No, it’s not a dream. Low carb cereal really does exist! This easy keto Cinnamon Crunch Cereal is a delicious grain free and sugar free breakfast option. Perfect for busy mornings.
Try my keto oatmeal for another delicious easy breakfast.
It was time to give this well loved low carb cereal recipe an update. This post was first published in December 2o13 but I decided it was time to update the recipe, the photos, and even add a video to show you just how easy it is to make.
Also be sure to check out my Chocolate Keto Cereal. It’s nut-free and so crispy and delicious!
It’s no secret that diet, exercise and fitness are very important to me. It’s truly the whole reason for this blog. I love being creative in the kitchen and playing around with my ingredients, certainly. But more than that, I love knowing that my recipes are helping those of you on a weight-loss or health journey find your love of food again. Because food is fuel, but it’s also happiness and comfort. A healthy diet shouldn’t be about deprivation because that inevitably leads to failure. We are so much more likely to succeed when we love what we eat.
Giving up cereal on a keto diet can be difficult for a lot of people. I get that, it’s a convenience food most of us grew up with. There’s nothing easier than pouring some cereal out of a box, adding some milk, and going on your merry way.
Well, you really don’t have to give that up at all. This low carb Cinnamon Crunch cereal proves that beyond a shadow of a doubt. And it’s remarkably easy to make too. Perhaps not quite as easy as pouring your cereal from a box but it’s close.
How To Make Low Carb Cereal
This easy cinnamon crunch has been a reader favorite for a long time and with good reason. You only need 5 simple ingredients:
- Almond flour
- Shredded coconut or flax seed meal
- An erythritol based sweetener
- Cinnamon
- Butter
The recipe takes no eggs, which I know many people appreciate. It relies entirely on the butter, sweetener, and almond flour to set and crisp up. The sweetener is important here as erythritol based sweeteners, like Swerve, are best for a truly crispy cereal.
You could cut it into nice little squares if you so choose, but that’s an extra and unnecessary step, in my opinion. You can simply break the cereal into bite sized pieces with your hands.
But you absolutely must make sure to let the cereal cool completely before breaking it up. When you first take it out of the oven, it will be quite soft and it only becomes crispy as it cools.
Can you have cereal on a low carb diet?
Well now you can! You actually have a lot more options than you think. I’ve made quite a number of keto cereal and granola recipes and they are all delicious.
When it comes to crunchy keto cereal, you can make it with nuts, pork rinds, coconut, nut butter, nut flour, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, and so on. Some recipes require eggs to help bind the the cereal together, and others don’t. You can make them into flakes or just leave them chunky like granola. You can even make low carb hot cereal for a comforting breakfast on a cold day.
There are so many wonderful options and they are usually quite easy to make. And many of them can be stored for up to a few weeks without issue. I like to store mine in glass mason jars on the counter and my kids love being able to pour themselves a bowl of low carb cereal in the mornings.
This is keto convenience food at its finest.
Want more delicious low carb cereal recipes?
Chocolate and Orange Spiced Granola
Low Carb Cinnamon Crunch Cereal
Ingredients
Cereal:
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut OR flax seed meal
- 1/3 cup Swerve Sweetener
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 6 tbsp butter chilled and cut into small pieces
Cinnamon Sugar Topping:
- 1 tbsp Swerve Sweetener
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the almond flour, coconut, sweetener and cinnamon. Pulse a few times to combine.
- Scatter butter pieces over mixture and pulse until it resembles coarse crumbs.
- Spread on prepared pan and cover with another sheet of parchment or waxed paper. Use a rolling pin and/or your hands to press down firmly so that the cereal sticks together. Remove the top sheet of paper. Bake 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.
- While baking, combine the topping ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the cereal immediately after removing from oven.
- Let cool completely on pan (it will crisp up as it cools) and then break into small pieces.
Video
Jori says
You have the best recipes!! Hats off to you! Wondering if this freezes well?
Carolyn says
Hmmm, I’ve never tried freezing cereal before. I think you might have to experiment! Cookies stay crisp as long as they are in an airtight container so I think this would as well.
Susana Caballero says
Oh my gosh this recipe is absolutely delicious 😋
By far the best cereal recipe and so low carb my little sister loved it ❤️ 🥰 definitely will be making more , thank you so much you’re an angel 😇
Lucy says
My mind is actually blown! This is really good! I cut the recipe in half because I’m tired of baking keto stuff that’s only mediocre and I never end up eating more than a little bit. I’m not the biggest fan of sugar substitutes. But this is fire !!! 🔥🔥🔥. I had a bite with almond milk and oooh am I excited to eat this tomorrow morning. And I will def make a full batch tomorrow as well, so I’ll have some for the rest of the week. It was so easy and fast too!!
