Craving cereal for breakfast? It’s easy to make your own grain-free low carb cinnamon crunch!
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. 
So it’s no wonder that, when asked looking for examples of kindness and generosity, a story about paying it forward with health really resonated with me. A blogger friend of mine, Maria, also runs a nutritional consulting business and has changed the lives of many of her clients. She has helped people with numerous illnesses and health problems find their way back to full health through diet and exercise. But naturally, as this is Maria’s livelihood, the consulting sessions aren’t cheap. She is dedicated to her clients and I am sure she would love to help everyone for free, but that’s simply not realistic. 
However, one of her clients had such success with the dietary changes Maria prescribed that she decided to take it upon herself to share with 10 strangers. She agreed to pay for a consultation with Maria for 10 people who couldn’t afford it for themselves, no strings attached. Now that’s paying it forward! And in a way that will presumably help these 10 strangers for years to come, as they will be armed with nutritional know-how to keep themselves in better health. It’s such a beautiful gift. 
And in the spirit of gratitude and kindness, I want to take this moment to thank all of you who reach out to me and tell me how much you love my recipes. Some of you have shared your personal stories, and many of you have struggled with your weight, diabetes and other major health concerns. Hearing from you and knowing you find my recipes helpful in achieving and maintaining a healthier lifestyle is what keeps me going, every day. I love doing what I do, because I love cooking and I love food. But I especially love knowing that it’s bigger than that, that it actually touches people’s lives and makes them better. I promise I will keep sharing with you. Don’t ever stop sharing with me.
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Cinnamon Crunch Cereal and Paying It Forward
Ingredients
Cereal
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup golden flax seed meal
- 1/3 cup Swerve Sweetener
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 8 tbsp butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- 2 tbsp Swerve Sweetener
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine almond flour, flax seed meal, 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 bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. While baking, combine sweetener and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle over mixture immediately after removing from oven.
- Let cool completely on pan (it will crisp up as it cools) and then break into small pieces.
Serves 6. Each serving has 7 g of carbs and 5 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 2 g.
284 Calories; 28g Fat (82.2% calories from fat); 6g Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 41mg Cholesterol; 156mg Sodium.
Whoa em gee, you don’t know how badly I needed this particular recipe at this particular point. Worn down by Christmassiness, I’d been eating my parents’ Cinnamon Life cereal for the last couple days which, for various reasons, is a terrible idea for me. AND I HAVE THE INGREDIENTS FOR YOUR CEREAL. It’s a boxing day miracle, for real. Thank you for what you do.
Haha I love when the stars align and I have all the ingredients on hand for something I’ve been craving/need a healthier alternative for.
PERFECT!! I have been looking for something crunchy and sweet to put on top of my homemade Greek style yogurt for a low carb breakfast, (replacing high carb granola) this is it!! Thank you.
Hi Carolyn
I am thankful for you and for Maria Emmerich as well. Your biscotti recipe and a few others make my low carb life possible and enjoyable. Maria E’s bread with psyllium recipe is another that keeps me happy and healthy. Thank you both. My life is revolutionized in these past 2 years and I couldn’t have sustained low carb eating without you. Your almond tea cake recipe was my first venture into almond flour and erythritol, etc—low carb cooking and eating would just be too drab and boring for me without your recipes.
Blessings and thanks,
(I do leave out the fat in your biscotti recipe and add another egg instead — because I like the texture better,, not because I’m anti-fat. The biscotti are perfect this way I think–both in prep and in taste )
another Maria
Interesting tip about the biscotti, Maria. I need to try that!
Can you tell me the best way to store this and typically how long it stays good? Also, what is the serving size? Can’t wait to try it. I have been struggling with quick breakfasts and miss cereal. I am down almost 30 pounds but breakfast seems to have been the hardest to deal with.
Best way to store is on your counter and it should last for a few days.
My daughter loves cereal, but I rarely let her have it because it jacks her blood sugar like crazy, and is rarely filling enough. This is low carb enough that if she likes it, I can fill her up with other stuff, too, while letting her have the cereal she so badly wants. I was just admonished by the nutritionist at her endocrine clinic for letting her often have a nutritionally vacant breakfast (toaster waffles; we get so busy in the morning! I need to be better at pre-prep).
