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Better than store-bought Homemade Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Yes, you can make cinnamon toast crunch at home. It’s way easier than you think, and yes, it will be better than store-bought cereal, so much better. This homemade cereal is extra crunchy, has a touch of butter, is flaky, perfectly sweet, and heavy on the cinnamon. Every bite is roll your eyes back good. It’s best enjoyed any time of day…with milk, as an ice cream topping, or simply by the handfuls.
Well, this is an exciting Tuesday. We’re making homemade cinnamon toast crunch and it’s truly one of my best recipes yet.
You guys? This homemade cereal recipe is so good. It brings back all the best childhood memories. And honestly, it’s not only a million times better than the boxed stuff, but it’s also simple to make. If you can roll out pie dough, you can bake up your own homemade cinnamon toast crunch cereal. Plus…it’s going to be so fun!
cinnamon toast crunch before baking
The Inspiration.
There was a lot of inspiration from different places for this recipe, so let me walk you through it all.
First and foremost, as a kid cinnamon toast crunch was my favorite cereal (then Cheerios, but I was never that into any other cereals). I’m really not sure how one could not love cinni toast crunch…it’s one of the best cereals out there. If the boxed stuff wasn’t so bad for me, I’d probably still eat it regularly. I’ll forever love anything cinnamon toast.
Two, after making homemade Twix bars, homemade Chocolate Fudge Pop Tarts, and then, homemade Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts, I was left wanting to create more homemade versions of my childhood favorites. Something about quarantine life has left me wanting all the nostalgic foods from my past. Is that weird? I don’t know, but I sure am having a lot of fun creating (and improving) on the boxed foods we all ate (and loved) growing up.
Next, most everyone is home right now. Many of you are home with your kids and they are bored. I don’t personally have kids, but I have my little sister, Asher, visiting me often…and she is bored. Asher’s favorite cereal? Cinnamon Toast Crunch…though she’s never had the boxed kind. My parents just don’t buy that stuff anymore (correction – Asher says she has had it at her cousins in Cleveland). But I’ve made this homemade version before and Asher has always loved it. When I told her what I was making on Sunday, her eyes widened with excitement and we had a lot of fun baking this together. So, my point? This is a great recipe to bake up if you have bored kids at home.
And finally, with summer so close, I feel like a bowl of homemade Cinnamon Toast Crunch would be the perfect lazy summer morning breakfast. No cooking, just add cold milk…a chill laid back morning with a bowl of sweet, crunchy breakfast cereal.
Pretty darn close to perfect, right?
PS. dying to know what everyone’s favorite cereal was/is? Are you all about Cinnamon Toast Crunch? What’s your favorite? Please…do share.
Here are the steps…
This cinnamon toast crunch cereal is simple. As I mentioned, if you can roll out pie dough, you can make cinnamon toast crunch. It’s a very simple mixture of whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, cinnamon, butter, vanilla, and a touch of sugar too. Just seven ingredients. All of which you can find in your pantry and fridge.
At least that’s my hope.
The cinnamon adds flavor directly to the dough. The butter creates a flaky bite, the vanilla adds flavor, and the sugar sweetens it all up. Start by mixing together the cinnamon and sugar. See, super simple.
Now, mix up the dough. I like using the food processor to easily mix the dough and create the flakiest, crunchiest cereal, but you can simply use your hands as well in a large bowl. Once the dough is mixed, it’s time to roll it out.
The key is to roll the dough pretty thin, I’m talking about the thickness of a quarter. This will give you the crunchiest cereal.
Once the dough is rolled out, I then transfer it to a sheet of parchment paper, brush with butter, and sprinkle with that cinnamon sugar. At this point, cut the dough into little tiny squares.
Next, transfer the parchment paper to a baking sheet and separate the squares, spacing them apart. After a lot of testing, I find the method of cutting the dough first and then transferring to a baking sheet to be the easiest, and to work the best.
Finally, you bake. No chilling needed, just bake for a little over ten minutes, the smells are wonderful. You can eat warm, but these are best once cool. As they cool they become crunchy and so delish.
And that’s pretty much it. Could not be simpler, and the end result is roll your eyes back good.
The real question…do they taste like the original?
Well, I don’t know for sure. It’s been a while since I had my last bowl of cinnamon toast crunch, but this cereal does taste really, really good. And if my memory serves me correctly, yes these taste just like cinnamon toast crunch. But Asher says…better. You can really taste the real cinnamon with undertone flavors of vanilla and sweet butter.
And everyone’s second question…can you enjoy this cereal with milk? YES, you can. And it’s beyond GOOD. It’s also great by the handful or when served atop ice cream or even yogurt. The options are endless, but for me, it’s best with cold milk or just by the handful for snacking. What’s your pick?
And guys, that’s about it. This cereal is the simplest to make and every single ingredient is a pantry staple. Meaning you have zero excuses to not bake these up this week. Promise it will be fun, and yes, so delicious!
Watch The How To Video:
Looking for other homemade favorites? Here are a few…
Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts
Homemade Healthy Samoas Cookies
Lastly, if you make this homemade cinnamon toast crunch cereal, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Homemade Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Servings: 6 Cups
Calories Per Serving: 570 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 cups white whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour (or additional all-purpose flour)
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 sticks (1 cup) cold salted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2-4 tablespoons salted butter, melted
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Make the cinnamon sugar. In small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon cinnamon and the sugar. 2. In a food processor, combine the whole wheat flour, flour, remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, salt, and butter. Pulse until the mix clumps together to form pea-size balls. Add the vanilla, and 1/2 cup cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together and forms a ball. If the dough feels dry, add 1-2 tablespoons additional water.3. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and form into a ball. Divide the dough in half. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll the dough as thin as you can, preferably an 1/8-inch thick (about the thickness of a quarter). Transfer the dough to a large piece of parchment paper. Brush the dough with melted butter and sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar, gently pressing the sugar into the dough. Cut into 1/2-inch squares. Repeat with the remaining dough. 4. Carefully transfer the parchment paper to a baking sheet. Separate the squares, spacing them a 1/2 inch apart. 5. Bake 12-14 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool completely, then store in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Enjoy…with milk, a top ice cream, or simply by the handful.
Notes
To Make Gluten Free: Use an equal amount of your favorite gluten free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour. I recommend Cup4Cup gluten free flour.
If you don’t have a Food Processor: You can use your fingers to mix the butter with the flour until the butter is pea sized. Slowly drizzle in the cold water as directed.
This post was originally published on May 19, 2020
Love this recipe. I don’t buy store-bought cereal because of all the chemicals they put in them nowadays. So I make this for my grandkids on occasion. You have to make the dough super thin. Then lay them piece by piece on a cookie sheet. They take about 18 minutes to cook. Before you cook them. Make sure you put a good amount of cinnamon sugar on top. Let them cool completely on the cookie sheet and they will be delicious
Hey Patti,
Thanks for making this recipe so often, I’m thrilled it wis always a success for you. Have a nice day!
I was so excited about this recipe but was majorly disappointed. I baked it for 15 minutes and realized it was definitely not crispy. Read the comments sections and saw others said they baked for up to an hour so I added another 15 minutes. I Burnt 25% of the batch and the rest isn’t flavorful. It tastes like the crust of a cinnamon pop tart to me.
Hi Laura! Oh no I am SO sorry about that!! Thank you so much for your feedback, and thank you for giving the recipe a try even though it wasn’t your favorite. Have a great weekend! xT
Loved it. I used 150 g (organic rolled oats.- grounded it myself) and 156 g of APF. I chilled the dough for 30 minutes in fridge so it’s easier to work with. As I rolled the dough out, I used flour to avoid it from getting so sticky. I baked it for 25-30 min. I am wondering if I can use only one stick of butter.
Thanks
Thanks so much, Tiffany! So glad to hear this recipe turned out nicely for you:) Thanks for making it!
Very tasty and crispy. But bake them for an hour if you want to put them in a bowl with milk, otherwise they’ll be WAY too soft
Thanks so much!!
Do you have the nutrition facts for these? I’m curious how much sugar they have compared to the box cereals I’m trying to eradicate from the house
Hi Vanessa,
So sorry, I do not have that information at this time. There’s a total of 1/2 cup of sugar in this recipe which makes 6 servings. I hope this helps! xx
I mis read the recipe and only used 1/2 the amount of flour called for…buuuut they taste AMAZING! Took a bit longer to bake(20-ish minutes), but are crispy, almost fried like texture! Yay for happy accidents!
Hi Callie,
Wonderful! I’m so glad this recipe turned out nicely for you, thanks for making it! Merry Christmas!!🎄🎁☃️
These were bad don’t reccomend
Hi I just made these, and they were really doughy so I threw them in for another 7 minutes, just waiting for them to cool down now
Hi Destiny,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe! I hope they taste yummy! Have a great week! xx
I baked mine for 25 minutes and kinda thought they wouldn’t be crispy but more like a pie crust. I left them to cool for a few minutes on the sheet pan and they crisped right up perfectly. I’m thankful I didn’t leave them in the oven because they would have burned.
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Jessica!
Hi! I haven’t made yet but was wondering if you think they’d turn out alright using entirely whole wheat flour or if that would set things off track, thanks!
Hi Charlotte,
That would be fine, but you want to make sure you are using pastry flour. I hope this helps! Let me know if you give this recipe a try! xx
Absolutely delicious… I will be making these on a regular basis… Thank you for sharing
Hey Sheila,
Wonderful! Thank you so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Happy Monday! xT
Made this a few times for my 2 daughters and they love it. My 3 year old requests this weekly. Thank you so much for posting!
Hey Amy,
Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for sharing your notes! Have a great fall weekend! xT
This was an easy to follow recipe! Delicious! Make sure you really roll that dough evenly and thin. I will be making this again.
Hey Candis,
Awesome! Thank you so much for trying this recipe, love to hear that it was enjoyed! x
This recipe did not work. The dough didn’t cook properly, was closer to 20-25 min to not be raw. It wasn’t crispy and didn’t puff up, it stayed flat and basically a bland cinnamon pie crust. Disappointed
Hi Emma,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear you had some issues. Any chance the dough was too thick? Please let me know how I can help! xT
Your recipe only shows to coat one side, but the end of the video and the photos show both sides coated in cinnamon sugar.
If your recipe is different from the final product shown, why even post the recipe?
All this makes are little cinnamon sugar biscuits, no way shape or form is this cereal.
Hi there,
I only did the one side in cinnamon sugar, the video shows that:) The photos might look like both sides just because of how the cereal is laying in the bowls. The recipe is written exactly as I made them. Sorry to hear the recipe was not enjoyed. Have a great day! xx
I really wanted to like this recipe as a dupe. Although its a decent pie dough recipe better suited to use for pop-tarts, it doesn’t compare to the cereal in the slightest. Needing a whole cup of butter and having to move each individual square is also a big turn off
Hi Stevie,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry it was not enjoyed! xx
I agree I felt like they were cookies or something and the dough was awful!
The first half of the batch turned out slightly undercooked (not crunchy) but omg they tasted exactly like the brown sugar cinnamon poptarts! Second batch I cooked an additional 2-3 minutes and turned out better. Thanks for the recipe!
Hey there,
Happy Friday! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT