The work aims to demonstrate the effect of different varieties of rice as processing raw materials on the quality of rice cakes in terms of appearance and texture. 'Ning 84', 'Ning 88', 'Yong You 12', 'Yong You 15' and 'Yong You 1540' were selected as raw materials, and their starch composition, textural characteristics, boiling tolerance and chromatic aberration were measured after being processed into rice cakes to characterize their texture and appearance quality. According to results of the correlation analysis, the amylose content and amylose to amylopectin ratio of rice cakes showed positive and negative correlations with their hardness and cohesiveness, respectively (the absolute values of correlation coefficients were greater than 0.8), while the amylopectin content and resilience showed positive correlation with a correction coefficient of 0.71. The resilience, cohesiveness and hardness indexes of 'Ning 84' variety were the most excellent among the samples tested and showed significant differences, representing a soft and chewy texture, but its color was yellowish and dark. The 'Yong You 1540' variety had the best boiling tolerance and color. The pros and cons of various rice varieties as raw materials for rice cakes imply the need to select and breed special rice varieties for rice cakes on the one hand, and the need to focus on raw material selection and subsequent development of rice cake products according to target markets and consumer preferences on the other hand. This paper reports and reveals the effect of rice varieties on characteristics of rice cakes, providing a theoretical guide for the technological development of related industries.