Vegan Cinnamon Toast Crunch

Here it is! The ultimate vegan Cinnamon Toast Crunch recipe. 

I don’t know about you, but I had a serious Cinnamon Toast Crunch addiction in my teen years. That crispy sweet bite of deliciousness was just TOO good.

You know how it went on those school mornings:

• Step 1: You prepared a perfect bowl of cereal with milk.

• Step 2: You finished eating the cereal, but that delicious cinnamon-flavored milk still remained… lonely. So what did you do? You added more cereal, duh!

• Step 3: But then the cereal-to-milk ratio was off. It was a little too dry. So what did you do then? You added a bit more milk for the newly added cereal, right?

• Step 4: You then repeated steps 2 and 3 until you ate WAY too much! 🥴

Sound familiar? Yup, for me too.

As an adult who has a penchant for good health and plant-based living, I still love the nostalgic taste of Cinnamon Toast Crunch – but the original cereal no longer ticks the right boxes for me.

Which gave me an idea…

What is Cinnamon Toast Crunch?

Cinnamon Toast Crunch is a popular cereal created by General Mills. It consists of small squares made of predominantly wheat and rice flour covered in cinnamon and sugar. Doesn’t sound so healthy, but it certainly is delicious!

As I’m typing this, the words “The Taste You Can See” from those all-too-familiar commercials are playing in my head.

What is Cinnamon Toast Crunch Made Out Of?

Here is the list of ingredients in General Mills Cinnamon Toast Crunch: 

Whole grain wheat, sugar, rice flour, canola oil, fructose, maltodextrin, dextrose, salt, cinnamon, trisodium phosphate, soy lecithin, caramel color. BHT added to preserve freshness. Vitamins and minerals: calcium carbonate, iron and zinc (mineral nutrients), vitamin C (sodium ascorbate), A B Vitamin (niacinamide), vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B1 (thiamin mononitrate), vitamin A (palmitate), A B vitamin (folic acid), vitamin B12, vitamin D3. (1)

Phew. What a list! Why didn’t I think of creating a healthy Vegan Cinnamon Toast Crunch recipe before?

Oh well, better late than never!

Is Cinnamon Toast Crunch Vegan?

According to the General Mills’ ingredients list referenced above, Cinnamon Toast Crunch has vitamin D3 in it. 

But so what, right?

It turns out most vitamin D3 supplements come from two animal sources: fish oils (from the skin of fatty fish) or sheep lanolin (the waxy substance secreted by the glands in sheep skin). (3)

So, unfortunately that means the cereal is not vegan!

(Luckily our recipe is!)

Is Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bad For You?

You read the ingredient list, right? 

Not only does the popular cereal have a very high sugar content (fructose, dextrose), but there’s also added coloring (caramel color) and other harmful ingredients (like trisodium phosphate). 

What is trisodium phosphate? Sodium phosphate refers to a group of phosphorus-derived food additives. Eating too many foods containing sodium phosphate additives can raise phosphate levels in the body to an unhealthy level. (2)

Studies have linked high levels of phosphate with conditions like heart disease, decreased bone density, premature aging, kidney issues and even premature death. (2)

How Do I Make Cinnamon Toast Crunch healthiir?

We have made this popular cereal recipe healthier by swapping out those not-so-good-for-you ingredients with healthier ingredients like almond flour, coconut flour, monk fruit and more.

Unlike the commercial brand, this Vegan Cinnamon Toast Crunch is made with REAL ingredients that you can actually pronounce. Plus, it’s super easy and quick to make! 

All you need is a mixing bowl, a baking sheet, and an oven. Simple and delicious.

Happy crunching!

What is Vegan Cinnamon Toast Crunch Made Of?

For our delicious plant-based version, you need the following ingredients, which you can buy in stores or online:

• Almond flour
• Almond milk
• Coconut flour
• Gluten free baking flour (or regular flour)
• Date sugar (or monk fruit for sugar-free)
• Salt
• Cinnamon
• Flax egg
• Coconut oil, melted

How Do I Make Cinnamon Toast Crunch?

It’s actually pretty simple!

Preheat your oven to 350°F. In a mixing bowl, add the almond flour, coconut flour, gluten free baking flour (or regular flour), date sugar (or monkfruit), salt and cinnamon. Mix together.

Add flax egg, coconut oil, and two tablespoons of almond milk to start with. If you feel the mixture is too crumbly and hard to manipulate, you can go ahead and add the rest of the almond milk. Note that the less almond milk you use, the crunchier it will be! So you want to use as little as possible.

Next, transfer the mixture to a piece of parchment paper, and flatten. You want it to be thin!

Using a knife, cut into small squares, and bake for about 15-20 minutes. Be careful when baking because they can go from perfect to overdone in seconds!

Remove from the oven and allow to cool! They will continue to crisp the longer they cool.

When you are ready, serve your healthier Cinnamon Toast Crunch with fresh almond milk (or your favorite plant-based milk) and enjoy! 🥛

How Long Does Vegan Cinnamon Toast Crunch Last?

Providing you don’t eat them all in one go (like we tend to… 😅), they will last for around 3 days when stored on the counter in an airtight container like a Mason Jar.

The sooner you eat them, the better, as they tend to lose some of their crunch after a few days.

If you’re looking for more healthy breakfast recipes, check out these favorites:

Healthy Cocoa Puffs Cereal

Peanut Butter Puffs Cereal

Vegan Banana Waffles

Easy Gluten-free Pancakes

When you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag your photos with @healthiir on Instagram! We’d love to hear what you think of this recipe. 😋

Heads up: This post may contain affiliate links! If you buy something through one of those links, you won’t pay a penny more, but we’ll get a small commission, which helps keep the lights on. Thank you! 🙂

Sources:

1. https://www.generalmillscf.com/products/category/cereal/box/cinnamon-toast-crunch
2. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/trisodium-phosphate
3. https://www.gardenoflife.com/content/hot-ingredient-first-vegan-society-certified-vitamin-d3/