We Tried the New Protein Cereal Craze (Worth Buying?)
In a Nutshell
Truly cereal wins overall with high-quality casein and whey proteins delivering 18g protein in 170 calories while tasting excellent. Three Wishes and Legion rank high for taste and texture despite lower protein quality, while Cheerios Protein, Premier Protein, and Kashi Go rank lowest due to poor protein sources and underwhelming flavor. High-protein cereals require realistic expectations—those using whey, casein, or milk proteins taste better and deliver superior nutrition than wheat gluten or pea protein versions.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Protein cereals are an amazing product category, but it's helpful to couch expectations. If you expect protein cereal to taste as good as regular cereal, you're probably going to have a bad time. If you expect protein cereal to taste like high protein medicine that helps you get jacked, you're going to have an amazing time and be super pleasantly surprised.
Premier Protein high protein cereal is naturally flavored mixed berry almond from Post. The serving contains 180 calories loaded with 20g of protein, meaning about 44.5% of the calories are made of protein, making it the leader of the pack in protein concentration.
The number one ingredient is wheat gluten, which is not a high quality protein. The second ingredient is wheat protein isolate, also a very low quality protein. Pea protein concentrate is also included. Every single protein ingredient is not the gold standard of whey, casein, egg, or soy protein.
The taste is 100% fine with an awesome super duper crunch that maintains its crunch even after being soaked in milk for quite some time, unlike carbohydrate-based cereal. The product claims to be made of "100% yum" and states "deliciousness never tasted so good."
Three Wishes has 130 calories per serving with only 8g of protein, putting it at roughly 24.5% protein calories, which ranks pretty low. The ingredients list is straightforward: chickpea, tapioca, pea protein, organic cane sugar, cocoa, natural flavors, sea salt, and monk fruit extract. Due to the chickpea and pea protein, protein quality is not going to be high.
The cereal has big Cheerio-looking pieces with exceptional crunch and amazing mouthfeel. It may be one of the most cocoaiest things tasted in a long time - sweet but not too sweet. The taste and texture are loved, and it would be eaten even with no protein. Being grain-free makes it worth considering if grains cause stomach issues.
Cheerios with protein has 8g of protein in 150 calories, giving roughly 21.5% of calories from protein - the second lowest on the list. The ingredients include whole grain oats, sugar, pea protein, corn starch, corn syrup, canola and/or sunflower oil, salt, caramel flavor, tripotassium phosphate, natural flavor, vitamin E, and other vitamins.
The cereal has a strong chemical smell and comes in cookies and creme flavor. The taste is strange with an aftertaste, though not bad. The protein quality and quantity are subpar, placing it at the bottom of the pile.
For cereals that are low in protein with protein quality that is not great, dividing their protein contribution by half or taking a third of it for protein counting and counting the other half or two-thirds as carbs is a good approach when tracking macros.
Ghost cereal has 18g of protein in 170 calories, giving a 42.5% protein calories ratio - one of the chart toppers. The ingredients start with milk protein concentrate as the number one ingredient, followed by sodium caseinate (a form of casein), and soy protein isolate. The flavor tested was peanut butter.
High-protein cereal with high-quality protein has a distinct smell that might seem like it went bad. The cereal is not as crunchy due to the protein type used, but it's not overly sweet and convincingly tastes like peanut butter. The macros are great despite the smell.
Truly cereal has 18g of protein in 170 calories, tying for second highest protein concentration per calories. The number one ingredient is casein, followed by whey protein concentrate as rank two, and avocado oil as rank three. The flavor tested was fruity.
The cereal has maximum crunch factor, makes milk ridiculous colors, and tastes amazing - super sweet with an odd bubble gum taste. The protein to calorie ratio is amazing with high quality proteins. It can be put in an old baggie as a snack and functions as a high-protein meal by itself.
Legion has 17g of protein in 170 calories, giving 40% of calories from protein. The number one ingredient is milk protein bites made of milk protein concentrate, soluble tapioca fiber, and tapioca starch. The protein comes from milk protein, which is a high quality source.
The cereal smells great like cinnamon as advertised. It dissolves in the mouth quickly, is crunchy and sweet with lots of cinnamon flavor. The taste is damn good, though the mouthfeel is a little prickly and it rapidly turns to a sand-like consistency in milk and saliva.
Kashi Go has 10g of protein in 210 calories, giving the lowest protein to calorie ratio at roughly 19%. It contains 10g of fiber per serving with a ton of soluble and insoluble fiber. The ingredients include soy flakes, puffed whole grain blend, brown rice syrup, and semi-sweet chocolate. The only protein source is soy flakes, which is typically a complete and high-quality protein source.
The cereal has an inordinate amount of fiber that will have you going right through. The pieces are interesting-looking and hard to chew. It tastes wholesome and healthy but doesn't taste great - like eating bark or cocoa flavored bark. The description given is that it's an "adult taste" suitable for doing taxes and arguing with significant others.
Magic Spoon has 13g of protein in 150 calories, giving roughly 34.5% of calories from protein. The number one ingredient is milk protein blend made of casein and whey protein concentrate. The flavor tested was fruity.
The cereal smells exactly like Fruit Loops. The texture is good and crunchy, though a little slimy. The taste is summarized as Toucan Sam showing up for work but hungover - still god damn good cereal but not at his best. The protein is high quality, earning a stamp of approval.
Eighth place: Cheerios with protein - Not high quality protein with underwhelming taste, though there's a lot in the family size box.
Seventh place: Premier Protein - Low quality protein throughout despite having a lot of protein. Dry, mostly tasteless, with strange aftertaste.
Sixth place: Kashi Go - Not a lot of protein but decent quality protein with a crap ton of fiber. Some other cereals are just god damn good.
Fifth place: Ghost - Most Ghost products are better than this cereal. The macros are great, but taste wasn't preferred. Don't take one person's word for it - try it yourself.
Fourth place: Magic Spoon - Makes the top half, which is damn good given the stacked list. When expecting Fruity Pebbles but getting something healthier, it won't taste as expected. Fine cereal with milk protein for high quality protein.
Third place: Three Wishes - Despite having seemingly no high-quality protein and only 8g per 130 calories, it's damn good with exceptional mouthfeel and crunch like none other. Contains chickpeas and organic cane sugar.
Second place: Legion Protein Cereal Cinnamon Crunch - Can keep eating because it's that good. High-quality protein that works as a primary protein source. The only downside is the mouthfeel being a little prickly and rapidly going to a sand-like consistency in milk and saliva.
First place: Truly cereal - No equal. Would eat this all the time. Ultra-high-quality protein as the number one ingredient with a ton of protein and not so many calories. The contents are a bonus to the fact that it tastes really good and smells even better.
Truly Chocolate Peanut Butter - Kept wanting for something good to emerge but it never did. The more it lingers, the more it seems like it might not be it.
Magic Spoon Peanut Butter - Not really sweet at all, just getting the grain part despite having no grains. The imagination is trippy but this flavor isn't it.
Magic Spoon Chocolate Chip Cookie - Has a hell of a smell. They tried to put little chocolate chip cookies on the cereal but they're really just little colored patches of brown. The smell test was quit-worthy.
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