Catalina Crunch Chocolate Banana Cereal: Labelgrade A- (85/100), 11g Protein
A- 85 / 100 — The best Labelgrade we've recorded in the cereal category. Pea-protein base + chicory root fiber delivers 11g protein and 9g fiber per serving at 110 cal with 0g sugar. Plant-based (vs Magic Spoon's milk-protein base) so it's vegan-compatible. Stevia + monk fruit only — no artificial sweeteners.
🛒 Buy on Amazon →The short answer
Catalina Crunch Chocolate Banana hits 11 g of protein and 9 g of fiber for 110 calories in a 1/2 cup (36 g) serving — with 0 g of sugar (USDA FDC 2653512). The protein and fiber both come from “Catalina Flour,” a pea-protein-and-chicory-root base that replaces grain entirely, and the only sweeteners are stevia and monk fruit. It earns an A- (85/100) — the highest cereal grade in our database — held back from the A range almost entirely by sodium. The thing to know going in: that 9 g of fiber is mostly inulin, which not every gut tolerates in one sitting.
Why the A-
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | A+ | 96 / 100 | ~31 g per 100 g, all from pea protein. Reaching this density without dairy or soy is the rarest thing on the label |
| Ingredient quality | B | 75 / 100 | The “Catalina Flour” expansion runs the panel to 14 items. All plant- or mineral-derived, no artificial colors or flavors — but pea protein and chicory fiber are unmistakably engineered-food markers |
| Saturated fat | B+ | 82 / 100 | 1 g per serving, from high-oleic sunflower oil — the only meaningful fat in the formula |
| Sodium | C | 64 / 100 | 125 mg per serving. The single weakest dimension, and the reason this isn’t an A |
| Sugar | A+ | 100 / 100 | 0 g, with sweetness from stevia + monk fruit only — no allulose, no sucralose, nothing artificial |
| Fiber | A+ | 100 / 100 | 9 g per serving — 32% of the FDA’s 28 g daily target in one bowl, and a genuine standout for cereal |
The two soft spots are honest and worth naming. Sodium at 125 mg isn’t alarming for one bowl, but cereal is rarely a once-a-day food, and a second serving puts you at 250 mg before the milk. And the A+ fiber is a double-edged number: exceptional on paper, but inulin-heavy in practice (see below).
What “Catalina Flour” is actually doing
The front of the bag says “Catalina Flour”; the back expands it to pea protein, potato fiber, non-GMO corn fiber, chicory root fiber, guar gum. That single phrase is carrying the entire product. There’s no wheat, oat, or rice anywhere — the pea protein supplies the 11 g of protein and the structural backbone, the chicory and potato/corn fibers supply both the 9 g of fiber and the bulk that grain would normally provide, and guar gum binds it into a piece that survives milk. Calling it “flour” is marketing shorthand for “we rebuilt cereal out of protein and fiber instead of starch.” That’s also why the ingredient panel is long: this is a reconstructed food, and the macros are the payoff for the engineering. It’s a fair trade, but it is a trade — this is not oats.
The fiber is the catch, not just the feature
Most cereals would kill for a 9 g fiber line, and on a spreadsheet it’s the best thing here. In a bowl, it deserves a caveat that the box won’t give you. The bulk of that fiber is chicory root inulin, a prebiotic that feeds gut bacteria — beneficial, but also one of the more common culprits behind gas and bloating when intake jumps suddenly. Nine grams in a single 36 g serving is a steep on-ramp for anyone whose diet isn’t already fiber-dense. The practical move is to treat the first few bowls as a trial: a smaller portion, see how you feel, then scale to a full serving. Plenty of people tolerate it fine; the point is that “9 g fiber” is a reason to ease in, not just a number to celebrate.
Catalina vs Magic Spoon: pea vs dairy
These are the two grain-free, zero-sugar protein cereals worth comparing, and they split along their protein source. Magic Spoon Fruity is denser — 13 g protein per 38 g serving (34 g per 100 g) — but it gets there with milk protein (casein + whey) and leans on allulose alongside monk fruit. Catalina trails slightly on protein (11 g, 31 g per 100 g) and wins everywhere else that matters: 9 g of fiber to Magic Spoon’s 1 g, 125 mg sodium to its 160 mg, a stevia-and-monk-fruit stack with no allulose, full vegan compatibility, and a lower price per ounce. That spread is why Catalina out-scores it on Labelgrade, 85 to 80, despite the lower per-gram protein. If you eat dairy and optimize purely for protein per spoonful, Magic Spoon is the pick. If you want fiber, a vegan base, or the simplest sweetener list, Catalina is — and the grade reflects it.
