We Tried New Cheerios Protein Cereal and It’s Surprisingly Good

You guys, Cheerios did it! They made a protein cereal that doesn’t taste kinda weird and gross! Granted, there’s a big difference between these new Protein Cheerios and most of the other protein cereals on the market: See, what Cheerios did is make a protein cereal that isn’t keto friendly. Brands like Magic Spoon and GHOST make their protein cereals with alternative sweeteners so they’ll be low sugar and things like milk protein so they’ll be low carb. If you’re keto, you’ll definitely be willing to adjust to the softer crunch and mouth-coating nature of Magic Spoon and GHOST if it means you can eat a bowl of cereal. If you’re not keto, rejoice: There’s finally a protein-enhanced cereal with enough sugar and carbs to taste great. Huzzah! 

We picked up boxes of the new Cheerios protein cereal in all three flavors: Strawberry, Cookies & Creme, and Cinnamon. They’re all pretty good, but one flavor will be our new go-to protein cereal. Keto? Never met her! 

New Product!

Strawberry Cheerios Protein

Walmart

Pros: Main pro? The protein content, obviously. There are 8g in a serving of Protein Cheerios, and you can bump that on up to 14g if you eat it with ¾ cup of skim milk. (Magic Spoon has 13g per serving without the milk.) And I gotta say, Protein Cheerios taste pretty much exactly like Cheerios, but they’re a little smaller and maybe a touch crunchier because of the pea protein in the mix. The morsels still have that nice, oaty Cheerios flavor.

Cons: Strawberry Cheerios—protein or not—aren’t for me, and if they aren’t for me, they probably aren’t for a lot of people. I lost my shit for Strawberry Milkshake Frosted Flakes back in 2022, but something about the flavor of these new Strawberry Protein Cheerios reminded me of penicillin—and not in a good way. 

Rating:

6.5/10

Sporks

New Product!

Cookies & Creme Cheerios Protein

Walmart

Pros: Same pros as above: protein and that classic, oaty Cheerios flavor. Very tasty! You get two different morsels in this box to achieve the flavor combo: little chocolatey Cheerios to communicate “cookie” flavor and Cheerios coated with a vanilla-tinged glaze to communicate “creme.” The vanilla/creme Cheerios taste great, but I can’t say the same for the chocolatey cookie Cheerios. 

Cons: Yep, the brown little hoops in this box just taste kind of weird. And they certainly don’t taste like the cocoa-flavored sandwich cookies pictured on the box. The creme Cheerios almost make up for it, but not quite. 

Rating:

7/10

Sporks

New Product!

Cinnamon Cheerios Protein 

Walmart

Pros: I’m a freak for Apple Cinnamon Cheerios (the little dehydrated apple bits drive me wild!), but straight-up Cinnamon Cheerios might be even better—even with the added pea protein! They have an assertive, spicy flavor that’s sweet and I actually think the pea protein might add a little bit of savory, bready note that pairs well with the sweet cinnamon-y glaze.

Cons: Okay, fine. I’ll admit that a lot of people who are seeking out protein cereal probably don’t want to start their day with a bowlful of sugar, and these cereals are pretty sugary at 11-12g sugar per 1 cup serving.  But if sugar and carbs fit into your protein-pumped diet, you should definitely try these.

Rating:

9/10

Sporks