PepsiCo Foods U.S. announced on April 22, 2026 the nationwide launch of Quaker Protein Rice Crisps, available now at retailers in two flavors: Chocolate Caramel and Tangy Barbecue. The product delivers 6g of protein and 9g of whole grains per serving, is gluten free, popped and never fried, and contains no artificial preservatives or flavors. Retail pricing is $3.29 for the 2.6 oz size and $5.19 for the 5.2 oz size. James Wade, Marketing Vice President for Quaker Foods, is the company spokesperson. The announcement is issued by PepsiCo Foods U.S., headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.
PepsiCo generated nearly $94 billion in net revenue in 2025 across a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo products are enjoyed more than one billion times per day in more than 200 countries and territories.
The Product: Popped Rice Plus Pea Protein
Quaker Protein Rice Crisps are built on two primary functional ingredients: popped rice (whole grain) and pea protein (the protein additive). The full ingredient disclosure in the announcement is: 6g protein per serving from popped rice and pea protein, 9g whole grains per serving, gluten free, no artificial preservatives or flavors.
The pea protein is the key ingredient news here. Pea protein is a plant-derived protein isolate extracted from yellow split peas, widely used in the functional food and better-for-you snack category as a clean-label, allergen-friendly protein source. It delivers a relatively neutral flavor profile compared to soy protein isolate, making it well-suited for both sweet and savory applications. In a rice crisp format, pea protein is typically incorporated either into the rice base mixture before popping, or applied as a coating after the base crisp is formed. The resulting product must maintain the light, airy texture the announcement references while delivering the 6g protein claim at the specified serving weight.
The whole grain component is native to the popped rice base: whole grain rice delivers the 9g whole grain per serving claim. This is not an additive whole grain claim but a structural one, meaning the rice itself is whole grain rather than refined, which affects the processing parameters for the popping operation.
The two flavor variants target opposite ends of the snack craving spectrum. Chocolate Caramel is the sweet application: a confectionery-adjacent flavor profile on a protein-enhanced base, directly competing with protein granola bars, protein energy bites, and sweet protein snack bars in the better-for-you snack aisle. Tangy Barbecue is the savory application, competing with protein chips, protein crackers, and protein popcorn formats that have been proliferating across the category since approximately 2023.
PepsiCo’s Functional Foods Expansion: The Broader Platform Context
The announcement explicitly positions Quaker Protein Rice Crisps within a broader PepsiCo portfolio transformation that it names directly: Quaker Protein Granola Bars, Quaker Protein Old Fashioned Oats, Quaker Protein Instant Oatmeal, SmartFood Fiber Pop coated popcorn, SunChips Fiber whole grain and black bean snacks, Doritos Protein Tortilla Style Chips, Pepsi Prebiotic Cola, and poppi Prebiotic Soda.
This is the most complete public disclosure of PepsiCo Foods’ functional ingredient expansion architecture that has appeared in a single press release. Reading across the full list, PepsiCo is running three parallel functional ingredient tracks simultaneously: protein fortification across its snack and grain brands (Quaker Protein line, Doritos Protein), fiber fortification across its snack brands (SmartFood Fiber Pop, SunChips Fiber), and prebiotic/gut health across its beverage brands (Pepsi Prebiotic Cola, poppi acquisition). The Quaker Protein Rice Crisps entry is the protein track’s newest format addition, extending pea protein application from oat-based products into a popped rice base.
The Doritos Protein launch, visible in the press release sidebar as a recent PepsiCo Foods announcement, is the most commercially aggressive move in the protein track: applying a protein claim to Doritos, one of the highest-volume snack brands in the world, signals that PepsiCo is treating protein fortification as a mainstream feature rather than a niche wellness offering.
The Consumer Research Context: PepsiCo’s Own Survey Data
The announcement includes five consumer survey data points from a January 2026 survey of 1,000 nationally representative Americans commissioned by PepsiCo Foods U.S. through RepData. The numbers are notable:
86% of Americans are adding protein to their daily diet. 63% say they would choose snacks with added protein over regular options. 54% prioritize protein during snacking occasions. 70% want salty snacks to have protein. 65% want sweet snacks with protein.
These figures are consistent with the broader consumer research landscape on protein in 2025 and 2026. Innova Market Insights confirmed in its 2026 trend forecast that at least half of global consumers actively work to increase protein in their diet. Eran Mizrahi of Source86 was quoted in Food Processing magazine in 2026 confirming that QSR chains and ice cream brands are exploring higher-protein versions of their products. The PepsiCo survey numbers are the highest-confidence proprietary data we have seen attached to a specific product launch in this area, and they directly validate the commercial rationale for the Quaker Protein Rice Crisps launch.
The most commercially significant data point for CPG brand strategists is the last two numbers: 70% wanting protein in salty snacks and 65% wanting protein in sweet snacks. Those numbers confirm that the protein demand is not limited to dedicated protein snack purchasers or fitness-oriented demographics. It is broadly distributed across the entire snacking occasion, both sweet and savory. That is exactly why Quaker is launching into both flavor directions simultaneously rather than starting with one and extending later.
