I Tried 11 Cheerios Flavors, and These Were the Best (and Worst)

It’s shocking just how many Cheerios flavors are on the shelves today. While I would have guessed there were maybe five varieties at most, the reality is that General Mills is often slinging more than 20 individual flavors at a time, depending on the season. 

Not sure which one to grab to start your morning? Worried about wasting some money on a whole box of cereal you might not like? That's why I'm here.

I hit my local grocery store and grabbed every variety of Cheerios I could find. And because I’m one of those people, I ranked them based on how they taste with milk. Here's what my research had to say.

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Behold: your winner. Not only is Honey Nut the best flavor of Cheerios, it’s also one of the best flavors in the entire breakfast cereal world. It’s perfect, as far as I’m concerned, and equally as powerful in its original state as it is as a crust for fried chicken or fish. 

Honey Nut Cheerios are delightfully sweet, but not overly sugar-blasted the way other cereals can be. They're crunchy and well-shaped, sized just right for optimum spoon scoops. The sweetened honey milk afterwards is a dream. Even I, as somebody who exclusively eats cereal with milk, have been known to snack on some HNCs dry. Handshakes all around to the fine people at General Mills.

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I looked at this and thought, “I’ll hate this.” Luckily, I’m wrong all the time, because Vanilla Spice (that’s my rapper name) is a real treat. It’s subtle and just rich enough to create a special flavor without transforming the milk into something undrinkably sweet. 

There are no blasts of autumnal spice or white chocolate here, like I initially feared. Only the soothing hint of a winter latte.

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These aren't as heavily frosted as I expected, making them far more tolerable than most of the flavors. The sweetness on Frosted Cheerios is somewhere between a Frosted Flake and one of the non-marshmallow bits in a bowl of Lucky Charms. If, for some reason, Honey Nut isn’t available and you want something sweeter than Original, this is a great place to start.

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$4.44 from Walmart

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I can’t explain why I like Multi Grain Cheerios better than the original, but there’s something about its nutt heartiness that brings out a roasted flavor. I’m a fan of Honey Bunches of Oats, and I get the feeling that if I mixed Multi Grain with Honey Nut, I could basically simulate that experience.

Related: Breakfast Cereals That Have Been Around for Generations

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Though I’m not thrilled with the way the box brags this is made with real cinnamon (now I almost suspect otherwise), this isn’t bad at all. I don’t mind cinnamon milk, and this leaves a pleasant bowl of it behind. Cinnamon Cheerios are far better without the strangely sweet apple injection that you find in the Apple Cinnamon variety.

Related: Childhood Cereals We Wish They'd Bring Back

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Chocolate is a much stronger flavor on its own when the dry, tasteless peanut butter seasoning isn't dragging it down (see the next entry). You’ve got A+ chocolate milk at the end, too, which is always a bonus. And yet, I still can’t shake the feeling that these should be terrific. I’d buy Cocoa Pebbles or Puffs before I grabbed Chocolate Cheerios again.

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These really should be amazing. Reese’s Puffs, by comparison, are just that. Chocolate and peanut butter are a time-tested combo, and in theory this should leave behind some of the tastiest milk in the game. Instead, it’s stunningly bland. These taste like plain Cheerios that have been lightly dusted with chocolate and peanut butter powder. I’m disappointed. 

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Original Cheerios have committed no crime. It’s a solid, semi-sweet ring that will definitely do in a pinch. You won’t catch me being the guy who chooses Raisin Bran over plain Cheerios at the hotel breakfast bar, but these guys suffer from a classic case of mediocrity. 

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As you can see, I got the limited edition “Besties” box, which contains heart-shaped Cheerios. You’ll be stunned to hear they don’t taste any different than other shapes. But they're adorable, I'll give you that.

This whole ordeal has a pie-spiced, Apple Jacks vibe to it, which is not a flavor profile that’s too high on my list. The cinnamon is fine on its own. No need to turn this into a pastry.

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Hate strawberry milk, y’all. Hate, hate, hate it. At least, I think I do. I'm pretty sure I haven't consumed strawberry milk since I was a kid, and if memory serves, that was a distressing experience. Even dry, this “berry” flavor tastes about as artificial as a bag of candy, and the idea of starting my day with a bowl of this seems like a guaranteed bad omen.

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The only thing worse than strawberry milk for me? Banana milk. Before this, I didn’t know there was something I hated more than strawberry milk, but we found it. Bananas are a no-fly zone for me in general, but I’m far more likely to eat one of those boring sticks of baby food in its natural state than I am in this form. I won't be putting any more of this in my mouth, please and thank you.

Looking for even more flavors of Cheerios to try? Here are some of the other best Cheerios flavors that I couldn't get my hands on.

• Cheerios Minis

• Honey Nut Medley Crunch Cheerios

• Berry Oat Crunch Cheerios

• Oat ‘N Honey Oat Crunch Cheerios

• Cinnamon Oat Crunch Cheerios

• Almond Oat Crunch Cheerios

• Pumpkin Spice Cheerios

• Chocolate Strawberry Cheerios

• Blueberry Cheerios