May 1, 2024 40 Comments
Low calorie cereal is easy to make. I know you want to buy it – but it tastes much better to make it.
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
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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