How Much Sugar Is In Different Cereals? You Will Be Surprised!

• As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I am compensated for referring traffic to Amazon.

Cereal. It’s the thing kids in particular love to start their days with. But how much sugar is in all the different cereals? Does it actually matter which cereal you choose in terms of sugar content? Well, I am pretty well placed to answer this question as I have already written 15 posts examining the sugar content of various cereals. In this post I will be summarizing the sugar content of most of the biggest well-known cereals out there, I will go through these cereals in descending order of sugar content (yes I am saving the best for last!). I will also present you with a sugar free or very low sugar alternative to each cereal! So let’s dig in – how much sugar is in different cereals?

How Much Sugar Is In Different Cereals?

As a general rule, the sugar content of cereals can range from 0g-17g of total sugar per dry serving. Some of the lowest sugar cereals include Shredded Wheat, Original Cheerios, Rice Chex, and Original Kix.  Cap N Crunch is one of the higher sugar cereals.

*The below sugar contents are per dry recommended serving without milk*

1. Cap N Crunch – 17g of Total Sugar

Ok so first up on this list is the kid’s cereal with a Captain on the front of the box. Yes, that is right – good old Cap N Crunch! There are 17g of sugar in a cup serving of original Cap N Crunch making it a higher sugar cereal. Peanut Butter Cap N Crunch is the lowest sugar Cap N Crunch flavor, containing 13g of total sugar per serving.

If you are a Cap N Crunch fan and are disappointed to hear about its sugar content then why not try Barbara’s Original Puffins Cereal? This corny oaty cereal has all the Cap N Crunch vibes but only around a third of the sugar content – 6g to be precise. You can try Barbara’s Original Puffins Cereal on Amazon here.

If you want to read more about the sugar content of Cap N Crunch you can here in the article I wrote.

2. Cinnamon Toast Crunch – 12g of Total Sugar

Next up is everybody’s fave cinnamon cereal – Cinnamon Toast Crunch. There are 12g of total sugar in a dry serving of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. As you are going to soon discover, 12g of sugar is a super common sugar content for a serving of many of the well-known kids’ cereals.

Interestingly many of the Cinnamon Toast Crunch dupes actually contain more than 12g of sugar – often 14g per serving. There are, however, some sugar free Cinnamon Toast Crunch alternatives like Catlina Crunch Cinnamon Toast Keto Cereal which contains 0g of sugar per serving. Instead, this cereal is sweetened with stevia and monk fruit.  You can check it out for yourself on Amazon here. You can read more about it here in the post I wrote on the sugar content of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

3. Cocoa Puffs – 12g of Total Sugar

Cocoa Puffs are every chocolate-loving kid’s fave cereal. But how much sugar is a dry serving of Cocoa Puffs? The answer – 12g. Well fear not I have tracked down some lower sugar Cocoa Puff alternatives, which you read more about here in the post I wrote on the topic. One such sugar free alternative is from Wonderworks. Wonderworks chocolate cereal is sweetened with erythritol, stevia, allulose, and inulin and has all the chocolate puffiness we all know and love. The best part? There is only 1g of sugar per serving. You can try it for yourself from Amazon here.

4. Frosted Flakes – 12g of Total Sugar

Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes are yet another kid’s cereal that contains 12g of sugar per serving. You can read more about it here, in the post I wrote on the topic.

Now in terms of a low or sugar free alternative, well there doesn’t appear to be one sadly. The only lower sugar frosted cereal I have come across is from Three Wishes (3g of sugar per serving) but it is more of a Cheerio-style cereal.

5. Honey Nut Cheerios – 12g of Sugar

Now did you know that original Cheerios are a lower sugar cereal? Yup, that’s right (keep reading to find out more). But how about what is arguably Cheerio’s most popular flavor? Aka Honey Nut Cheerios? Well, not so low in sugar I am afraid. It falls at that very common 12g mark. You can read more about it here in the post I wrote.

If 12g is too much for you to stomach then you should check out Magic Spoon Honey Nut Cereal. This alternative contains a mere 1g of total sugar per serving and is sweetened with allulose, monk fruit, stevia and inulin. You can find out more about Magic Spoon Honey Nut Cereal from Target here.

