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Low Calorie Cereal Recipe

May 1, 2024   41 Comments

Low calorie cereal is easy to make. I know you want to buy it - but it tastes much better to make it.

Low Calorie Cereal Recipe

I know that there are people out there who will take on look at this recipe and decide it isn’t low calorie. But, I would argue that it isn’t good enough to be simply low calorie -you can do that with Rice Krispies - you also need nutrition that gets you off on the right foot for your day.

The cereal manufacturers want you to believe that their product is the perfect choice for the morning.

For example, I believe a package of Cocoa Krispies had a "boost your immune system" statement on the front of the box. I will not even list all the things that are wrong about such a claim.

The best low calorie cereal that you can buy has little or no added sugar. Fiber One is potentially a good choice but it does use Sucralose. I buy a couple of cereals with no added sugar - Cheerios, Rice Krispies, Wheat Puffs, and I make my own cereal.

You heard me! I make my own cereal (and, no, I am not related to Martha Stewart).

Raise your hand if you make your own cereal! Hmmm, not so many of you. Why is that? Is it because you can just buy it and you know that you don't have time to make it?

Cereal is ridiculously easy to make and the TASTE. You will never go back to a box of packaged cereal. I mean it.

You can also reduce the amount of sugar per serving by not including the dried fruit. It tasted great without it - it is just a matter of personal preference.

You mix up some oats and chopped almonds with a little oil and honey - and put it on a parchment lined tray.

If you are in a hurry try my stove top granola recipe.

I know that some will think this is “granola” and it really isn’t. It is much simpler than the packaged granola you can buy. Almost all packaged cereal is a baked grain in a box with some added stuff. This recipe for low calorie cereal isn’t that different.

You don't have to use almonds if you don't like nuts - you can simply bake the oatmeal and that will cut calories quite a bit (but you miss out on all the good stuff in almonds). Also you can use your favorite nuts - hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts, to make this cereal.

When I add dried fruit, I use raisins, cranberries, and chopped up dried mango, apricot, etc.

The route to FOREVER with this recipe is to make it with different ingredients so you don't get bored with it.

Do you make your own low calorie cereal? What do you put in it?

I wrote this post in 2011 and updated it in 2023.

Low Calorie Cereal Recipe

2.1 from 32 reviews

Makes 5 cups
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min

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Ingredients

3 cups rolled oats (not instant)
1 cup chopped almonds
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
1 cup raisins or any dried fruit you prefer

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 F. Line a large rimmed baking tray with parchment paper. Combine the oats, and nuts in a large bowl. Mix the canola oil and honey and pour onto oat mixture. Spread on baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.

After it cools, lift up parchment paper carefully and pour cereal into a bowl. Add the dried fruit and enjoy! Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator until you finish it.

Nutrition Facts

For breakfast serving without dried fruit (1/2 cup) = 222 calories, 11.8 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 25.7 g carbohydrates, 7.6 g sugar, 5.3 g protein, 3.7 g fiber, 2 mg sodium, 7 Green, 7 Blue, 5 Purple WW SmartPts

For 1/2 cup with dried fruit = 265 calories, 11.8 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 37.1 g carbohydrates, 16.2 g sugar, 5.7 g protein, 4.2 g fiber, 3 mg sodium, 10 Green, 10 Blue, 8 Purple WW SmartPts

Points values are calculated by Snack Girl and are provided for information only. See all Snack Girl Recipes

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41 Comments:

Sounds good and so much healthier! I think I'll make some today.

Looks amazing!! i absolutely love granola!! i love putting it in my yogurt!!

It never occurred to me that I could make cereal myself. Thanks for the recipe and the idea. Probably this will be something we will make at our house next weekend when we have time.

Great idea! I don't really eat cereal (ate too much as a kid, I suppose) but the same concepts works for oatmeal. I get plain and add in my own mixes. You can make something different every day!

Yummy... I started making my own granola recently. I adapted a WW recipe and use apple juice concentrate instead of the oil (cuts down on calories/points). I also tend to use it as a topping (on yogurt or cottage cheese).

Thanks for sharing!

Well, you have my wheels spinning this morning.

We have nut allergies in our family -- just the kids, and not severe. So, after reading your post, I had a flash of brilliance. I envisioned our "cereal shelf" in the pantry completely differently, and instead of seeing a row of boxes there, I can instead envision a container of toasted grains -- oats, quinoa, millet, etc -- along with containers of add ins like chopped apricots, raisins, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, nuts for those who can eat them, etc, etc, etc ... YUM!!!

Now I'm hungry!!! :-)

this sounds delicious! can't wait to try it! breakfast was always my hardest meal on weight watchers. i'd usually end up using my points on eggs and then i was hungry again an hour later. this sounds delicious and filling!

This sounds great! My only hesitation is the amount of fat per serving. How much would it reduce the fat by using the juice concentrate that Maria suggested? Or is the fat mainly coming from the nuts?

Sounds simple and good. Any suggestions on hi-fiber additions? Constantly searching for low/natural sugar, 10+ grams fiber cereals. Easy shortcut for me to my fiber goals for the day (and I need easy). Depend a lot on Uncle Sam cereal. Love it but gets boring.

That's REDUCED in calories? 246 is a LOT for a serving of cereal if you're going to add milk or a milk substitute, fruit etc. for breakfast.

You can have 1 and 1/2 cups of something like All Bran for 240 calories. AND you'd be getting around 30 grams of fiber! (which I can handle as I eat 50 grams of fiber MINIMUM a day between high fiber cereals, GG crispbreads and fruits and veggies but I will grant that not everyone can.)

Or do you have a really fast metabolism?

I like to mix the high fiber cereals like all bran and puffed cereals so I can have a bigger bowl... A cup of All Bran plus a cup of puffed rice is a lot more filling/lot more volume and 210 calories...

THANK YOU! I've been using this recipe since you first posted it and have gradually been reducing the oil to see how little I could get away with. Now I know! Instead of dried fruit, I eat it with fresh fruit and plain Greek yogurt. I also change it up by using different nuts and adding in vanilla and ground flax seed. I even gave it as Christmas gifts!

I love my cereal in the morning and actually look forward to it! My recipe isnt exactly homemade but its soo good and high in fiber. I use Trader Joe's Bran Flakes then add wheat puffs and a sprinkle oatmeal (not instant)on top. Then I mix them together. To top it off I add strawberries and blueberries and sprinkle cinnamin on top. It is my favorite meal of the day!

Cocoa Krispies 'boost your immune system'? Since when!?!? I make pancakes(freeze them) and my overnight oats (which taste great up to 3-4 days) and just eat those on my weekdays but I am going to have to try this!! I'm bad at making granola...all my batches never work but I'm gonna have to try this!

@Sue: That is NOT a lot of calories for breakfast. Some people eat 500-700 calories per day, but do not gain weight. Why? Because they exercise it off.

@Kathy: "Some people eat 500-700 calories per day, but do not gain weight. Why? Because they exercise it off."

And because that's too little to survive a day!! That is, if they don't die of starvation first...

I tried it last night and I have to say I am a bit sad!! I was praying it would be a great alternative to the junk the kids want. But it had this burnt aroma to it and it was very dry. It was hard to chew it too. Sorry but this recipe (for me) will not be a keeper.

@Rosa - it is chewier than a regular cereal - but the aroma may have meant that it cooked too long. I'm sorry it didn't work for you - maybe you should try the recipe with more oil and honey - you may like it better (my kids like it better).

Thanks Snack girl, I will try it again

I just made this, so good! I added a bit extra on the syrup and oil (I'm not calorie counting and am currently breastfeeding) I added a teaspoon of good quality vanilla and a few good pinches of kosher salt (I'm a salty/sweet person) Fabulous!

I don't like dried fruit in my granola anyway, so that should save some calories. You show the points+ for the 1/2 cup without dried fruit - what would be the points+ for 1/4 cup without dried fruit? I like granola to top off yogurt with fresh fruit and have given it up since starting WW, but I'll try making this and hope it becomes my substitute for the high points stuff in the supermarket! It's not something I would eat everyday (like my grits with cheese and a poached egg) but would be great to have on hand for a treat. By the way, everything I've been reading lately praises the value of almonds in your diet, so I would definitely use almonds in this granola.

I love granola...but 8 PointsPlus for 1/2 cup still keeps me away from the stuff..add a cup of milk to that and you have a 10 point breakfast?? Seems really high to me. This is one recipe that I'll just have to pass..Granola is a red light food for me...no way I would be satisfied with 1/2 cup...

