Welcome guys to our second installment of gnom-gnom approved foods, taking a deep dive into the store-bought keto cereal brands available today. An honest chat about quality, ingredients and flavor!
Store-Bought Keto Cereal
Reviewing Magic Spoon & Cereal School!
I ordered some Magic Spoon cereal to try a few months back (after you guys highly recommended it over on instagram!). I enjoyed it quite a bit, and I’ve since received a free box from them (used to whip up some keto ‘Rice Krispie’ treats!).
But I was still curious about Cereal School, so they were kind enough to send over a few bags to sample. And I gotta say, despite Magic Spoon being the instagram favorite, this one didn’t disappoint. So read on to get the full deets!
Full disclosure (because you guys have asked): We’re not reviewing a third ‘keto’ cereal out there, Catalina Crunch, due to their inaccurate (and slightly deceiving marketing) marketing practices. In short, they market their cereal as ‘grain free’ even though it contains soluble corn fiber (don’t buy their ‘excuses’, if it comes from corn its a grain…!)*. Additionally, they offered to pay the blog to redirect traffic to them from our cinnamon toast crunch recipe, without even asking if we’ve tried the product (FYI we don’t engage is this type of marketing practices, ever).
*As many of you long-time readers know, I definitely ascribe to the keto diet being a metabolic state and not a list of foods… but I still expect brands to be transparent about their ingredients, so we can make informed personal choices about what we choose to consume.
Cereal School
If you guys tried Cereal School when it first launched last fall, this is actually a very different cereal from the original version (with vastly different ingredients).
In fact, as you can see from the picture above, the new Cereal School formula is now very similar to Magic Spoon with the exception of two ingredients: using high-oleic sunflower oil* instead of coconut oil (not a fan of this choice tbh) and using only monk fruit as their sweetener.
*As you know, most seed oils are discouraged from the keto (and paleo) diets as they’re highly processed and can cause inflammation in some peeps. And while its not the end of the world (there are much worse ingredients out there!), I prefer to stick to avocado, coconut and olive oils.
My final rating? Cereal School gets a 6/10:
- Points for texture (I loved how airy and crisp it is!)
- It’s super low carb (1g total is nuts!)
- Their natural flavors actually smell quite nice. Now, I say smell because the taste itself isn’t that strong given their choice of sweetener (so you essentially get most ‘the taste’ from the smell, if that makes sense).
- This also means that IMO you need to sweeten the milk, as it ultimately it lacks flavor
- And I’m not over the moon about the choice of using high-oleic sunflower oil.
Magic Spoon
There’s a reason Magic Spoon has become the golden child of store-bought keto cereals. It’s properly crisp, has absolutely no aftertaste, and the ingredients are ace (I love that they use allulose as their sweetener!).
My final rating? Magic Spoon gets a 8/10:
- It gets points for great texture, as its nice and crisp (not as airy as Cereal School, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing).
- The cereal does get slightly stuck in your teeth though, but Cereal School does the same thing. I’m guessing its the milk powders.
- Has absolutely no aftertaste (!!). Using allulose is such a great choice, as the sweetness is clean and mimics sugar perfectly. I also like that the cereal isn’t overly sweet, so they seem to have taken into account keto adapted palates (you can always add a touch more allulose to the milk if need be!).
- It’s carb count is also pretty low too (3g net a serving!)
- The flavors are pretty good, with frosted and fruity appearing to be the universal favorites (and I agree).
- Cocoa and cinnamon are missed opportunities IMO, as they lack flavor. I also think this comes from the fact that these cereals don’t ‘stain the milk’, so I generally just add a dash of cinnamon (or cocoa) to some almond milk when indulging in these flavors. It makes a huge difference, trust me!
My Final Thoughts
They’re both good choices but, given the ingredients and sweetness profile, I will continue to purchase Magic Spoon for the occasional treat.
And so I am happy to welcome them to our list of gnom-gnom approved brands!
Still, I do think its important to say that in no way do I plan to have a daily bowl of cereal… like I did as a kid in the 90s! As for me, doing a ketogenic diet is also about eating as unprocessed as possible.
Still, its a fun treat to have around (particularly for those ultra lazy weekends!).
Note: This post is not sponsored, but we are an affiliate (so be sure to use the code GNOMGNOM to get your free shipping!).
I orderd the variety pack from magic spoon. They were all horrible. Tasted so fake like chemicals. I wanted my toddler to have a better alternative for cereal. These missed the mark, he hated all of them as did I. Also way over priced.
