Cheerios Protein Cinnamon: Nutrition & Labelgrade C+ (68/100)
C+ 68 / 100 — General Mills' answer to the protein-cereal trend. Whole oat + pea protein base for the protein bump. The 12g of added sugar (from cane sugar + brown sugar syrup) is the structural trade-off — this is a kid-friendly cereal that happens to have meaningful protein, not an engineered low-sugar protein product.
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Cheerios Protein Cinnamon delivers 8 g of protein per 1 cup (37 g) for 150 calories (USDA FDC 2742792) — about 22 g per 100 g, built by stirring pea protein (the 3rd ingredient) into the familiar whole-oat Cheerios base. That is roughly double the protein of plain Cheerios. The honest catch is in the same nutrition panel: 12 g of added sugar per cup, against 1 g in plain Cheerios. This is a kid-friendly sweet cereal that happens to carry meaningful protein, not a low-sugar protein product. It earns a C+ (68/100) — strong on protein density and saturated fat, dragged down by sugar and sodium.
Why the C+
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | B+ | 82 / 100 | 22 g per 100 g — real, and roughly double plain Cheerios. The pea protein earns this line |
| Ingredient quality | B- | 72 / 100 | Oats lead, but two sweeteners (sugar + brown sugar syrup) sit at #2 and #4, plus a long fortification list |
| Saturated fat | A+ | 100 / 100 | 0 g — a grain-and-pea cereal has no real fat source to speak of |
| Sugar | F | 29 / 100 | 12 g added per cup — 32 g per 100 g, the structural weak point and the whole story of this product |
| Sodium | D | 42 / 100 | 210 mg per cup (~568 mg per 100 g) — high for a dry cereal, before any milk |
| Fiber | C+ | 68 / 100 | 2 g per cup — the pea protein adds grams of protein but almost no fiber to balance the sugar |
The grade is a tug-of-war the protein wins on points but the sugar nearly drags back to a C. Note that saturated fat scoring perfectly here is not a virtue earned — it is simply what a fat-free grain cereal looks like. The two dimensions that actually describe this product are protein density (genuinely good) and sugar (genuinely poor), and they pull in opposite directions.
The protein gain is real — but so is the sugar it rides in on
The reason to buy this over a regular box is the protein, and that part holds up: 8 g per cup is about double what the oats alone provide in plain Cheerios, and the source is named on the label — pea protein, third by weight. That is the same plant-protein lever Catalina Crunch pulls, so the macro claim is not marketing vapor.
What the front of the box does not say is that the protein arrives bundled with a large sugar increase. Plain Cheerios is famously a 1-gram-of-sugar cereal; this version carries 12 grams. Per 100 g that is roughly 32 g of sugar — more than double the sugar density of Kashi GO (about 14 g per 100 g), another grain-based high-protein cereal. So the trade is not “more protein, same cereal.” It is “a moderate protein gain in exchange for a large sugar gain.” If your reason for reaching for a protein cereal was to eat cleaner, this specific box quietly works against that goal.
”Per cup” hides part of the trick
Plain Cheerios lists a 28 g cup; Cheerios Protein lists a 37 g cup — a third more cereal in the same nominal “cup.” Part of the headline protein jump is simply a bigger serving by weight, not a more protein-dense flake. Normalizing to 100 g is the fair comparison, and it still favors this product (about 22 g protein per 100 g vs roughly 11–14 g for plain Cheerios), so the pea protein is doing real work. But the gap is narrower than the cup-to-cup numbers on the two boxes suggest, and the heavier serving is also why the sugar and the 210 mg of sodium land as high as they do per bowl.
Where it sits against the protein-cereal shelf
| Product | Protein / cup | Added sugar | Fiber | Calories | Labelgrade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheerios Protein Cinnamon (this product) | 8 g (37 g) | 12 g | 2 g | 150 | C+ (68) |
| Plain Cheerios (baseline) | ~4 g (28 g) | 1 g | 3 g | 100 | — |
| Kashi GO Honey Almond Flax | 11 g (58 g) | 8 g | 13 g | 178 | B+ (80) |
| Magic Spoon Fruity | 13 g (38 g) | 0 g | 1 g | 150 | B+ (80) |
| Catalina Crunch Chocolate Banana | 11 g (36 g) | 0 g | 9 g | 110 | A- (85) |
Read top to bottom, Cheerios Protein is the highest-sugar and lowest-protein option in its own competitive set, and it posts the lowest Labelgrade of the named cereals. The keto-leaning boxes (Magic Spoon, Catalina Crunch) hit zero sugar by swapping the grain out for milk or pea protein and sweetening with allulose, monk fruit, or stevia. Kashi GO keeps a grain base like Cheerios but pairs its protein with 13 g of fiber instead of a pile of sugar. Cheerios Protein’s honest advantages are the ones that do not show up in a macro table: a brand kids already accept, O-shapes that stay crunchy in milk, and a supermarket price. If your real alternative is a sugary kids’ cereal with no protein, this is a step up. If it is a low-sugar protein cereal, every other box in this table beats it.
