Protein Cereal Recipe

Stop buying protein cereal and make your own with this easy recipe. Vegan and gluten-free, this Cookie Crisp Protein Cereal is the perfect healthy breakfast to reach your fitness goal. And satisfy your sweet tooth, because it’s irresistibly delicious!

For the real cereal lovers!

I am the happiest person in this world. I’ll say it again, I am the happiest person in this world. Last day I was finally able to prepare the very best homemade protein cereal, which tastes as delicious as the original. But made at home, in a cheaper and healthier way.

You may now wonder what I find so exciting about it. Well, let me tell you one thing about me: Cereal is my weakness. From cornflakes to Cinnamon Toast Crunch, it’s been one of my favorite foods since childhood. Growing up and getting into fitness, I came across high protein alternatives. Oh gosh…Some are really really tasty, but sadly a way too expensive.

Committed to satisfy my guilty pleasure in a more budget friendly (and healthier) way, I promised myself to come up with my own breakfast cereal. With protein powder, of course! After a couple of tests, I was finally able to master the art of baking Cookie Crip cereal at home, and today I’m excited to share the recipe with you.

Because let’s face it…Who doesn’t love cereal?! Especially if it’s healthy, high protein and homemade with simple ingredients.

What is protein cereal made of?

Forget endless lists of unknown ingredients, nasty preservatives, sugars and palm oil. You only need a handful of simple ingredients to whip up a whole batch of vegan protein cereal at home. Here’s all this recipe calls for.

• Oat flour. For a more nutritious breakfast, this protein cereal recipe uses oat flour. Made from rolled oats, this flour is high in fibers, rich in nutrients and unrefined. You can replace with whole-wheat flour, spelt flour, almond flour (for low carb cereal), or common all purpose flour.
• Protein powder. Feel free to pick your favorite protein powder; this recipe can be prepared with either whey, casein or plant based alternatives (read further for more details). In terms of flavor, I recommend vanilla or unflavored protein powder.
• Maple syrup. The maple syrup sweetens your homemade oat cereal in a natural way, without the need for refined sugars. If you don’t have it, this ingredient can easily be replaced with any other liquid sweetener you have at home, also sugar-free. Honey, agave syrup, date syrup and calorie-free maple syrup are all great options.
• Peanut butter. I like making my protein cookie cereal with creamy natural peanut butter, but you can swap this out for any other nut butter you like. Almond butter, cashew butter, walnut butter, sunflower seed butter and tahini can all be used, but the taste of your mini protein cookies will slightly change.
• Chocolate chips. This recipe uses and recommends dark chocolate chips, preferably sugar-free. Dark chocolate will make breakfast yet more satisfying without overloading your body with sugars.

In case you’re making cereal with protein powder that has no flavor, I suggest adding a third teaspoon vanilla extract. This ingredient is completely optional, and you won’t need to include it if your protein already comes with flavor.

Which is the best protein in cereal?

I personally prefer baking with casein or vegan protein powder, but also whey works fine. The only difference is that whey protein powder tends to give baked goods a slightly dry texture, while casein and plant based options don’t. Also, you should take note that the choice may require adaptations. Different types of protein powder show different characteristics, and more precisely:

• Vegan protein powder and casein absorb plenty of moisture. You will probably need to mix in a drop of milk or some extra nut butter, until the dough gets soft and smooth.
• Whey protein powder dissolves easily. So, you may have to fix the dough with additional oat flour until it reaches a good consistency and is not sticky anymore.

Which protein powder flavor is best?

Vanilla is the protein powder flavor I used and recommend, but you should feel free to pick and choose the one you like the most. Other great options are chocolate, peanut butter, cookie dough and cinnamon. Also unflavored protein powder is great, but you will probably need to fine tune the taste of your vegan cereal with additional maple syrup and a hint of vanilla extract.

How to make protein cereal at home?

