WE all love a bowl of cereal in the morning – and the chances are you’ve given Kellogg’s Rice Krispies a go at some point.
They were the brand’s third most eaten variety in 2022/23, coming ahead of Frosties and Coco Pops, according to Statista.
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But branded isn’t always the best, and in most cases you’ll save money going for a supermarket’s own version.
At the time of writing, a 430g box of Kellogg’s Rice Krispies costs £3.45 from Waitrose.
But we found all the retailers were selling their own-brand lines for much less, and some were up to 80% cheaper.
It’s not always about price though, and flavour and texture are just as important.
We put eight own-brand rice pops to the test to see how they fared against Kellogg’s, and whether that high price point is worth it.
Morrisons
- 95p, 375g
- Price per 100g: 25p
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I wasn’t expecting Morrisons’ rice crackles to blow me away as the supermarket has scored poorly on previous taste tests.
And reality met expectations, with the rice pops having a strong cardboard taste. Their texture was stale as well.
Overall and considering price, taste and texture, these came out bottom of the taste test for me.
- Price: 7/10
- Taste: 5/10
- Texture: 5/10
- Overall: 17/30
Waitrose
- £1.50, 440g
- Price per 100g: 34p
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My expectations for Waitrose’s own-brand rice pops were high because of the supermarket’s reputation as one of the posher retailers.
And I was not disappointed, with the cereal having a subtle malty taste which balanced nicely with the milk.
The pops were light and airy too, while still staying nice and crispy.
The price tag was a bit of a stinger though, with them coming in joint-second most expensive out of all nine lines I tried.
- Price: 6/10
- Taste: 8/10
- Texture: 8/10
- Overall: 22/30
M&S
- £1.30, 375g
- Price per 100g: 34p
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Like with Waitrose, I had high expectations for M&S, and was not let down.
Their rice pops had a subtle undertone of caramel, although the texture was a bit grainy and bitty.
Overall, these scored second lowest for me overall, with their 34p per 100g price tag dragging them down.
- Price: 6/10
- Taste: 8/10
- Texture: 6/10
- Overall: 18/30
Tesco
- 85p, 375g
- Price per 100g: 23p
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Tesco is the UK’s largest supermarket chain, so by that admission, you’d expect its rice pops to come through with flying colours.
And in terms of texture, they did – they were crunchy while staying light and airy.
But the taste was disappointing, with the major flavour coming through that of a plain Dorito.
They were a bit bland in terms of flavour too, although the 85p price point made them joint second cheapest out of all nine boxes.
- Price: 8/10
- Taste: 6/10
- Texture: 7/10
- Overall: 21/30
Asda
- 95p, 375g
- Price per 100g: 25p
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Asda’s rice snaps had a slight caramel-flavoured undertone which balanced nicely with the milk.
Their texture was firm while remaining airy enough for them to crackle in my mouth as well.
Overall though, they just weren’t at the same grade as some of the other versions I tried.
Their price tag saw them come out scoring lower than Sainsbury’s, Lidl, Aldi and Tesco too.
- Price: 7/10
- Taste: 6/10
- Texture: 7/10
- Overall: 20/30
Aldi
- 85p, 375g
- Price per 100g: 23p
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Aldi’s own-brand cereals have stood up well in previous taste tests, and it was also the cheapest supermarket of 2023, according to Which?
So I went into testing its pack of crisp rice full of hope.
And largely they met my expectations, with the cereal having a nice creamy flavour, albeit with a slight bitter aftertaste.
They had a nice crunch to them as well, and weren’t sandy and grainy like some of the other supermarkets’ versions.
They were one of the cheaper options I tried too.
- Price: 8/10
- Taste: 7/10
- Texture: 7/10
- Overall: 22/30
Kellogg’s
- £3.45, 430g
- Price per 100g: 80p
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Next, it was time for the OG’s, the Kellogg’s Rice Krispies, first introduced to the market in 1928.
Again, I had high hopes for these due to the higher price point, and I must admit they were even better than I remembered, having last eaten them as a kid.
Their texture was super crunchy and the flavour was a nice balance of salty and sweet.
But the price was of course a real kick in the teeth, coming in 80% more expensive than the cheapest own-brand rice crispies I tried.
- Price: 5/10
- Taste: 8/10
- Texture: 8/10
- Overall: 21/30
Sainsbury’s
- 85p, 375g
- Price per 100g: 23p
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Sainsbury’s’ own-brand cereals often top our taste tests, and the retailer’s rice pops fared well again.
The flavour really stood out from the others I tested, and they almost tasted like a nice cup of English breakfast tea.
But the pops were a bit grisly which left me feeling a bit underwhelmed. Price-wise, they came in joint second cheapest.
- Price: 8/10
- Taste: 7/10
- Texture: 6/10
- Overall: 21/30
Lidl
- 85p, 500g
- Price per 100g: 17p
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And the winner was… Lidl.
It didn’t surprise me that the German discounter’s rice snaps came out cheapest per 100g out of the eight supermarket own-brand rice pops.
But the taste really did leave me in shock.
Upon opening the pack the white colour of the pops really stood out, and their velvety flavour was by far the best out of the nine I tried.
They were quite jagged on the tongue and palette, but overall came out winners due to their price and flavour.
Opting for Lidl’s rice pops rather than Kellogg’s could save you £135 a year too.
That’s based on one buying one box of the cereal each week for 52 weeks.
- Price: 9/10
- Taste: 9/10
- Texture: 6/10
- Overall: 24/30
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