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This homemade vegan cinnamon cereal is crunchy, sweet, packed with cinnamon, and tastes just like mini caramelized cookies! You will only need 9 pantry ingredients, and they are so easy to make. Enjoy them with your favorite plant-based milk or yogurt, or sprinkle them over ice cream!
Wouldn’t it be fun to make your own cereal? Well, I’ve got you covered with this cinnamon-infused cereal! It contains only 9 ingredients and has less sugar than most store-bought cereals.
The inspiration behind this recipe comes from Speculoos, a crunchy cinnamon cookie that is popular around Christmas in Europe. If that doesn’t ring a bell, you might know it as Biscoff!
It is one of my favorite treats. It’s kind of like gingerbread cookies but crispier. My goal was to turn that cozy, caramelized cookie flavor into a cereal that I could eat for breakfast… and honestly, I think I nailed it!
❤️ Why It’s a Must-Try
Caramelized cookie flavor.
A big bowl of these cinnamon cereals + fresh homemade almond milk = breakfast in heaven. They stay super crunchy, and that subtle caramelized flavor combined with the cinnamon is just 😍. If you love Biscoff cookies, you are going to love these!
Julia, a reader, said: “Wow, they’re amazing. I just took them out of the oven half an hour ago, and I’m afraid they won’t last long lol. They don’t get soggy or fall apart in milk, and taste so good. I was too lazy to squeeze out small drops, so they came out more like small cookies haha, but no complaints here! ★★★★★”
Easy and made in one bowl.
This recipe starts with a super-easy-to-make batter that requires just a handful of pantry staples. Then, all you have to do is transfer the batter to a piping bag and pipe small balls of dough on a baking sheet. Pop in the oven for a few minutes, and you end up with homemade vegan cereals that are extra crispy and seriously delicious.
Double the batch because you will eat a lot more than you plan, trust me.
They keep very well.
Did I mention these cereals have a long shelf life? If you keep them in an airtight container, they will stay crunchy for up to 1 month!
💬 Let’s Talk Ingredients
Flour
I went with all-purpose flour as the base for this cereal because it’s the most common one. Chances are, you’ve already got it sitting in your pantry.
Substitute: You can use light spelt flour or whole wheat flour. Just keep in mind that you might have to slightly adjust the amount of milk, as those flours will not absorb the same amount of liquid.
Brown sugar
To recreate the flavor of Biscoff cookies, I rely on dark brown sugar. It’s essential to getting that typical caramelized flavor. Light brown sugar will work, but your cereal won’t be as golden brown and may lack some depth.
Refined sugar-free substitute: You can use coconut sugar if you want to make the cereal free of refined sugar.
Baking powder and baking soda
I use a combination of baking powder and baking soda to give the cereal a light texture. With that being said, don’t expect puffed cereal – these are still light and crisp, but not airy like the store-bought kind.
The baking soda also contributes to the caramelization, creating more complex flavors.
Cinnamon
Use regular ground cinnamon – do not use Ceylon cinnamon here, it’s too mild and woody for this recipe.
Milk
Any unsweetened plant-based milk works. I generally use soy milk, but almond, cashew, or oat milk are also great options.
Oil
Adding just a bit of oil to the batter helps the cereal crisp up during baking. Don’t worry, they do not taste greasy at all.
Vanilla extract
And finally, an optional teaspoon of vanilla extract brings floral and gourmand notes!
Less Sugar? No Problem!
If you’re not big on sweets or just want a healthier take, good news – I tested a lower-sugar version of this recipe by cutting the sugar in half. And guess what? It still turned out pretty great! You’ll just need to add 2 extra teaspoons of milk to the batter to keep the texture right. Here’s how the low-sugar version compares against the original:
- Not as complex: Since the batter contains less brown sugar, the cereal doesn’t caramelize as much, resulting in a milder taste.
- Lighter in color: Less brown sugar also means a lighter brown color.
- Not as crunchy: It’s still crunchy, don’t worry! But compared to the original, it’s a bit less crisp and tends to get soggy a little bit quicker in milk.
Overall, we really enjoyed both versions, but if we had to choose, we would still pick the full-sugar cereal as it’s crispier and packs a bit more flavor.
🥣 How It’s Done
- Mix the dry ingredients. Add the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a mixing bowl. Mix until combined using a wooden spoon or spatula.
