A bowl of cereal has long been the go-to breakfast option for busy families. It’s quick to pour, relatively inexpensive and easy to customize with different milks or sliced fruit.
With grocery store tricks like strategic shelving influencing our decisions, reaching for the name-brand cereal without a second thought is common. But if you take a moment to compare the available options, you’ll find a lot of off-brand cereals could be a better—and even tastier—deal. For the exact same quantity of what seems to be the same cereal, there is often at least a dollar difference in price.
Wondering if we could save a few bucks on groceries without sacrificing flavor, we compared nine name-brand cereals against their generic counterparts. Keep reading to see how these head-to-head battles shook out.
Check out the healthiest cereals you can buy, plus the ones you should avoid.
General Mills’ Lucky Charms vs. Walmart’s Great Value Magic Treasures
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Ah, Lucky Charms—who can pass up those sugary frosted oat bites mixed with colorful marshmallows shaped like rainbows, pink hearts, green clovers and purple horseshoes? Walmart’s Magic Treasures look a lot like Lucky Charms, but good luck determining what the marshmallow bits are. Is the green one supposed to be broccoli? Is the purple one a steak? Might the blue one be a dolphin, or a wave?
But if you don’t mind unidentifiable marshmallows in less-vibrant shades, Magic Treasures does an excellent job mimicking Lucky Charms. The flavors of Lucky Charms, in both the marshmallows and the oat bits, are a little bit tastier, but pour on the milk and either of these cereals will send you back in time to a childhood morning spent watching Schoolhouse Rock!, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or whatever your cartoon of choice was.
Conclusion:Â If you don’t mind mystery marshmallow shapes, you can save with Magic Treasures.
Kellogg’s Rice Krispies vs. Target’s Market Pantry Toasted Rice
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Poppy, noisy Rice Krispies is one of the OGs of the cereal aisle. But Target’s Toasted Rice gives mascots Snap, Crackle and Pop a real run for their money (by the way, they’re gnomes, not elves—that’s Keebler’s thing). Both cereals serve up bubbly toasted rice pieces that make a fun crackly sound in milk. Rice Krispies features puffier, fatter cereal pieces, while Toasted Rice’s pieces might have been run over by a steamroller before making it into the box. But honestly, the flavor of the two cereals is as similar as the three little guys are to each other.
Conclusion: Both snap, crackle and pop, but if you prefer a puffier cereal texture, Rice Krispies wins. We think most cereal eaters won’t notice a difference.
Quaker Life Cinnamon vs. Target’s Market Pantry Cinnamon Oat Bites
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Quaker Life Cinnamon and Target’s Cinnamon Oat Bites are both sweetened multigrain cereals that look like miniature drink coasters woven by your grandma. Pour them into bowls, however, and you’ll see that Cinnamon Oat Bites features dark brown stripes slashing through its cereal pieces. That sounds kind of disturbing, but it makes sense when you taste them: Cinnamon Oat Bites has a stronger cinnamon flavor, although Life Cinnamon seems to more evenly distribute its cinnamon levels. Cinnamon Oat Bites also offers thicker pieces, while Life Cinnamon is lighter and crispier.
Conclusion:Â If you like a stronger cinnamon flavor, get the cheaper box.
Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes vs. Walmart’s Great Value Frosted Flakes
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While Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes and Walmart’s Frosted Flakes are fairly similar in appearance, their textures and flavors don’t match up. We preferred Kellogg’s crispier and fresher-tasting flakes to Walmart’s harder, denser ones. Plus, Kellogg’s version of the cereal has a bit more frosting, which helps the flakes keep their shape and crispiness in milk.
Conclusion: Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes’ superior flavor and flake texture are worth the extra money.
General Mills’ Cinnamon Toast Crunch vs. Walmart’s Great Value Cinnamon Crunch
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The General Mills Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Walmart Great Value Cinnamon Crunch cereal matchup had us seeing and tasting double! Other than General Mills’ more defined cinnamon swirls, the name-brand and off-brand versions of this cereal are matched in their strong cinnamon-sugar taste and crisp crunch.
Conclusion: This generic cereal is a near-twin to its name-brand version, and will likely save you money.
Kellogg’s Raisin Bran vs. Walmart’s Great Value Raisin Bran
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The first thing that stands out between Kellogg’s Raisin Bran and Walmart’s Great Value Raisin Bran is how different the flakes and raisins look. The Kellogg’s bran flakes have more texture and substance—we could see pieces of bran and wheat—while Great Value’s flakes look more uniform and flat. When it comes to the raisins, Great Value’s appear to be covered in much more sugar than Kellogg’s, which results in a much sweeter cereal.
Conclusion: The hearty texture and light sweetness make Kellogg’s Raisin Bran worth the extra cash.
Kellogg’s Frosted Mini Wheats vs. Walmart’s Great Value Frosted Shredded Wheat
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Out of all the head-to-head comparisons, these two wheat cereals are the most different from each other. First, Kellogg’s Frosted Mini Wheats has coarser and looser wheat threads that break apart more easily when chewed, compared to the tightly wound wheat shreds of Walmart’s Great Value Frosted Bite Size Shredded Wheat.
The frosting on Kellogg’s version of the cereal is applied more lightly than Great Value’s, but is actually much sweeter, with some vanilla flavors coming through. While these cereals are very different, we don’t dislike the changes from name brand to generic.
Conclusion: It comes down to preference. If you’re used to eating Kellogg’s Frosted Mini Wheats, you probably won’t be satisfied with this generic version. However, if you prefer a cereal that’s less sweet and more crunchy, Great Value’s version is a great option that might save you a few bucks.
Post’s Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds vs. Walmart’s Great Value Almond Crunchy Honey Oats
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This is another comparison where the name-brand and generic cereals are very different. We prefer the look and texture of Post’s Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds: The flakes have a more natural hue and there are more oat and almond pieces than we found in the Great Value Almond Crunchy Honey Oats cereal. That means a crunchier and more varied texture. And all those almonds give Post’s version a toasty-nut flavor that complements the oats and honey. Great Value’s cereal tasted more like corn flakes, but crunchier.
Conclusion: Post’s Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds has a much better look, texture and flavor, but likely costs more than the store-brand version.
General Mills’ Honey Nut Cheerios vs. Walmart’s Great Value Honey Nut O’s
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Many of the differences between General Mills’ Honey Nut Cheerios and Great Value’s Honey Nut O’s are minor. The two cereals taste very much alike, though Cheerios has a slightly nuttier flavor with rings that are a bit larger and less dense than Honey Nut O’s rings. And the Cheerios are coated in a glossy glaze that allows them to retain their crunchiness longer when milk is added.
If you’re looking for a gluten-free cereal, take note: The General Mills cereal is gluten-free, but Great Value’s cereal is not, since it contains wheat starch and wheat germ.
Conclusion: If gluten isn’t an issue, Great Value’s Honey Nut O’s is a decent way to save a few dollars. But if you need something gluten-free, stick with General Mills’ version.
So, Is Name-Brand Cereal or Off-Brand Cereal Better?
Ultimately, it comes down to the type of cereal. Our taste test proves that you can swap out many cereals for their generic version, especially if your family doesn’t have a longtime favorite that can make or break a morning. But, if your family is already partial to a particular brand, they’ll probably be able to tell the difference in a snap (or a crackle or pop).
Cereal Isn't Just for Breakfast
Peanut Butter, Krispies and Chocolate SandwichThis crispy, chocolaty sandwich is like a Saturday-morning cartoon cereal without the bowl. —
James Schend,
Dairy Freed
Easy Crunch Berry PieThis is a fresh, simple approach to making a company-worthy pie. The playful Cap’n Crunch cereal crust is fun to bite into, and it’s the perfect complement to a mixed berry no-bake filling. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
Sweet & Salty Peanut Butter BitesMy son Micah and I love peanut butter cups, so we made them into a new treat. We entered these peanut butter no bake cookies in a creative baking contest and won first place! —Autumn Emigh, Gahanna, Ohio
Cereal & Milk Ice Cream SandwichesGo ahead and buy those sweet cereals you normally stay away from. This is dessert! —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
Caliente Christmas Cheese CrispsTo fire up the crowd, I pack these homemade crackers with bacon, pumpkin seeds and French-fried onion rings. Dunk them in picante sauce. —Jeanne Holt, Mendota Heights, Minnesota
Fruity No-Bake CookiesKeep your kitchen cool with these freezer cookies made with fruity cereal. They're extra sweet and even more fun for kids to help make.—Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Pumpkin Pie Tartlets with Maple Pecan CrustAfter discovering I had multiple food sensitivities, I began developing holiday recipes that would be safe for me, but enjoyable for others, too. These tarts are delicious—with no gluten, eggs or dairy! —Chantale Michaud, Guelph, Ontario
Really Good Snack MixI grew tired of my family picking through a snack mix for their favorite ingredients and leaving the rest. So I experimented using only their most-loved mix-ins and came up with this recipe. Now there's never any left! —Lori Genske, Waldo, Wisconsin
Chocolate Marshmallow Peanut Butter SquaresI combined a couple of recipes to create these crunchy, chocolaty bars that burst with peanut butter flavor, marshmallows and pretzel pieces. The bars could also pass for fudge! —Dawn Lowenstein, Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania
Peanut Butter-Banana Yogurt ParfaitsFor a lightning-fast breakfast, I layer vanilla yogurt with bananas, peanuts and multigrain cereal. It’s crunchy, easy and perfect for kids.—Teresa Miller, Hamilton, Indiana
Breaded Ranch ChickenA crunchy coating of
cornflakes and Parmesan cheese adds delectable flavor to this zesty ranch chicken. The golden, crispy chicken is a mainstay dish I can always count on. —Launa Shoemaker, Landrum, South Carolina
Nutty Rice Krispie CookiesMy mom and I used to prepare these Rice Krispie cookies for Christmas every year. Making them with just the microwave means they're super easy and fun to mix with the kids. —Savanna Chapdelaine, Orlando, Florida
Fudgy S'mores BrowniesI combined the perfect summer snack with my favorite brownie recipe to get these s'mores brownies. They're sure to wow at your next big party. —Judy Cunningham, Max, North Dakota
Not Your Mama's Seven-Layer BarsThe addition of dulce de leche makes this a decadent new take on traditional seven-layer bars. You can cut this recipe in half and make it in an 8x8-in. pan. —Andrea Barlow, Hot Springs, Arkansas
Ice Cream Cone TreatsI came up with this recipe as a way for my grandkids to enjoy Rice Krispies treats without getting sticky hands. You can also pack the cereal mixture into paper cups and insert a wooden pop stick to create cute pops. —Mabel Nolan, Vancouver, Washington
Cheese CrispiesFor years I’ve taken these crispy, crunchy snacks to work. They get high marks from everybody in the teachers lounge. —Eileen Ball, Cornelius, North Carolina
Peanut Butter Cereal TreatsKids will love these colorful, crunchy bars. They’re a fun twist on the traditional marshmallow crispy treats…and because they’re so easy, older kids could whip up a batch on their own! —Christie Porter, Shipshewana, Indiana
Gobbler CakesI watched a chef make crab cakes and decided to try it with turkey and stuffing. Now the kids request them year-round, so I buy cooked turkey. —Suzee Krebs, Brielle, New Jersey
Cornflake-Coated Crispy BaconI've loved my aunt's crispy-coated bacon ever since I was a child. Now I've shared the super simple recipe with my own children. We still enjoy a big panful every Christmas morning—and on many other days throughout the year! —Brenda Severson, Norman, Oklahoma
