The Aldi cereal aisle is a wonderland of dupes. If there’s a cereal you love, Millville, Aldi’s proprietary cereal brand, probably makes a knockoff. Obviously, not all of them are created equal. Some are as delicious, if not more delicious, than their name brand counterparts. Some of them will make you wish you spent a few extra bucks on the genuine article.
For this taste test, we loaded up our cart with 21 boxes of cereal, from Aldi Chex cereal to dupes of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cocoa Puffs, and Cheerios. We didn’t taste them head to head with the brand name cereals they emulate—I can handle 21 bowls of cereal, but 42 bowls of cereal is pushing it—so we judged them purely on their own merits, including taste and texture. Then we painstakingly ranked them from worst to best. Before you go to Aldi for cereal, read this list of the best Aldi cereal you can buy.
- Millville Corn Squares
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These do not taste good, plain and simple. They smelled a little dusty when I opened the box, which was a sign of things to come. The corn flavor is unpleasant and overwhelming. If you want to buy an Aldi Chex cereal, buy the Rice Squares instead—they’re much more delicious.
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- Millville Crispy Oats
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Cheerios are super boring and I pretty much never buy them (Honey Nut Cheerios are a different story, of course), but they’re popular for a reason. They have a rich, oaty flavor that transports you back to childhood. Unfortunately, that pleasant flavor is pretty much absent from this Aldi cereal. Millville Crispy Oats should be called Millville Cardboard Rounds.
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- Millville Berry Kid’s Krunch
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There is so much artificial berry flavor in this cereal that it reminded me of chewable vitamins. Kids probably won’t be fazed, but I think anyone over the age of 10 will be freaked out by the candy-like flavor. I will say that the Cap’n Crunch-esque bits are good on their own—very light and crispy and sweet—but the berries spoil the pot.
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- Millville Kookies
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I’m not sure I’ve ever eaten Cookie Crisp. For all I know, this could be a very faithful dupe! All the same, this Aldi cereal is just not it. The cookie-shaped cereal bits are way too big, which makes eating a bowl kind of unpleasant. It has a cloying sugar cookie sort of flavor. And the little chocolatey chip bits are lies. This box also has the creepiest mascot—stop leering at me while I’m trying to eat my breakfast!
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- Millville Bran Flakes
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I’d never buy bran flakes, but I would go out of my way to avoid these. The flakes are too big. They tasted a little stale. There have to be better ways to get your daily dose of fiber than eating this lackluster Millville cereal. (In fact, there are better ways. Just check out our ranking of the best fiber cereal.)
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- Millville Frosted Bite Size Shredded Wheat
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Now we’re getting into “just okay” territory. These are a little bit harder than I remember actual Shredded Mini Wheats being and the sugary drizzle is just too hard and crunchy. They aren’t terrible, but you can do better.
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- Millville Cocoa Peanut Butter Puffs
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In my notes I wrote, “These are too dusty,” and I stand by that. They do have a lot of peanut flavor, but the experience of eating them is a little unpleasant because of how coated in peanutty dust they are. Maybe Reese’s Puffs are like this? Either way, I would not personally buy these again. They do have a little bit of saltness that’s compelling and the crunch is good. But again, dust.
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- Millville Raisin Bran
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I love raisins and I love generic raisin bran. I eat it for dessert all the time (raisins are fruit so it’s good for me, I figure). But Aldi raisin bran is not an excellent version of generic raisin bran. The flakes are way too big and all in all it just doesn’t taste nearly as good as what I buy from my grocery store (Signature Select Raisin Bran, if you were wondering). If you like a raisin cereal, there’s a better option farther down on this list.
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- Millville Rice Squares
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If you’re looking for an Aldi Chex cereal, this is the one to buy. The squares are light and crispy and have a nice, toasty rice flavor. A really delicious if plain cereal. I recommend topping it with a spoonful of sugar like we did when we were kids.
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- Millville Crispy Rice
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Aldi’s Rice Krispies dupe is good! Light and crispy. The rice bits snap, crackle, and pop. It lands in the middle because plain Rice Krispies just aren’t terribly exciting. But if you’re using these for Rice Krispies Treats or another crispy rice recipe, I highly doubt you could tell the difference between this generic version and the real thing.