- Add the wet ingredients. Next, pour in the plant-based milk, oil, and vanilla extract. Mix until it forms a thick and sticky batter.
- Transfer to a piping bag. Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch (0.6 cm) round tip.
- Pipe the cereal. Holding the bag vertically, close to the baking sheet, pipe 1/4-inch balls, leaving about 1 inch (2.5 cm) between each. I recommend using a wet knife to cut each ball as the batter is quite sticky. Note: Depending on the size of your baking sheet, you might have to bake it in 2 batches.
- Bake. Finally, bake the cereal for 14 minutes or until they are golden brown. The cereal will slightly rise and get a rounded shape. Allow to cool for at least 40 minutes before transferring to a glass jar.
📔 Tip
Make even pieces.
To make sure all your cereal turns out crunchy, try to pipe the dough into balls that are the same size. I usually aim for about 1/3 inch (or 1 cm) wide. Just a heads-up: if you make them smaller or bigger, you might need to adjust the baking time a bit.
🍫 Tweak Them!
The best part is that you can adjust the spices to create different versions. Here are some ideas:
- Chai-spice: Add 1/2 teaspoon of each: cardamom and ginger.
- Frangipane: Add 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract.
- Gingerbread: Add 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger.
🥛 What to Enjoy Them With
You can have them with almond milk, hazelnut milk, or your favorite plant-based milk. They also go well with vegan Greek yogurt, or almond milk yogurt, or you can use them as a topping for vanilla ice cream!
Do they get soggy in milk fast? Good question! I have tested how long these cereals stay crunchy in cold milk, and the results are in! Six minutes is the total amount of time it takes for the cereal to get soggy. The sweet spot for me is 1-2 minutes, as I like my cereal crunchy but just slightly softer on the outside.
❄️ Best Way to Store
- To store: You can store the cereal for up to 1 month at room temperature in an airtight container or glass jar.
💬 FAQ
It is on par with most European cereal brands (at around 24g of sugar per 100g). Compared to American brands, though, they are less sweet. For example, Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Cookie Crisp cereal contains 29-34g of sugar per 100g.
Yes, as I mentioned above in the post, you can reduce the sugar by half.
Although I haven’t tried yet, I think you should be able to remove the oil and replace it with one additional tablespoon of milk. Just be aware that the cereal might be a little bit less crispy, though.
This cinnamon cereal is not only super fun to make but also tastes SO good! I particularly like these on cold mornings with warm milk, or sometimes I’ll just have them as an afternoon snack. Hope you will love them too!
⭐️ Did you like this recipe? Let us know in the comments below, and tag us on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Note: This recipe was first released in June 2016 and updated with new process shots and detailed instructions in June 2025.
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Vegan Cinnamon Cereal
Ingredients
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (62 g) packed brown sugar (or coconut sugar or muscovado sugar)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup and 1 tsp (65 ml) unsweetened plant-based milk
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) oil
- 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to
350 °F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. - Mix the dry ingredients. Add the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a mixing bowl. Mix until combined using a wooden spoon or spatula.
- Add the wet ingredients. Next, pour in the plant-based milk, oil, and vanilla extract. Mix until it forms a thick and sticky batter.
- Transfer to a piping bag. Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch (0.6 cm) round tip.
- Pipe the cereal. Holding the bag vertically, close to the baking sheet, pipe 1/4-inch balls, leaving about 1 inch (2.5 cm) between each. I recommend using a wet knife to cut each ball as the batter is quite sticky. Note: Depending on the size of your baking sheet, you might have to bake it in 2 batches.
- Bake. Finally, bake the cereal for 14 minutes or until they are golden brown. The cereal will slightly rise and get a rounded shape. Allow to cool for at least 40 minutes before transferring to a glass jar.
- To store: You can store the cereal for up to 1 month at room temperature in an airtight container or glass jar.
Notes
Make even pieces.
To make sure all your cereal turns out crunchy, try to pipe the dough into balls that are the same size. I usually aim for about 1/3 inch (or 1 cm) wide. Just a heads-up: if you make them smaller or bigger, you might need to adjust the baking time a bit.
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
Leave a Comment
This one’s made it into our recipe book. The kids are crazy about this cinnamon cereal. They keep asking for it. My husband and I are big fans too.
Thanks a bunch!!
