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The Healthiest Cereal, Graded A to F. Plain Oats Beat the Whole Aisle.

The healthiest cereal in the aisle turns out to be plain oatmeal, which out-scored every sweetened branded box we graded. Few aisles run on health halos like this one, so we ran every popular cereal through the same 6-dimension Labelgrade. Unsweetened steel-cut and instant oats took the top alongside the grain-free newcomers, while the sugary household names filled the bottom on added sugar and thin fiber. Even a box wearing 'Protein' on the front did not escape it: Cheerios Protein Cinnamon landed at C+ (68), below plain Cheerios + Ancient Grains at B- (71).

The verdict

We graded 27 cereals A–F: the category averages 74/100 (B-), from 88 (A-) at the top down to 59 (C-) at the bottom.

Plain oatmeal won the cereal aisle: McCann's Steel Cut took the top at A- (88), with Quaker Instant Oatmeal and grain-free Catalina Crunch tied behind at A- (85). Kellogg's Frosted Flakes came last at C- (59), below Froot Loops (C 60) and Cinnamon Toast Crunch (C 63).

Top of the class A- Mccann'S Mccann'S, Quick & Easy Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal 88/100
Bottom of the class C- Kellogg's Frosted Flakes Cereal 59/100

The top picks, with the receipts

#1 Mccann'S Mccann'S, Quick & Easy Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal A- 88/100

Pros

  • No sodium
  • 4 g fiber per serving
  • Low saturated fat at 0.5 g

Cons

No dimension scored poorly.

#2 Catalina Crunch Chocolate Banana Cereal A- 85/100

Pros

  • No added sugar
  • 9 g fiber per serving
  • 11 g protein per serving

Cons

No dimension scored poorly.

#3 Quaker Instant Oatmeal, 11.6 oz A- 85/100

Pros

  • No added sugar
  • No sodium
  • 4 g fiber per serving

Cons

No dimension scored poorly.

#4 Three Wishes Cocoa Grain-Free Cereal B+ 84/100

Pros

  • 4 g fiber per serving
  • No saturated fat
  • 8 g protein per serving

Cons

No dimension scored poorly.

#5 Magic Spoon Fruity Grain-Free Cereal B+ 80/100

Pros

  • 13 g protein per serving
  • No added sugar
  • Low saturated fat at 1 g

Cons

  • Only 1 g fiber

Pros and cons come straight from each product’s own label. A dimension is listed only when its sub-score is decisive (78 or above for a pro, 62 or below for a con), so a merely-average number never gets sold as a strength. Every figure is per labeled serving — full panels on each product page.

The full report card — all 27 cereals, ranked

#CerealGradeScoreWeakest link
1 Mccann'S — Mccann'S, Quick & Easy Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal A- 88 protein density (65/100)
2 Catalina Crunch — Chocolate Banana Cereal A- 85 sodium (64/100)
3 Quaker — Instant Oatmeal, 11.6 oz A- 85 protein density (69/100)
4 Three Wishes — Cocoa Grain-Free Cereal B+ 84 sodium (68/100)
5 Magic Spoon — Fruity Grain-Free Cereal B+ 80 fiber (48/100)
6 Quaker — Simply Granola (Oats, Honey, Raisins & Almonds) B+ 80 added sugar (64/100)
7 Kashi — GO Honey Almond Flax Cereal B 79 added sugar (68/100)
8 Kellogg Company Us — Kashi Golean Cereal Original 15.8oz B 79 added sugar (47/100)
9 Kodiak Cakes — Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal, Maple & Brown Sugar B 79 added sugar (56/100)
10 Kellogg'S — Special K Cereal Protein Plus 19oz B 78 sodium (52/100)
11 Kashi — GO Honey Almond Flax Crunch B 77 added sugar (56/100)
12 Kellogg's — Special K Protein Honey Almond Ancient Grains B 77 sodium (52/100)
13 Kellogg's — Raisin Bran Cereal B 75 protein density (62/100)
14 Bear Naked — Fit Triple Berry Granola B- 73 added sugar (60/100)
15 Quaker — Instant Quaker Oatmeal Express Cup Apple Cinnamon 1.51z/12 B- 73 added sugar (59/100)
16 Cascadian Farm — Organic Oats & Honey Granola B- 72 added sugar (44/100)
17 General Mills — Cheerios + Ancient Grains Cereal B- 71 added sugar (61/100)
18 Nature Valley — Oats & Honey Protein Granola B- 71 added sugar (40/100)
19 Post — Honey Bunches of Oats Honey Roasted Cereal Cup B- 70 fiber (55/100)
20 Cheerios — Protein Cinnamon Cereal C+ 68 added sugar (29/100)
21 General Mills — Rice Chex Cereal C+ 68 sodium (26/100)
22 Quaker — Life Original Multigrain Cereal C+ 66 sodium (48/100)
23 General Mills — Honey Nut Cheerios Cereal C+ 65 added sugar (29/100)
24 Quaker — Instant Oatmeal Maple & Brown Sugar 1.69 oz C 63 sodium (35/100)
25 General Mills — Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal C 63 added sugar (36/100)
26 Kellogg's — Froot Loops Cereal C 60 added sugar (32/100)
27 Kellogg's — Frosted Flakes Cereal C- 59 added sugar (16/100)

Worth a closer look

The two ends of the list tell the story. Mccann'S Mccann'S, Quick & Easy Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal tops the class at 88/100 (A-); Kellogg's Frosted Flakes Cereal anchors the bottom at 59/100 (C-). Click any product for its full fact sheet — the six dimension sub-scores, the per-serving label, and what would move its grade. Prefer to slice it yourself? Filter every graded product by the dimension you care about.

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How we graded these

Each product is scored on six dimensions — protein density, ingredient quality, added sugar, sodium, fiber, and saturated fat — combined into a 0–100 score and a letter grade. Every number comes from the product’s own label, verified against USDA FoodData Central. The grade is absolute (relative to all packaged foods), which is why a whole category can land in the same band. See the full methodology. Last graded 2026-06-04.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which cereal scored highest?

Plain oatmeal did. McCann’s Quick & Easy Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal topped the list at A- (88), with Quaker Instant Oatmeal and grain-free Catalina Crunch tied just behind at A- (85). See the ranked table above for the full order and each cereal’s weakest dimension.

Did "Cheerios Protein" really score low?

Yes. Cheerios Protein Cinnamon landed at C+ (68), in the bottom third of the set and below regular Cheerios + Ancient Grains at B- (71). Adding "Protein" to the name doesn’t change the added-sugar and fiber math, and on our six dimensions those are what separated the pack. The number on the box matters less than the whole label.

Are the household-name cereals bad for you?

The sweetened ones land in the C range, which is honest rather than alarmist: they’re beaten on the things that matter here. Note that plenty of household names did well, including Quaker oatmeal near the very top. The divider isn’t the brand, it’s the added sugar and the fiber.

How is the grade calculated?

Six dimensions — protein density, ingredient quality, added sugar, sodium, fiber, and saturated fat — into a 0–100 score and a letter grade, from each product’s own label, verified against USDA data. See our methodology page.

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