TRIVIA GENIUS What is the bestselling cereal in the U.S.?

What is the bestselling cereal in the U.S.?

General
10 of America's Top-Selling Cereals
07 | 13 | 2019

In 1863, physician James Caleb Jackson introduced a novel food to patients at his New York sanitarium after concocting a form of baked and crumbled graham flour cakes that he called "granula." The good doctor had stumbled upon what is considered the first modern cereal, but granula was hardly a finished product, as the hard pieces had to be soaked in milk overnight before softening enough for consumption.
Ready-to-eat cereals have come a long way since then. C.W. Post's Grape-Nuts appeared in 1897, Kellogg's Corn Flakes arrived shortly afterward, and thanks to a combination of convenience, marketing wizardry, and lots and lots of sugar, cereal became cornerstone of the American breakfast by the mid-20th century.
According to data compiled by the market-research firm IRI, Americans dished out $8.66 billion for their favorite cereals over the 52-week period that ended October 31, 2021. A sizable chunk of that went to private label brands (e.g. Target and grocery store brands), but the majority of the top-sellers continue to be tried and true classics. Read on to see if your favorites made the list.

Honey Nut Cheerios

Annual Sales: $523.4M

Credit: Natalia Ganelin/ Shutterstock
Cheerios have been a popular brand since they first appeared in the 1940s. But if the plain version leaves a little to be desired, you might like one of their spinoff flavors — honey nut. The nation’s most popular cereal was first launched in 1979 and once upon a time was flavored with actual nuts. But in 2006, General Mills began using peach and apricot pits to create that nutty flavor. People also love the brand’s adorable mascot, Buzz, who briefly disappeared from box covers in 2017 to call attention to the world's declining bee population.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch

Annual Sales: $458.4M

Credit: Olga Popova/ Shutterstock
This General Mills cereal first appeared in 1984 and has been a fan favorite ever since. You can find the sweet treat on shelves in Canada and the U.K., and with different names in other parts of Europe and Latin America, such a Curiously Cinnamon (U.K.) and Cini Minis (Poland). The cereal has changed mascots over the years: Its original trio of bakers was disbanded to feature a solo Chef Wendell until 2009, and today, we have “Crazy Squares,” pieces of the cereal that seem to enjoy eating their own kind.

Frosted Flakes

Annual Sales: $397.1M

Credit: Vinicius Tupinamba/ Shutterstock
Much like some of the other sugary cereals on this list, Frosted Flakes was a sweetened update to the plain Kellogg’s Corn Flakes. After debuting in 1952 as Sugar Frosted Flakes, the brand dropped “Sugar” from its name in 1983 over dietary concerns. Frosted Flakes is an international hit, with varying names sold by Kellogg’s on almost every continent. It also boasts one of the industry's most famous mascots in Tony the Tiger, known for his “They're gr-r-reat!” catchphrase.

Cheerios

Annual Sales: $384.9M

Credit: ukayacan/ iStock
Yes, Cheerios made the list twice. But this time, we’re focusing on the original version, which launched as CheeriOats in 1941 before switching to their current name in 1945. Cheerios has gone without a mascot for decades, and as the heart-healthy cereal has always prioritized its high fiber content and pure ingredients, its marketing message hasn't changed much over the years. But Cheerios also puts in the effort to show that old-fashioned and healthy can also be hip, as evidenced by the 2017 rollout of a catchy jingle, "Good Goes Round," by Boston-based rapper Latrell James. In total, 20 flavor variations of Cheerios are available, but the original still holds its own.

Honey Bunches of Oats

Annual Sales: $381.0M

Credit: JL Images/ Alamy Stock Photo
Post’s Honey Bunches of Oats is well known for the commercials featuring their factory workers asking, “Have you tried it yet?” According to company lore, the product was conceived by the joint efforts of longtime employee Vernon J. Herzig and his daughter, Wendy, who mixed bits of other Post cereals to create the flavor blend. Although the initial name of Battle Creek Cereal didn't stick, Honey Bunches of Oats became immensely popular after debuting in 1989, and Post has since released over 30 varieties of the cereal — many of which appeared only in select countries.

Lucky Charms

Annual Sales: $297.5M

Credit: Jenniveve84/ iStock
Do you like circus peanuts? Would you eat them in your cereal? Well if General Mills’ Lucky Charms is your favorite cereal, the answer to both of those questions is yes. The cereal was created in 1964 when product developer John Holahan mixed Cheerios with chopped-up Brach’s Circus Peanuts, though the product didn’t become a hit until General Mills began sugar coating the Cheerios. Over the years, newer marshmallows have been added to the original mix of pink hearts, yellow moons, orange stars, and green clovers. On the other hand, famed mascot Lucky the Leprechaun has stuck around since the beginning, even withstanding the company's attempt to introduce a new face, Wally the Wizard, in the mid-1970s.

Froot Loops

Annual Sales: $283.6M
Credit: Hong Vo/ Shutterstock
Spoiler alert: There isn’t any real fruit in Kellogg’s Froot Loops. Repackaged from the remains of the short-lived and less-sugary OKs cereal, Froot Loops arrived in 1963 in the original colors of orange, red, and yellow. In later years, Kellogg’s introduced blue, purple, and green, though the added colors did nothing to change the cereal's flavor. As with Frosted Flakes and Lucky Charms, Froot Loops features an endearing mascot in Toucan Sam, whose popularity proved a double-edged sword when fans objected to an attempt to give the sensitive-scented bird a makeover in 2020.

Fruity Pebbles

Annual Sales: $252.9M

Credit: padnpen/ iStock
The first brands based on a cartoon character — Fred Flintstone’s young daughter, Pebbles – both Fruity Pebbles and Cocoa Pebbles rose from the sugary ashes of Post’s discontinued Sugar Rice Krinkles to make a splash in 1971. The more popular of the two, Fruity Pebbles debuted with the simple palette of orange, red, and yellow colors, before branching out to more adventurous flavors like incrediberry purple and bedrock berry pink. Cocoa Pebbles has also pulled its weight by finishing 18th in 2021 with $112.9M in sales, helping Post corner the children’s cereal market through variations like Dino Pebbles, Cinna-Crunch Pebbles, and Candy Corn Pebbles.

Frosted Mini-Wheats

Annual Sales: $221.6M

Credit: Marcie Fowler - Shining Hope Images/ Shutterstock
Fun fact: Kellogg’s Frosted Mini-Wheats used to be bigger than today’s version. Regardless of size, the pseudo-healthy treat continues to be a fan favorite. The cereal debuted nationally in 1970 and created several spinoff flavors, expanding its portfolio to stores in the U.S., U.K., and Canada. However, the cereal isn't quite the brain-boosting fuel it claimed to be in a misleading 2008-09 ad campaign, which led to a class-action lawsuit against the company.

Special K

Annual Sales: $192.7M

Credit: P Maxwell Photography/ Shutterstock
At a time when many cereal brands were going bigger and bolder with sugar content and color schemes, Kellogg's Special K announced itself as a healthy alternative by offering "seven vitamins and iron" upon hitting shelves in 1955. The angle proved ahead of its time, and by the end of the 20th century, Special K was well-positioned to take advantage of an increasingly health-conscious market. Kellogg's has since rolled out Special K shakes, bars, chips, and breakfast sandwiches, while a recipe change in 2013 has helped its flagship product keep pace with the other heavy-hitters in the cereal aisle.