Why It Matters for Pea Protein and Whole Grain Rice Ingredient Suppliers
Quaker Protein Rice Crisps’ launch across two flavors nationwide under PepsiCo’s foods portfolio creates a sustained pea protein isolate demand signal at the scale of one of the world’s largest snack food manufacturers, entering the popped rice crisp format in addition to PepsiCo’s existing pea protein applications in the Quaker Protein granola bar and oatmeal lines. Pea protein isolate for a popped rice crisp application must meet specific functional parameters: it must be capable of integration into the rice base matrix or coating application without compromising the light, airy texture that is the product’s foundational sensory characteristic. High-protein concentrations in puffed and popped grain formats can create density and chew that undermines the crispness consumers expect. The formulation challenge is achieving 6g protein at the serving weight while maintaining texture integrity, which constrains the pea protein isolate specification to a particle size and protein concentration range that popped grain co-manufacturers can incorporate consistently. For pea protein isolate suppliers serving functional snack applications, Quaker’s entry into the popped rice format is a new application development requirement that is distinct from their granola bar or oatmeal protein applications.
The whole grain rice base requirement at the 9g whole grains per serving specification creates a sustained demand for food-grade whole grain rice inputs at the processing parameters required for a popped crisp format at PepsiCo’s snack manufacturing scale. Whole grain rice for a popped crisp application requires a specific moisture content, grain size, and starch profile that produces the characteristic light, expanded texture during the popping process. At PepsiCo’s production volumes across its national snack manufacturing network, the whole grain rice input requirement for two active SKUs of Quaker Protein Rice Crisps represents a meaningful ongoing procurement volume for domestic rice millers and whole grain rice suppliers serving the functional snack manufacturing segment.
The dual-flavor architecture creating one sweet and one savory seasoning application requires distinct chocolate-caramel flavoring systems and tangy barbecue seasoning systems compatible with a protein-enriched popped rice base, without artificial preservatives or flavors, adding to the seasoning complexity of an already specification-intensive product. The no-artificial-preservatives-or-flavors restriction means both flavor systems must be sourced from natural flavor compounds. For natural chocolate and caramel flavor compound suppliers and natural barbecue seasoning manufacturers serving PepsiCo’s snack seasoning procurement programs, the Quaker Protein Rice Crisps launch creates a new ongoing demand program for both sweet and savory natural flavor applications in the better-for-you snack segment.
FAQs
What are Quaker Protein Rice Crisps? A new Quaker snack product delivering 6g protein and 9g whole grains per serving, popped and never fried, gluten free, no artificial preservatives or flavors. Available in Chocolate Caramel and Tangy Barbecue.
Where can you buy them? Available now nationwide at retailers. Also available at snacks.com and QuakerOats.com.
What are the sizes and prices? 2.6 oz for $3.29 SRP and 5.2 oz for $5.19 SRP.
What is the protein source? Popped rice and pea protein.
How does this fit into PepsiCo’s broader strategy? Part of PepsiCo’s functional foods transformation. Recent launches in the same platform include Quaker Protein Granola Bars, Quaker Protein Old Fashioned Oats, Quaker Protein Instant Oatmeal, SmartFood Fiber Pop, SunChips Fiber, Doritos Protein, Pepsi Prebiotic Cola, and poppi Prebiotic Soda.
What does the consumer data show? A January 2026 PepsiCo survey found 86% of Americans are adding protein to their daily diet, 63% would choose snacks with added protein over regular ones, 54% prioritize protein during snacking, 70% want salty snacks to have protein, and 65% want sweet snacks with protein.
About Source86
Quaker Protein Rice Crisps’ nationwide launch reflects the functional snack segment’s growing demand for pea protein isolate at the particle size and protein concentration specifications required for integration into popped grain snack bases without compromising light, airy crisp texture, whole grain rice inputs at the moisture content and starch specifications required for a popped crisp manufacturing process delivering 9g whole grains per serving, natural chocolate and caramel flavor compounds for sweet protein snack applications without artificial flavors or preservatives, natural barbecue seasoning systems for savory protein snack applications meeting the same clean-label standard, and the co-manufacturing and co-packing infrastructure capable of producing dual-claim snacks (protein + whole grain + gluten free + no artificial additives) at national retail distribution volume under PepsiCo’s quality and certification standards. At Source86, we connect functional food manufacturers, better-for-you snack brands, and CPG co-manufacturers with trusted bulk and wholesale sourcing partners for pea protein isolate in functional food and snack applications, whole grain rice inputs for popped and puffed snack manufacturing, natural flavor compounds for protein-enriched snack seasonings, and the ingredient sourcing infrastructure that supports multi-claim functional snack launches at national CPG scale.
Whether your production team sources pea protein isolate for a popped grain snack application, whole grain rice inputs for a better-for-you crisp manufacturing program, or natural flavor compounds for a protein-enhanced sweet or savory snack seasoning, Source86 is your bridge to the right manufacturing and supply chain partners. Contact Source86 today to start your sourcing search.