Also, I wanted to let you know what a fabulous addition your recipes were to our Christmas. I made the orange spritz cookies which were well received by those with diabetes, my gluten free friends, and everyone! I made them Christmas Eve. Christmas morning, I made your apple coffee cake and it was fab along with eggs, sausage and fruit. Thank you so much!
So glad to hear it. Before I had diabetes, I always found cereal filling at the time, and then an hour later I would be starving! So I feel for your daughter.
While the flavor is great, my cereal didn”t crisp up it is soft and crumbles. What did I do wrong? my daughter desperately wants some kind of cereal but something went wrong.
Are you in a humid area? Did you use almond flour or almond meal? What kind of sweetener?
I just made this cereal and had the same problem–just crumbles apart! Wondering what went wrong… used almond flour and flaxseed meal as specified, and let it cool completely. Any thoughts?
I’m having the same problem. It tastes good, but it’s just good tasting sand.
Carolyn,
It took me a long time to find you but your website has been a huge blessing. My husband is a diabetic and I didn’t know what to do to handle this. He also loves desserts which was a real challenge. I could find lots of paleo sites but they all use honey or maple syrup which is still sugar and not good for a diabetic. So here you are and everything you do is perfect for us. I think you are a genius. And you have sooooo enhanced my life. Thank you so much for being here and sharing. Please don’t ever go away!
Thank you so much, Karen. It is honestly comments like this that keep me going!
This is such a great addition to breakfast. With that said I tweaked it a bit by adding a bit more butter and vanilla. After cooling I pressed it into a spring-form pan to use for a cheese cake, end result was great. Guests couldn’t believe their desert was carb free gluten free. I think the possibilities for this recipe is endless, nuts, chocolate shavings or chunks my husband added cranraisins. Thank you so much for posting.
Carolyn, I and so thankful I found your blog this year.
I have several health challenges and the latest was the need to be on a gluten free diet. At first I thought it wouldn’t be too bad as I had seen many products in the store to help me. Then…I started tasting them. Can I say cardboard might have more flavor and texture?!? Oh my, what an adventure…lol! Then I found you and your amazing recipes! It is very apparent the time, dedication and love you put into making each recipe taste perfect.
Thank you again for all your hard work. I am looking forward to the year ahead as I add more of your delious food to my table.
Thanks so much, Ruth! It is a joy to have such appreciative readers.
Do you eat this cereal with milk, almond or coconut milk, half and half, or even cream to keep it low carb?
I like it sprinkled on top of full fat greek yogurt, but I also love it with cream. It’s filling, so you don’t need to eat much!
Kroger makes Carbmaster Milk, 3 carbs in an 8 OZ cup, making a serving of this cereal only having 5 carbs in it! A normal bowl of cereal has between 20-40 carbs not including carby milk!
I had just started Low Carb a week ago because my blood sugar is cray cray- and by the third day i felt like i was dying eating lettuce and chicken all day. You site and meals are making sticking to it so much easier <3
Loren, you should join pinterest if you haven’t already. There are tons of low carb and no carb recipes. I haven’t gotten bored yet with my low carb diet 🙂
If I’m using regular granulated Erythritol for this recipe will it have a cooling effect?
Probably a little bit at least!
Mine did not harden up (delicious anyway
Mine either. I wonder if you are supposed to press it into the pan.
Hi Carolyn!
I just found your website and got your online book. Thank you SO FREAKIN’ MUCH for this recipe! All of your recipes are just awesome – but this one is GLORIOUS!
Scott
Thank you for sharing your great recipes! I have a question regarding other types of low carb flours. I have very bad nut allergies and am very afraid to try the almond flour, although I would admit quite tempted.
What can I use as an alternative, if there is one. I would love to try this recipe.
Annette
You can use coconut flour, but it’s very different and you should follow only coconut flour based recipes. There is also sunflower seed flour, which you probably need to make at home because I don’t know anyone who makes it commercially.
Thank you Carolyn. If I am using sunflower seed flower, would I use the same measurements as almond flour?
I think so. It may contain a little more oil than almond flour so if you may need to do less butter.
Sukrin makes a sesame flour and if in the States you can get sunflower seed flour on Amazon. (I believe you are in Canada Caroline? But a lot of your followers are global!).
