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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 the boxed stuff, so much better. This 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 cereal 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 bakingÂ
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 mix 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. 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.
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.Â
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.
Hi! Is there anything that I can use to replace the kosher salt?
Hey Julia,
You could use another salt that you enjoy. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I was so excited to make this recipe because cinnamon toast crunch is my favorite cereal…the taste is pretty good, it’s important to let them cool completely to harden; not sure how they’ll hold up in milk. However your nutritional info is WAY off! ? I used swerve instead of sugar but even with that modification 1 cup would have 457 calories and 29g of fat if the recipe makes 6 servings. You’d be better off eating the box cereal!! It has 170 calories and 4g of fat per cup. I definitely don’t recommend this recipe.
Hi Melynda! I apologize this did not turn out as expected.. I will recheck the calorie amount. Please let me know if there is anything I can help you with! xTieghan
My dough came out so wet even before I was about to add the water. I added the butter and it was so sticky. I’m used the exact measurement. Only that I used oat flour in stead of we flour. Pls what could have gone wrong. I think my butter was too much.
Hi Rayjo,
So sorry you had issues with the dough. I have never used oat flour for this recipe so that could be the issue. I hope this helps for next time! xTieghan
Hi! I’m SO excited to try this!! Can I use unsalted butter? xo
Hey Alexa,
Yes unsalted butter is totally fine to use, I would just add 1/4 teaspoon of salt. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
We really enjoyed baking and having these!
Some possible modifications- use only one stick of butter with flour. May be one and half if you are a butter lover. Less butter will make it easier to roll, cut, tastes little better.
Put some cinnamon sugar under the dough before starting to roll. Otherwise only the top has the cinnamon.
Use liberal dry flour to make a ball before starting to roll.
Put it in fridge for 15 min, before starting to cut otherwise it is a lot of work to separate them. May be less butter will make it easier to roll thin and separate.
May be instead of mixing sugar and cinnamon, first sprinkle cinnamon and then sugar, that may mask bitter taste of cinnamon.
Hard to transfer, so roll them on the baking sheet directly.
Thank you so much Deepak! I am glad this turned out well for you! xTieghan
Ah so interesting blog to find!!!
I cant wait to try this and many other recipes here.
As someone living in Scandinavia this kinda recipes are really interesting cause we dont have this kinda cereals around here.
Something all americans know all life will be something new and exiting for us to try.
I hope you love the recipe Hanna!
Hi – I am excited to make this, but am a little confused. The list of ingredients calls for two different kinds of flour, but the recipe instructions only refer to the whole wheat flour. Am I missing the instructions or is it just that we are able to use either kind of flour?
Thanks for your help!
Allison
Hi Allison,
Sorry for the confusion, both the whole wheat flour and all purpose flour are listed in step 2. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Waffle Crisp was my favorite, and I still can’t find anything like it. Puffy, crunchy and with a strong flavor of butter and syrup. This looks amazing too, will give it a try.
Thank you so much Jon! I hope you love this recipe! xTieghan
Hi! I just love your blog! Could I substitute regular oil for the butter in this recipe? Thanks!
Hi Emily,
So sorry but the cold butter is key in this recipe! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi there! I currently don’t have any whole wheat flour in the house. Can you use ALL all-purpose or will it just not be the same?
Hi Melissa,
That will be fine to do. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I am ready to make this but the recipe is missing step 3. Another comment spoke about brown sugar, but this recipe doesn’t mention brown sugar. Thanks for your clarification.
Hey Barbara, I’m not sure why you are not seeing step 3, but it’s there. Copy pasted for you below for easy access. There is no brown sugar in this recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
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.
I cant find whole-wheat flour should I substitute it for all-purpose? Or would another flour work?
I just made them for this recipe and IM OBSESSED! They are beyond good- not exactly like the cereal because they are puffier but they are amazing- almost like a cross between cinnamon toast crunch and a churro!! So good and I highly recommend but with caution because YOU WILL want to eat all of them!!
Haha love the caution! Thank you for trying this Maggie! I am really glad it turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Hmm. I can’t believe that you are so young that Cinnamon Toast Crunch was your favorite cereal as a child. To me, it is still a brand new cereal. Age aside, I am definitely going to make this recipe…
Thank you so much Susan! I hope you love this version!! xTieghan
So good and taste so much better than the box!!! Just be sure to roll the dough super thin to make it extra crunchy!
Thank you so much Julianne! xTieghan
This was a yummy recipe and the dough was very easy to make! I felt like it took me forever to cut them so I saved the second portion of the dough. Any recs for another way it can be used? Thanks!
Hi Meg,
You can use it as a pie crust. I am glad you enjoyed the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan