Highest Protein Cereals (2026)

Cereal is one of the easiest categories to fool the consumer. We strip out the marketing and rank by what actually matters.

10 products tracked · sorted by Protein Density (% of calories from protein)

All 103 Bars 10 Yogurt 10 Cheese 9 Jerky 10 Cereal 10 Ice cream 7 Chips 10 Cookies 7 Pasta 10 Oatmeal 10 Granola 10
HIGHEST PROTEIN CEREAL · TOP 8 OF 10

Ranked by Protein Density

Percent of calories from protein. Secondary column is grams of protein per serving.

Top 8 of 10
01 Magic Spoon Cocoa Cereal 37.1% 13 g
02 Magic Spoon Frosted Cereal 37.1% 13 g
03 Magic Spoon Fruity Cereal 37.1% 13 g
04 Magic Spoon Peanut Butter Cereal 34.7% 13 g
05 Special K Special K Protein Cereal 33.3% 10 g
06 Kashi GoLean Original 30.6% 13 g
07 Catalina Crunch Cinnamon Toast Cereal 29.3% 11 g
08 Catalina Crunch Honey Graham Cereal 29.3% 11 g
PLATINUM · 40%+
GOLD · 25–39%
SILVER · 15–24%
AVOID · under 15%
The same data, as a table
Filters10/10
Showing 10 / 10

Tiers are set by % of calories from protein

QualityServing
Cocoa Cereal
Magic Spoon
37.1%13g1409.3g1.24gComplete33g
Frosted Cereal
Magic Spoon
37.1%13g1409.3g1.24gComplete33g
Fruity Cereal
Magic Spoon
37.1%13g1409.3g1.24gComplete33g
Peanut Butter Cereal
Magic Spoon
34.7%13g1508.7g1.24gComplete33g
Special K Protein Cereal
Special K
33.3%10g1208.3g0.7gComplementary35g
GoLean Original
Kashi
30.6%13g1707.6g0.91gComplementary53g
Cinnamon Toast Cereal
Catalina Crunch
29.3%11g1507.3g1.05gComplete36g
Honey Graham Cereal
Catalina Crunch
29.3%11g1507.3g1.05gComplete36g
Maple Waffle Cereal
Catalina Crunch
29.3%11g1507.3g1.05gComplete36g
Special K Protein Granola
Special K
24%12g2006g0.84gComplementary50g

Visualize the highest protein cereal

The same data, charted — see efficiency at a glance.

Highest protein cereal

Calories per serving vs. protein per 100 cal. Up-and-left is more efficient. Labels show the top performers directly; tap or focus a dot for brand and exact numbers.

PlatinumGoldSilverAvoid0125250375500Calories per serving3.756.2510Protein g per 100 calCocoa CerealFrosted CerealFruity Cereal12GoLean Origin…354Special K Pro…

Too tight to label directly — numbered on the chart above:

  1. 1. Magic Spoon Peanut Butter Cereal
  2. 2. Special K Special K Protein Cereal
  3. 3. Catalina Crunch Cinnamon Toast Cereal
  4. 4. Catalina Crunch Maple Waffle Cereal
  5. 5. Catalina Crunch Honey Graham Cereal
Highest protein cereal: calories per serving and protein per 100 calories
FoodCaloriesProtein g per 100 calProtein (g)Tier
Magic Spoon Cocoa Cereal1409.313gold
Magic Spoon Frosted Cereal1409.313gold
Magic Spoon Fruity Cereal1409.313gold
Magic Spoon Peanut Butter Cereal1508.713gold
Special K Special K Protein Cereal1208.310gold
Kashi GoLean Original1707.613gold
Catalina Crunch Cinnamon Toast Cereal1507.311gold
Catalina Crunch Honey Graham Cereal1507.311gold
Catalina Crunch Maple Waffle Cereal1507.311gold
Special K Special K Protein Granola200612silver
Full top-12 chart
Highest protein cereal

Top 10 by protein / 100 cal.

1. Magic Spo…9.313g protein · 140 kcal2. Magic Spo…9.313g protein · 140 kcal3. Magic Spo…9.313g protein · 140 kcal4. Magic Spo…8.713g protein · 150 kcal5. Special K…8.310g protein · 120 kcal6. Kashi GoL…7.613g protein · 170 kcal7. Catalina …7.311g protein · 150 kcal8. Catalina …7.311g protein · 150 kcal9. Catalina …7.311g protein · 150 kcal10. Special …612g protein · 200 kcal

Bars colored by Protein Density (% of calories from protein) tier. Values in g/100cal.

