Our cereal granola is made from the leftover cereal in your pantry. It’s the perfect way to use up those almost empty boxes your kids leave behind. Save money, clear your shelves, and repurpose your cereal! Gluten-free.
If you go through cereal at your house as we do, you most likely have some boxes of nearly empty cereal cluttering your shelves. No one ever seems to want to take that last serving or two. This recipe was developed to use those leftovers rather than tossing them, creating a whole new delicious breakfast to enjoy.

Grab the Chex, gluten-free rice puffs, and oatmeal from your panty. Make sure to use the bottom of the bag cereal first. This recipe is sweetened with maple syrup and unsweetened applesauce so it’s low in extra sugar.
Ingredients
- 3 cups leftover cereal – we suggest using a variety of cereals
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 Tbsp. unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Optional:
- 1 Tbsp. ground flax seed
- 1 Tbsp. chia seeds
The options for add-ins are endless. Dried fruit, coconut, chopped nuts, flax seeds, or chia seeds to name a few. I chose to add ground flaxseed and chia seeds because they blend in easily and don’t add much flavor – but do add a boost of nutrition.
How To Make
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Place parchment paper on 9×13 in baking pan, set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine cereals, and optional ingredients if using.
- In a small bowl, combine maple syrup, applesauce, and vanilla.
- Pour liquid into cereal mixture, mix well.
- Pour mixture onto parchment paper.
- Bake 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.
- Let cool, then store in an airtight container.


Stir the cereal granola, spread it on a parchment-lined baking sheet, or use non-stick cooking spray. The parchment paper helps with sticking and makes for easy cleanup.
Bake for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Stirring helps distribute the maple syrup evenly and helps with even baking.
Serve cereal granola with yogurt and fresh or dried fruit, eat the granola plain, or top it with milk. The perfect way to repurpose your cereal, avoiding waste along the way.
Gluten-Free Cereal Options
- Oats – certified gluten-free oats
- Honey Nut Cheerios
- Honey Rice Puffins
- Rice Chex, Corn Chex, Cinnamon Chex, Peanut Butter Chex
- Cocoa Pebbles
More Kid Friendly Recipes
- Yogurt Parfait for kids
- Tropical Smoothie Bowl
- Easy Sauteed Apples
- Blueberry Smoothie with Cottage Cheese
- Oatmeal Peanut Butter Balls
CKC Features both Gluten-Free Guidance and Kids Cooking Instructions: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten or cross-contamination.
The ⭐️ symbol in the recipe below denotes the steps in which kid cooks may need a helper (depending on age). If there is no ⭐️ symbol, that step (or recipe) doesn’t require a helper.
Cereal Granola
Ingredients
- 3 cups gluten-free cereals
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 Tbsp. unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Optional:
- 1 Tbsp. ground flax seed
- 1 Tbsp. chia seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven and prep the pan. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place parchment paper on 9×13 in baking pan, set aside.
- Combine the cereals. In a medium-sized bowl, combine cereals, and optional ingredients if using.3 cups gluten-free cereals, 1 Tbsp. ground flax seed, 1 Tbsp. chia seeds
- Combine the other ingredients. In a small bowl, combine maple syrup, applesauce, and vanilla. Pour liquid into the cereal mixture and mix well. Pour mixture onto parchment paper.1/2 cup maple syrup, 2 Tbsp. unsweetened applesauce, 1 tsp. vanilla
- ⭐️Bake. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.
- Store. Let cool, then store in an airtight container.
Notes
Nutrition
If you enjoyed these recipes make sure to leave a comment and a star rating below!
Then follow us on social media and tag #createkidsclub if you make the recipe. We love seeing what you come up with!
Deborah @ Confessions of a mother runner says
Great idea for all of that left over cereal!
Create Kids Club says
Thanks Deborah!
Liz @ I Heart Vegetables says
I loooove cereal and so does my husband! We always have a handful of boxes on hand. This is such a great recipe idea!
Create Kids Club says
Thanks Liz! I hope you enjoy!
Abbey Sharp says
I always have so much cereal hanging out in my pantry, so this is a great way to make good use of it. Thanks for sharing!
Create Kids Club says
Your welcome, Abbey!
laurhp says
From one breakfast fan to another, great idea! My kids fight for the bottom of the cereal bag 🙂
Create Kids Club says
Thanks, Lauren! I wish mine would fight over the bottom of the bag! 🙂
Jessica Fishman Levinson says
This is genius Jodi! Perfect way to put those cereal ends to good use!
Create Kids Club says
Thanks so much, Jessica! I had to find a way to get over my irritation at all those boxes in my pantry that no one would eat! 🙂
SuzLyfe says
I love this idea! My husband and I are cereal FIENDS but this takes it to a new level!
Create Kids Club says
Thanks! I love the feeling of clearing out that pantry!
Emily @SinfulNutrition says
Love your creativity! Much better than the pour them all in a bowl and call it breakfast I used to do. 🙂
Create Kids Club says
Thanks Emily! I don’t think I am adventurous enough to dump them all in a bowl togehter!
Chrissy @ Snacking in Sneakers says
This is such a smart way to use up those little bits of cereal that get left at the bottom of the bag. I probably have about 5 boxes on top of the fridge right now like that, lol.
Create Kids Club says
Even after just making this, I have enough to do it all over again. We eat a lot of cereal!
Carmy says
Love this combo! I never thought to throw in some cereal!
Create Kids Club says
It works like a charm! 🙂
chocolaterunnergirl says
I love me a good breakfast! And cereal is so easy to eat!
Thanks for a great recipe 🙂
Create Kids Club says
Quick and easy is my kinda breakfast! 🙂
chocolaterunnergirl says
Ditto that!!!
jillconyers says
Love love how easy this is. And yummy too since you can make it specific to your favorites.
Create Kids Club says
Thanks Jill! It is so versatile and yummy too! 🙂
Lindsay @ The Lean Green Bean says
this is so creative! love it!
Create Kids Club says
Thanks so much, Lindsay! 🙂
Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen says
Such a great way to use all those odds and ends leftover in the cereal boxes. This looks SO good!
Aggie says
I love this so much. What a great idea!
Create Kids Club says
Thanks Aggie!!
Beth says
I loved finding a way to use all those nearly empty cereal boxes! Delicious!