RANKED: These are the breakfast cereals with the least sugar

cereal aisle grocery store
Cheerios had the lowest amount of sugar on this list, with 0.75 grams per 3/4 Cup serving.
Rebecca Harrington/Tech Insider
  • Many breakfast cereals contain a lot of sugar and are considered highly processed foods.
  • Experts recommend adults limit their added sugar intake to no more than 24-36 grams per day.
  • One teaspoon of sugar equals about 4 grams.
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Breakfast cereals may have the most obtrusive advertising in the whole grocery store.

"Whole grain! Excellent source of fiber! No high fructose corn syrup!" they shout at you from the shelves.

But most cereals are highly processed foods, often with a lot of added sugar, whether it's named on the ingredients list as regular sugar, milled cane sugar, brown sugar, or honey.

Americans eat twice as much sugar as we're supposed to on average, and one of those sources of sugars could be your morning cereal. All you have to do is check the package to find out.

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In 2016, I went to the grocery store and photographed every cereal on the shelves to see how much sugar they contained. I narrowed this list down to the most popular ones and ranked them from most sugar to least sugar based on a serving size of 3/4 cup, which was most common. (If you're looking for a ranking based on weight, see the list sorted by grams here.)

You may be surprised how they stack up:

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All Bran Buds: 18 g

All Bran Buds: 8 g
(People generally eat this high-fiber cereal in smaller servings, however.)
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Quaker Real Medleys: 14 g

Quaker Real Medleys: 14 g
Rebecca Harrington/Tech Insider
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Raisin Bran: 13.5 g

Raisin Bran: 18 g
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Go Lean Crunch: 13 g

Go Lean Crunch: 13 g
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Cap'n Crunch: 12 g

Cap'n Crunch: 12 g
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Cocoa Krispies: 12 g

Cocoa Krispies: 12 g
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Krave: 11 g

Krave: 11 g
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Lucky Charms: 10 g

Lucky Charms: 10 g
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Cocoa Pebbles: 10 g

Cocoa Pebbles: 10 g
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Cocoa Puffs: 10 g

Cocoa Puffs: 10 g
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Frosted Flakes: 10 g

Frosted Flakes: 10 g
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Honey Bunches of Oats with Vanilla Bunches: 9 g

Honey Bunches of Oats with Vanilla Bunches: 12 g
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Reese's Puffs: 9 g

Reese's Puffs: 9 g
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Cinnamon Toast Crunch: 9 g

Cinnamon Toast Crunch:9 g
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Honey Nut Cheerios: 9 g

Honey Nut Cheerios: 9 g
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Peace Cereal Vanilla Almond: 8.25 g

Peace Cereal Vanilla Almond: 11 g
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Waffle Crisp: 7.5 g

Waffle Crisp: 10 g
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Apple Jacks: 7.5 g

Apple Jacks: 10 g
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Trix: 7.5 g

Trix: 10 g
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Fruit Loops: 7.5 g

Fruit Loops: 10 g
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Nature's Path Sunrise: 6.82 g

Nature's Path Sunrise: 6 g
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Special K Red Berries: 6.75 g

Special K Red Berries: 9 g
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Corn Pops: 6.75 g

Corn Pops: 9 g
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Life: 6 g

Life: 6 g
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Honey Bunches of Oats: 6 g

Honey Bunches of Oats: 6 g
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Honeycomb: 5 g

Honeycomb: 10 g
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Alpha Bits: 4.5 g

Alpha Bits: 6 g
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Frosted Mini Wheats: 4.28 g

Mini Wheats: 11 g
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Wheaties: 4 g

Wheaties: 4 g
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Crispix: 3 g

Crispix: 4 g
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Special K: 3 g

Special K: 4 g
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Rice Krispies: 2.4 g

Rice Krispies: 4 g
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Kellogg's Corn Flakes: 2.25 g

Kellog's Corn Flakes: 3 g
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Kix: 1.8 g

Kix: 3 g
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Rice Chex: 1.5 g

Rice Chex: 2 g
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Cheerios: 0.75 g

Cheerios: 1 g
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Nutrition Breakfast Health
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