A bowl as a meal
On its own, this is a 110-calorie snack that happens to carry 11 g of protein and 9 g of fiber — a genuinely satiety-efficient combination for the calories. Add a cup of dairy milk (roughly 8 g protein, 100 calories) and you’re at about 19 g of protein for 210 calories, which is a legitimate breakfast rather than a token one. Pour unsweetened almond milk instead and you keep it vegan and stay near 11–12 g of protein for almost no added calories. Either way, the fiber is doing real appetite work that a plain protein cereal wouldn’t.
Ingredients
Catalina flour (pea protein, potato fiber, non-GMO corn fiber, chicory root fiber, guar gum), tapioca flour, high-oleic sunflower oil, cocoa powder, baking powder, natural flavors, sea salt, calcium carbonate, stevia extract, monk fruit extract. (Verbatim from the USDA Branded Foods entry, FDC 2653512.)
Where to buy
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Quick Facts
Per serving · 1/2 cup (36 g)
See how this fits your day — protein calculator · macro calculator
Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (1/2 cup (36 g)) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 110 |
| Protein | 11g |
| Total Fat | 6g |
| Saturated Fat | 1g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 14g |
| Dietary Fiber | 9g |
| Total Sugars | 0g |
| Added Sugars | 0g |
| Sodium | 125mg |
| Cholesterol | 0mg |
| Calcium | 50mg |
| Iron | 2.3mg |
| Potassium | 80mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to Catalina Crunch Chocolate Banana Cereal (9 oz (255 g) bag) · UPC 860479001584. Other sizes, flavors, or formulations may differ.
How this fits each diet
Each score is computed from the same USDA nutrition + ingredient data, against the published rules of each diet. They tell you "does this food fit this diet" — not whether the diet is right for you.
contains no listed animal products
contains no listed meat or fish
no wheat, barley, rye, or malt detected in USDA ingredient list
Frequently Asked Questions
How much protein is in Catalina Crunch Chocolate Banana?
11 g per 1/2 cup (36 g) serving (USDA FDC 2653512), which works out to about 31 g per 100 g. That density comes entirely from pea protein — no milk, whey, or soy — making it the highest-protein plant-based cereal we've graded. Magic Spoon Fruity edges it on raw density (34 g per 100 g) but does it with casein and whey.
What does the 9 g of fiber come from, and is it a problem?
Most of it is chicory root inulin, with potato and corn fiber rounding out the 'Catalina Flour' base. Inulin is a prebiotic — it feeds gut bacteria — but 9 g in one bowl is a lot if you're not used to it, and inulin is a common trigger for gas and bloating at higher doses. If your diet isn't already fiber-heavy, start with a 1/4 cup and work up rather than diving into a full serving.
Is there actually any banana in it?
No. There's no banana on the ingredient list — the flavor is built entirely from the 'natural flavors' line over a cocoa-powder base. Reviewers consistently call it chocolate-forward with a faint banana note rather than a strong banana taste. If artificial banana isn't for you, Catalina's plain Dark Chocolate is the same macros without it.
What are the net carbs, and is it keto?
14 g total carbs minus 9 g fiber leaves 5 g net carbs per serving — right at the conventional keto snack threshold. It's keto-compatible for most people. Strict practitioners who only subtract a portion of inulin might calculate closer to 7-8 g, so run it through your own framework if you track tightly.
Is it vegan and gluten-free?
Both. The protein is pea, the cocoa is dairy-free, and everything else (chicory root, potato/corn fiber, tapioca, sunflower oil, sea salt, stevia, monk fruit, calcium carbonate) is plant- or mineral-derived. It's also grain-free, which is what makes it gluten-free — there's no wheat, oat, or rice base to begin with.
How does it compare to Magic Spoon Fruity?
Close call. Magic Spoon: 13 g protein, 1 g fiber, 160 mg sodium per 38 g serving (milk protein, allulose + monk fruit). Catalina: 11 g protein, 9 g fiber, 125 mg sodium per 36 g serving (pea protein, stevia + monk fruit). Magic Spoon wins on protein per serving; Catalina wins on fiber (9× more), sodium, sweetener simplicity, vegan compatibility, and price. Catalina out-scores it on Labelgrade (85 vs 80).
Is it 'high in protein' under FDA rules?
Yes. 11 g is 22% of the FDA's 50 g Daily Value for protein, clearing the 20% threshold required to make a 'high in protein' claim. For comparison, the same serving covers 32% of the 28 g daily fiber target.