General Mills Rice Chex Cereal: Labelgrade C+ (68/100)
C+ 68 / 100 — Very low saturated fat and high sodium per 100g.
🛒 Buy on Amazon →The short answer
Rice Chex is the cereal you reach for when you want something that isn’t sweet — and it delivers on exactly that. With 3g of protein and 150 calories per single-serve container (USDA FDC 2746519), it carries just 3g of sugar and no saturated fat. But “not sweet” is most of what it has going for it: the base is refined rice, which leaves only 2g of fiber and 3g of protein, and the sodium runs high at 310mg. Low sugar earns it real credit, but it can’t lift a refined grain into nutritious territory — so the Labelgrade lands at C+ (68 / 100).
Why this Labelgrade
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | C | 61 / 100 | 7.5g per 100g — below the high-protein bar; not the right product for protein hunting |
| Ingredient quality | C+ | 69 / 100 | 15 ingredients; flagged phosphate additives |
| Saturated fat load | A+ | 100 / 100 | 0g saturated fat — perfect |
| Sodium load | F | 26 / 100 | 310mg per serving (220mg per oz) — high; structural for cured/preserved foods |
| Sugar load | A- | 88 / 100 | 3g sugar (3g added) — low overall |
| Fiber | C+ | 65 / 100 | 2g per serving — good |
| Overall | C+ | 68 / 100 | Weighted blend: protein 25% · ingredients 22% · saturated fat 18% · sodium 15% · sugar 12% · fiber 8% |
How it compares
| Product | Protein per serving | Per 100 g | Per oz | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Mills Rice Chex Cereal (this product) | 3g | 7.5g | 2.1g | 150 |
| General Mills Honey Nut Cheerios Cereal | 2g | 7.1g | 2g | 110 |
| Kellogg’s Raisin Bran Cereal | 2.76g | 7.9g | 2.2g | 114 |
| Post Honey Roasted Bunches Of Oats Cereal, Honey Roasted | 4g | 7g | 2g | 220 |
| Plain cooked chicken breast (benchmark) | — | 31g | 8.8g | ~165 |
Why “low sugar” doesn’t mean “nutritious”
Rice Chex sits at the heart of a common misread: shoppers treat low sugar as a proxy for healthy, and the front of the box leans into it. But the two aren’t the same thing. Sugar is what a cereal adds; fiber and protein are what it gives back. Rice Chex does well on the first and poorly on the second.
Look at where the calories come from. Of the 35g of carbohydrate in a serving, only 2g is fiber — the rest is rapidly-digested starch from milled rice. White rice flour is one of the more refined grain bases in the cereal aisle: the bran and germ are largely gone, so what’s left behaves a lot like the sugar the cereal avoided, just without the sweet taste. That’s why a bowl of Rice Chex can spike blood sugar despite the modest sugar number on the label. The honest framing: it’s a plain cereal, not a nourishing one. Low sugar keeps it out of the bottom tier — it doesn’t earn it a spot near the top.
Where the points actually go — and the sodium surprise
If you only glanced at the front panel, the F on sodium would catch you off guard. A “plain,” barely-sweet cereal carrying 310mg of sodium per small cup is a lot — that’s roughly 13% of the daily limit before you’ve added anything, and per 100g it’s high enough to draw the lowest grade on that dimension. Cereal salt is easy to miss because nothing about Rice Chex tastes salty, but it’s there to make a bland refined grain palatable.
Stack the dimensions and the C+ makes sense. Rice Chex genuinely wins on two: an A- on sugar (3g) and an A+ on saturated fat (0g). It’s merely adequate on fiber (C+, 2g) and protein density (C, 3g), because refined rice has little of either to offer. And it’s actively weak on sodium (F). Average those out — weighted toward protein and ingredients — and you land at 68. The takeaway isn’t “avoid it”; it’s “don’t mistake it for a health food.” Rice Chex is a low-sugar carrier you build a better breakfast on top of, not a finished one.
