Taste Test: The Definitive Ranking Of 12 Cheerios Flavors

Taste Test: The Definitive Ranking of 12 Cheerios Flavors

Cheerios are one of the most beloved cereals on the planet. Those toasty little rings are just about impossible not to like, and they're good right out of the box or with milk. For the first several decades of the cereal's existence, we were happy with just a couple varieties: original and Honey Nut, which was introduced in 1979. But in recent years there's been an explosion of Cheerios varieties, and we took it upon ourselves to rank as many of them as we could get our hands on.  

#12 Honey Nut Medley Crunch (Average score: 72.3)

"Get these flakes outta my Cheerios!"
"It feels like someone ran out of cereals so they mixed two together to achieve a full bowl."
"Not a good balance of flavors."
"Tastes like a 'healthy' cereal from the 1990s."

#11 Chocolate (Average score: 74.0)

"I'd much rather just have Cocoa Puffs."
"Tastes like Swiss Miss powder mixed with cardboard."
"It tastes like the same generic chocolate you find in all other chocolate cereals, but at least it makes the milk taste like chocolate milk."

#10 Apple Cinnamon (Average score: 75.1)

"Tastes just like Apple Jacks, which isn't necessarily a bad thing."
"Too much cinnamon."
"Very cinnamon-y, not much apple."
"YAAAASSSSS!"

#9 Banana Nut (Average score: 75.2)

"Something about this is just weird."
"NO NO NO. Not a good combination."
"It tastes just like banana bread."
"The banana flavor is too immediate for me, but it tastes a lot more like real banana than I thought it would."
"I would rather just slice fresh bananas into Cheerios."

#8 Multi Grain (Average score: 75.5)

"Not much flavor. Slightly sweet."
"It just seems... insubstantial."
"It has a good flavor. Just sweet enough, and it tastes wholesome."
"Tastes like something my grandma would buy for me."

#7 Dark Chocolate Crunch (Average score: 76.4)

"I like the chocolate flavor in this more than in the Chocolate Cheerios."
"The dark chocolate is good, but the overall flavor is a little muddled. Do I taste banana?"
"It seems like only a small portion is chocolate-flavored. Why not go all the way?"
"I don't get much in the way of crunch."
"A great option for late-night chocolate cravings."

#6 Multi Grain Peanut Butter (Average score: 79.8)

"I dig this, especially when it's mixed with Chocolate."
"I could eat this as a dessert."
"The peanut butter flavor is good, but it's a little too sweet."
"If you like peanut butter, you'll like this."
"Nutter Butter!"

#5 Ancient Grains (with quinoa, spelt, and Kamut wheat) (Average score: 81.3)

"The puffed spelt and Kamut are good!"
"It's a little bland, but there's a good crunch element."
"It tastes pretty healthy."
"It tastes like somebody mixed Cheerios with Kashi. It's tasty but unnecessary."

#4 Frosted (Average score: 81.7)

"It's not frosted enough. They lied!"
"It's too sweet for an adult breakfast, but definitely satisfies my sweet tooth."
"It makes the milk taste delightful!"
"You can always just sprinkle some sugar on regular Cheerios, but this is a great alternative."

#3 Original (Average score: 83.3)

"There's not much in the way of flavor, but it's so classic."
"Nothing beats the original."
"Classic. The OG!"
"It reminds me of my childhood, but it needs either salt or sugar."
"Savory, familiar, and just perfect."

#2 Fruity (Average score: 85.9)

"These taste exactly like Fruity Pebbles and Froot Loops."
"If I were a kid, I would love these."
"It's slightly less sweet and slightly crunchier than Froot Loops. Big fan of these." 

#1 Honey Nut (Average score: 89.3)

"Best of the best. It's flavorful, great with milk, and great on its own."
"You can actually taste honey."
"It doesn't get any better than this."
"Tastes like childhood."