢ per ounce
• Post Fruity Pebbles 15oz box = $3.48 / 23.2¢ per ounce

Based on this information, on average, you get more Rice Krispies for your money than Fruity Pebbles.

Please note that prices are based on averages and may fluctuate over time, depending on the store where you buy them and promotional offers.

Overall Winner

All categories have now been compared for nutrition and cost and the cereal that came top in the most categories between Rice Krispies and Fruity Pebbles is – Rice Krispies!

Rice Krispies are best for calories, sugar, protein, fat, sodium, and cost compared to Fruity Pebbles, although Fruity Pebbles came top for vitamins and minerals.

With the exception of sugar content, both kinds of cereal are both nutritionally similar and it’s worth pointing out that they’re joint losers for fiber content because neither cereal contains any fiber.

So it all comes down to which is best for you and your diet needs, but hopefully, the data in this article can help you decide.

Comparison Category	Winner (Rice Krispies or Fruity Pebbles)
Best for Calorie Content	Rice Krispies
Best for Sugar Content	Rice Krispies
Best for Protein Content	Rice Krispies
Best for Fat Content	Rice Krispies
Best for Fiber Content	Joint Losers
Best for Sodium Content	Rice Krispies
Best for Vitamins/Minerals	Fruity Pebbles
Best for Price	Rice Krispies
Overall Winner	Rice Krispies