Vegan Cinnamon Toast Crunch - Okonomi Kitchen (2024)

Homemade Vegan Cinnamon Toast Crunch thats easy to make and perfectly crispy and sweet! A healthier take on everyones favourite cereal, this version is made with only 5 ingredients and is gluten free and oil free.

Will all my CTC lovers please stand up. We are throwin’ it back and making everyones childhood favourite cereal today FROM SCRATCH.

In the midst of this whole pancake cereal craze, I’ve just been craving cinnamon toast crunch cause IMO cereal should be crispy and be paired perfectly with some cold (non-dairy) milk.

So why not make some at home? It’s simple, easy, fun and just as good (if not better!!) than the boxed stuff.

Ingredients for Vegan Cinnamon Toast Crunch

FIRST! Is cinnamon toast crunch vegan? Thats the question I asked when I first went vegan because 1. it was my favourite cereal and 2. I heard that some cereals are not due to vitamin D3.

And it saddens me to say, CTC is not vegan. Let’s take a look at the ingredients of the original (from their website): Whole Grain Wheat, Sugar, Rice Flour, Canola Oil, Fructose, Maltodextrin, Dextrose, Salt, Cinnamon, Trisodium Phosphate, Soy Lecithin, Caramel Color. BHT Added to Preserve Freshness. Calcium Carbonate, Iron and Zinc, Vitamin C, A B Vitamin, Vitamin B₆,Vitamin B₂, Vitamin B₁, Vitamin A,A B Vitamin, Vitamin B₁₂, Vitamin D₃.

So not the healthiest food in the world and definitely not vegan. Well, what if I told you you could make your own healthy cinnamon toast crunch with just 5 ingredients?? It happened, people. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Oat Flour: The base of the cereal– so yes, we’re still eating oats for breakfast!
• Almond Flour: Gives a slightly pleasant buttery flavour and gives it the perfect crisp-flaky texture.
• Apple Sauce: Helps bind the dough together.
• Cinnamon: This is a given. I mean… you could also try pumpkin spice or apple pie spice for a pizzaz.
• Granulated Sugar: I used organic cane sugar because the sugar crystals hold up the best but you could also use coconut sugar! The coconut sugar will dissolve so you may not see the sugar crystals but it’s still very tasty.

I also added in some flax meal for some extra health but thats totally optional! Also some vanilla if you have some on hand to throw in, it adds an extra lovely flavour element. You’ll also need some water for the dough for it to come together.

How to Make Cinnamon Toast Crunch

Making cinnamon toast crunch cereal is actually very simple and easy (AND fun!!) to make.

First, mix the cinnamon and sugar together in a bowl. Thats our cinnamon sugar, pretty easy right?

Next, combine the rest of the ingredients together with a spoon or your hands until a dough forms. Start with the listed amount of water and if it’s still dry after mixing for 3-4 minutes then add in 1 tsp of water at a time. You don’t wan the dough to be too sticky!

It’s time to roll out the dough! I found it easiest to roll out between two pieces of parchment paper so you don’t have to worry about the dough sticking everywhere and breaking the dough. You want to roll it out as thin as possible without it tearing apart. The thinner the dough the crunchier the cereal!

Once the dough is nice and thin, remove the top later of the parchment paper and brush with aquafaba or water. Generously sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. If you want both sides of the cereals to be coated, place the parchment paper back on top and flip the rolled out dough. Remove the top layer or parchment paper, brush with aquafaba and sprinkle of cinnamon sugar. This time, place the parchment paper back on top and roll once– this ensures the cinnamon sugar sticks to the dough.

Now, cut the dough into 1/2 – 3/4 inch squares. They don’t have to be perfect but defiantly try to keep the size consistent for even baking. The side scraps can be rolled out and sliced again repeatedly until you run out. Once they’re all cut into squares, remove the side scraps that aren’t in squares. Place the parchment paper onto a light coloured baking tray and bake for about 10 minutes.

The hardest part is waiting for them to cool but you must! They won’t be as crispy right out of the oven so if you’re looking for the perfect crispy cereal, you gotta wait. Andddd that’s pretty much it. Easy right? So worth it for the delicious outcome.

So you guys might be asking, what does this version of homemade vegan cinnamon toast crunch taste like?

It defiantly tastes like cinnamon toast crunch! The texture is crispy, almost flaky (so good IMO) and yes, it stays crispy in milk as long as you eat it straight away. Eric said, and I quote: “It has the texture of the crust of McDonald’s apple pie”. AKA CRISPY and delicious. I think the apple sauce also gives it a slight apple pie vibe but defiantly not overpowering.

I really hope you guys are inspired to make your own cinnamon toast crunch! It’s fun to make, fun to eat and trust me– waaaaay more tasty than the boxed stuff.

Tips to Making Homemade Cereal

• Keeping the cinnamon sugar on the cereal: I’ve tested 4 different batches where I brushed nothing, water, aquafaba and maple syrup on the dough before adding the cinnamon sugar and aquafaba did the best at keeping the cinnamon sugar on the dough even when swimming in milk. If you don’t have aquafaba, use maple syrup or water– they still get the job done.
• Roll out the dough THIN: when I mean thin, I mean like 1.5-2 mm. Thats about the thickness of a coin or actual ruler. You also want to try and keep the thickness consistent. The thinner they are, the easier and faster they will crisp up and you won’t be left with any soggy / undercooked cereal. If you find the cereal to be a little stale in texture, it was probably under baked or wasn’t fully cooled.
• Stay by the oven: while they’re baking, you want to be near the oven so you can keep an eye on it (at least for the last 5 minutes) because they go from perfectly golden brown to burnt in SECONDS. Trust me.

More Yummy Crunch-y Breakfast Favourites:

• Snickers Granola
• French Toast Granola
• Pumpkin Spice Granola
• 3 Ingredient Microwave Granola
• Chocolate Espresso Granola
• Vegan Matcha Granola

If you recreate this Vegan Cinnamon Toast Crunch recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
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