Believe me, after trying this recipe you won’t buy expensive foods anymore. Here is how to make vegan protein cereal at home, in just 3 easy steps.

• Step 1: Combine the ingredients. In a bowl, combine oat flour with protein powder, peanut butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract, baking powder and chocolate chips.
• Step 2: Mix the dough. Pour in the milk, starting with about 1 tablespoon. Mix with a fork and then, with the help of your hands, knead until reaching a soft dough consistency. If the mixture is too dry, add more milk (or nut butter) to fix it. Adjust with more oat flour in case the dough is sticky or if you accidentally add too much milk or nut butter. As we have seen before, this depends on the type of protein powder used.
• Step 3: Bake Cookie Crips cereal. Shape some protein cookie cereals and line over a parchment paper covered baking tray. Finally, bake in hot oven for 8 to 12 minutes, and let cool before serving or storing.

How to store homemade cereal?

After baking, take the cereal out of the oven and allow to cool over the baking tray at room temperature. This is the first necessary step for storing homemade cereal. Once cooled, you can proceed further.

Store homemade protein cereals in an airtight container or jar to preserve freshness, taste and texture. Make sure you use glass or plastic containers with tight-sealing lids, and keep your Cookie Crisp cereal in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight. The cereals will last for up to 5 days. In case you want to store them for longer, refrigerate in a sealed box for up to a week, or pack in zipper bags and freeze for up to 3 months.

Recipe tips

This recipe is very simple, everyone can make it. But only those who stick around and read my golden tips will be able to put together the very best homemade protein cereal. Vegan, dairy-free, oil-free and infallibly delicious!

• Pay attention to your protein powder choice, not all products are the same. Whenever baking, I recommend plant based protein powder or casein rather than whey. Those are the ones that behave just like common flour and do not dry when they get heated.
• Pick a good protein powder flavor, such as vanilla or chocolate. This will give cookie cereal plenty of taste and make your breakfast a way more satisfying. In case your protein powder is unflavored, you may need to add more maple syrup and some vanilla extract.
• Use creamy peanut butter, preferably a natural product without added sugar and oil. Differently from its crunchy brother, smooth nut butters mix very well in the dough and will help bind the ingredients with no eggs.
• Add milk only if necessary, do not exaggerate at first. In this recipe, the purpose of milk is to make the dough more malleable and smooth. The quantity required depends on your protein powder choice, as some are more absorbent than others.
• Do not overbake protein cookie cereals, they will get firmer as they cool. As a guideline, you should keep them in the oven for just about 8 to 10 minutes because longer cooking times will make the texture very dry.
• Allow to cool before serving, to experience a crunchy texture and a delicious flavor. As for all baked goods, also these vegan cereal with protein powder tend to get better and better once they have cooled completely.

Serving ideas

If you are like me and can’t resist cereal, you probably already know how to eat it. But maybe you need some ideas, or just want to try something new. If this is case, then keep on reading. Down below you will find some tasty ideas on how to eat cereal with protein powder.

• Breakfast bowl: Add to a bowl and serve with some milk or yogurt and your favorite fruit. For more protein and nutrients I recommend Greek yogurt.
• Smoothie bowl: Sprinkle on top of your favorite protein smoothie bowl to add texture, crunch, and extra flavor. Chef tip, try it with my chocolate protein smoothie!
• Trail Mix: Enjoy your vegan cookie cereals with a handful of nuts and seeds for a protein packed snack.
• Ice cream topping: Sprinkle on top of ice cream to enjoy a delicious guilt-free snack. And if you want a healthier version, try my chocolate cottage cheese ice cream recipe. It’s high in protein, low carb and irresistibly delicious.

FAQ – Frequently asked questions

More high protein breakfast recipes

• Protein powder oatmeal
• Protein pancake recipe
• Apple protein baked oats
• Protein overnight oats
• High protein waffles
• Oatmeal protein cookies
• Banana protein pancakes