Packed with protein and easily made gluten-free or vegan, now you can enjoy the taste of your favourite cereal in this thick and creamy cereal milk protein smoothie!
You know you’re a smoothie addict when you seriously consider taking your blender on a weekend trip to the mountains because you can’t fathom don’t enjoy the thought of going without one of your favourite meals/snacks/life forces for 2.whole.days.
Don’t laugh — I was honestly thinking about it while packing my suitcase on Friday night Saturday morning. But in the end, the blender stayed at home (sitting in it’s honorary spot on the kitchen counter) because: a) I didn’t think my roommates would have appreciated being woken up by the soothing sound of a high-speed motor at 5:30 AM, and b) it was either the blender or my toiletries, and I figured that a lack of personal hygiene was probably worse than a lack of smoothies. But it was a close call.
It’s no secret that I’m smitten with smoothies, and it’s seriously getting to the point where I can’t help but look at a lot of foods and automatically start wondering how I can possibly incorporate them into a smoothie, dip, sauce, soup, spread, or blended concoction of some sort.
That’s why I’m crazy excited to be sharing this recipe with you guys today. Not only because it gives me a chance to spread the smoothie love, but because it involves another one of my biggest obsessions — cereal.
Me and cereal go way back. I remember waking up early on Saturday mornings and watching cartoons in my PJs with a bowl (or three) of cereal in tow. Why all the good cartoons were on so early in the morning, I’ll never know, but I do know that the weekend wasn’t complete without my beloved bowl (or three) of cereal.
Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Rugrats. Corn Pops and Duck Tales. Captain Crunch and The Flinstones. Ahhhhh the good old days. I’m not even sure if they still have Saturday morning cartoon marathons on TV these days, but you better believe that I’m still holding fast to the belief that [life] isn’t complete without cereal… even if the way I eat it has changed a little over the years…
I’m no stranger to sprinkling cereal on top of a smoothie to add a little crunch factor, but it wasn’t until a few weeks ago that I decided to try using cereal in a smoothie. That “blend ALL the things” mentality I mentioned earlier? Very much a factor in how this came about. And let me just be the first to say that my mind.is.BLOWN.
Picture a ridiculously thick and creamy smoothie that tastes just like your favourite bowl of cereal. Heck, it basically is your favourite bowl of cereal — just blended to perfection so that all the flavours have a chance to come together in a harmonious blend of orgasmic joy. Sorry. Got a little carried away there. But it’s hard not to when you’re dealing with something this good.
I’ve tried this smoothie with a variety of different cereals (Cinnamon Toast Crunch, crispy rice, Power O’s, Puffins, Oat Squares, Weetabix, Cinnamon Harvest), and they all work really well… with the exception of granola, which was just a little too heavy. I included a scoop of protein powder in the ingredients list if you need a smoothie with a little more oomph, but it’s just as delicious and satisfying without it. It’s also vegan as long as you use a non-dairy milk and plant-based protein powder, and gluten-free as long as you use a certified GF cereal.
So jump into your PJs, turn on some Teletoon Retro, and enjoy a cereal milk smoothie. It’ll be just like the good old days… with a fun new twist.
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Cereal Milk Protein Smoothie
- Total Time: 5 mins
- Yield: 1 serving 1x
Ingredients
- 1 – 1.5 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk*
- 1 ripe banana, frozen
- 1 cup of your favourite cereal**
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into your blender in the order listed and blend until smooth. This smoothie can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for extra thickness and creaminess!
Notes
* Start with 1 cup of milk and add more as needed.
** I’ve found that most cereals do well in this smoothie. I don’t recommend granola, however, since it tends to be a little too heavy and dense.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
Looking for more healthy smoothie recipes? Try one of these!
Apple Pie Protein Smoothie
Peaches and Cream Protein Smoothie
Healthy Chocolate Mousse Smoothie
While this looks delicious, I have to comment on this *VEGAN* *GLUTEN FREE* bandwagon stuff that everyone is going crazy over… I don’t visit blogs anymore, except for yours on occasion because we had a similar story to begin with and I’ve enjoyed “checking in” every once in a while and seeing happy pictures and tasty sounding recipes.
But your posts have been inundated with this gluten-free and vegan stuff just as magazines and everyone now seems to be talking about. There are more studies coming out showing that when people who claim to have gluten intolerance were blindly given different diets that had both larger and smaller quantities of gluten, they all experienced the same IBS symptoms — regardless of the diet. Their bowels are simply… well…. more easily irritated I guess! lol.
So what I’m trying to say is I guess I get a little frustrated when I see people cutting out certain things based on these hyped up, trendy diets that spark up out of the blue. It’s like the whole pomegranate, pumpkin, chia seed, kale thing…. lol. All those foods suddenly get so cool for some reason. Many of them are just as nutritious as other counterparts, but get trendy. I think the same goes for all this gluten-free and vegan business. I personally have been eating giving into cravings more — cheeseburgers from McDonald’s on a random weekday, or pepperoni pizza two nights in a row — and have never felt better. I eat some organic, and try to fill my sandwiches with more protein. Sure I get tummy issues sometimes, and in some ways I think they’re due to the starvation I put myself through for nearly 5 years. But I think too many people are just falling prey — as usual when it comes to fads — to these different “diets.”