Glad your kids loved this cereal Vanessa! Thanks for your feedback 🙂
Wow! Great recipe, exactly what I was looking for – quick, simple and healthy homemade vegan cereal. I used coconut sugar but is there any way I could cut the sugar down at all? If I halved the sugar amount, would that be ok? I found them very sweet and only realised afterwards that the portion I had consisted of 28g of sugar! This would be perfect if I could make it less sugary.
Thanks AJ!
I’m afraid reducing the amount of sugar will affect the texture, and probably the crispiness as well. You could try with 30% less but I would not go over that.
Thanks, so much, for posting about this recipe, Thomas! It’s brilliant and I’m looking forward to giving it a try. I particularly like the flavor variations that you suggested and might have to try those, as well.
You’re welcome, thanks for your kind words! 🙂
Loved it thanks
Hey!! Ive tryed making cereal by your recipe this morning . And it was absolutely tasty! Thank you very much However i made a little mistake in calculating calories per portion and ate a bit too much ( half cup or so ) im planing to making those cereal regulary and bigger batches . Do you have any recommendations how much grams/cups would be a 1 serving?
One serving is what actually fills you up, it’s up to you 🙂
I have regular spelt that I can turn into flour. Your recipe states light spelt. Would mine be ok or will it change the flavor and or consistency? I love making cereal for my children. I normally make it by using the pulp from homemade milk but it’s gotten boring. I definitely want to try this recipe.
Hi Jessi,
I have to admit I’m not sure how light spelt flour is made. So I don’t know if it’s simply ground spelt or if it goes through another process.
Wow they’re amazing. I just took them out of the oven half an hour ago and I’m afraid they won’t last long lol. they don’t get soggy or fall apart in milk and taste so good. I was too lazy to squeeze out small drops so they came out more like small cookies haha but no complains here! Next time I want to try making them with cocoa powder. Thanks for the great recipe !
Thanks Julia! Glad you liked the cereals (or cookies in your case :)!
Hi Thomas,
Just curious, why does the recipe call for baking powder and baking soda (without an acid to activate the baking soda)?Please let me know as I’m anxious to try the recipe but don’t want to waste any expensive ingredients. I have allergies and have limited safe items to use. Thank you so much!
Hi Janine,
The baking soda is activated with the sugar. I found a combination of both yielded the best results, the baking powder makes them lighter and the baking soda crunchier + helps them caramelize.
Hello! I want to make this recipe ASAP but was wondering if you had any ideas on how to make it healthier. The only consolation I get from eating sugary processed storebought cereals is that it’s like taking a minor vitamin. Whole wheat flour sounds like a good idea. Think protein powder would ruin it? Or just enjoy it as a treat and maybe serve with nuts?
Hi Brandy,
I’m afraid adding protein powder will result in soft, not crunchy cereals. Plus the flavor won’t be as good.
Oh, okay. Should these feel crispy before I pull them from the oven, or will they crisp up as they cool?
They will crisp up as they cool 😉
Oh wow!
I live in Belgium where they have this product called ‘speculoos schuddebuikjes’ and it’s like lotus biscoff cookies in buns like these and I was right away addicted to them when I started to use it as a cereal (because of all the unhealthy sugars)
But now I will definitely try this healthy recipe as a replacer!
My life is getting to next level because of this blog. I don’t think people realize how important healthy TASTY food is in life!
My life would be boring without honestly 😀
Hi Salina,
Thanks for the kind words 🙂 I’m glad you like the recipes here and that it helps you!
I checked the “schuddebuikjes”, the packaging is pretty funny, they are using a milk box?!
Genius! My kids always want cereal and I am loathe to buy it because of all the undesirable ingredients. I’m definitely trying this!
Thomas this is absolutely an excellent idea. Until now I could not find any decent puffed cereal that is really healthy in the Supermarket store. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. You should be publishing a cook book, for you are an highly talented Cooking Artist and a Food Developer. All your recipies are amazing.
Thanks Anna! I’m happy you like the recipes 🙂
Can you use coconut flour or almond flour to make this keto friendly
I’m afraid it won’t work, you won’t get the same crispy/crunchy texture. I have plans to update this recipe to make it gluten-free but keto-friendly might be difficult.
Do you know the calories per serving ?
Approximately how many servings/how many cups of cereal does this recipe make?
Could I use rice flour?