Carolyn says
That’s so great to hear!
Amy says
I LOVE this recipe!! It is my favorite keto recipe by far. I love to eat it as cereal with some cream or as a crumble on top of a dessert. I follow your recipe and suggestions exactly and it turns out perfectly every single time! Thank you, thank you!!
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
Joana says
Hello! I’ve done this a few times now, everytime comes different specially because I don’t have some of the ingredients but it still tastes yummy.
I replaced Flax with milled Lineseed (same quantity) it tastes awesome.
I use xylitol as that’s the only thing I have, only reduced to 1/4 cup instead, they don’t crisp up too much but still it’s hard to resist to eat the whole lot in one go.
I’m in the process of trying to mix up powedered cocoa and in other batch a pinch of ginger… Lets see.
But thank you, love your recipes for inspiration!
Paulette says
What a great combo: an easy-to-make recipe that tastes delicious. Now I don’t have to succumb to sugary breakfast cereals. Thank you!
Bobbie says
I don’t usually comment on bloggers pages but I had to come say how incredibly thankful I am for this recipe! I have missed cereal so much this past year on Keto and this literally had my jumping for joy! I left a great review on pinterest😉 Thanks so so much!❤️
Carolyn says
Thank you!
Tamra says
My favorite go to for a crunchy snack!!
Jay says
What is the shelf life for this cearel? Or does it need to be refrigerated after opening? Sorry if I missed this somewhere.
Carolyn says
No need to refrigerate for at least a week. I store mine in a covered container on the counter.
Livia says
Waste of ingredients, it burnt after only 15min. I used almond flour, coconut, measured all other ingredients, oven at 300F, placed the pan in the middle of the oven and after 15min of cooking I smelled it started to burn.
Must be something I am doing wrong.
Carolyn says
You may want to check your oven with an oven thermometer. As you can see from the comments, this is a popular recipe made by many people, and you’re the only person I know who had it burn.
Tracey says
I don’t own a food processor but do have a blender and hand mixer. Can I use one of those instead for this recipe?
Carolyn says
I honestly can’t say… depends on how high powdered they are, if they can break things up enough.
Margaret Freeman says
Oh jeeze, this is fantastic. I haven’t even cooked it yet and I have eaten a good handful….Your recipes are truly amazing!!
Ally says
I just tried making this for breakfast today and made a smaller batch, mostly because I didn’t want to turn the oven on so I made it in the toaster oven. It didn’t turn out super well, burned around the edges, and it’s mostly a crumbly mess. I’m sure part of that is that I made it in the toaster where the temperature is harder to control… hopefully I can try the oven soo. Because it still tastes awesome!!
Kelly J says
Wowza! This was the first recipe of yours I made and it did not disappoint! Two days ago I made a cereal from someone else’s recipe and it was NOT good. I almost didn’t make yours out of fear of wasting yet more ingredients. I haven’t tried it yet in milk, but plain is delicious. I didn’t use a food processor since I hate cleaning it. I just used a hand pastry cutter tool to blend in and chop up the butter. I used granular Swerve (vs confectioners) and the coconut option instead of the flaxseed. Thank you! The recipe is definitely a keeper and I will be trying more recipes!
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
Cassie says
Amazing! I am finding it hard not to just munch on it by itself! I cut it into squares while slightly warm and then finished letting it cool so I didn’t need to break it apart. Thank you!
The Printing Daddy says
Thank you so much, Karen. It is honestly comments like this that keep me going. I love the taste of this cereal. Thanks for sharing with us.
Becca Taylor says
I just made this and holy cow!! I have missed cereal so much and this was so easy and soooo good! Thank you thank you thank you!!!
Carolyn says
So glad you liked it!
Lisa says
Can I sub the shredded coconut with something else I’m dying to make this but I don’t have any on hand!
Carolyn says
You can do more almond flour in the same amount.
Lisa says
Thank you!!! I love all your recipes. The cookbook is beautiful!!
Lanée Johnson says
Thank you Carolyn!! My son with type 1 has been asking and asking and asking for some sort of low carb breakfast cereal. Why it took me so long to come across this recipe, I don’t know but I’m glad I finally did. He said it tastes just like his old favorite, Cinnamon Life. So happy to have another breakfast favorite to add into his rotation to keep him happy and motivated! You are the BEST!
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
Julie Meadows says
This is INCREDIBLE. I’ve been having a pity party because I can no longer eat cereal. THIS is the answer. Thank you so much. You make low carb more satisfying. I can’t wait to check out the rest of your recipes. God bless you for sharing.