Magic Spoon is shockingly expensive. Also, I think it spectacularly odd that they are trying to mimic the eating experience of extraordinarily sweet children’s cereals like Captain Crunch and other heavily sugared cereals.
I’d be MUCH more interested in a more keto-friendly version of Wheat Chex, for example.
I also would to be more interested in a non sugar kids cereal
Every one of these reviews for Magic Spoon’s stuff sounds the same. Makes me wonder what total keto does to one’s brain. This stuff is highly processed garbage, mostly milk proteins and a disgusting amount of highly processed “sweeteners”, all of which have a weird aftertaste. Gave everybody in the house stomach and headaches. Outrageously expensive, too.
Reread your review and I still like Magic Spoon. Ordered their selection of single serving boxes. They were ok but a lot of packaging to dispose of. Just recently got the 4 regular size boxes and they switched Blueberry for the Cinnamon flavor and the Fruity flavor is several different colors. The cereal seems to be lighter and crunchier and doesn’t stick in my teeth as much. That never bothered me. I usually eat it with berries and diluted whipping cream. Satisfies the cereal craving when I don’t feel like cooking.
what milk do you recommend?
Re: Cereal School
I wanted to try these, but didn’t like that they only sold them as one flavor per box .
I wrote to them to see if they had a sampler, or even a multi-flavor pack. Nope!
I am happy to hear these reviews, since I couldn’t bring myself to commit to a whole box of one kind. Thank you. You’ve saved us all from wondering.
Magic Spoon now offers a package of single-serve samples.
Magic Spoon is too sweet and gummy. It’s the filler that makes it gummy.
Loved this review. Haven’t tried Cereal School, but totally agree with your feedback on Magic Spoon. I just wish they’d consider adding flavor to the crispy part, too. Once you’ve chewed for a bit and the outside is gone, it’s pretty much tasteless.
So appreciate your reviews, not to mention recipes. Thanks for all you do.
But allulose is made from corn. So I’m not sure how you complain about false marketing when you use allulose all the time. (As someone who reacts to corn- including erythritol and xanthan gum- which is not corn, but is grown on corn syrup, bloggers‘ reliance on corn based sweeteners Is frustrating)
Absolutely this happens to individuals with a more sensitive insulin response and I am one of them. So glad we are discussing this so people can manage their ketosis more effectively. The explanation is that the sweet taste triggers the hormone insulin to get released, thereby lowering the blood sugar and creating more hunger from the drop in blood glucose. So cravings, overeating, and reactive blood sugar fluctuations can result.
Hi Cara! I completely agree with your point that in some people ‘just the taste of sweetness’ can bring about an insulin response (this really shows how powerful our minds are!!!), but you are incorrect in that allulose is a form of sugar.
Chemically, while allulose does share a similar molecular structure to sugar (fructose to be exact!), it’s actually its mirror opposite. So studies have shown that physically its unable to trigger as insulin response.
Having said that, like you mentioned, with diabetes they are running interesting studies on how ‘our conditioning to sugar’ can actually trigger a response in our bodies. This has also been studied in psychology for a long time, I suggest you look into the Pavlovian experiments with dogs 😉
xo! Paola
I tried the cereal school and didn’t care for it. It left a bad taste and coating in my mouth, I tried the cinnamon and fruity ones. I might give cereal spoon a try.
I didn’t like cereal school either. Both left a horrible aftertaste and I usually don’t have a problem
With artificial sweeteners. I also contacted them and asked for a refund because it was SO BAD and got a canned response that was not good for me.
So, did they not refund your money? They claim to have a no question asked 14 day money back guarantee. Want to know b4 i order.
Sorry but Cereal School was Gross..i havent gottem magic spoon yet because of my experience with cereal school..cereal school didnt even refund me..so im hesitant to order magic spoon cereal..i would love a sample box…
Cereal school is gross in all flavors…
Catalina crunch cereals are by far the best low carb cereal. I love the maple crunch and to make it go further I add unsweetened coconut and crushed pecans to it. But thanks for the great reviews and recipes you do.
We recently tried Cereal School, and did not like it at all! The aftertaste was just awful. Since the company had a 100% guarantee, I emailed them and told them that neither my husband or I liked it and they fully refunded our money. So the company at least has that going for them! While I like both the cinnamon cereal and cocoa cereal from Paola, sometimes I’d like to just open a box of cereal to eat with no effort put in on my part (haha!). We decided to try Magic Spoon. We use allulose quite a bit, and it doesn’t affect my husband’s blood sugar. So when I saw that Magic Spoon uses it too, I thought it would better tasting, and it is! Is it the same as those cereals you remember from your childhood? No. But it satisfies my need for a crunchy cereal when I want it.
I have read that tapioca flour is not keto-friendly. 1/4 c. of tapioca flour has 23g of carbs and 0 fiber.
You are correct.
I watched a video of a taste test between Magic Spoon and Cereal School cereals. Magic Spoon won according to the testers opinion. Consequently I ordered a sample box. My too faves are Fruity and Frosted. The other 2 don’t have much flavor and have a sawdust (haven’t really eaten sawdust lol) aftertaste. Never thought of adding cinnamon and cocoa to improve the taste. Thanks for that. Back in the day, my favorite cereals to eat were Cheerios, Frosted Mini Wheats and Raisin Bran. During the summer, when it was too hot to cook, I would often eat cereal for dinner. It’s nice to have a Keto option for those times and any time. Thanks for the review.
Thanks for this review. I’ve been wanting to try one of these. Just placed my order for some Magic Spoon. Thanks for the free shipping code!
I just received my granola from “Diabetic Kitchen” and it is amazing! I have made my own but it is quite expensive and time consuming so I was willing to pay $13.99 a bag.
It’s called Cinnamon Pecan Granola. It has 14 grams fat, total carbs 8, fiber 5, sugars 2. Its sweetened with stevia and monk fruit.
It’s so funny to me how everyone’s tastes are different because we prefer Cereal School! While we agree that it needs a little umph, we just add some keto sweetener and cinnamon and LOVE it! We just couldn’t do the Magic Spoon brand because, even though it had great flavor and crunch, we couldn’t get past the aftertaste. I guess everyone’s tastes are different!
I’m excited for your post about soluble fiber, those ingredients are so confusing to me!
-Cassidy
I love Cereal School cereal, too. I usually eat it dry straight from the bag as a snack. I liked the fact that it’s so low in carbs. 3 net carbs is just too many for me when I’m trying to keep my net carbs under 10.
I can’t even think of trying the Magic Spoon because of the allulose, it causes me serious stomach distress, and it affects both my adult daughters the same way. I have tried to use allulose so many times but with the same effect. I have to sub in recipes that call for it with the Lankato Monk fruit. And I’m sorry to see the ingredients changed on the Cereal school to the high-oleic sunflower oil, I just received my order.
I will not be buying that again either. For me it has been a bit too sweet but I like things with less sweetness. I always have to reduce the amounts in most recipes.
This is when having options is great! I’m the opposite, I began to get gastric distress from erythritol earlier this year, and have been living allulose (obviously in moderation!). Thanks for taking the time to write, love hearing what works (and doesn’t!) for you guys
Agreed! In addition, sweeteners like allulose taste and act like sugar in recipes because they really are a form of sugar. My gut digests them this way (I have SIBO), so I cannot consider these keto at all. 🙁
Hi Cara! I completely agree with your point that in some people ‘just the taste of sweetness’ can bring about an insulin response (this really shows how powerful our minds are!!!), but you are incorrect in that allulose is a form of sugar.
Chemically, while allulose does share a similar molecular structure to sugar (fructose to be exact!), it’s actually the mirror opposite. So studies have shown that physically its unable to trigger as insulin response. Our bodies simply don’t see it as sugar, if that makes sense.
Having said that, like you mentioned, with diabetes they are running interesting studies on how ‘our minds’ can actually trigger episodes based on conditioning. This has also been studied in psychology for a long time, I suggest you look into the Pavlovian experiments with dogs 😉
xo! Paola
Thanks for this post! I ordered a variety pack from Magic Spoon and had no issues with the fruity flavored or the frosted cereals which were very yummy! But both the cinnamon and chocolate both made my tongue numb. Not sure of the adverse ingredient yet, but I won’t be finishing those boxes.
I love the crunch of the cereal, but am decidedly not a fan of how much it sticks to my teeth. Honestly, I probably won’t order again, but am so glad there’s a cereal out there that’s healthy and delicious. I have your cinnamon toast recipe taped to the fridge and look forward to giving it a try soon!
I bought my first ‘store-bought’ cereal and it arrived today- the 4-pack of Magic Spoon. Tried the Fruity first and it’s pretty delicious, I’m a fan! I’ve made the gnom-gnom granola and cinnamon toast crunch (SO good!) but every now & then convenience wins out. I’ve also tried SOLA granola. It’s available at my local grocer’s (which is convenient) and also delicious. Really enjoyed the post!