Hi Sarvana,
I doubt buckwheat or coconut flour will work here. I plan to update the recipe to make it gluten-free in the future but it needs to be fully reworked unfortunately.
I bet it could be made with buckwheat flour, but it would need a binder. My first thought is to add a spoonful of psyllium husks to the batter. I’ve done that with buckwheat pancakes, to great effect. As for coconut flour, that’s a bit trickier, because coconut flour absorbs QUITE a lot of water, in my experience.
Hi
This recipe looks great !!
Can I use buckwheat flour or coconut flour?
What would I have to do different??
can I replace brown sugar with date syrup?
I’m afraid it won’t work. Replacing a dry sugar with a liquid one will change the texture, the recipe would have to be reworked.
I made this PKU friendly by using low protein pku flour (Platypus Foods Baking mix), apple sauce and some coconut milk instead of the sugar and almond milk. It turned out really well. I will be trying it again with other fruit purees.
Thanks for sharing your tweaks Kelly!
Hello Thomas!
Can rye flour be used?
I’m not sure about that, I think rye flour will change the flavor and texture of the cereals. I would go for all-purpose if you don’t have access to spelt flour.
And what about whole wheat?
I wanted to know if I could make my own cereal since my husband and I want to quit eating eggs for breakfast…they’re disgusting, and I want to be vegan…it’s the only thing standing in my way.
This is the first thing I’ve found and I’m totally excited about it.
Thank you so much.
I’ve quit eating sugar, so will need to get around that.
I’m sure you will like them! 🙂 Maybe try using coconut sugar for a healthier alternative!
Hello
Can the cereal made with any gluten free flour that you would recommend?
Maybe try with oat flour? I always used all-purpose flour so I can’t assure you the results.
Can I swap the brown sugar with sweetener? It will change the consistency of the batter?
It might change the consistency a bit, but it will change the taste even more. Brown sugar gives that caramelized flavor to the cereals.
edit : something NEW to try!
Wow! Thank you for this recipe!
Something you to try, yeah!
Merci Marie 🙂
Hi. Can I make them oil-free? 😉 If Yes, do I have to substite it for something else ?
Hi,
I never tried but I think you should be able to remove the oil and add one additional tablespoon of almond milk. I guess they might be a little bit less crispy though.
Could probably use 1-1 aquafaba liquid (no need to whip) to help firm.
I just stumbled across your site, it’s beautiful! So many things I’d like to make. Thank you for this cereal recipe, I can’t wait to try it! Please keep making and posting delicious recipes, we love it. <3
This looks delicious, and surprisingly easy. Can’t wait to try 😀 One thing- at which stage do you add the canola oil?
Thanks! I edited the recipe, you stir in the oil after adding the almond milk.
Hi thomas,
I’ve followed the instructions to bake, but my cereal turned out soft inside. Is this supposed be its texture?
Hi Kit,
I’m sorry to hear your cereals didn’t turn out as expected. These cereals are supposed to be crunchy, not soft inside.
The problem could be: 1) Your cereal balls were a little bit too big, so they require more than 12 minutes in the oven or 2) The oven temperature was not high enough, all ovens are different and you might have to adjust a little bit the baking time or temperature.
What you can do is take one cereal out of the oven at 12 minutes, let it cool one minute and taste it to see if it’s crunchy on the inside.
Hope this helps!
Hi Thomas,
Thanks for helping my crisis I have one more query- does the flour play a big role in determining whether the cereal is crunchy? For instance is using spelt flour crucial to get that crunchiness?
Actually i have another question : how do you use the knife to make the top flat? I tried but the the paste seems to adhere to the knife and just result in a pointed end. Like hersheys.
Thanks!
I just made another batch using all-purpose flour this time, you will need to add 2 tbsp more flour.
I also updated the recipe with baking time, 14 minutes seems to be the perfect time to get really crunchy cereals.
To prevent the paste to adhere when cutting, I recommend using a wet knife and run it under water every once in a while to clean it. I hope it helps, let me know if you try the recipe again!
What do you mean by cutting?
As you can see in the photos, I used a wet knife to cut small balls from the pastry bag since the dough is a little bit sticky.
Hi thomas,
Thank you for taking the time to reply. I will definitely try again soon ( with the help)! Failure begets success!
This recipe looks like a perfect weekend activity 🙂
Let me know if you try it!