The 20 Best Cereals, In Order

• Rebecca Orchant

ELISA URSALAS PHOTOGRAPHY VIA GETTY IMAGES

Breakfast cereal is one of those great equalizers in life, that can help you find something in common with just about anyone. Our team comes from totally opposite corners of the country, we're all a few years apart from each other in age and grew up in wildly different households. Guess what thing we all did? Ate cereal for breakfast.

We've already laid out the worst cereals of all time, and recommended that you not stuff any of that garbage in your face -- especially not first thing in the morning. Today, I'm tackling the best cereals, in order. Just to be clear: none of the cereals below are bad or "worst." They are all breakfasts I'd happily engage in on a regular basis. This list has absolutely nothing to do with health benefits -- there is a lot of sugar present.

Also, if you don't see a cereal on this list or on the worst list, that means that it is a middling, forgettable cereal, regardless of its marketing prowess or ubiquity -- I'm looking at you, Cheerios.

• 20 Waffle Crisp
  
  Amazon
  Obviously I am aware of the fact that this is a disgusting choice. That is why they are the worst of the best. A bowl of these little fake maple bombs probably contains more sugar than a bowl of ice cream. But I ate the hell out of them when I was a teenager and I would probably still do it.
• 19 Corn Flakes
  
  Amazon
  Not exciting, but sometimes really satisfying.
• 18 Grape-Nuts
  
  Amazon
  Look, you can throw rocks at me about this if you want to, but I know there are other secret Grape-Nut lovers out there with me. United we stand, you guys.
• 17 Frankenberry
  
  Amazon
  Definitely the best of the seasonal Halloween Monster cereals.
• 16 Corn Pops
  
  Amazon
  These are the weirdest shape and harken back to a time where eating a bowl full of corn for breakfast seemed like a great idea.
• 15 Raisin Bran
  
  Amazon
  When you want Raisin Bran, there is no other cereal that will satisfy you.
• 14 Cinnamon Toast Crunch
  
  Amazon
  When I was a kid I used to think to myself, "When I'm a grown up, I'm going to eat Cinnamon Toast Crunch whenever I want to, since my mom won't let me eat it for breakfast." I don't, but I could.
• 13 Cinnamon Chex
  
  Amazon
  As one of our editors put it, "so much cinnamon, you actually kind of choke on it."
• 12 Life
  
  Amazon
  I will never understand what makes these weird little boxes of grains taste so delicious. There is something about the way the milk gets trapped inside each one that makes them stand out.
• 11 Cinnamon Life
  
  Amazon
  Ditto that last thing, but plus cinnamon.
• 10 Froot Loops
  
  Amazon
  Still the best cereal to make a necklace out of, ever.
• 9 Apple Jacks
  
  Amazon
  Like Froot Loops, just better-tasting.
• 8 Kix
  
  Amazon
  These somehow managed to be a perennial favorite in my house, despite the fact that they weren't loaded with sugar. Plus, they are basically the anti-Cocoa Puff, which earns them extra points in my book.
• 7 Lucky Charms
  
  Amazon
  Lucky Charms is tricky because it's one half best cereal of all time, and one half worst. Those marshmallows are ethereal, but could they possibly find a way to make the wheat shapes less delicious?
• 6 Golden Grahams
  
  Amazon
  These taste like eating a bowl of graham crackers in milk. You really can't go wrong. They are also one of the only foods on earth I would ever describe as "slimy in a good way."
• 5 Crispix
  
  Amazon
  This is a total Chex rip-off, but somehow they did it better. Did anyone else eat these by trying to bite them rice half clean off the corn half?
• 4 Honey Graham Oh's
  
  Amazon
  Questionable apostrophe usage aside, this is one of the most delicious cereals of all time. I have not eaten this cereal in probably a decade, which is going to change asap. How can they stuff so much magic inside those tiny Os?
• 3 Quisp
  
  Amazon
  If you have never eaten Quisp, you need to get on it. It's basically a kinder, gentler Cap'n Crunch that doesn't cut the roof of your mouth to shreds. Plus that is the best mascot for any product I can think of.
• 2 Honey Nut Clusters
  
  Amazon
  Rumor has it that the modern iteration of this cereal has removed actual nuts from the equation. That is not cool, guys. This almost holds the top spot in my heart for the way we used to be. Clusters: I am still carrying a torch for you, if you can get your act together.
• 1 Frosted Flakes
  
  Amazon
  Around here, we like to say that classics are classics for a reason. When I think of breakfast cereal, this is what I think of.

[Edited 3/7/16 18:24pm]

1. Rice Chex

2. Special K

3. Grapenuts Flakes

4. Life

5. Capn' Crunch

6. Corn Pops

7. Apple Jacks

8. Apple Cinnamon Cheerios

9. Honeycombs

10. Kix

Fruit Loops, Frosted Flakes, and Cocoa Puffs are overrated.

my favorite breakfast cereal

.

was this a real thing?????

.

purplethunder3121 said:

[Edited 3/7/16 18:24pm]

kpowers said:

This is one of the tastiest and healthiest cereals you can find.

(I know this is not about health but about the taste but...they taste delicious, too).

These are also among my favorites but I rarely eat them due to the extremely high sugar content. Sugar Smacks (or Honey Smacks, or just Smacks). VERY yummy and they always take me back to my childhood. But the sugar in them is just too much so I only eat them every once in a blue moon.

And the most horrible cereals ever:

Such blandness. Just....boring!

KoolEaze said:

XxAxX said:

was this a real thing?????

.

purplethunder3121 said:

[Edited 3/7/16 18:24pm]

Yup. My son wanted to try it out because of Urkel but the cereal tasted nasty.