Scope
This page covers General Mills Rice Chex Cereal (1.4 ONZ), UPC 00016000141575, as represented in USDA Branded Foods FDC 2746519. General Mills sells multiple variants in this product line — other sizes, flavors, or fat levels may have different macros and Labelgrade scores. Manufacturers periodically reformulate; always cross-reference the actual package label, especially if you have allergies or dietary restrictions.
Ingredients (from the USDA Branded Foods entry)
Whole Grain Rice, Rice, Sugar, Salt, Molasses. Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols) Added to Preserve Freshness.Vitamins and Minerals: Tricalcium Phosphate, Iron and Zinc (mineral nutrients), Vitamin C (sodium ascorbate), A B Vitamin (niacinamide), Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), Vitamin B1 (thiamin mononitrate), Vitamin A (palmitate), A B Vitamin (folic acid), Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3.
Where to buy
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Quick Facts
Per serving · 1 container
See how this fits your day — protein calculator · macro calculator
Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (1 container) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 150 |
| Protein | 3g |
| Total Fat | 1g |
| Saturated Fat | 0g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 35g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2g |
| Total Sugars | 3g |
| Added Sugars | 3g |
| Sodium | 310mg |
| Cholesterol | 0mg |
| Calcium | 130mg |
| Iron | 14.4mg |
| Potassium | 0mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to Rice Chex Cereal (1.4 ONZ) · UPC 00016000141575. Other sizes, flavors, or formulations may differ.
How this fits each diet
Each score is computed from the same USDA nutrition + ingredient data, against the published rules of each diet. They tell you "does this food fit this diet" — not whether the diet is right for you.
contains no listed animal products
contains no listed meat or fish
no wheat, barley, rye, or malt detected in USDA ingredient list
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Rice Chex a healthy cereal?
It's a middle-of-the-pack choice — better than the sugary cereals, but not a nutrition standout. The good news is genuinely low added sugar (3g) and no saturated fat. The catch is that the base is refined rice, so you get only 2g of fiber and 3g of protein per serving. Low sugar keeps it off the bottom of the list, but it doesn't make Rice Chex nutritious — it makes it plain. That's a C+ (68/100).
Why does Rice Chex only get a C+ if it's low in sugar?
Because low sugar is one dimension, not the whole grade. Labelgrade scores six things, and Rice Chex splits them: it earns an A- on sugar and A+ on saturated fat, but only a C on protein density and a C+ on fiber, and the high sodium (310mg) draws an F. A cereal made from refined rice has little to offer beyond 'not sweet,' so the strong and weak dimensions average to a C+.
Is Rice Chex gluten-free?
Yes — Rice Chex is made from rice rather than wheat, and General Mills labels it gluten-free, which is the main reason this cereal has a following. That said, gluten-free is an allergen status, not a health score: it has no bearing on the C+, which is driven by the refined-rice base, the thin fiber and protein, and the sodium. Always confirm against the live package if you have celiac disease.
What's a serving of Rice Chex, and does the grade include milk?
The USDA entry here is a single-serve 1-container cup (40g), not a poured ¾-cup bowl, so read the per-serving numbers as one small cup. The grade is for the dry cereal only — no milk. Adding about ½ cup of milk roughly doubles the protein (to ~7g) and adds calcium, which meaningfully improves the bowl even though it doesn't change this cereal's own score.
Which cereal scores better than Rice Chex?
Among the cereals we've graded, Post Honey Roasted Bunches of Oats edges ahead at 4g of protein per serving on an oat-and-wheat base, so it brings more whole-grain substance than refined rice. If you specifically need gluten-free, Rice Chex is a defensible low-sugar pick — just pair it with a protein source (milk, yogurt, eggs) to cover the gap it leaves.
When was this data last verified?
2026-06-05, against USDA FoodData Central FDC 2746519. We re-verify top-traffic pages monthly and update within 7 days when a manufacturer reformulates.