Frozen Banana Cereal PopsWhen we want a healthy snack, we dip bananas in yogurt, roll 'em in cereal, then freeze. Ta-da! —Scarlett Elrod, Newnan, Georgia
Christmas Crunch CandyTreat family and friends to a yummy brittle for the holidays. Made with cashews and Rice Krispies, it's loaded with crispy-crunchy goodness. —Amanda McLemore, Maryville, Tennessee
Crispy Peanut Butter BallsI make more than 40 different types of treats during the holidays for friends and family. These crispy peanut butter balls with crispy rice cereal are one of my favorite candies to give away as gifts.—Liz David, St. Catharines, Ontario
Fried Ice Cream Dessert BarsFried ice cream is such a delicious treat, but it can be a hassle to make individual servings. This recipe gives you the same fabulous flavor in an easy and convenient bar form. —Andrea Price, Grafton, Wisconsin
Chocolate Malt Crispy BarsThese chunky, chewy squares are a feast for the eyes. Malted milk flavor coats this treat from top to bottom. —
Taste of Home Test Kitchen
Scalloped Sweet Corn CasseroleThis is my Grandma Ostendorf's corn recipe I grew up enjoying. Now a grandmother myself, I still serve this comfy, delicious side as a family classic. —Lonnie Hartstack, Clarinda, Iowa
Crispy Pretzel BarsI often make a big batch of these peanut butter-flavored cereal bars on days that I don't want to heat up the kitchen. Kids especially love them, so they're great for picnics, potlucks and school bake sales. —Jane Thompson, Eureka, Illinois
Fish and Fries"Tuck in" as if you're in a traditional British pub. These oven-baked, moist fish fillets have a fuss-free coating that's healthy but just as crunchy and golden as the deep-fried kind. Simply seasoned and also baked, the crispy fries are perfect on the side. —Janice Mitchell, Aurora, Colorado
Pear Raspberry CrispWe grow our own luscious red raspberries and feast on them fresh and freeze them for winter. This recipe combines the berries with fresh pears and a crunchy cereal topping. —Fancheon Resler, Bluffton, Indiana
Ham Balls with Brown Sugar GlazeThese smoky-sweet meatballs are a Pennsylvania Dutch specialty. I like setting them out when folks come to visit. —Janet Zeger, Middletown, Pennsylvania
French Toast SticksKeep these French toast sticks in the freezer for an instant filling breakfast. Their convenient size makes them ideal for a breakfast buffet. —
Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Fudge Sundae PieMy son always asks for this guilt-free frozen yogurt pie for his birthday. Complete with peanut butter, fudge topping and nuts, it tastes ice cream parlor–good … but it's healthier. —Margaret Hanson-Maddox, Montpelier, Indiana
Cauliflower CasseroleTo dress up cauliflower, Mom used a delightful mixture of a cheesy sauce, bright red and green pepper pieces, and crushed cornflakes. We enjoyed this casserole so much that leftovers were rare.
-Linda McGinty, Parma, Ohio
Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch BarsMy twist on rice crispy bars includes crunchy crushed pretzels. Then I top them with a creamy peanut butter coating and rich chocolate topping. Garnished with peanuts and even more pretzels, I don’t think I'd ever go back to plain old bars again. —Sherri Melotik, Oak Creek, Wisconsin
Chocolate Almond DropsSo much rich, chocolaty flavor, so little time! My trufflelike cookies are deceptively easy to make and look so elegant on a party tray. —Betsy King, Duluth, Minnesota
Christmas Brunch CasseroleNo one leaves the table hungry when I serve this savory casserole. In fact, folks rave about it! What I like as much as the taste is that I can prepare it ahead of time. —Mary Eckler, Louisville, Kentucky
No-Bake Cookie Butter BlossomsChewy and sweet, these easy treats mix Rice Krispies, cookie spread and chocolate kisses in an unforgettable spin on an old favorite. —Jessie Sarrazin, Livingston, Montana
Peanut Butter Chocolate BarsThese chewy bars are the perfect no-fuss contribution to a potluck or bake sale. I’ve discovered the trick is to get them into the refrigerator so the chocolate can set before they disappear! —Lorri Speer, Centralia, Washington
Favorite Meat Loaf CupsMy family enjoys meat loaf, but sometimes I can't spare the hour or more it takes to bake in the traditional shape. A quick alternative is to divide the meat mixture into muffin cups for individual servings that are ready in less than 30 minutes. —Sue Gronholz, Beaver Dam, Wisconsin
Updated: Aug. 24, 2023