(I know this is wayyyyy off topic and somewhat of a tangent, but food for thought maybe?)
You know I always appreciate your food for thought, girl! And I totally get the frustration associated with fad diets, because it’s something that used to really bother me as well. To be honest, though, it’s not something that I’ve been consciously paying attention to or trying to follow — a lot of my recipes just end up in that camp because a lot of my favourite ingredients are just naturally gluten-free and/or vegan. That and even if the recipe itself isn’t necessarily either, I point out that it can be modified for the people that need it to be. It’s easy to get lost in the overwhelming amount of diet information that we’re constantly being bombarded with, which is why I think people fall victim to the fads in the first place. At the end of the day, though, the most important thing is trying out different things and figuring out what’s best for you… then modifying that if you find it no longer works.
I LOVE ADDING COCO POPS TO SMOOTHIES.
Keep these coming. That gif is also amazing.
I’m one of those gross.. I mean awesome… people who loves soggy cereal. I usually let mine sit for a decent amount of time before I crack into it. This recipe is like a dream come true for me!
Give me soggy cereal over crunchy cereal any day! Especially if we’re talking some kind of wheat or bran squares. Oooo heaven.
that action shot, seriously, are you trying to kill me with envy? haha. I love the idea of cereal and milk smoothie! especially with love grown! um, genius!
As you may or may not know I’m far from a smoothie fan. This, however, might be an exception because it’s basically cereal milk prepared the fast way (without letting it soak). Aka: the best part of eating cereal. The only thing even better than this would probably be cereal milk ice cream. I’ve seen recipes for it before and U’m really intrigued to give it a try once the weather doesn’t require me to turn up the heat after eating frozen foods anymore.
I actually let my beautiful Rice Chex sit in almond milk for a whole hour before I eat it….not even joking. As we speak I’m actually eating my prepared mush for lunch! I LOVE mushy cereal.
If I didn’t have to be gluten/dairy/egg-free, I’d say Cocoa Pebbles were my favorite. But I really love my plain Rice Chex, so it all works out!
And favorite cartoon as a KID?! Hell, I’m a cartoonist, and all I watch are cartoons! I’ve always loved The Simpsons. Avatar, Powerpuff Girls…god, so many that I can’t even begin. But The Simpsons have been a staple since birth, so Simpsons it is!
The Simpsons will always have a spot in my heart as well <3
Holy crap, I need this now with some cinnamon toast crunch. OR with cocoa puffs. I used to love watching Saturday morning cartoons!
This is an amazing idea!! Love it!
Thanks, Hayley!
Oh heckkk yes, Amanda! I wish I could bring my blender to college with me too, because this. is. genius.
I love me some cereal milk, but making it into a thick and creamy smoothie sounds just heavenly.
I would definitely try this with pb Puffins or corn pops with a side of classic Winnie the Pooh. 🙂
So simple and so good! Saturday mornings as a kid were made for cartoons…I also used to love when my Mom would allow us to pick up the variety pack of cereals as a treat. I always loved Chocolate Coco Puffs, because you could drink the chocolate milk after. HAHA!
That GIF though!! …that is what that second photo is, right? Either that, or something way cooler. Ummmm I’d probably have to use Cinnamon Toast Crunch in this…just thinking of it is making me hungry!
Yep! It’s a .gif 😀
Ha, I never thought of actually using my cereal in a smoothie. That would be interesting- I think my kids would get a kick out of it for sure! Thanks for sharing.
What a fantastic and genius idea!
Amanda – this is absolutely genius. I can’t wait to make this after my next grocery run… We have cereal, but I want to make this with the fun stuff! And I was totally a cereal + Saturday morning cartoons girl as well.
Okay, my cereal-loving hubby would just die over this. Thanks for the tip. Oh, and traveling with your blender? ahahah That’s great! 🙂
(I’ve packed my Magic Bullet before 😉 )
1000 points for creativity on this one….this sounds simply amazing!
Well, you already know CTC is our fav (and the reason why we’re friends). I used to be obsessed with Ghostbusters, Care Bears & My Little Pony!
Aw, I miss being young. It’s a good thing I’m 30 going on 12 though.
Oh I could totally sit down right now and binge watch rugrats – so amazing! rugrats for me will always symbolise Saturday mornings 🙂 #blastfromthepast
This is an interesting smoothie that I will need to test out! Have you added some greens to it to see if that tastes very good? Just to get in some veggies?
I haven’t because I wanted the taste of cereal to be the most dominant, and I think the greens would mask that a little too much. I’ve tried adding greens to a smoothie made with oats before, though, and that’s pretty delicious!