No, I am in the US. I am Canadian but I live in Oregon.
Hi Carolyn!
I grew up in Yakima, Washington. I know the NW pretty well. So I am American now living in England! I try to keep an eye out where all the specialist flours, etc. can be purchased globally.
I think you are a genius in the kitchen (as well as with a camera) and you inspired me to develop recipes for Europeans.
Thank you for all your dedication
Thanks, Kim!
Hi Carolyn, I just made this and its falling apart. Like no chunks, just powder. What did I do wrong. OH, I also live in a high altitude, would that have an effect on it? Would any of your other recipes be effected by the altitude?
Altitude affects rising times and baking temps, but I doubt very much it affected this recipe. It sounds to me like you didn’t use enough butter or some such thing. Did you follow the recipe as is?
I am so grateful for this recipe and will be trying it this week. I am in week 2 of my low carb diet. I’ve lost 8 pounds despite the fact that I’ve cheated with cereal. It’s the one thing I have had a problem giving up. Thanks so much!!
You are most welcome!
Thank you so much for this! My boyfriend and I are about 3 weeks into a keto diet, and while the cravings for carbs are much less now, getting to actually have cereal for breakfast was so satisfying! 😀 Absolutely delicious and really easy to make, thank you for the recipe.
This was amazing!!! So I had to try a chocolate/peanut flour (Reese puff) variation for my husband and, Nailed it! I followed yor recipe but subbed the almond flour with peanut flour and also added a couple of tbsp natural peanut butter and 1tbsp unsweetened cocoa. Then baked it for 20 minutes. Once out of the oven I then sprinkled it with a combo of 3tbsp of Swerve and 1tbsp of unsweetened cocoa powder. Oh my!!! Thank you for making breakfast fun again! You’re awesome 🙂
Wow, your version sounds amazing. Did you take any photos? I’d love to share on my Facebook page!
Sure I could take a picture (though it wouldn’t look anywhere as nice as yours!) And yes I’d love for you to share after all you inspired it.
Just took a few nibbles (still yum) but like peanut butter cookies it softened a bit. Maybe 1/2 c peanut flour and 1/2c almond flour might yield a firmer, crunchier cereal….what are your thoughts?
Mine stayed crunchy, so I don’t really know.
OK I cannot seem to upload my picture here but I did post it on my pinterest board under Low Carb chocolate/peanut butter cereal. I will be trying it again with the 1/2c almond flour and 1/2c peanut meal. I will omit the natural peanut butter and see if I yield a firmer cereal and let you know :o) Still, even soft this taste so good!
Do you have a link to your Pinterest board or the pin? You could just send me the url for the pin! 🙂
I have made this twice now, I added a Tbl. of coconut oil and 1/8 cup of hemp seeds. I then add it to my yogurt, yum!
Sounds great!
Thanks so much for your website and all of the recipes you share! I’ve been eating low-carb for almost a year both as a way to lose weight and to support my type 1 diabetic husband. I’ve lost 45 pounds so far! I have enjoyed everything I’ve tried from your site and will continue to try new recipes from here- this cereal is going on this week’s meal plan 🙂
So glad to hear it, Elizabeth!
You saved my breakfast, you rock!!!
You’re welcome!
I was just on Maria’s site! The searched for a “low carb cereal recipe” and found this story! I wish I could afford her services 😉 I think my daughter would like this recipe. Thanks!
You’re welcome. Even if you can’t afford her services, her blog is full of great information!
Hi there, I just have whole flax, can I use that? Will it grind when I mix it in the food processor? Also, have you tried cashew meal for this? Was thinking of trying half and half.
Sure, do cashew meal. And yes you can grind the flax but your food processor might be too big for it. Do you have a coffee grinder? That works well.
I don’t seem that i can get enough of this recipe.. i was eating them as cookies instead of cereal =). Well… i modified the recipe adding shredded coconut and chocolate chips and even my skeptical husband ate them. Thanks carolyn!.
Just found this website today, and my cereal is in the oven baking right now. I sampled some before I put it in, and it was fantastic!! I didn’t have the sweetener used, so I substituted 1/3 cup coconut palm sugar. Looking forward to finally having cereal after going without for 5 months.
