Your favorite childhood cereals, ranked by sugar
Even in today’s health-conscious world, sugar-soaked cereal remains a morning staple for many US kids, who are blissfully unaware of how much sugar lurks in every spoonful.
But on this National Cereal Day, we’re poking through the nostalgia to rank beloved cereals from least to most sugary.
To evaluate the amount of sugar, we followed criteria outlined by the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), a service of the US Department of Agriculture that reimburses care facilities that give out snacks.
According to the CACFP, facilities cannot serve breakfast cereals that contain more than 21.2 grams of sugar per 100 grams of dry cereal. That value is calculated by dividing the cereal’s grams of sugar per serving by the serving size in grams.
If the answer is 0.21 or less, the cereal is below the sugar limit. Anything higher is considered unhealthy.
Each cereal was evaluated dry, by its original flavor, based on the nutritional information available on each cereal brand’s website. We’re sorry in advance for the crushing disappointment.
13. Cheerios
Serving size: 28 grams
Sugars: 1 gram
0.04 grams of sugar per dry ounce
The tried-and-true original flavor still sits among the least-sugary cereals on the market.
12. Rice Krispies
Serving size: 40 grams
Sugars: 4 grams
0.1 grams of sugar per dry ounce
Snap, crackle, pop — low sugar!
11. Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Serving size: 31 grams
Sugars: 9 grams
0.29 grams of sugar per dry ounce
This wouldn’t fly by CACFP standards.
8. [tie] Froot Loops
Serving size: 39 grams
Sugars: 12 grams
0.31 grams per dry ounce
Toucan Sam can rest easy knowing he’s not the mascot for the sugariest cereal around. His loops are still pretty sugary though.
8. [tie] Reese’s Puffs
Serving size: 29 grams
Sugars: 9 grams
0.31 grams of sugar per dry ounce
You could do worse — like eating the candy that inspired the cereal on its own.
8. [tie] Trix
Serving size: 39 grams
Sugars: 12 grams
0.31 grams of sugar per dry ounce
Trix are for kids who like sugar.
4. [tie] Apple Jacks
Serving size: 39 grams
Sugars: 13 grams
0.33 grams of sugar per dry ounce
You’re better off eating an apple. Just sprinkle some cinnamon on top.
4. [tie] Cocoa Puffs
Serving size: 27 grams
Sugars: 9 grams
0.33 grams of sugar per dry ounce
Feeling cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs? That might be all the sugar.
4. [tie] Cookie Crisp
Serving size: 36 grams
Sugars: 12 grams
0.33 rams of sugar per dry ounce
This is a cereal made with teeny cookies. What did you expect?
4. [tie] Fruity Pebbles
Serving size: 27 grams
Sugars: 9 grams
0.33 grams of sugar per dry ounce
Don’t blame the Flinstones. They didn’t have Nutrition Facts labels in the Stone Age.
3. Frosted Flakes
Serving size: 39 grams
Sugars: 14 grams
0.36 grams of sugar per 100 dry ounces
They’re grrrrEAT! And covered in sugar. Sorry, Tony.
2. Lucky Charms
Serving size: 27 grams
Sugars: 10 grams
0.37 grams of sugar per 100 dry ounces
That gold at the end of the marshmallow rainbow is the crown your dentist inserts to cover a cavity.
1. Cap’n Crunch
Serving size: 38 grams
Sugars: 17 grams
0.45 grams of sugar per 100 dry ounces
Aye yai yai, Captain.