Cereal Smoothie!! Now you really top it girl. And I LOVE the animated pic!!
This: I didn’t think my roommates would have appreciated being woken up by the soothing sound of a high-speed motor at 5:30 AM
I am still laughing so hard.
I can truly say I would have never thought of this, it’s such a creative and interesting idea. I’m more of someone who likes to enjoy eating their calories versus drinking them but it’s a pretty cool idea!
I used to be the same way with eating vs. drinking calories, but somewhere along the way I got really hooked on smoothies.
WHOA that milk pouring GIF (is that what those are called?) is so cool!!! This sounds sooo tasty and delicious. I totally support your desire to bring your blender to the mountains. 🙂
Love your pictures and this idea! I can’t wait to try it out! 🙂
Love you combined two of your favorite foods in this! For my, Honey Bunches of Oats will always hold a special place in my foodie heart. I could literally eat an entire box of it within a day 😯 . Also… your blender story hahaha. I mean, the choice between personal hygiene and smoothies is a tough one. 😉
What a fabulous idea! How did you do the pouring pic??? That is seriously awesome!
Thanks, Megan! I just took a series of consecutive shots and made an animated .gif in Photoshop.
Interesting idea – I have never added cereal to a smoothie other than as a topping. Very cool – I love smoothies all year round. 🙂
Yes, yes YES! Cinnamon Toast Crunch is my go-to cereal except I’d eat it after school in front of the TV while watching “Days of Our Lives.” Ha ha! I actually don’t have an off switch when it comes to cereal. I literally don’t stop. I could eat a whole box, and I actually did once, in grade eleven. Go, me!
I used to watch Days of Our Lives too! That show will always have a place in my heart. And Ditto on eating an entire box of cereal in one day. It was Frosted Cheerios and I think they made me sick 😆
Ah this post made me all kinds of smiley, between reminiscing about my fave cartoons to reminiscing about my fave cereals. Favorite cereal back in the day was Cinnamon Toast Crunch (duh) followed by Frosties & Coco Pops. Why no one has bottled “cereal milk” yet is beyond me- they’d make a fortune! A few of my favourite cartoons were Rugrats, Flinstones, Jetsons & Simpsons.
This might be one of the best smoothie recipes I’ve come across till date, Amanda. Honestly, is there anything better than CEREAL MILK!!! Also I’m loving the graphic of pouring the smoothie in a glass- somebody’s all fancy ;)!
Kids today are so spoiled – they have a bazillion channels loaded with cartoons 24/7. It’s not fair! My favorite cartoons – The Jetsons, Beverly Hills Teens, Punky Brewster, The Flintstones and Josie and The Pussycats…With a nice bowl of cocoa pebbles (which would be perfect in this smoothie).
Did you know that we don’t get Cocoa Pebbles up here in Canada? Craziness…
I can’t wait to try this! I’m 39 weeks pregnant and my go-to cereal has been cinnamon toast crunch. The cinnamon may give me slight heartburn but it doesn’t stop me. I LOVE IT!
Very good choice 😀 Cinnamon Toast Crunch will always and forever be one of my favourite smoothies.
This looks SO good, and cereal with almond milk is something I adore!!! Such comfort food!
My favorite cereal is Nature’s Path multigrain flax. Love the just barely sweet, earthy taste.
My favorite cartoon as a kid was probably Rugrats. Loved that show! And of course Looney Toons!
So I bought Fruity Pebbles the other day at the store (moment of weakness I tell ya!) and this morning I was thisclose to adding them to a smoothie but I thought it’d be weird. Apparently I should have done it! I’m excited to try this out!
Do you have an immersion blender? They still make noise but they are really portable and blend up anything so well! I actually love taking it on trips as an option for my kids to have a meal on the go.
This looks like the cutest idea! I would never think to blend up cereal but why not! So trying this with my kids, not only would they love it but they would get such a kick out of seeing their favorite cereal turn into smoothies!
I don’t, but I would seriously consider getting one if it meant portable smoothies!
This is such an amazing idea! I am a self-proclaimed Puffin addict, and I know peanut butter puffins would be AMAZING in a smoothie. Thanks for sharing!
Ethan had his first smoothie today. He guzzled the first 2/3 but wanted nothing to do with the final 1/3. Kiddo’s nuts.
I saw that on IG this morning and felt all warm and fuzzy inside! Way to start the kid young 😉
I’ve been on SUCH a cereal kick lately, so I’m really excited to try this!
Bummed I can’t make this since granola is the only cereal I have right now, but I’m def grabbing some Power O’s next week and going to town on them.
p.s. LOL at ‘harmonious blend of orgasmic joy’. I’m gonna use that phrase to describe everything today haha
Haha I’m intrigued! My favorite cereal is Barbara’s Peanut Butter Puffins… which would be amazing in this!
I can’t speak for the PB ones, but the cinnamon are ah.maze.ing.
So unique! Although I don’t eat much cereal, I might just start drinking it soon!
I looooove alll cereal!