EmmaMcG said:

KoolEaze said:

And the most horrible cereals ever:

Such blandness. Just....boring!

I didn't know the guy from Space Jam had his own cereal

And I didn´t know that Larry Bird was in Space Jam.

But....Michael Jordan, another guy from Space Jam, also had his own Wheaties cereal box.

I'd put Robin Hood Large Flake Oatmeal at the top of my list. Since I swore off sugary cereals my cholesterol has been good.

7thday said:

I'd put Robin Hood Large Flake Oatmeal at the top of my list. Since I swore off sugary cereals my cholesterol has been good.

Do you think that eating less sugar has decreased your bad cholesterol levels?

This sounds interesting. I´ve read something similar last week in an article that mentioned a link between refined carbs and high cholesterol.

I'm sorry, but the best cereal ever is Cap'n Crunch Peanut Butter.

As for the basic cereals, I think Cheerios takes the crown, but I'd put Grape Nuts, Corn Flakes and Kix in the hunt. Also good are Raisin Bran and Product 19.

As for sugary cereals, I'd take Frosted Mini-Wheats, Cocoa Krispies, Sugar Corn Pops.

My favorite bad cereals when I was a kid included Frosted Flakes/Krispies, Apple Jacks, Boo Berry, Fruit Loops, and Captain Crunch, but the best ones also tore up the roof of my mouth.

ain't no Cereal like Rice Krispies Treats cereal...Doesn't get soggy fast so there's no rush and you feel Sexy with every spoonful...

namepeace said:

As for the basic cereals, I think Cheerios takes the crown, but I'd put Grape Nuts, Corn Flakes and Kix in the hunt. Also good are Raisin Bran and Product 19.

As for sugary cereals, I'd take Frosted Mini-Wheats, Cocoa Krispies, Sugar Corn Pops.

My favorite bad cereals when I was a kid included Frosted Flakes/Krispies, Apple Jacks, Boo Berry, Fruit Loops, and Captain Crunch, but the best ones also tore up the roof of my mouth.

product 19? sounds like a product of the space race.

BobGeorge909 said:

namepeace said:

As for the basic cereals, I think Cheerios takes the crown, but I'd put Grape Nuts, Corn Flakes and Kix in the hunt. Also good are Raisin Bran and Product 19.

As for sugary cereals, I'd take Frosted Mini-Wheats, Cocoa Krispies, Sugar Corn Pops.

My favorite bad cereals when I was a kid included Frosted Flakes/Krispies, Apple Jacks, Boo Berry, Fruit Loops, and Captain Crunch, but the best ones also tore up the roof of my mouth.

product 19? sounds like a product of the space race.

Kelloggs' version of Total. They still sell it and it kind of does remind you of prepackaged breakfast (goes perfectly with Orange Tang). I had family that worked in the Kelloggs plant so we ate a lot of cereal growing up.

I was also a fan of Corn Bran.

namepeace said:

namepeace said:

BobGeorge909 said:

product 19? sounds like a product of the space race.

Kelloggs' version of Total. They still sell it and it kind of does remind you of prepackaged breakfast (goes perfectly with Orange Tang). I had family that worked in the Kelloggs plant so we ate a lot of cereal growing up.

I was also a fan of Corn Bran.

In Battle Creek, Michigan?

There´s a Kellogg´s plant over here, too. Very close to where I live.

How come nobody´s mentioned Smacks besides me?

Do you like Smacks? Are they still called Sugar Smacks over there, or Honey Smacks, or just Smacks?

They´re the best but I don´t eat them anymore.....too much sugar.

Chancellor said:

ain't no Cereal like Rice Krispies Treats cereal...Doesn't get soggy fast so there's no rush and you feel Sexy with every spoonful...

You're not telling me they still make that! I haven't seen a box in 20 years.

KoolEaze said:

namepeace said:

Kelloggs' version of Total. They still sell it and it kind of does remind you of prepackaged breakfast (goes perfectly with Orange Tang). I had family that worked in the Kelloggs plant so we ate a lot of cereal growing up.

I was also a fan of Corn Bran.

In Battle Creek, Michigan?

There´s a Kellogg´s plant over here, too. Very close to where I live.

How come nobody´s mentioned Smacks besides me?

Do you like Smacks? Are they still called Sugar Smacks over there, or Honey Smacks, or just Smacks?

They´re the best but I don´t eat them anymore.....too much sugar.

My family worked in the plant in Memphis

Sugar Smacks were good, I liked eating them dry, but you're right, they got too sugary and gooey in milk.

Chancellor said:

ain't no Cereal like Rice Krispies Treats cereal...Doesn't get soggy fast so there's no rush and you feel Sexy with every spoonful...

You crazy as hell.....

KoolEaze said:

namepeace said:

Kelloggs' version of Total. They still sell it and it kind of does remind you of prepackaged breakfast (goes perfectly with Orange Tang). I had family that worked in the Kelloggs plant so we ate a lot of cereal growing up.

I was also a fan of Corn Bran.

In Battle Creek, Michigan?

There´s a Kellogg´s plant over here, too. Very close to where I live.

How come nobody´s mentioned Smacks besides me?

Do you like Smacks? Are they still called Sugar Smacks over there, or Honey Smacks, or just Smacks?

They´re the best but I don´t eat them anymore.....too much sugar.

I loved Honey Smacks. They were called Sugar Smacks back in the day before sugar became a bad word. We also had Super sugar crisps with Sugar Bear.

But my all time fave is Alpha-Bits. I could spell words on my spoon and eat them....big fun,

I think the all time most popular cereal might be Corn Flakes though....somebody should investigate.