6. Reese’s Puffs – 12g of Total Sugar

Another day, another 12g of sugar per serving of cereal. This time from Reese’s Puffs. That peanut buttery chocolate cereal we all turn to when we fancy a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup but it is too early in the day to justify it. You can read more about the sugar content of Reese’s Puffs and equivalent cereals here in the post I wrote.

Now in terms of a sugar free dupe. Well, there isn’t one exactly. But I did come across Catalina Crunch Chocolate Peanut Butter Keto Cereal. It ticks all the boxes in terms of being peanut butter and chocolate flavored, being sweetened with stevia and monk fruit, and containing 0g of sugar per serving. The only downside is it doesn’t have the same ball-like shape as Reese’s Puffs. You can see this cereal for yourself and decide if it is for you on Amazon here.

7. Lucky Charms – 12g of Total Sugar

Next up is everyone’s favorite Irish Leprechaun-branded cereal. There are, yup you guessed it, 12g of sugar per dry serving of Lucky Charms. Most other branded equivalents of Lucky Charms have a higher sugar content. You can read more about it here in the post I wrote on the topic.

In terms of a sugar free Lucky Charms equivalent? Well, sadly there isn’t one. 

8. Froot Loops – 12g of Total Sugar

If fruity brightly colored cereals are what you love then I am sure you have had Froot Loops before. The sugar content of Froot Loops is what you would expect from a fruity kids-branded cereal. Yes, 12g of sugar per dry portion. You can read more about it here in the post I wrote on the topic.

Now in terms of my main recommendation for a sugar free Froot Loop alternative? Well, it has to be Magic Spoon Fruity Cereal. This cereal is sweetened with inulin, allulose, and monk fruit, and contains 0g of total sugar per serving. You can find it on Amazon here.

9. Golden Grahams – 12g of Total Sugar

Next is everybody’s fave honey graham cereal – Golden Grahams. There are 12g of total sugar in a cup serving of Golden Grahams. Ironically copycat versions of Golden Grahams (usually called Honey Grahams) tend to be higher in sugar (usually 14g per cup serving) because they contain actual real honey as well as sugar – whereas Golden Grahams do not contain honey (just natural honey flavor).

The best sugar free Golden Graham alternative comes from Catalina Crunch. Their honey graham cereal is sweetened with stevia and contains an unbeatable 0g of sugar per serving. You can check it out for yourself on Amazon here.

10. All Bran Original – 9g of Total Sugar

Next up is a cereal that doesn’t contain 12g of sugar per serving. Crazy I know. This cereal is not one marketed towards kids so that may explain why. This cereal is All Bran Original (you know the little bran sticks). Now the recommended serving size of All Bran Original is smaller than average at 2/3 cup (I guess because it is a fairly dense cereal) and there are 9g of sugar in a serving. If this is still too high for you (I get you) then check out Fiber One Cereal Original Bran which is sweetened with sucralose and contains 0g of total sugar per serving. You can try this sugar free bran cereal for yourself from Amazon here.

11. All Bran Complete Wheat Flakes – 7g of Total Sugar

I established above that All Bran’s Stick cereal contains 9g of total sugar per serving. But how about their flake bran cereal? Well, this is a touch lower in sugar. There are 7g of total sugar per cup serving of All Bran Wheat Flakes. Whilst there doesn’t seem to be a sugar free bran flake option I did find a lower sugar option. This option is from 365 by Whole Foods Market Organic Bran Flakes Cereal. Their bran flakes are still sweetened with sugar but contain just 3g of total sugar per serving. You can check 365 by Whole Foods Market Organic Bran Flakes out for yourself on Amazon here.

If you also want to read more about the sugar content of everyone’s fave high-fiber cereals make sure to check out the following post I wrote.

12. Rice Krispies – 4g of Total Sugar

Ok next up is a real rarity. A cereal that is marketed towards kids aka it has cartoon characters on the front packaging, yet is low in sugar. I know – a wild combination. This cereal is Rice Krispies. Original Rice Krispies are pretty darn low in sugar at just 4g of sugar per dry serving. Just note that not all of Rice Krispies flavors are low in sugar though (you can find out the sugar content of the different Rice Krispies flavors here in the post I wrote).

