Homemade Sourdough Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal
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This Sourdough Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal is one of those recipes that’s just plain fun to make—and even better to eat. It bakes up into crunchy, golden cinnamon sugar squares in under 15 minutes with just 7 simple ingredients, making it perfect for busy mornings or cozy weekend breakfasts.
I’ll admit, this one was inspired by my husband, who treats cereal like its own food group and will eat anything crunchy and sweet with milk. We always have cereal in the pantry, but I love having a homemade option like this—and if you’re in the mood for something slower, my Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls are always a cozy favorite.
Quick Look: Sourdough Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Bake Time: 15–20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Servings: About 6 cups
- Calories: ~458 kcal per ½ cup serving
- Cook Method: Baked
- Flavor Profile: Lightly sweet and warmly spiced with a satisfying crunch and a subtle sourdough tang. These crispy little squares hit that nostalgic cereal sweetness with a homemade, wholesome twist.
- Difficulty: Easy — Just mix, roll, cut, and bake. No fermentation or special sourdough skills needed. Perfect if you have discard on hand and want something quick and fun!
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Why You’ll Love This Sourdough Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal
- Easy – You mix the dough, roll it out, cut it into small squares, and bake it in the oven. You do not need a mixer, chilling time, or any complicated steps. If you like simple sourdough bakes you can put together quickly, Sourdough Granola is another easy recipe you can make for breakfast.
- Delicious – These bake into crisp cinnamon sugar squares that are crunchy and sweet plus a somewhat buttery flavor. The cinnamon sugar melts and coats the surface as they bake, and the sourdough adds a gentle tang that makes things even better. If you enjoy that sweet and tangy flavor, Sourdough Sugar Cookies are another recipe to try.
- Homemade alternative – This recipe uses 7 simple ingredients instead of the long list of added sugars, flavors, and preservatives you find in most store-bought cereal. You still get that crunchy, sweet breakfast experience, just made at home with real ingredients you can actually recognize. If you like making simple homemade versions of store-bought snacks, Sourdough Graham Crackers are another easy one to keep on hand.
Ingredients & Substitutions
* To find precise measurements, scroll to the bottom of this post to find the recipe card*
- Flour – I used all-purpose flour for this recipe.
- Sugar – This adds a little sweetness to the cereal.
- Salt – Any unrefined sea salt works, but I like Redmond’s unrefined salt for a bit of extra minerals.
- Cinnamon – You need ground cinnamon for that classic cinnamon flavor.
- Butter – Use cold or frozen unsalted butter for the dough. I also used melted unsalted butter for brushing, and the cereal baked up super flaky and crunchy.
- Vanilla Extract – I recommend real vanilla extract instead of imitation for better flavor.
- Sourdough Starter – You can use either active sourdough starter or sourdough discard for this recipe.
How to Make Sourdough Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the ground cinnamon and sugar to make your cinnamon sugar topping and set it aside.
- In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, sugar, ground cinnamon, and salt. Cut your cold butter into small cubes and toss them into the sugar cinnamon mixture. Pulse until the butter breaks down into pea-sized pieces. If you don’t have a food processor, you can do this by hand in a mixing bowl with a pastry cutter.
- Add the sourdough starter and vanilla extract and mix. If the dough hasn’t come together after about 30 seconds, add cold water one tablespoon at a time, mixing for 15-30 seconds between each addition. Every starter is a little different, so just add water until the dough comes together.
- Once the dough comes together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and cut it in half.
- Roll out one piece at a time into a large rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. The thinner you roll it, the crunchier your cereal will be.
- Carefully transfer the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the top of the dough with melted butter and generously sprinkle the cinnamon sugar. Cut the dough into small squares with a pizza cutter or sharp knife and space them about 1/2 inch apart.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
- Let them cool completely before serving. Sourdough cinnamon toast crunch cereal is best served in a bowl with cold whole milk.
Fun idea: If you have leftover cereal, crush it and press it onto homemade bagels before baking for a crunchy cinnamon topping. It also makes a great ice cream topping in place of granola or crushed cookies, adding a satisfying cinnamon crunch.
McKenna’s Helpful Tips
- Roll the dough thin, about 1/8 inch or even a little thinner if you can. The thinner the better.
- Keep the butter cold or frozen. Don’t use room temperature butter or it won’t give you that flaky, crisp texture you’re after.
- Cut the squares as evenly as you can. If the pieces are different sizes, some will bake faster than others and you’ll end up with a mix of soft and overdone bits.
- Let it cool all the way before you put it away. It keeps crisping as it cools, and if you trap steam in a container too early, it’ll soften.
- Even though this recipe doesn’t involve a first dough rise or second rise, you can long-ferment the dough in the fridge if you want.
How to Store
Store leftover Sourdough Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Sourdough Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal FAQs
Yes, you can long-ferment the dough if you want. Wrap the dough and let it ferment in the fridge for up to 24 hours. This will deepen the sourdough flavor and give the cereal a more pronounced tang. So, go ahead and mix the dough before bed and bake the next morning.
I haven’t personally tested this, but swapping out up to half the flour for whole wheat should work fine. Whole wheat absorbs more water than white flour, so you may need to add a little extra to get the dough to come together in the food processor. You could also make the recipe with bread flour and see how it turns out.
It makes a great ice cream topping in place of granola or crushed cookies, adding a satisfying cinnamon crunch. You can also just eat them by the handful, because they taste like lightly sweet sourdough crackers and are hard to stop snacking on.
If you tried this Sourdough Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
FULL RECIPE TUTORIAL
Sourdough Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal Recipe
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Ingredients
Sourdough Cinnamon Toast Crust Cereal
- 220 grams all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups + 1 Tablespoon
- 50 grams sugar 1/4 cup
- 6 grams ground cinnamon 1 Tablespoon
- 3 grams salt 1/2 teaspoon
- 113 grams unsalted butter, cold/frozen 1/2 cup
- 120 grams sourdough discard **see notes below 1/2 cup
- 4 grams vanilla extract 1 teaspoon
- additional cold water
Cinnamon Sugar Mixture
- 57 grams unsalted butter, melted 1/4 cup
- 100 grams sugar 1/2 cup
- 6 grams ground cinnamon 1 Tablespoon
Instructions
FULL RECIPE TUTORIAL BELOW!
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- First, in a small bowl, whisk together cinnamon and sugar to create the cinnamon sugar topping. Set to the side.100 grams sugar, 6 grams ground cinnamon
- In a bowl of a food processor, add flour, sugar, ground cinnamon, and salt. Cut cold/frozen butter into small cubes and add to the food processor. Mix until the butter resembles pea-sized pieces. This can also be done by hand in a mixing bowl with a pastry cutter.220 grams all-purpose flour, 50 grams sugar, 6 grams ground cinnamon, 3 grams salt, 113 grams unsalted butter, cold/frozen
- Next, add sourdough discard and vanilla extract and mix. If after 30 seconds the dough doesn't come together, you may need to add cold water to the dough. It just depends on your sourdough discard. Add 1 Tablespoon at a time and mix for 15-30 seconds before adding any additional water. You can use active starter in this recipe, just make sure to use the same weight (120g).120 grams sourdough discard **see notes below, 4 grams vanilla extract, additional cold water
- Once the dough is formed, place it on a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough in half.
- With a rolling pin, roll out one piece of dough at a time into a large rectangle, 1/8th of an inch thick. The thinner the dough, the crunchier the cereal! You will need to reflour your surface and flip the dough every once in a while so that it doesn't stick to your work surface.
- Gently move the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the melted butter, then generously sprinkle with the sugar mixture.57 grams unsalted butter, melted
- Using a pizza cutter or something sharp, cut the dough into tiny squares. Space out the squares about 1/2 inch apart. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the sourdough cinnamon toast crunch cereal is golden brown.
- Cool and enjoy in a bowl with some milk!
I love this!!! Made 5 batches this weekend! Any chance you’d try to made a Honey Nut Cheerios???
Can I use my kitchenaide with dough blade instead of food processor?
Great question! I never tried this personally, but that should work. Just keep an eye on the texture—you’re looking for the dough to come together smoothly and hold its shape well so it can be rolled out and cut. Let me know how it goes if you try it that way!
Why isn’t it fermented? Will it not come out good if allowed to ferment?
You certainly can ferment this recipe! Place the wrapped dough in the fridge overnight. Pull it and allow the dough to soften slightly, this will make the shaping easier, then bake like normal. Enjoy!
Curious if anyone has tried this with a vegan butter? My son is severely allergic to all dairy. TIA
This recipe is amazing! These little pillows are sooooo delicious! Once you try it, you get addicted to it. I guess I am making them again tomorrow since they will be gone by this evening 🤣🙈🤩
Haha, I love this so much! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, too. We always have to make a double batch – it’s just too good! Thank you for sharing.
I made this twice – the first time with oil. The dough was very oily and it took forever in the oven and then it got overdone. Thankfully most of it still tasted good. But then I remade it with butter and it was fantastic! I made some as crackers and some as cereal size. 🙂 I gave it as gifts and people really enjoyed it. Hoping to make more soon!
Thank you for sharing! Great to know. So glad everyone enjoyed your thoughtful gift of sourdough!
How long can you store it?
Store it in an airtight container for up to a week!
Has anyone tried to make a large batch and freeze it before? Just curious if it freezes then thaws ok.
My food processor isn’t big enough. Could I use my Vitamix blender?
I have never tested mixing the ingredients in a blender, but you certainly could try! Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.
Fun and easy to make!
In the dough have you tried using maple syrup to sweeten instead of sugar? Wondering how much to swap?
I personally have not tested this, so I am not 100% certain.
Made these today:
– with 100% kamut flour
– mixed honey with sourdough instead of the sugar
– mixed the dough in my mixer with cookie attachment
– topped with brown sugar instead
Still came out beautifully!
Thank you for the recipe!!
That sounds amazing! I love seeing how you made the recipe your own — especially using 100% kamut and swapping in honey. I’m so glad it still came out beautifully for you. Thank you for sharing your variations and for trying the recipe!