Protein cereals have gone mainstream lately, making it easier all the time to find them on the grocery store shelves whether that’s right in the cereal aisle or the health foods section. But don’t be fooled – just because it says PROTEIN in big, bold letters doesn’t mean you’ll actually get a huge protein boost. Protein is having a huge moment (for good reason) and all the companies are trying to cash in, including your favorite cereal brands. I’m here to help you sort through all the flashy boxes and find the ones that are actually worth your money!
I struggled a little bit when I was picking out brands for this edition of my Quest for the Best product review series…I kept finding myself asking “where do you draw the line? What counts as protein cereal?” Because there are a lot of cereals on the market that don’t actually say PROTEIN in big bold letters on the packaging, but still offer just as many grams of protein per serving as the brands that do. Yep, seriously!
In the end, I stuck with the ones that call themselves “protein cereal.” When you’re scrolling through the brands below, pay attention to the calorie content and macro ratios to make sure whichever ceral(s) you choose to spend your hard earned dolla dolla bills on will work for you and your goals.
Scoring and Ranking the Cereals
For me, taste and texture are the most important deciding factors for whether or not I’ll recommend a protein cereal, so they’re weighed more heavily in scoring. I also scored the cereals for their macros and value.
- Taste – Scored out of 10 possible points.
- Texture – Scored out of 10 possible points.
- Macros – Scored out of 5 possible points. Cereals that have at least 40% of calories from protein scored highest and ones that have less than 20% of calories from protein scored lowest.
- Value – Scored out of 5 possible points. Cereals that were less than $1 per serving scored highest, and cereals that cost over $2.50 per serving got no points in this category.
While I tried to be as objective as possible when scoring these cereals, at the end of the day, we probably care about different things when it comes to our breakfast (or snack, or anytime meal). Feel free to consider all the details for yourself and come to your own conclusion!
Quick rundown of different colors you’ll see below:
- Yellow (on the macro ratio) indicates carb content.
- Blue (on the macro ratio) indicates protein content.
- Green (on the macro ratio) indicates fat content.
see all the reviews:
Protein Cereal Comparison Chart
Want to see all my reviews in one spot? Check out the full spreadsheet, including reviews of all the flavors I tried for each brand!
Highly Recommended Protein Cereals
Post Premier Protein Cereal
Chocolate almond
For the macros and price point, this is a really great option that packs a ton of chocolate flavor!
- Taste: 9/10. Really great, deep chocolate flavor. I knocked 1 point off because you do taste just a hint of the pea protein.
- Texture: 8/10. The flakes are really thin and crispy. They work well when they soften up a bit in milk though.
Truely Protein Cereal
Cocoa
I loved the Cocoa flavor, but the other flavors didn’t stack up as well. Check out the full spreadsheet for my reviews of 3 other flavors – Blueberry Muffin, Chocolate Peanut Butter, and Fruity.
- Taste: 10/10. Really rich cocoa flavor that’s not too sweet!
- Texture: 9/10. Really good texture, not too crispy or airy. I took off a point because it got a bit stuck in my teeth.
Ghost Protein Cereal
with marshmallows
If you love Lucky Charms, you should definitely give this one a try! Gets really soft in milk, so be careful not to let it sit.
- Taste: 8/10. This one is a little too sweet for me to eat as breakfast, but it doesn’t taste overly artificial.
- Texture: 8.5/10. Much more like regular cereal texture than some of the other options. Light and airy, but not overly crunchy. The marshmallows are great too!
Cheerios Protein Cereal
cookies & creme
An easily accessible option that you can find anywhere, doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, and kids will still love it. The Cookies & Creme flavor was my least favorite from this brand, so check out the full spreadsheet for my reviews of 2 other flavors – Strawberry and Cinnamon.
- Taste: 7/10. Tasty, but I really don’t get a chocolate flavor or cookies and cream.
- Texture: 10/10. The texture is like regular Cheerios.
Catalina Crunch Protein Cereal
Dark chocolate
I’d buy this one again, but compared to other brands, the volume of the recommended serving size is much smaller.
- Taste: 7/10. The chocolate flavor is a bit artificial, but has a good richness to it. I wish it was a little sweeter.
