Cheerios Just Quietly Launched A New Cereal That's Only Available At Costco

Protein is everywhere and in seemingly everything recently, and Cheerios is about to expand the options at Costco even more. Driven by a confluence of factors, including the new prevalence of GLP-1 weight loss drugs, the general assumption that it's a healthy macronutrient, and the fact that protein helps meals feel more satiating, the grocery store is suddenly selling you more protein. That has been especially true with breakfast cereal, a category long plagued by the (often correct) perception that it's not very healthy and loaded with sugar. Old standbys like Wheaties and newer brands like Magic Spoon have joined the ranks of high-protein cereals in recent years. Cheerios have already been in on the trend too, but you couldn't actually get original-flavor Cheerios Protein until Costco started rolling it out this week.

The reveal comes from the Instagram's Costco Hot Finds, in a paid partnership post. The account says the high-protein Cheerios in the original flavor are now available, but currently only in Texas and the Bay Area. However, given the popularity of both the brand and the demand for protein cereals, it's hard to imagine they will stay that geographically restricted for long. Being Costco, the cereal is only available in a two-pack of 15.5-ounce boxes. According to the poster, despite being high protein, the Cheerios taste exactly like the classic variety so many people love.

Cheerios already has several high-protein options available at other grocery stores, but until now, they were only available in a few flavored varieties like honey nut and cinnamon. The new original-flavor Cheerios Protein at Costco also advertises more protein per serving than the previous options, at 10 grams. But a closer look at the nutrition reveals there isn't too much difference. The serving size on these new Cheerios is listed as a cup and a half, while the flavored versions have 8 grams of protein per serving, at one cup per serving. So the same serving size of the flavored Cheerios Protein would actually have a little more protein at 12 grams. Instead, the main advantage is that these Cheerios would have less sugar, at only 2 grams per serving, while the same amount of the other flavors would have nearly 20 grams of sugar.

Like the previous high-protein Cheerios, the extra protein is coming from pea protein, and most people will get even more protein when they add milk. A half cup of 2% milk will add 4 grams, bringing one serving of Costco's Original Cheerios Protein to 14 grams, which would be around 25% of your daily need for the average American. That's not bad for a quick meal before you get going in the morning, especially if you already love Cheerios.