Yum! I see this serves six but what’s the actual serving size? 1/2 cup? Did I miss that somewhere?
Yum! I see this serves six but what is the actual serving size? 1/2 cup? Did I miss that somewhere?
I’d say it’s between 1/3 and 1/2 cup.
This looks yummy! I have all the ingredients, but only have a small food processor. Will hand mixing or using a hand mixer work?
Hand mixing will work. If you have a pastry cutter, use that. If not, use two knives to cut that butter really finely.
Soooo sooo good! Loved it as a cereal with chopped pecans for more crunch but it was awesome as the “graham cracker” crust for my pudding pie cups! Mmmmmm 🙂
Thank you so much! I think I might try that “Reese’s” version in the comments above…as both cereal and chocolate pudding pie crust 😉 YUM! 🙂
Love the idea of pudding pie cups!
I love the taste of this cereal, but it keeps falling apart into crumbs. Is there anyway I can make it crispier? I have cooked it longer, and still the same consistency, it crumbles into crumbs when I cut it up. I followed your directions to the T as well. Would adding an egg to the recipe help?
Hmm, not sure what’s going on there. Try adding just an egg white. Or maybe a single tbsp of cartoned egg whites.
Mine crumbles too. have you ried it with the eggwhites?
I actually found this recipe made a delicious crust for my low carb cheesecakes! Thanks!
Great idea!
I made this, but after baking for 25 minutes, it never crisped up as it cooled off. I baked it for another 20 minutes and it’s STILL not crisping. Super sad.
The only difference was that I used my Ninja, not a typical food processor, to pulse it together.
I’ve made many other recipes from your blog, but this one has me stumped! 🙂
Any suggestions?
What sweetener did you use?
Xylitol.
I’m allergic to erythritol (Swerve worst of all, for some reason). I’ve never had it make that much of a difference in my baked goods though. Think it was the xylitol?
Yes, I do think it’s the xylitol. It’s more hygroscopic than erythritol, meaning it attracts moisture. So it won’t ever crisp up, sadly.
Fascinating. Thanks for that insight.
What’s your take on coconut sugar? Do you think that might be a decent substitution?
Either way, I’ll make more. I loved the flavor; and soft or not, it was still really good with strawberries and almond milk. 🙂
Coconut sugar is like real sugar, it is also hygroscopic. So it may also stay softer, I am not sure. Certainly worth a try.
Ok, thanks. I may just stick with xylitol then.
The cereal was a bit crunchier this morning. Maybe it just needs a lot longer to get crunchy.
Still, my daughter and I enjoyed it for breakfast this morning.
Love your site and recipes. 🙂
Thanks again for the replies!
Hi can you please tell me how much xylitol you used in this recipe…is it the same amount as the swerve? I only have xylitol.
OMG!!
I just made this and I love it! I could eat the pieces as cookies they are so yummy.
I have been preD for a year and low carb for the same period and I have been wanting some cold cereal (I use your chia/flax/protein powder hot cereal all the time-thank you!). This fits the bill perfectly! I have found that I love my low carb food and your site is a big part of making my transition fun and tasty!
Yay! Yummy cinnamon cereal! Made it last night my house still smells like cinnamon- added bonus. The taste is awesome. My texture was about half crumbs & half pieces that tended to crumb. A serving in a bowl with one ripe chopped strawberry & cold almond milk is about as close to Cereal Heaven as you can get. Thank you again Carolyn!
Thank you so much for this recipe Carolyn! It’s been a year and a half since I became sugar free and low carb…I can’t tell you the joy I experienced eating a bowl of cold yummy cereal for the first time since then. Question though….how long will the cereal keep in a tupperware container? A week?
Amazing! How did you store yours. Mine was soft at first, but the next morning it had a nice crunch. I want to make more.
I store it a container on the counter.
I needed a break from breakfast chia pudding, and I found this lovely recipe. I’ve been craving sugary cereals since I started Keto. I made this the night before and had it the next morning. This was everything I wanted and more, and also super simple to make. Mine weren’t as crunchy as I’d hoped (were still soft and cookie-like next day), but were still amazing! Probably because I stored them in the fridge overnight. Either way, delicious and nutritious and took me back to Cinnamon Toast Crunch, so 10/10!!
