Nothing hits the spot like a really good bowl of cereal. Sometimes, it’s all you actually want, whether it’s as a quick snack, in lieu of cooking dinner or, you know, for breakfast.
And let’s get one thing out of the way: The best (and only correct) method for the perfect bowl of cereal is to pour the milk first, then the contents of the box. If you don’t already subscribe to this method, try it and watch your cereal-consuming life change.
But regardless of how you handle your milk, not all cereals are created equal — though many of them include a mountain of sugar and are probably not actually recommended as part of a healthy diet. No matter because great cereals are unbeatable.
So here’s our extremely unscientific ranking of these 20 random big brand-name cereals.
20
Grape Nuts
If the other cereals on this list don’t make your teeth fall out, Grape Nuts will get the job done.
19
Rice Krispies
Good for three spoonfuls before it becomes a soggy mess.
18
Corn Flakes and Wheaties
Maybe it’s not fair to lump these two together, but they’re basically slightly different versions of the same cereal. One may be the “Breakfast of Champions” with a cool history of athletes on the boxes, but as far as enjoyable cereals, they don’t really cut it.
17
Lucky Charms
One of the best cereals ever when you’re a kid. And then you grow up and realize it’s just regular cereal with weird, gross marshmallows in it.
16
Fruity Pebbles
Like Rice Krispies but with a touch more artificial flavor.
15
Corn Pops
This is not a first-choice cereal, but it’s decent enough.
14
Frosted Flakes
College football bowl games and celebratory Frosted Flakes baths aside, this cereal is… fine. Perhaps a touch underrated here but still not grrrrreat.
13
Apple Jacks
Another one that is just… fine. It doesn’t actually taste like apples, sweet or tart. It’s not bland thanks to the hints of cinnamon, but it definitely doesn’t have a strong apple flavor.
12
Franken Berry
This is the infinitely and unquestionably better version of Lucky Charms. Strawberry-flavored cereal that leaves you with strawberry-flavored milk at the end is a spectacular taste explosion. And it’s a specialty cereal, so you have to be ready for it when it hits the grocery store shelves.
11
Froot Loops
Not the best and probably not what you’re craving when you want cereal, but it’ll get the job done.
10
Kix
This one might be controversial, but it’s a top-10 cereal largely because of the texture. There’s something unbeatable about the way it crunches in your mouth, especially in that sweet-spot moment when it’s soaked in milk but not yet approaching soggy.
9
Basic 4
Basic 4. pic.twitter.com/t4UiOVB2eR
— Joshua Dobner (@JPDobner) December 21, 2022
A little bit of dried fruit, puffed rice, almond slivers for good measure and, of course, the vanilla clusters — this cereal is phenomenal and underrated by the masses.
8
Honey Bunches of Oats
Really a fantastic cereal all around, especially the one with almonds. It’s got a lovely variety of flavors and textures, and maybe it should be higher on this list.
7
Reese's Puffs
There’s absolutely no way this qualifies as a healthy breakfast. It’s straight-up a dessert but a delicious one at that. Chocolate and peanut butter is a GOAT combo, and the leftover milk when you’re done eating this bowl is tops.
6
Frosted Mini-Wheats
When you want to pretend you’ve made the healthy cereal choice but don’t actually want it to be that healthy. Excellent choice regardless of intentions.
5
Honey Nut Cheerios
For the top-5 cereals on this list, there’s a strong argument for each to be No. 1. But seriously, who doesn’t love Honey Nut Cheerios? The lovely light honey flavor erases the slightly-stale-no-matter-how-fresh vibe of regular Cheerios, and like some of the greats on this list, the leftover milk is a perfect finishing touch.
4
Cap'n Crunch's Crunch Berries
So many people are ready and willing to wreck the roofs of their mouths with this one, but it’s always worth it. Every. Single. Time. Regular Cap’n Crunch, along with some of the other varieties, are good too, but Crunch Berries is revolutionary.
3
Cinnamon Toast Crunch
An excellent choice that will never steer you wrong and probably is, in fact, what you want when you’re craving a bowl of cereal. Phenomenal dry, great with milk — this is a perfect dessert cereal, but sometimes it’s just too much sugar.
2
Raisin Bran Crunch
This was going to be No. 1 and will certainly be controversial at No. 2, but this is a phenomenal cereal (and the only time I’ll accept raisins willingly in pretty much anything). Sometimes, you just need a good bowl of Raisin Bran, and why not pick the kind with some granola-esque crunch?
1
Cinnamon Life
Simply, the best.
