The Best Homemade Cereal

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Introducing the best homemade cereal recipe, aka crunchy honey almond cereal. Think small clusters of crunchy rice crisps, oats and almonds coated in a sweet almond and honey syrup. 

The inspiration for this cereal came from the classic grocery store honey almond cereal that I’m sure you’ve had in your childhood – did you even have a childhood if you didn’t have that cereal? The flavors and the crunch of this easy homemade cereal is exactly the same as the store-bought version, if not better. Plus, it’s packed with even more almond and honey flavor, with just a hint of saltiness for contrast. 

Why this Homemade Cereal is Better than Store-Bought 

Most store-bought cereal is laden with sugar, additives, preservatives, and tons of other hard to pronounce ingredients. This homemade cereal recipe is super simple and packed with nutrients and fiber. 

The oatmeal and rice puffs add in healthy slow-releasing carbs and fiber, while the almonds and almond butter add in some healthy fats and proteins. Simply put, this cereal is the perfect balanced breakfast. 

Health Benefits of this Homemade Cereal 

I thought I’d go a little more in depth on the health benefits of the ingredients. So grab a pencil, because I’m about to spill all the deets on just how healthy this cereal is. 

• Oats: Have been linked to lowering blood sugar levels and lowering risk of heart disease. Oatmeal is also rich in antioxidants and avenanthramides. Avenanthramides have been shown to help lower blood pressure by producing nitric oxide which helps dilate blood vessels and increase blood flow. Additionally, avenanthramides and antioxidants. are also anti-inflammatory. Furthermore, oatmeal also contains a type of soluble fiber called beta-glucan that can increase growth of good bacteria in the gut! 
• Almonds: have a host of vitamins and minerals, with high concentrations of Vitamin E. Just 1 ounce of almonds provides 37% of the RDI. Several studies have linked Vitamin E intake with lower risk of heart disease, cancer and Alzheimers. They are also a great source of healthy fats, manganese and magnesium, which are all great for reducing blood pressure levels. 
• Honey: is widely known to be amazing for it’s healing properties and vitamins. However, the one aspect of honey I like to highlight is the host of phytonutrients this natural “syrup” contains. Phytonutrients are powerhouses in plants that protect it from harm and help heal any wounds. These phytonutrients are responsible for the antioxidants and antibacterial properties that honey has. Which is why when we ingest honey it has been shown to have immune boosting and anti-cancerous properties. 

How to Make this Homemade Honey Nut Cereal 

This cereal is honestly too easy to make. 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking pan or cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Add the oats, rice cereal, chopped almonds and arrowroot powder into a bowl. Mix to combine and set aside.
3. In a pot, add in the honey, almond butter, almond extract, cinnamon and salt. Place the pot on the stove and heat on low-heat, whisking gently, until the syrup begins to bubble gently. You’ll see the sides of the pot will also start to caramelize and turn a golden dark brown. This should take about 3-4 minutes — the syrup should be runny and homogenous.
4. Pour the syrup mixture over the dry ingredients. Using a rubber spatula, mix the cereal together until everything is coated evenly in the syrup. Sometimes I even use my hands to really ensure that the cereal is mixed properly.
5. Next, spread the cereal out onto the prepared pan, making sure that the cereal isn’t sticking together in large clumps. It should be in an even, flat layer.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through the bake time, at the 7 minute mark. The cereal is done once it starts to smell super fragrant and it’s golden-brown in color.
7. Once done baking, let the cereal cool on the counter for 20 minutes before breaking into small pieces and packing up in a glass container to enjoy later.

Important Note 

I strongly recommend mixing the cereal by hand. I know, it’s messy and sticky but somehow it just makes the cereal turn out better than if you had used a spatula. Plus, you get to lick your fingers! 

Homemade Honey Nut Cereal Recipe Variations 

There are a ton of variations and flavors you can make with this healthy cereal. Some of my favorite options are: 

• Peanut Crunch: replace the almonds with peanuts and replace the almond butter with peanut butter.
• Classic Vanilla Crunch: replace the almond butter with cashew butter and replace the  almond extract with vanilla extract.
• Chocoholic: replace the almond butter with a healthy chocolate nut butter and replace the almonds with hazelnuts (or just use almonds). Additionally, if you don’t have chocolate nut butter you can use this Nutella spread recipe HERE to use in the recipe. Just make sure it’s ¼ cups worth. 

Another way to change up this recipe’s flavors is by adding mix-ins. Once the granola is done you can mix in shredded coconut, dried fruit, puffed quinoa etc. 

More Healthy Breakfast Recipes

• Cinnamon & Honey Granola
• Cinnamon Sugar Oatmeal
• Fluffy Vegan Pancakes

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