8 Magic Spoon Protein Cereals, Ranked

If you turn in any which direction, you may feel bombarded with protein-infused foods and drinks. It would be impossible to try every option out there, but I've certainly worked my way through quite a lot of them — whether it's soda, coffee, granola, or chips. This time around, I wanted to get a feel for Magic Spoon's protein cereal selection, which is based on casein and whey protein. The cereals I tried have between 12 and 14 grams of protein and 0 to 3 grams of sugar per serving. I tried eight, but the company has other offerings and even limited or seasonal options, if you're interested in eating other flavors.

I tend to snack on a lot of nice cereals dry, so having a tasty cereal without the creaminess of milk to distract from it is an important factor for me. However, I tried them with milk as well. Ultimately, my ranking is based on the overall flavor of the cereal: which ones were the most flavorful and interesting (with or without milk), which ones offered what the flavor said it would, and which ones should be skipped altogether. Get your spoon and bowl ready (or mug, if you're like me).

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

When I picture frosted cereal, I'm thinking Frosted Flakes or Frosted Mini Wheats — something that really lives up to that frosted moniker. I understand that a sweetened coating would defeat the Magic Spoon's bottom line of being no sugar, but on that note, it doesn't really deliver much of a frosted flavor. It has a sweet taste, yes, thanks to allulose and monk fruit extract, but it's not at all frosted. This is supposed to have a vanilla and marshmallow note, and I think it would be better named "vanilla cereal" instead. This frosted cereal also has the most pronounced whey and casein flavors, while the upcoming selections cover them up more, so they aren't as noticeable. In this case, it frankly tastes like a protein cereal, rather than a cereal with protein, if that makes sense. If you gave it to me, I'd know it's supposed to be a healthy-ish cereal.

Texture-wise, this Frosted cereal is much like all the others on this list, with a unique Magic Spoon-specific texture — it has a generally crunchy hint, but it's a lot softer than other cereals, including Cheerios. After an initial bite, the cereal sort of melts. They get really stuck in your teeth, so I would dissuade you from eating any of the Magic Spoon cereals before bed, because you probably won't be able to brush them out of your teeth before bedtime.

On one hand, I can understand that you can't really deliver an authentic chocolate chip flavor without sugar. Well, sure, there are sugar-free chocolate chips, but the chocolate in this chocolate chip cookie cereal doesn't have any type of actual chip element. Instead, there are small, chocolate-looking speckles on the cereal, but nothing that feels or tastes especially chocolatey. I don't detect much of a cookie flavor either; it merely has a sweetened taste.

If you served it to me with my eyes closed and made me guess the flavor, I don't think I could place it. And I'm not sure I'd pick up on the chocolate flavoring component, which comes in the form of cocoa powder incorporated into those tiny specks. I would never guess it's supposed to be a chocolate chip cookie flavor. Instead, it has a generic vanilla note that falls away after chewing — then you're left with a somewhat chalky casein taste on your tongue. That said, it's a little more interesting and flavorful than the Frosted, which gives it a slightly higher position, but it's not a flavor I'd feel compelled to return to. 

The Classic Marshmallow flavor is a little more captivating than Chocolate Chip Cookie, because it has tiny marshmallow-adjacent pieces in addition to the cereal base. This one has 3 grams of sugar per serving from the marshmallow, which is made with sugar, corn syrup, gelatin, and natural flavors. The marshmallows are similar to Lucky Charms in texture, not in size or shape: firm and crunchy initially, but they will melt in your mouth against the moisture of your tongue. They're white and much smaller than Lucky Charms marshmallows.

In this application, they bring a fun dynamic to the cereal; the texture adds crunchiness, while also offering a small amount of creamy flavor. I actually wish there were more marshmallows, but this would likely hike up the sugar content with it. Even so, the textural element helps this flavor rank higher than the Chocolate Chip Cookie Magic Spoon cereal. I can catch that hint of vanilla, but overall, the cereal's taste is sweet. It lives up to its name a bit more, but I can't rank it any higher because it's not the most interesting flavor of the eight I tried.

I find the Honey Nut marginally more enticing than the Classic Marshmallow, because it delivers that sweet and slightly nutty note that you get from other honey nut-inspired cereals. It has a nostalgic and familiar element as you chew, but it comes in a new application with Magic Spoon's signature crunchy, yet somewhat soft, texture. I like honey nut cereals, but this one isn't quite as indulgent and satisfying. It still has a bit of that protein essence that makes you at least feel like you're having something healthy. 

Luckily, though, we have reached the part of the list where, if I had this in my pantry, I would happily take it out to have as a protein-rich snack. It fared pretty well in a previous ranking of high protein cereals, too, making it to fourth place out of 10 competitors. I don't see any nuts on the ingredients list, just natural flavor; however, it does contain real honey to give it that nuanced, sweetened taste. It must be exceptionally minimal, though, because honey contains sugar, and there is no sugar in this cereal. Either way, the flavors still come across enough to put it over Classic Marshmallow.

Can you really go wrong with a peanut butter-flavored cereal? Peanut butter provides such a noticeable taste that it makes even a bland cereal base all the better. And that is why the Peanut Butter Magic Spoon gets fourth place. Out of everything I've talked about so far, it offers the most flavor in every bite. Not just that, but you know the flavor is supposed to be from the moment you taste it; there's no question, unlike with the Frosted or Chocolate Chip Cookie ones.

That said, it's a bit one-dimensional, because the peanut butter falls a little flat, but at least I don't get any kind of whey or casein flavor lingering on the tongue. So this could be a great option for breakfast, on top of yogurt, or however you like to snack. There are a lot of stellar ways to use breakfast cereal, and this PB option could be fantastic in a sweet and salty snack mix along with things like pretzels, popcorn, and chocolate chips. It is made with peanut flour, peanut extract, and peanut oil for a trio that offers a nutty experience through and through — but isn't quite as indulgent as standard peanut butter. Because of that PB essence, I find this flavor is best with milk, as it can be a bit dry in the mouth otherwise. Still, it delivers the best taste so far and stays true to its name to beat out Honey Nut.

Unlike the PB that needed milk to taste the most enjoyable, this Cocoa Magic Spoon protein cereal is actually better with milk, because the cocoa adds a nice, chocolatey richness, further enhancing the flavor profile. Although this isn't unique to Magic Spoon, I find that chocolate cereals from various brands taste better in milk, because of the chocolate milk that lingers. It's like you get to enjoy a second chocolate-infused edible post-cereal eating. This element brings a childlike nostalgia to the cereal. Instead of classics like Cocoa Pebbles or Cocoa Puffs, Magic Spoon offers a cereal with a higher protein content and lower sugar and carbs; this makes it a solid pick for people who want comfort food that can suit their macros or nutrition goals. 

I can appreciate the chocolatey essence that comes from cocoa powder, but it still has a bit of an aftertaste that makes your taste buds well aware that it's supposed to be a healthier version of a more conventional chocolate cereal. And yet, this cereal has the best and truest-to-name taste out of anything so far, establishing its higher spot over the peanut butter.

Coming up in second place is the S'mores Marshmallow. It has a similar texture profile to the standard marshmallow flavor, meaning that it has some added components to make it stand out from the rest of Magic Spoon's offerings. The marshmallows add a creamy taste and melt-in-your-mouth texture that makes them more alluring than the Cocoa. Interestingly, the image on the box depicts stark white 'mallows. But in person, they appear brown, like the chocolate rubbed off on them. That only adds to the overall flavor, in my opinion. I thought they were meant to be chocolate marshmallows until I really looked back at the cereal box. 

This cereal also has a flavorful bonus of small chocolatey pockets on the occasional piece of cereal — not all of them, but it's like a treasure hunt to find them. Instead of X marks the spot, it marks a chocolatier mouthful. I think it provides a stronger, more authentic chocolate taste than the Cocoa; it delivers on its moniker, and it has a more alluring texture to solidify its high-up ranking. But my top cereal is unbeatable.

While the past four cereals I identified as suitable protein snacks, this Fruity option simply tastes good, so I would have it for breakfast or as a snack regardless of its protein benefits. This is by far the best Magic Spoon flavor I have tried, delivering the nostalgic mixed fruit flavor you get from Froot Loops. Of all the other seven options I tried, this would be the one I would purchase again, gleeful that it's a lower-sugar, higher-protein snack. My toddler also really enjoyed this one and loved looking at every single piece to see the colors, so it brings the most visual intrigue out of the cereals — thanks to the vegetable juices used for color. 

It tastes just as good with milk as without, so you don't need a rich, creamy milk to make it more palatable. I am not alone in liking this flavor; it is deemed the best no-sugar cereal worth repurchasing. Another Tasting Table writer tried zero-sugar cereals from eight brands and still considered the Magic Spoon Fruity cereal the top dog. It satisfies the fruit cereal craving, and the nutrients are merely a bonus. I'd stock up on this above all the rest.

As I hinted at the start, I'm a bit of a weirdo and prefer dry cereal. I often pour it into a mug and snack on it that way. However, for this taste test, I tried each cereal plain (aka dry) and with milk to see if there were any noticeable differences in flavor or overall enjoyment. I ranked these primarily by taste; most textures were similar enough that they didn't contribute much difference, but I noted if a particular cereal stood out. 

Cereals ranked higher if they were flavorful and more captivating, with enticing flavors that made me want to go back for more, while lower-ranking ones weren't as flavorful or didn't deliver what they promised. There's a reason why Magic Spoon is considered one of the best breakfast cereals: It delivers nostalgic flavors with some pleasant protein and macros. Perhaps you'll find a favorite among the bunch.