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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, it did not turn out as crispy as you said. It was softer with a slight crip. Any recommendation?
Hey there,
Sorry to hear this. Was there anything you adjusted in the recipe? This would help me to better answer your question! xTieghan
Hi, A few minutes ago I left a comment about the amount of butter. You can ignore that post. Thanks.
In the list of ingredients it is shown:
2 sticks (1 cup) cold salted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
I’m confused. 2 sticks equals 1/2 cup, so did you mean 4 sticks?
Thank you,
Hey Bob,
Two sticks of butter is equal to 1 cup. If you are using smaller sticks, then you will want to use whatever is equal to 1 cup of butter. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Afters weeks of drooling over this recipe, I made it yesterday 😀
I must say the cereal was delicious! My cereal didn’t have a crunch (not sure if I may have overworked the dough) but more of a firm pastry (like a pop tart) texture. Nonetheless, I still very much enjoyed it. Thank you for your creativity and coming up with recipes like this, I love them. As a kid (and adult lol) I loved cinnamon toast crunch. Will definitely attempt to make this again to see if I can get the dough more crunchy.
What’s most important is that the milk still had that cinnamon/sugar taste which is a blast to drink lol
Hey Kris,
I am so so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and I appreciate you giving it a try!! xxTieghan
Thoughts on doing this gluten free? My poor gluten loving husband just found out no gluten for him :(.
Hey Kate,
I would try using an equal amount of Cup4cup GF flour. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi- Do you think I could sub in a sugar substitute?
Hey Robin,
Sorry I haven’t tested a sugar substitute with this recipe, I would probably recommend following this as is:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Okay I am kind of confused. I read the comments and you are talking about buttermilk a few times but there’s none in the recipe?
Did you substitute it with water at some point or am I not seeing something?
I really wanna try it!
Hey Lisa,
If you look at the dates on a lot of the comments, you will notice those are from years ago. This was an old recipe that I improved and revamped, so you can follow the recipe as is with the ingredients listed. Let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi there!! I was wondering if you could tell me where this dinnerware set is from and the name please!!? I love it!
Hey Marie,
So sorry, I do not have a link for this set! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I had difficulty rolling it out thin and transferring to parchment, so mine were a little thicker. A+ review from the kids!
Hey Suzy,
I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks so much for giving it a try. Have a great week! xTieghan
Hi, I made this yesterday and it turned out great. I have one question though. Is there a way to make the texture more crunchy and less flaky? I used only all purpose flour, as that is all I had. Would the other type of flour make a difference in texture? I’d love to know! Still a great recipe, really delicious with some warm milk 🙂
Hey Anuska,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe, yes the pastry flour will definitely give it a nice crunch! Please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
This is my new favorite breakfast! Ever since I tried yourcinnamon toast crunch recipe a few months back I keep craving it for breakfast. I keep a batch ready in the freezer and make them on sunday to have a yummy brekafast for the week. The first time I tried them I kept eating them by the handful cause they were so good!!! Abslutely love this recipe!
I am really happy this recipe turned out so amazing for you, Bianca! Thank you so much for trying this one! xTieghan
I love recipe as a treat but 1/2 fat to flour is really a cookie dough. Yes, cookies and milk does taste great.
So excited to give this a try! If I keep it in an air tight container or bag, how long does this stay good? Thinking it would be great for camping trip!
Hey Lexi,
This is good in an airtight container up to 1 week. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi, may I use oat flour on this recipe? Thanks in advance.
Hey C,
I would recommend using GF flour. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi
I was wondering how long we could generally store your homemade cereal for
Hey Nouf,
I would store in an airtight container for up to a week. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
no.
Hi! Did you not like this recipe? Is there anything I can help you with? xTieghan