I have tried both…could not eat them, found them both to taste terrible. Cereal school being the worst of the two, but magic spoon also not good. Both companies were kind enough to refund.
Ok. That is good to know. I have been hesitant to try because not all companies that claim to have a money-back guarantee honor them… or make you jump through so many hoops that the hassle wears you down.
That’s so funny how people have different taste buds cause Magic Spoon is legit the worst tasting thing I’ve ever tasted. No offense to them. A lot of my athlete Keto friends love it though.
I bought the original Cereal School and it was pretty horrible. But Catalina Crunch was the worst, tasted like cardboard. Magic Spoon is pretty good agree.
Can’t believe I didn’t think about adding extra cocoa and cinnamon. I also thought it was disapointing that they didn’t stain the milk, its the best part of eating cereal lol
I wish you could order one box to try it.
Hi you didn’t mention anything about cost- are they all the same. Also a consideration on “treat” budget
Thanks for your integrity & unbiased review.
My pleasure!
Magic Spoon has tapioca flour. This is surely going to spike blood glucose. Do all their flavors have this ingredient? If so, I would suggest you do a full review on that ingredient in your review.
Hi Joan, thanks for bringing this up as its important!
It only contains a very small amount (the cereal only has 3g net carbs after all), and so its highly unlikely to affect your blood sugar. I use small amounts of both arrowroot and tapioca throughout the recipes blog, as they’re considered ‘low glycemic starches’. So they’re OK in my opinion to thicken sauces, improve the texture in cookies, etc.
Think about it like eating a strawberry (which has 1g net each), you can certainly enjoy in moderation and stay in ketosis.
Still, it’s up to you guys in the end to choose. But for me, something like soluble corn fiber is more ‘offensive’ than tapioca (even if the first is zero carbs). xo!
That’s interesting because I can anything with soluble corn fiber with no increase in blood glucose, but tapioca flour, tapioca starch, cassava flour or cassava starch will make me skyrocket. I am diabetic so I have to watch those ingredients.
There are two different kinds of soluble corn fiber, one that spikes and one that doesn’t. With tapioca and cassava (they come from the same plant form what I gather), most products you find are paleo so they contain A LOT and they will spike your blood sugar. But quite a few Keto products use a small amount for texture, and that is generally tolerated well by most peeps. Like I said, you would be getting more sugar form a strawberry. xo!
I don’t know how they get away with putting ingredients like that and claiming no added sugar or keto. Those are full on starch and I feel the effects immediately! I have SIBO and was very hypoglycemic before I started the keto way of life back in 2012.
I also want to add that in the US, companies will now be required to exclude tapioca flour etc as a fiber and are allowed to leave soluble corn fiber because the body treats soluble corn fiber as a fiber (no BG effect), whereas tapioca or similar ingredients will not be allowed to be listed as a fiber because the body recognizes them as a “sugar”. It’s misleading for companies to give people the impression this fiber has no impact on blood glucose. I think the deadline is sometime in 2021 for them to change their labels.
These are all different ingredients Joan: soluble corn fiber, soluble tapioca fiber (Perfect Keto and Nui cookies use this one) and tapioca (which is the one Magic Spoon is using).
And within the soluble corn fiber and soluble tapioca fibers there are two different kinds, the one that spikes your blood sugar (maltodextrin) and the one that doesnt… there will be a post about this soon as I know they are ingredients that we are all concerned about. Like you said, primarily because companies have been allowed to mislabel for a couple years (some are even labeled as probiotic vegetable fiber…).
I had a call with the company that actually manufactures ALL these products for these food companies, so they were able to clarify exactly what each ingredient is and does to our bodies. I’m doing some final research and will publish soon.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write, I know with diabetes you guys have to be super careful about spikes in blood sugar. xo!
Thank you for bringing th9s subject to the forefront.
Doing my best! There’s a lot of misinformation on it out there, so we’re speaking directly with the manufacturers now 😅
Also I have some input 😉 For some ppl like me – research has been done and found that products/chemicals that actually have no ability to raise blood sugar like some of the sugar alcohols – with ppl like me, my brain body connection will raise my blood sugar in response to the sweet my mouth tastes though it is not biochemically possible for the product to have raised my blood sugar.
Sometimes our brains are capable of doing things that don’t make sense. All that to say that even if it does not happen for someone else… doesn’t mean it can’t raise my blood sugar or maybe Your’s Joan.
I will try to find the blog where I found the research if You think it would be valuable. Blessings to All!!