How to make bike ride rice cakes and how to wrap them

If you’re interested in how the pros eat, you’ve probably heard of rice cakes. Along with energy bars and gels, they are the most common snacks in every rider’s jersey pocket during training and competition. But why do cyclists eat rice cakes?  

• They contain fast-digesting carbohydrates, crucial when you are cycling.
• You can use various ingredients to make their sweet and savory versions as well as add extra nutrients such as protein, healthy fats or salts and minerals.
• They are cheap and easy to prepare – a highly appreciated feature by both teams and their soigneurs.
• You can keep them in the fridge for 4-5 days. Do not freeze them as it affects the texture.
• Easy to carry in jersey pockets. 
• Easy to open and eat if wrapped as recommended below.

If that is not enough for you, let’s add one more reason: they are delicious! 

In order to make rice cakes just like the ones eaten by pro riders, let’s take it one step at a time:

1. Base rice cake recipe.
2. Sweet rice cakes with peanut butter and jelly.
3. Savory rice cakes with avocado and egg.
4. Wrapping the rice cakes to take them for a ride.

Base rice cake recipe

Use short-grain white rice; any kind will do, but sushi or risotto rice are the best options. Do not use long-grain rice or brown rice. The former because it is not sticky enough and the latter because the fiber makes the cake harder to digest.  

Ingredients:

• 180 g (1 cup) of short-grain rice
• 360 g (1.5 cup) of water
• 1 tbsp of sugar (white, brown, fructose…)
• 1/2 tbsp of salt

Nutrition information:

The base recipe using white sugar has 688 calories. 146 g of carbohydrates, 1.62 of fat and 14 of protein.

Preparation:

Wash the rice under running water for a couple of minutes, while stirring it with a spoon.  

Put the rice, water, sugar and salt in a large pot. Place it over high heat, do not cover, and wait until it comes to a boil. 

Once it boils, put the lid on, turn the heat down and let it cook for 20 minutes keeping the lid on at all times.

When the time is up, take off the lid and check if the rice is cooked well. It should not be overly dry or wet, nor should it be sticking to the pot.

Now you have the foundation for making rice cakes. If this is the way you like them, pour the mixture into a 15×15 cm (6×6 inches) mold or pan previously lined with plastic wrap. You can use larger containers or even freezer bags, but make sure the mixture is 2-3 cm thick.

Spread the mixture evenly, pressing well to make it firm, and put it in the fridge for 24 hours.

After 24 hours, take it out of the fridge, pull the plastic wrap to get the cake out and cut it into portions that can be wrapped. 

Sweet rice cakes with peanut butter and jelly

As the flavor of the base rice cakes recipe is quite plain, it is common to add some sweet or savory ingredients. You can do it in the same pot if you want a quick recipe, but if you don’t have the ingredients handy or you prefer sandwich-like rice cakes with filling, take the rice out of the pot, otherwise it will keep cooking, becoming thick, sticky and hard to handle.

Ingredients:

• 180 g (1 cup) of short-grain rice
• 360 g (1.5 cup) of water
• 1 tbsp of sugar (white, brown, fructose…)
• 1/2 tbsp of salt
• Jelly or jam
• Peanut butter

Nutrition information:

Adding 30 g of raspberry jam and 30 g of peanut butter we get 910 calories in total. 165 g of carbohydrates, 15 g of fat and 23 g of protein.

Preparation:

Cook the rice following the steps from the first recipe.

Once the rice is ready, place it in a bowl and divide into two equal parts.

Place one part in a mold or baking pan. Spread it evenly and press firmly.

Spread a thin layer of peanut butter and a layer of your favorite jam or jelly on top. 

 Then spread the rest of the rice on top of the layers and press firmly.

Put the container in the fridge for 24 hours. Take it out and cut it into portions. 

Savory rice cakes with avocado and eggs

Although we have a sweet tooth, we also love savory recipes, so we’re going to use avocado, egg and nuts to add healthy fats and protein to our rice cakes, creating a perfect post-workout snack.

Ingredients:

• 180 g (1 cup) of short-grain rice
• 360 g (1.5 cup) of water
• 1 tbsp of sugar (white, brown, fructose…)
• 1/2 tbsp of salt
• 1/2 avocado
• 2 medium eggs
• Chopped nuts for the crunch factor. You can use any kind of nuts or seeds, the amount is up to you.

Nutrition information:

Using 30 g of nuts gives us 1331 calories for the whole recipe. 166 g of carbohydrates, 60 g of fat and 34 g of protein.

Preparation:

Before making the base recipe, cook two eggs, peel them and chop into pieces. Mash the avocado and toast chopped nuts in a frying pan. Set aside.

Cook the rice following the steps from the first recipe.

Once the rice is ready, place it in a bowl. Now you have two options:

1. Add the eggs, chopped nuts and mashed avocado to the rice, stir well and pour the mixture into a 15×15 cm (6×6 inches) mold or baking pan.
2. Make sandwich-like rice cakes, as we’re going to explain below.

To do this, divide the rice into two equal parts. Pour one into the mold or baking pan. Spread it evenly and press firmly.

Spread the avocado on top. Then add the egg and chopped nuts. Press lightly.

Then spread out the rest of the rice on top and press down firmly.

Put the mold in the fridge for 24 hours. You can cut the portions and eat them when you get home after cycling, or you can wrap them up and take them with you for a ride. 

Wrapping the rice cakes

A picture is worth a thousand words so here’s a video on how to wrap rice cakes in a way that lets you open them using just your mouth and one hand, without having to take both hands off the handlebars: