The Trader Joe's Brand Cereal We Won't Be Buying Again

Trader Joe's arsenal of breakfast cereals is abundant. From Super Nutty Oat Clusters to Crunchy Cinnamon Squares, there's a box and a flavor to suit every mood and meal time (who says cereal has to be reserved for brekkie alone?). However, after performing an extensive taste test, there's one Trader Joe's brand cereal we won't be buying again: Tiny Fruity Cuties.

This colorful cereal, made of oats and corn, might be a kid favorite, but it didn't appeal to our grown-up palate and was the loser in our list of 13 Trader Joe's breakfast cereals. Intensely fruity and very sweet (the second item on the ingredients list is cane sugar), we simply couldn't finish off an entire bowl of this vibrant offering. Plus, while Trader Joe's website states that "the corn and oat construction of these Cuties packs a serious crunch; and it's a crunch sustained even after they soak for some time in your milk bowl," we found that the moon and flower shaped nuggets got soggy quickly, losing the satisfying crispness that should be part and parcel of enjoying a classic serving of cereal. 

Although there might be some people who prefer their cereal super-sweet and sodden with milk, we'd opt to mix the shapes into a snack mix straight out of the box. That would better maintain their crunch and balance out their fruity sweetness.

This fruity breakfast item does live up to its name with a cute, colorful appearance. And, in contrast to some cereal brands that use synthetic colorings, the yellow, purple, and pink color of Tiny Fruity Cuties comes from fruit and vegetable juices, and annatto extract, which is a natural ingredient that comes from the seeds of a tree and produces a spectrum of hues from yellow to red depending on its concentration.

The Trader Joe's cereal that topped our ranking was Grainless Granola. We found the clusters of almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and dried coconut to be well balanced (sweetness from coconut syrup and tapioca sugar, and savoriness from a dash of sea salt). The seeds and nuts provided heaps of textural interest and were satisfyingly crunchy, unlike the Peanut Butter Chocolate Granola, which we found to be a little softer, likely due to the fact that it contains oats. However, granola might not be exactly what you're brain conjures up when thinking of a classic childhood cereal. In that case, select Crunchy Cinnamon Squares, which were crunchy and bold without being overly sweet, or Honey O's, which ranked at number three for their simple but sweet glaze. They also retained their structure better in milk than some of the other cereals we tried.