  1. Magic Spoon Cocoa Cereal: 9.3 g/100cal (gold tier), 13g protein, 140 kcal
  2. Magic Spoon Frosted Cereal: 9.3 g/100cal (gold tier), 13g protein, 140 kcal
  3. Magic Spoon Fruity Cereal: 9.3 g/100cal (gold tier), 13g protein, 140 kcal
  4. Magic Spoon Peanut Butter Cereal: 8.7 g/100cal (gold tier), 13g protein, 150 kcal
  5. Special K Special K Protein Cereal: 8.3 g/100cal (gold tier), 10g protein, 120 kcal
  6. Kashi GoLean Original: 7.6 g/100cal (gold tier), 13g protein, 170 kcal
  7. Catalina Crunch Cinnamon Toast Cereal: 7.3 g/100cal (gold tier), 11g protein, 150 kcal
  8. Catalina Crunch Honey Graham Cereal: 7.3 g/100cal (gold tier), 11g protein, 150 kcal
  9. Catalina Crunch Maple Waffle Cereal: 7.3 g/100cal (gold tier), 11g protein, 150 kcal
  10. Special K Special K Protein Granola: 6 g/100cal (silver tier), 12g protein, 200 kcal
Static image of this chart (for sharing)
Bar chart: top 10 Highest protein cereal foods ranked by Protein / 100 cal. 1. Magic Spoon Cocoa Cereal, 9.3 g/100cal, 13g protein, 140 kcal. 2. Magic Spoon Frosted Cereal, 9.3 g/100cal, 13g protein, 140 kcal. 3. Magic Spoon Fruity Cereal, 9.3 g/100cal, 13g protein, 140 kcal. 4. Magic Spoon Peanut Butter Cereal, 8.7 g/100cal, 13g protein, 150 kcal. 5. Special K Special K Protein Cereal, 8.3 g/100cal, 10g protein, 120 kcal. Full ranking in the adjacent list.
Bar chart: top 10 Highest protein cereal foods ranked by Protein / 100 cal. 1. Magic Spoon Cocoa Cereal, 9.3 g/100cal, 13g protein, 140 kcal. 2. Magic Spoon Frosted Cereal, 9.3 g/100cal, 13g protein, 140 kcal. 3. Magic Spoon Fruity Cereal, 9.3 g/100cal, 13g protein, 140 kcal. 4. Magic Spoon Peanut Butter Cereal, 8.7 g/100cal, 13g protein, 150 kcal. 5. Special K Special K Protein Cereal, 8.3 g/100cal, 10g protein, 120 kcal. Full ranking in the adjacent list.

How highest protein cereal compares to every other category

Same Protein Density scoring, every category on one chart — some categories cluster at Platinum/Gold, others cluster at Silver/Avoid with zero Platinum picks.

Stacked bar matrix: Protein Density (% of calories from protein) tier distribution across 11 snack categories, best to worst by share at Gold tier or better. Highest protein yogurt: 10 Platinum, 0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Avoid, of 10 tracked. Highest protein jerky: 9 Platinum, 1 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Avoid, of 10 tracked. Highest protein cheese: 5 Platinum, 4 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Avoid, of 9 tracked. Highest protein cereal: 0 Platinum, 9 Gold, 1 Silver, 0 Avoid, of 10 tracked. Highest protein oatmeal: 0 Platinum, 9 Gold, 1 Silver, 0 Avoid, of 10 tracked. Highest protein bars: 7 Platinum, 1 Gold, 2 Silver, 0 Avoid, of 10 tracked. Highest protein chips: 4 Platinum, 4 Gold, 0 Silver, 2 Avoid, of 10 tracked. Highest protein pasta: 3 Platinum, 4 Gold, 3 Silver, 0 Avoid, of 10 tracked. Highest protein cookies: 0 Platinum, 2 Gold, 1 Silver, 4 Avoid, of 7 tracked. Highest protein granola: 0 Platinum, 0 Gold, 6 Silver, 4 Avoid, of 10 tracked. Highest protein ice cream: 0 Platinum, 0 Gold, 7 Silver, 0 Avoid, of 7 tracked.
Stacked bar matrix: Protein Density (% of calories from protein) tier distribution across 11 snack categories, best to worst by share at Gold tier or better. Highest protein yogurt: 10 Platinum, 0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Avoid, of 10 tracked. Highest protein jerky: 9 Platinum, 1 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Avoid, of 10 tracked. Highest protein cheese: 5 Platinum, 4 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Avoid, of 9 tracked. Highest protein cereal: 0 Platinum, 9 Gold, 1 Silver, 0 Avoid, of 10 tracked. Highest protein oatmeal: 0 Platinum, 9 Gold, 1 Silver, 0 Avoid, of 10 tracked. Highest protein bars: 7 Platinum, 1 Gold, 2 Silver, 0 Avoid, of 10 tracked. Highest protein chips: 4 Platinum, 4 Gold, 0 Silver, 2 Avoid, of 10 tracked. Highest protein pasta: 3 Platinum, 4 Gold, 3 Silver, 0 Avoid, of 10 tracked. Highest protein cookies: 0 Platinum, 2 Gold, 1 Silver, 4 Avoid, of 7 tracked. Highest protein granola: 0 Platinum, 0 Gold, 6 Silver, 4 Avoid, of 10 tracked. Highest protein ice cream: 0 Platinum, 0 Gold, 7 Silver, 0 Avoid, of 7 tracked.

Browse other categories

Same Protein Density scoring, different snack types.

Highest protein bars

Protein bars sorted by Protein Density.
Highest protein yogurt

Yogurts sorted by Protein Density.
Highest protein jerky

Jerky and meat snacks sorted by Protein Density.
Highest protein chips

Protein chips sorted by Protein Density.
Highest protein ice cream

Protein ice creams sorted by Protein Density.
Highest protein cookies

Protein cookies sorted by Protein Density.
Highest protein cheese

Cheeses and cottage-cheese variants sorted by Protein Density.
Highest protein pasta

Legume and protein-fortified pasta sorted by Protein Density.
Highest protein oatmeal

Protein-fortified oatmeal and overnight oats sorted by Protein Density.
Highest protein granola

Protein granola ranked by Protein Density — and why none of it reaches Gold.

Going beyond snacks

Protein powders

Ranked by leucine per scoop — the MPS trigger metric.
Fast food, ranked

McDonald's, Starbucks, Chipotle, Taco Bell, Tim Hortons.
Calculate your target

Daily protein g — Mifflin-St Jeor + goal-aware coefficients.
Snack finder

Filter snacks by calorie budget, leucine, density tier.

Cereal protein: common questions

Which cereal has the most protein?

Magic Spoon Cocoa Cereal leads: 13 g of protein in 140 kcal (a 33 g serving) — 37.1% Protein Density, Gold tier. Runners-up: Magic Spoon Frosted Cereal (37.1%, 13 g) and Magic Spoon Fruity Cereal (37.1%, 13 g).

How much protein is in cereal?

Protein ranges from 10 g to 13 g per serving across the 10 products we track (calories run 120-200 kcal); a typical serving lands around 12.5 g.

Is cereal a good source of protein?

It depends on the pick. 9 of 10 cereal products reach Gold tier or better (25%+ of calories from protein). The rest land at Silver tier (15-24%) rather than Gold or better — lower concentration, not zero.

What cereal has the most protein?

Magic Spoon Cocoa Cereal leads: 13 g of protein in 140 kcal (a 33 g serving) — 37.1% Protein Density, Gold tier. Runners-up: Magic Spoon Frosted Cereal (37.1%, 13 g) and Magic Spoon Fruity Cereal (37.1%, 13 g).

NEXT IN THIS GROUP Highest protein ice cream, ranked Same Protein Density scoring, 7 ice cream products. OPEN CROSS THE DATASET Beat a bar with food: Tuna, yellowfin (raw, 4 oz) at 89.6% 28g protein in 125 kcal — no packaging required. OPEN UNDERSTAND THE METRIC How Protein Density is calculated The tier thresholds and the math behind every number on this page. OPEN
Nutrition data sourced from USDA FoodData Central and Open Food Facts. Tier rankings calculated by Protein Density (% of calories from protein). See methodology for the math.
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