Definitely don’t store in the fridge if you want crunchy. It will be fine on your countertop for a few days.
Hi. What could I use in place of flax? Chia?
Just use more almond flour.
I make this recipe ALL the time. It’s so good and I’m always bummed out when run out of it. Luckily it is so quick and easy to make. It’s a great low carb cereal and I always double or triple the recipe. (Note…I use half the butter per batch and just mix it longer in my food processor until it all comes together and it comes out perfect every time.)
Thanks for mentioning your butter adjustment. I just finished a serving of my first batch and came to the comments specifically to see if anyone had success using less butter. I made it strictly following the recipe for my first time and found that it leaves a slick feeling in my mouth from all the fat. Glad to hear it works with less.
Could you please give a guide as to how thick to pat these out on the pan? Thanks!
You roll as thinly as possible. About 1/8 inch thick.
Okay, this is THE BOMB! I’m working my way through a list of 25 low carb cereals and this is my favorite so far. And I love the idea of using it as a crust too. Going to triple the recipe and make a huge batch of it this weekend so my whole family can enjoy it (I’m hogging this batch). :). Thanks!
Glad you liked it, Brandee!
Carolyn, my son loves the maple taste and he loves this cereal- i was wondering if i can put some maple extract would that work well in this recipe?
“maple cinnamon crunch?”
That would be fantastic!
Carolyn, my son loves the maple taste and he loves this cereal- i was wondering if i can put some maple extract would that work well in this recipe?
“maple cinnamon crunch?”
So I made this recipe and the taste is amazing! However, mine is still in more of a powder form and never got any crispness to it. So we really can’t eat it. Any suggestions on what I can do to make it right? The only difference I had was I used stevia instead of 1/3 cup of a sweetener. I even tried cooking it another 10 minutes thinking my oven just needed more time to crisp it. Thank you for your help! I have loved all the recipes I’ve tried from your site.
Something is off here. It might be the stevia swap, I am not sure. But your best bet is to add a little egg white, reroll it out really well and bake it at a very low temp until it’s dry.
Thank you so much! I had no idea what to add to it and the egg white did it! I will try another batch in the next couple days and start out with adding the egg from the beginning and let you know how it works with a fresh batch.
Glad it worked!
I changed it up a little, making a tasty “granola” type snack, as well as a breakfast cereal.
Add 1 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut, 2 tbsp sunflower seeds and 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds.
I also used coconut oil rather than butter, upping measurement by about a tbsp.
I skipped the Swerve/cinnamon sprinkled on the top
Wow wee. Had a hard time getting it in the oven. Wanted to eat it raw! Added some unsweetened coconut and just a few sliced almonds. Omg. You have really saved my breakfast ritual with this one. Ty ty ty!
Glad you like it!
I wonder, should one press it into the pan? I just spread mine on the parchment paper–could that be why it didn’t firm up? I see others have had a similar problem … LOVE the flavor, but it turns to dust the way it came out. Thanks for any insight!!
What brand of almond flour did you use?
I used Honeyville almond flour. It is finely ground-love it for baking!
Then I don’t really know what the issue here was. Sorry!
Mine didn’t turn out super firm. It was somewhat crumbly, but not the “dust” that some have complained of. I used a silicone liner on the baking sheet for easy removal. I baked it about 5 minutes longer than recommended, but it felt set to the touch, so I removed it. I used a pizza roller while it was still warm to cut it into little squares right on the baking sheet, which were firm enough to keep their shape. DELICIOUS!! More cinnamon flavor and far tastier, but less crunch, than Cinnamon Toast Crunch from my erstwhile fat days. For the coating, I used Sukrin Gold, which is an erythritol based brown sugar sub. Wow!! Tastes like I’m eating snickerdoodles dunked in (almond) milk; the texture is similar, as well. Can’t speak highly enough for this surefire winner that just hit the spot!
Glad you liked it!
Mine came out soft, too! Grr! (Is it humid today? Here in the deep South, it pretty much always is!!) So, I presently have it in my dehydrator. We’ll see if I can crisp it up like that!
I bet that works! come back and report, I’d be curious.