Last Updated on May 21, 2023 by Michael Brockbank
I’m a big fan of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. And being on a variation of the keto diet, I really don’t have a lot of options for an alternative. That is until I came across Catalina Crunch Cinnamon Toast cereal. As keto-friendly foods go, it’s definitely among my top brands!
I was actually quite impressed with the overall taste and the price per serving, as I’ll go into in a moment.
But if you’re a fan of cinnamon, this is something you might want to consider.
What is Catalina Crunch Cinnamon Toast Cereal?
The Catalina Crunch Cinnamon Toast cereal is akin to the heavier Cinnamon Toast Crunch. The biggest difference is the sheer amount of sugar that is not in the Catalina version.
The squares are quite a bit smaller, but the serving size is good for what you get.
And although I haven’t eaten the cereal with milk yet, it makes an amazing keto treat. It’s not much to simply portion out a serving and snack on them while sitting at my desk.
It’s also something that is easily transportable if you need a snack while on the move. In fact, the smaller, Snack Size Ziplock baggies hold a serving of this cereal quite nicely.
What Can You Expect from the Cinnamon Toast Cereal?
As I said, I was quite surprised with this one. Most of the keto snacks I’ve had just didn’t really seem to have that bit of umph to make them stellar.
I mean, some of them are decent, but this one was a lock for me.
Great Taste for Keto-Friendly Cereal
First off, I have to mention the taste. In general, it’s an incredibly close facsimile of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Aside from the sugar-coated squares, the overall taste was amazing.
Don’t get me wrong, I miss the sugar-ladened cereal. But, if you’re a fan, the overall taste of this one is extremely close.
I’m really curious to try it with almond milk. For an extra 30 calories, I could always use the unsweetened almond milk with this cereal to make it a 140 calorie breakfast.
Good Protein Count
As with most things keto, the protein count for this snack is pretty decent. You’re looking at 11g of protein in a 1/2 cup serving. For the serving size in general, I’ve seen “protein” bars with fewer grams.
This is something I could easily toss in my gym bag if I got to feeling peckish while working out.
At any rate, the amount of protein is actually quite higher than many of the other keto snacks I’ve tried recently. And with 5g of fat, it works for the keto diet quite well.
It includes 6 plant proteins and fibers, which makes it ideal for certain types of intestinal diets and needs.
5g Net Carbs
Speaking of the keto diet, the Cinnamon Toast cereal has just 5g of net carbs. If you’re keeping track, it comes with 14g of carbohydrates, but 9g of that is dietary fiber.
And since no sugar is used, not even sugar alcohol, you don’t have to worry about those either.
Compared to a few of the more recent snacks, such as the Birch Benders Chocolate Chip Pancake a la cup, it is a bit higher in net carbs. But it’s a small price to pay to enjoy something I like immensely.
Good Calorie Count Comparatively
One of the things I like most about this keto-friendly cereal is the number of calories per serving. It sits at only 110 for 36g of the cereal. And because it is quite tasty, I would have figured it would be higher.
Still, for something that is quick to grab, you don’t have to worry too much if you’re monitoring caloric intake.
In fact, it’s much lower than a lot of snacks I’ve had recently…including a cinnamon trail-mix-like snack. I’ll do a review about that one later, which isn’t too bad either.
100% Plant-Based and Gluten-Free
For all of you health nuts out there, the Catalina Crunch Cinnamon Toast cereal is completely plant-based and gluten-free. This makes it an even better snack for those who are allergic to gluten or focused on a vegan diet.
And to be honest, I didn’t realize it was plant-based and gluten-free until I was taking the pictures for the package. It never occurred to me as I was too busy enjoying the cereal.
Decent Price per Serving
I am a stickler when it comes to the cost per serving of snacks and meals. And some keto foods are insanely expensive in comparison. That isn’t the case with the Cinnamon Toast cereal.
In reality, it comes down to about $0.50 per serving if you buy the bags from Amazon.
This is much cheaper than some of the “a la cup” brownies and such I have here in the house. We’re talking about nearly a $3 difference.
If properly portioned out, the money you spend on a bag of Catalina Crunch could stretch quite a distance.
Works Great as a Stand-alone Keto Snack
As I’ve said a few times, I really eat the cereal as a stand-alone snack. It’s convenient and keeps the calorie count low. But, I’m sure that it would work very well as an actual breakfast.
Perhaps I’ll try it after my next workout at the gym.
At any rate, it’s easy to just toss a serving into a snack Ziplock baggie and go. I have five of them sitting on my desk right now.
I just need to remember not to pound them down one at a time.
Update: Awesome as a Cereal
I decided to give the Catalina Crunch a test go as an actual cereal. In this case, I used unsweetened almond milk, because I’m trying to lose the last bit of weight.
Plus, I need almond milk thanks to my psoriasis.
In any case, I dropped two packets of Splenda in with one cup of the almond milk and two servings of the Cinnamon Toast cereal. It came out to around 250 calories and 11g of net carbs.
I can say that it was an excellent choice. It tastes great as an actual cereal, though I’ll probably still eat it mostly as a dry snack.
Where Can You Get Catalina Crunch Cinnamon Toast?
You can buy the cereal at many health food stores. I think we got this particular bag at either Costco or Sam’s Club, I can’t remember which.
But, you can also pick them up directly from Amazon for around $8 per bag. Like I said, it’s quite cheap per serving compared to other things you can snack on.
Get the Catalina Crunch Cinnamon Toast Cereal Today!I don’t remember seeing this product at the local Max Muscle, though. Usually, fitness locations like that usually carry protein bars, mixes, and powders.
But, you never know.
Would I Buy the Product Again?
I would absolutely buy this product again. It has a great taste, low calorie count, and is perfect for people on keto and other low-carb diets.
Not only is the price per serving far better than many other keto snacks out there, but it’s a good price for people on all kinds of diet plans.
For instance, it has no cholesterol, 110mg of sodium, and consists of a lot of dietary fiber. Regardless of what kind of restrictive diet you’re on, the Cinnamon Toast cereal fits exceptionally well.
Not to mention that it’s gluten-free. This means that even my friend’s mom can enjoy the cereal…as she is quite allergic to gluten.
One thing you need to realize, though, is that I am a super fan of the Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. So, anything that comes even remotely close to that flavor is going to get high praise from me.
If you don’t like or cannot eat cinnamon, you may want to skip this one.
A Great Alternative to Cinnamon Toast Crunch
I’m truly loving this cereal. And I really quite enjoyed eating it with actual milk. It’s probably one of the better alternatives to the foods I liked before this keto diet experiment.
Catalina Crunch has definitely piqued my interest as a brand, which I’ve never heard of before now.
At any rate, try a bag for yourself and let me know what you think. Personally, it is hands-down one of my favorite keto snacks or cereals now.
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