Best Breakfast Cereals From Consumer Reports' Tests

Wholesome-looking packaging and one or two “superfood” ingredients don’t necessarily translate to a better cereal. In our tests, classics such as Cheerios and Grape-Nuts Flakes rated better for nutrition than newcomers with ingredients like flax, turmeric, and ancient grains. “These ingredients don’t guarantee extra benefits and, in a few cases, had drawbacks,” Keating says. For example, Nature’s Path Organic Golden Turmeric Cereal is among the lowest in fiber in our tests, while Special K Protein Honey Almond Ancient Grains is high in added sugars and has soy protein isolate, a highly processed ingredient.

Some cereals are fortified with vitamins and minerals, but that doesn’t make a sugary cereal good for you.

Their higher protein and lower sugars content can make grain-free cereals seem appealing, particularly to people on a paleo or keto diet. The ones we looked at range from 4 to 12 grams of protein and 0 to 4 grams of added sugars per serving; some are sweetened with allulose or monk fruit, sugar substitutes with negligible calories. (The grain cereals have 2 to 15 grams of protein and 0 to 18 grams of added sugars.) They aren’t low-carb, though. Their carbs come from bean flours, cassava (a root vegetable), and tapioca and potato starches instead of from grains. Those on the higher side for protein rely, in many cases, on processed isolated proteins from sources like lentils, milk, and peas.

You don’t have to go grain-free to get more protein. Serving cereal with a cup of low-fat dairy or soy milk, or ¾ cup of low-fat yogurt, adds around 8 grams of protein, similar to an egg, Keating says. As for sugars, several lower-sugar grain cereals in our tests earned top marks for taste. None of the six grain-free cereals was a flavor standout. They also cost around twice as much as traditional cereals.

Cereal serving sizes range from ⅔ cup to 1½ cups. That amount can look puny in a bowl, and most people eat more. In a CR test, participants were asked to pour out the amount of cereal they’d typically eat. Almost everyone overpoured—by 43 to 114 percent more than the serving on the box when using a medium-sized bowl, depending on the type of cereal.

That’s not necessarily unhealthy, but you should be aware of how much you’re eating. For instance, 2 cups of Post Great Grains Raisins, Dates & Pecans, which received a Very Good nutrition score, has over 500 calories. “Pour the amount you normally eat, and measure it,” Keating says. “Then do the math so you know how many calories and how much sugars and sodium you’re really getting.”

To be clear, a cereal doesn’t have to be sugar-free to make it a healthy breakfast. “Let’s pick our battles wisely,” Salge Blake says. If some sugar helps you make a fiber-rich, nutrient-packed cereal part of your morning routine, it’s worth it.

And our testers gave several lightly sweetened cereals high marks for nutrition and taste. Among the 10 that are recommended in our ratings, eight had around 1 teaspoon (4 grams) of added sugars or less per serving, and all received Excellent or Very Good taste scores.

CR’s nutrition experts recommend choosing a cereal with less than 6 grams of added sugars (1½ teaspoons). When you consider the fact that people tend to eat more than one serving of cereal in a meal, you see how the sugars can add up. One way to keep the sweetness without overdoing it on added sugars is to blend half a serving of a favorite sugary cereal with half a serving of a less sugary one. Or try topping a lower-sugar option with fruit, which will add fiber, as well as sweeten it up without any added sugars.

Howe we test: The nutrition score is based on values from the nutrition facts panel (e.g., sodium, fiber, added sugars), and the number of processed ingredients in the cereal, such as preservatives and isolated proteins or fibers. The quantity of whole grains and organic certification are also factored in. The taste score is based on the results of a tasting panel of trained sensory experts. Cereals were tasted with and without milk. Because the ingredients are so different, grain-free cereals are rated separately.