For a whole-food angle, plain rolled oats are the quiet comparison: about 5 g protein and 0 g added sugar per cooked cup, for less money. Stir in a scoop of protein powder and you out-protein this box at zero added sugar — the catch being you have to cook and mix it, which is exactly the convenience Cheerios is selling.
Ingredients
Whole grain oats, sugar, pea protein, brown sugar syrup, corn starch, canola and/or sunflower oil, salt, cinnamon, tripotassium phosphate, natural flavor. Vitamin E added. Vitamins and minerals: calcium carbonate, vitamin C, iron, zinc, niacinamide, vitamin B6, vitamin B1, vitamin A, vitamin B2, folic acid, vitamin B12, vitamin D3. (Verbatim from the USDA Branded Foods entry, FDC 2742792.)
The order is the tell: whole oats first (the protein and the oat heart-health story), then sugar second and brown sugar syrup fourth — two sweeteners bracketing the pea protein that the product is named for. A cereal whose protein source is outranked by one of its two sugars is, by its own ingredient list, a sweet cereal first and a protein product second.
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Quick Facts
Per serving · 1 cup (37 g)
See how this fits your day — protein calculator · macro calculator
Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (1 cup (37 g)) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 150 |
| Protein | 8g |
| Total Fat | 2.5g |
| Saturated Fat | 0g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 24g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2g |
| Total Sugars | 12g |
| Added Sugars | 12g |
| Sodium | 210mg |
| Cholesterol | 0mg |
| Calcium | 130mg |
| Iron | 3.6mg |
| Potassium | 130mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to Cheerios Protein Cinnamon Cereal (32.6 oz (924 g) box) · UPC 00016000233188. 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 Cheerios Protein Cinnamon?
8 g per 1 cup (37 g) serving — about 22 g per 100 g (USDA FDC 2742792). That comes from the whole oats plus pea protein, which is the 3rd ingredient by weight. A bowl with 1 cup of dairy milk lands around 16 g of protein, enough to anchor a breakfast.
How does it compare to plain Cheerios?
It roughly doubles the protein (8 g vs about 4 g per equal weight) but it also carries 12 g of added sugar versus 1 g in plain Cheerios. So you trade a small protein gain for a large sugar gain — the 'Protein' badge does not make this a low-sugar cereal.
Why is there so much added sugar?
Pea protein and oats both taste bitter and beany on their own, so the recipe leans on two sweeteners — plain sugar (2nd ingredient) and brown sugar syrup (4th) — plus cinnamon to make it palatable as a sweet cereal. The 12 g of added sugar is roughly 24% of the FDA Daily Value in a single dry cup, before any milk.
Is it actually 'high in protein' by FDA rules?
No, only 'good source.' 8 g is 16% of the 50 g Daily Value, which clears the 10% bar for 'good source of protein' but misses the 20% bar for 'high in protein.' Adding milk pushes the full bowl over that line; the dry cereal alone does not.
Cheerios Protein vs Magic Spoon or Catalina Crunch?
On the Labelgrade dimensions it loses to both. Magic Spoon Fruity has 13 g protein and 0 g sugar per cup; Catalina Crunch Chocolate Banana has 11 g protein, 9 g fiber, and 0 g sugar. Cheerios Protein's edge is familiarity, price, and a kid-friendly taste — not its macros.
Does it keep the Cheerios heart-health story?
Partly. Whole grain oats are still the 1st ingredient, so the beta-glucan soluble fiber that underpins the oat heart-health claim is present. But at 2 g total fiber per cup there isn't much of it, and the 12 g of added sugar works against the 'wholesome' positioning.
What is the tripotassium phosphate doing in here?
It is a small-quantity processing aid (sub-2% of weight) used to control acidity and texture during manufacturing, and it is FDA-recognized as safe. It is worth noting only for people on a phosphate-restricted diet, typically those managing kidney disease.