My homemade protein cereal is my hack for sneaking in 20 grams of protein to a bowl of crispy, crunchy cereal. I use just four simple ingredients, and the cereal actually stays crunchy in milk. I’ll walk you through it with my step-by-step video.

There are so many brands of high-protein breakfast cereal lining the cereal aisle. Being a bit of a cereal aficionado, I can safely say I’ve tried most of them. Not to throw shade, but most lack imagination…and texture…and taste. Which is what inspired me to develop my own high-protein cereal. This is different from my protein granola, which uses oats as its base. For this one, I use a base of oat flour and protein powder, which bakes up crispy and firm. I added some maple syrup for sweetness and binding, and the end result is what you’d expect from any crunchy cereal- one that holds up well in milk and doesn’t go soggy.

Table of Contents

1. Arman’s recipe highlights
2. Key Ingredients and Tips
3. How to make
4. Recipe variations
5. Storage instructions
6. More high protein breakfast recipes
7. 4-Ingredient Protein Cereal (Recipe Card)

Key Ingredients and Tips

• Oat flour. For fiber and protein. Any store-bought variety works, though it’s easy to make your own with my homemade oat flour. I don’t recommend using another flour, as they won’t yield the same texture, especially when paired with protein.
• Protein powder. I used vanilla casein protein powder, but you can use any flavor you prefer. As for protein powder, I’d recommend casein, brown rice, or pea protein. I wouldn’t recommend whey protein, as it makes the batter sticky. 
• Peanut butter. I used smooth peanut butter, but it will work with any smooth nut or seed butter (I love almond butter). This holds everything together and adds some healthy fats (and satiety!). 
• Maple syrup. Adds a touch of sweetness and helps hold the cereal together. 

How to make

Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step 1- Prep. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and line a large baking tray with parchment paper.

Step 2- Mix the dry and wet ingredients. In a large bowl, combine the oat flour and protein powder. In a microwave-safe bowl, add the peanut butter and maple syrup and microwave until combined.

Step 3- Combine. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, then mix until a thick dough forms. Divide the dough into two portions and place one portion in a separate mixing bowl. Add cocoa powder to one of the bowls and mix to combine.

Step 4- Shape. Using your hands, roll small balls of dough and place them onto the lined baking tray. Bake the cereal for 10-12 minutes until the edges are slightly firm.

Recipe variations

• Cut the carbs. Use blanched almond flour and keto maple syrup to make high-protein, low-carb cereal. You can also make my keto cereal, which is similar.
• Add chocolate flavor. Optional, but I love to divide the dough in half and fold in cocoa powder for a chocolate flavor (as pictured).
• Pack in more protein. I like to serve my cereal with high-protein milk (like Fairlife), blend extra protein into regular milk, or have it over non-fat Greek yogurt.

Storage instructions

Store leftover cereal in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks. 

More high protein breakfast recipes

Protein Oatmeal

Protein Pancakes

Overnight Oats With Protein Powder

Protein Waffles

Protein Smoothie

Protein Bagels