Need healthy snacks for males. Also, need one's that are easy to do and don't require a lot of cooking.

Snack Girl: Check out this article on all the GMO's in "natural" cereals... making your own IS a better idea! http://www.rodale.com/11-natural-cereals-arent?cm_mmc=ETNTN…

Just wanted to let you know that I have made and given this granola as gifts many times since I first tried the recipe three months ago. . . every person that has tried it begs for the recipe and they say its the best granola they have ever had. I have used honey, maple syrup, canola oil and coconut oil, all with great results; Thank you for a new staple in our lives! My husband can't live without it now:)

This is similar to what I make. I use cinnamon in mine and apple juice in place of the oil. Yum!

On the cereal recipe can you use sugar free syrup . Please let me know. I am on simply filling weight watchers. Love the recipe.

I believe that's also called "granola".

I just saw this in the recent motivational weight loss article you did on lady who lost 100+ lbs. I have made the same cereal from another source and it is great only difference is no oil or honey. You spray pan with oil like Pam. I still get the great cereal taste. Love it. Will try this recipe though.

I also make this cereal, almost exactly as you do, but use coconut oil instead of canola. Variations are endless, applesauce or pumpkin added for sweeteners, various extracts, etc.

Sometimes tho I still long for basic cold cereals of the 50's and 60's. My family never bought sugary ''kid'' cereals for me and neither did I for my kids. But looking for healthy, organic cereal has been a challenge; I've sampled and tossed to the birds many a cardboardy-tasting so-called cereal! :) But for the past 2 years Eureka! I finally found a brand of organic cereal that I trust with great ingredients, nutritional value and lots of favorite types, i.e., corn flakes, O's, rice crispies, etc. And they all taste good. Its Nature's Path Brand. Take a look here and read some reviews if you too have a craving for some comfort cereals.

http://shop.naturespath.com/Cold-Cereals/c/NaturesPath@Cold…

P.S. Their "Smart Bran" has 13g fiber/svg!

I've heard that canola oil is bad - usually GMO. If I made this recipe I would use coconut oil.

I would use less oil and change it to avocado oil, tasteless and perhaps a bit healthier than canola.

I use rolled oats and I toast them in a pot with a bit of coconut oil (two cups of oats and 1 teaspoon oil) until fragrant. Then I add water. I keep it in the fridge and heat it in the morning in the microwave. It is amazing and much better than instant. The oatmeal is chewy and toothsome and you can add whatever toppings. I will try your recipe as an alternative. Thanks!

IT SOUNDS SO WONDERFUL. PERFECT FOR SUMMER. TAKE TO THE BEACH BRUNCH. OH THANK YOU SUSAN, I LOVE ADDING THE VANILLA SO DELICIOUS. THANK YOU SNACK GIRL & ALL OF YOU FOR ALL YOUR IMPUT. HAVE A BLESSED & SAFE DAY. ANNETTE

I haven't made it yet. I live in Costa Rica and they seem to LOVE cereals with the first ingredient is SUGAR. EVERY once in a while I can find cheerios w/o sugar. Looking for more bran cereals, no All Bran, no Fiber One. I might be able to find it in the Gringo stores, but it would be ridiclously expensive.I haven't made this yet I hope I can find rolled oats. Is it called anythimg else?

★★★★

I've made this twice and loved it both times. The cereal stuck to the parchment paper so I didn't use it the second time. Wondering if melted

ghee would be an ok substitute for the oil?

★★★★★

Yes, I've been making my own no sugar muesli cereal. I scoop up oat, rye, barley, and spelt flakes and mix in some shredded coconut and slivered almonds or chopped nuts. Then, when I get up I scoop up a half cup of the mixture and add 1 cup of plain soymilk and let it soak for about 20 minutes. Top with fresh fruit and enjoy!

That's almost half my daily points on WW for a measly 1/2 cup of cereal before adding milk. No way as a cereal. Maybe 1/4 or less as a granola topper for yogurt.

I will definitely be making this but with apple juice, because I don't use oil and adding ground flax seed.

You MAY want to give that oatmeal a pulse in a food proc to help it be easier to chew.

Can you use Avocado oil

Okay! I'm not a granola eater, but I will try the skillet version as it seems easy and "tasty!" Plus, I have all the ingredients in the house. Thanks for your blog and all the great ideas!!!!

★★★★★

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