If 4g of sugar is still too high for you there are even lower Rice Krispies equivalents too. For example, The Real Cereal Company Organic Brown Rice Crisps Cereal is simply made from organic brown rice and that’s it! As a result, there is 0g of total sugar per serving. You can check them out for yourself on Amazon here.

13. Original Special K – 4g of Sugar

Now onto a cereal that is aimed at adults – Special K! Now be careful. Original Special K is pretty low in sugar at 4g per serving. However, some flavors of Special K can run as high as 18g of sugar per serving. You can find out the sugar content of all the different Special K flavors here in the post I wrote on the topic;. At the other end of the spectrum, one sugar free Special K variety also exists. This is Special K Zero Cinnamon Cereal which contains 0g of sugar and is sweetened with allulose, sucralose, and monk fruit. You can check it out for yourself on Amazon here.

14. Kellogg’s Corn Flakes – 4g of Total Sugar

Next up to an old-school classic cereal – Corn Flakes. Now Corn Flakes do contain sugar but they are relatively low in sugar compared to a lot of cereals. There are 4g of total sugar in a dry serving (1.5 cups) of dry corn flakes. If you are looking for a totally sugar free corn flake cereal then this also exists.  For example, The Real Cereal company makes an organic corn flake cereal that is just made from corn grits and sea salt. It can be found on Amazon here.

15. Original Kix – 3g of Total Sugar

Next up are original Kix. You know those crispy corn puffs. Well, the original Kix is surprisingly low in sugar at 3g per serving. Just note that the Berry Berry and Honey varieties are a tad higher at 5g. You can read more about it here in the post I wrote on the topic.

Now in terms of sugar free Kix alternatives, my main recommendation is Schoolyard Snacks Fruity Cereal, which is a pretty great low sugar alternative to Berry Berry Kix. It is sweetened with allulose and monk fruit and contains  1g of total sugar per serving. You can check it out on Amazon and see if it is right for you here.

 16. Rice Chex – 3g of Sugar

I have written a whole post on the sugar content of the different Chex varieties as well as equivalent brands here. But basically, the Rice Chex are the lowest sugar variety at 3g. This includes own brand equivalents too. Corn Chex is the next lowest sugar Chex, containing 4g and wheat Chex contains 6g of sugar. Flavored Chex are much higher in sugar, as they contain 8g-10g of sugar per serving.

17. Original Cheerios – 2g of Total Sugar

Did you know that original Cheerios are actually a very low sugar cereal as they contain just 2g of sugar per serving. Yes, that is right – 2g. Grab me a bowl now! Just note that all of the other varieties of Cheerios are higher in sugar – coming in at 8g-15g of total sugar per serving. You can read more about it in the post I wrote here.

If 2g is still 2g too much for you then there is also a 0g option and that is Three Wishes Unsweetened Grain Free Cereal. This high-protein cereal contains 0g of sugar per serving and can be found on Amazon here.

18. Shredded Wheat – 0g of Sugar

Ok now onto the final entry on this list. This entry is Shredded Wheat. Shredded Wheat is the final entry on this list as it is unsweetened and contains 0g of sugar per serving. Yes, that’s right! This is just the case with plain Shredded Wheat.  Frosted and flavored Shredded Wheat alternatives do contain sugar – usually around 7g-12g per serving. You can read more about it here in the post I wrote.

---

Cereal Brand	Total Sugar Content Per Recommendation Dry Serving
Cap N Crunch	17g
Cinnamon Toast Crunch	12g
Cocoa Puffs	12g
Frosted Flakes	12g
Honey Nut Cheerios	12g
Reese’s Puffs	12g
Lucky Charms	12g
Froot Loops	12g
Golden Grahams	12g
All Bran Original	9g
All Bran Complete Wheat Flakes	7g
Rice Krispies	4g
Original Special K	4g
Corn Flakes	4g
Original Kix	3g
Rice Chex	3g
Original Cheerios	2g
Shredded Wheat	0g

---

How Much Sugar Is In Different Cereals? – The Final Bite

What is the sugar content of different cereals? What have we learned from the above? Well, not all cereals are equal, especially in the sugar department. Some kids’ cereals such as Cap N Crunch can contain as much as 17g of sugar per dry serving, whereas Shredded Wheat contains 0g of sugar per serving. So make sure to check out those nutritional labels!

And remember…