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- Millville Cinnamon Crunch Squares
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Cinnamon Crunch Squares, Aldi’s Cinnamon Toast Crunch Dupe, are a bit too crunchy and dense. The box I purchased didn’t taste super fresh either. Still, they’re coated in cinnamon sugar and that sure helps!
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- Millville Corn Flakes
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Aldi corn flakes are very tasty! The corn flavor is pleasant, almost savory, and the flakes are itty bitty and light. These also come in a gargantuan box. So, you can use them for a lot of things, like breading chicken or bulking up meatloaf. This is a great, tasty all-purpose cereal to have around the house.
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- Millville Crunchy Granola Raisin Bran
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This Millville cereal, Aldi’s take on Raisin Bran Crunch, is really tasty and much better than the regular raisin bran. The flakes are smaller and taste better. They take on a little bit of cinnamony flavor from the granola clusters. There’s lots of nice, chewy raisins in the box, but my criticism of this cereal is that it needs way more granola clusters!! This is nice and sweet and makes the milk sweet. Aldi, start using these flakes for your regular raisin bran!
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- Fit & Active Vitality Cereal with Red Berries
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The flakes are very crunchy and the strawberries are very tart. Yes, the flakes could have more flavor, honestly, but it’s nice that they’re coated in sweetener. Personally, I would not be able to tell the difference between this and Special K Red Berries, and that seems to be the point of this Aldi cereal, so I think they nailed it!
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- Millville Cinnamon Balance
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This is not a dupe for Cinnamon Life, but it’s still good. Life, a cereal I buy frequently, is smaller and more delicate. These squares are kind of crunchy and chunky, but that also means they pack a lot of sweetness and nice cinnamon flavor. If you don’t expect this to be exactly like Life, it’s pretty dang good for a cheap Aldi cereal.
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- Millville Frosted Flakes
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Millville Frosted Flakes are a dupe for—you’ll never guess—Frosted Flakes. Like Aldi corn flakes, these come in a huge box. The flakes are very coated in frosting, which makes them sweet and crunchy. This would be a hard one to screw up and I’m glad to report they didn’t.
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- Millville Fruit Rounds
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Color-wise, these are a little less vibrant than Froot Loops, but they really nail that signature citrusy tang. They’re sweet but not too sweet. Both kids and adults will appreciate this Aldi cereal. The bird on the box has zero rizz, but that’s okay—not everyone can be Toucan Sam.
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- Millville Honey Crunch N Oats
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This cereal advertises on the box that it won a gold medal from the American Masters of Taste. I do not know what that is, but I agree with them that this is a very tasty cereal. It combines two types of flakes: plain corn flakes and corn flakes that are coated in sugar—cinnamon sugar. They’re extremely tasty. And, unlike Millville Crunchy Granola Raisin Bran, this box is packed with big, sweet granola clusters. I would eat this Aldi cereal for breakfast any day of the week.
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- Millville Honey Nut Crispy Oats
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Millville Honey Nut Crispy Oats are leaps and bounds better than their plain Crispy Oats. They actually have that Cheerios-esque oaty flavor, plus a wonderful burst of sweetness that really fills your mouth with flavor. They’re crispy and crunchy and highly satisfying in creamy oat milk. Buy these!
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- Millville Chocolate Puffs
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I can’t say how much this tastes like Cocoa Puffs, but I will say it is delicious. The puffs have a lot of cocoa flavor—on first bite, it reminded me of the cookie part of an Oreo. They’re crunchy and hold up nicely in milk. Plus, I left them sitting for a minute while I took my notes and they turned the milk into delicious chocolate milk. If you eat cereal as an after-dinner treat like I do, this is one of the best Aldi cereals, for sure.
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- Millville Honey Wheat Puffs
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Honey Wheat Puffs (aka Aldi’s take on Honey Smacks) are excellent, fresh and crispy with a wonderful honey sweetness. They also tasted very fresh. It’s the best Aldi cereal because it’s sweet without being too sweet, crispy without being too crunchy, and highly satisfying in milk. I’ll definitely buy these again.
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