The 20 Best Breakfast Cereals Of All Time

No matter how old we get, one thing never changes – we love to shove our faces with a heaping bowl of sugar infused cereal. They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so why waste it on things like oatmeal, eggs, protein shakes, potatoes, and other parts of a balanced breakfast, when you can just chow down some Cinnamon Toast Crunch? Perhaps the greatest part about cereal is its ability to easily replace any other meal during the day, including both lunch and dinner.

We grew up on this stuff, and thought it was due time that we created a list of the best cereals of all time. For years, it was nearly impossible to get your hands on some of these vintage offerings, but thanks to the internet, balance is restored in the world of 80s and 90s cereals. You can order pretty much anything on this list (and in bulk), with just a few clicks of your mouse, and have it shipped right to your house. In all reality, it’s probably not the best idea to live on cereal, but every now again we do enjoy indulging in some of our favorite childhood brands. If you’re looking for healthy choices, you might want to go elsewhere. You’ve been warned. Dive into our list of the 20 greatest cereals on the planet.

20. Froot Loops

Release Date: 1962

We’ll kick things off with a cereal that surely everyone out there has tasted. Produced by the good folks at Kellog’s, these brightly colored, fruity loops were originally introduced all the way back in 1962. [Purchase]

19. Monster Boo Berry

Release Date: 1973

Back in 1971, General Mills kicked off their now iconic monster-themed breakfast cereals. What started with just Count Chocula (at the time called “Dr. Count Chocula) alongside the strawberry flavored Franken-Berry, now includes 5 different monster brands. Our favorite are the marshmallow infused, berry flavored ghouls known as Boo Berry. [Purchase]

18. Cocoa Puffs

Release Date: 1958

Sonny the Cuckoo Bird was pure marketing gold. Who wasn’t cuckoo for the cocoa flavored goodness? We’ve always thought of this General Mills produced cereal as a chocolate version of Trix, but admittedly, we were never fans of actual Trix. [Purchase]

17. Sugar Smacks

Release Date: 1953

Like a better version of Golden Crisp, these bad boys have undergone a handful of name changes over the years. What started as Sugar Smacks ended up becoming Honey Smacks, and eventually became Smacks. Call ‘em what you want, the Kellogg’s made, sweetened puffed cereal is one that will always be near and dear to our hearts. Not to mention Dig’em is one cool frog. [Purchase]

16. Reese’s Puffs

Release Date: 1994

Designed to taste like the delicious Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, the formula actually includes Hershey’s chocolate and Reese’s peanut butter infused puffs. The General Mills made cereal is still going strong as ever. [Purchase]

15. Rice Krispies Treats Cereal

Release Date: 1993

The only time we ever enjoyed the regular Rice Krispies was when they were drenched in sugar, so these made perfect sense when they hit the market. Essentially small chunks of Rice Krispies treats dunked in milk, this Kellogg’s creation is downright delectable. [Purchase]

14. Honeycomb

Release Date: 1965

In 1995, Post Foods created an awesome little monster mascot by the name of Crazy Craving, and it was a wrap after that. “Me Want Honeycomb.” [Purchase]

13. Cookie Crisp

Release Date: 1977

These are about the furthest thing from cereal on the entire list, and we aren’t complaining one bit. The cereal was originally introduced by Ralston Purina, and has since been taken over by General Mills. Basically a bowl of crunchy, mini-chocolate cookies, Cooooookie Crisp are the perfect way to start any morning. [Purchase]

12. Waffle Crisp

Release Date: 1996

While these were a bit controversial amongst our friends (claiming they didn’t taste like actual waffles), we don’t care. They may not taste like actual waffles, but they do taste amazing. In 2013, Post Foods introduced a “Waffle Crunch,” which serves as a lower priced version of Waffle Crisp. [Purchase]

11. Fruity Pebbles

Release Date: 1971

This cereal was a no-brainer for us, but it does come with a caveat. You have to eat them quickly. The Flintstones affiliated cereal (made by Post Foods) tastes great when its fresh and crunchy. We don’t mind them soggy either, but crunchy is definitely where this fruity cereal shines. [Purchase]

10. Quaker Quisp

Release Date: 1965

A bit more old school than some of the other offerings on the list, the Quaker Oats made cereal recently made its triumphant return to grocery stores in 2012. For anyone who hasn’t had the pleasure of consuming Quisp, we’d describe it as Cap’n Crunch, but without tearing up the top of your mouth. [Purchase]

9. Golden Grahams

Release Date: 1976

These always seemed like a “less good” version of Cinnamon Toast Crunch for us, and that’s how we treated them. While they are delicious in their own right, the General Mills made, honey and brown sugar cereal was like a less sweet, less sugary version of CTC. [Purchase]

8. Corn Pops

Release Date: 1951

While we haven’t been huge fans of the recent iterations (Chocolate Peanut Butter Pops and Cinnamon Corn Pops) the original version of this Kellogg’s produced cereal is one of the best ever. Gotta have my pops! Ain’t that the truth. [Purchase]

7. Apple Jacks

Release Date: 1971

This is another delicious cereal that tastes nothing like the name would suggest. Invented by William Thilly in 1965, the name Apple Jacks was not used by Kellogg’s until 1971. [Purchase]

6. Honey Nut Cheerios

Release Date: 1979

After realizing regular Cheerios were like chewing on cardboard rings, General Mills decided to get creative. The end result was one of the best cereals to ever hit the market. Shaped like your standard Cheerio, the honey nut variation is much sweeter, and tastes like honey and almond. Believe it or not, they actually used to utilize real nuts before 2006. Since then, the company has opted for natural flavor instead. [Purchase]

5. Cap’n Crunch Berries

Release Date: 1963

Now we’re getting to the real good stuff. It’s a known fact that these things will absolutely tear your mouth apart, but that hasn’t stopped up from downing bowl after sugary bowl. It’s also worth noting that the Berry infused version is miles ahead of the standard offering. [Purchase]

4. Honey Bunches of Oats

Release Date: 1989

After 3 years of research and development, the team at Post Holdings created what would become one of the best cereals to ever hit your local grocer’s shelves. [Purchase]

3. Frosted Flakes

Release Date: 1951

“They’re Gr-r-reat” could be the understatement of the year. Many people would probably put these at the number one spot on their list, and we wouldn’t blame you. The Kellogg’s company used to call these “Sugar Frosted Flakes,” but seeing how parents don’t really vibe with the whole “excessive sugar” thing, the brand decided to drop the word “sugar” from the title in 1980. [Purchase]

2. Lucky Charms

Release Date: 1964

Another cereal that could easily hold down the top spot, we can still put down an entire box of these down in one sitting (with or without milk). While we sometimes wish there were more marshmallows in the mix, Lucky Charms are most definitely magically delicious. [Purchase]

1. Cinnamon Toast Crunch

Release Date: 1984

1984 was the greatest year in the history of cereal. General Mills introduced a cereal that we could nearly live on – breakfast, lunch and dinner. Just writing about Cinnamon Toast Crunch makes our mouths water. Oh how we crave those crazy squares. [Purchase]