How French Toast Crunch Cereal Made A Breakfast Comeback
Out of all the cereals inspired by other foods, like Cookie Crisp, French Toast Crunch stands out mainly because of its miniature toast shape — and, of course, its delicious homemade breakfast flavor. The General Mills cereal originally launched in 1995 as a follow-up product to 1984's popular breakfast cereal, Cinnamon Toast Crunch. A 1997 General Mills commercial for French Toast Crunch (via YouTube) describes it as "the taste of French toast made bite-sized" and highlights its crunchiness, a texture not typically associated with your mom's traditional French toast but common in most cereals. The tiny sugary squares did, in fact, taste similar to French toast, offering pleasant notes of cinnamon and maple syrup in each crunchy bite.
Despite its popularity during the 1990s and early aughts, General Mills eventually changed the design of the cereal from the iconic toast-shaped pieces to flat flakes similar to Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Then, just a few years later in 2006, the company discontinued the cereal altogether. While it was absent from cereal aisles in the U.S., it was still distributed in some countries like Canada, where it was deemed Croque Pain Doré.
But the breakfast cereal had developed a bit of a cult following, and a Facebook group called "Bring Back French Toast Crunch!!" formed, started a petition, and demanded a comeback. As of 2023, the group has over 7,000 members. Finally, in 2014, General Mills announced that the cereal would return to shelves, complete with its original shape and classic red box.
Finding French Toast Crunch today
When French Toast Crunch famously returned to shelves in 2014, it was only available at select stores. Luckily, as of 2023, you can buy it at many major grocery stores, including Walmart. So, if you're craving a bowl of your childhood, head over to your closest supermarket. It's currently available in both a 17.4-ounce family size box and a smaller 11-ounce box with prices ranging from around $8 to $15.
The beloved cereal's main ingredients are whole grain corn, sugar, corn meal, and cinnamon, as well as other things you'd expect to find in a boxed cereal like corn syrup and salt. According to General Mills, French Toast Crunch contains no high fructose corn syrup or artificial flavors. A bowl with 1 cup of cereal has 140 calories and 12 grams of sugar, plus whatever is in your go-to milk to pour over it.
If you want to try another variation of this popular cereal, General Mills offers plenty of other options these days like Cinnamon Toast Crunch Rolls, Peanut Butter Toast Crunch, Apple Pie Toast Crunch, Tres Leches Toast Crunch, and limited edition Sugar Cookie Toast Crunch. Get them while you can!