- Texture: 10/10. The grahams aren’t overly crispy and are a lot like regular cereal. It softens up nicely in milk, but isn’t soggy.
Recommended with Reservations
These cereals are still worth trying, but haven’t earned a “highly recommended” mark because of taste, texture, or macro ratio.
Magic Spoon Protein Cereal
cocoa
While I tried my best to compare all the cocoa cereals against one another, Magic Spoon’s Cocoa flavor falls short of some of their other flavors.
- Taste: 5/10. I struggled to get the cocoa flavor here. It’s pretty bland and could use more sweetness and cocoa flavor.
- Texture: 9/10. The texture is great! Doesn’t get soggy in cereal and has a great, full-bodied crunch that doesn’t seem like it’s just full of air like some competitors. If you’re the type who loves soggy cereal, you might be waiting a while.
Legion Protein Cereal
Chocolate Crunch
Chocolate was my least favorite flavor from Legion, with Fruity Crunch and Cinnamon Crunch coming in at 8 and 9 out of 10 on taste, respectively.
- Taste: 7/10. There’s a decent amount of chocolate flavor, but it’s very artificial tasting.
- Texture: 6/10. Very crunchy and airy, so you get a lot of volume in each serving, but don’t expect the texture of regular cereal.
Three Wishes Protein Cereal
cocoa
This is one of the brands that’s gotten relatively easy to find in grocery stores, usually in the health food or gluten-free section.
- Taste: 5/10. Not enough cocoa flavor or sweetness. A bit cardboard-y.
- Texture: 8/10. Not far off from regular cereal, but seems a bit dense.
Special K Protein Cereal
original multi-grain
The serving size of this one is bigger than most, but that comes with more calories and still only 10 grams of protein.
- Taste: 6/10. This tastes pretty bland, like an average bran cereal. If you plan to top it with fruit, it’s probably fine.
- Texture: 8/10. Not overly crispy, really just your average bran flakes.
Kashi GO Protein + Fiber Cereal
chocolate crunch
This is a pretty “normal” healthy cereal that has above average protein and fiber content, but I don’t think it really belongs in the protein cereal category.
- Taste: 6/10. Not much chocolate flavor and it tastes almost burnt, but really toasty. Could use a lot more sweetness too.
- Texture: 6/10. More like granola than cereal, this is along the lines of other Kashi cereals with lots of different grains and textures that make it a lot to chew through.
Not Recommended
Special K Zero Cereal
strawberry creme
While the macros and texture are great, I couldn’t get past the artificial strawberry flavor to keep eating this one.
- Taste: 4/10. The strawberry flavor is pretty artificial and has a sweetness that leaves a weird aftertaste.
- Texture: 9/10. Great classic cereal crunch that’s not overly crunchy and softens up nicely in milk.
Wholesome Provisions Protein Cereal
Cocoa
I’ve only tried the cocoa flavor from this brand but wouldn’t buy again based on the taste. Plus, it’s super expensive!!
- Taste: 5/10. The pea protein flavor really comes through in this cereal, overpowering the chocolate. I could also use more sweetness.
- Texture: 6/10. Quite crispy, but still works decently well in milk – it softens up but doesn’t get soggy easily.
WonderSlim Protein Cereal
cocoa
The individual packets can help with portion control, but I think it’s just a pain that likely contributes to the high price of this cereal. This cereal is sweetened with allulose.
- Taste: 4/10. I couldn’t really taste the cocoa flavor. It doesn’t taste bad, just bland and not nearly enough cocoa.
- Texture: 6/10. Really crispy and airy, works okay in milk but still quite crisp.
see all the reviews:
Protein Cereal Comparison Chart
Want to see all my reviews in one spot? Check out the full spreadsheet, including reviews of all the flavors I tried for each brand!
Note: I was not provided any compensation or samples to endorse these products. The views expressed here are my own. The Amazon links contained in this post are affiliate links, meaning that if you buy anything from Amazon after clicking through these links, I’ll earn a small commission (usually just a few pennies) from your purchase. Your purchase price will be the same whether you use my affiliate links or navigate to Amazon independently.
Find More Great Products
