Marshmallow cereals have become the favorite cereals of many consumers due to their delicious taste. While they are not considered to be very healthy, many people enjoy eating them as a scrumptious snack from time to time.
The popularity of marshmallow cereals has caused many brands to introduce a marshmallow cereal variant to their list of products, which means consumers have become spoiled for choice.
This can sometimes make it difficult to choose what marshmallow cereal to bring home, but thankfully our list of the best marshmallow cereals can help.
Best Marshmallow Cereal Explained
There are many different types of marshmallow cereal on the market, but if you’re interested in finding out what the best marshmallow cereal is, then you should be able to make your mind up once you finish reading this list regarding the different aspects of the best marshmallow cereals.
We will cover everything from the nutritional information, how healthy each cereal is, and whether they will be suitable for those on vegan or keto-based diets on the ingredients used to make them.
Original Lucky Charms Cereal
The Original Lucky Charms cereal came from the General Mills brand in 1964 and has been a favorite breakfast and sweet treat for many Americans and consumers around the world for nearly just as long.
Lucky Charms is a marshmallow cereal that has marshmallows shaped in different ways. Some of these marshmallow shapes include green clovers, orange stars, blue moons, yellow moons, red balloons, and pink hearts.
Ingredients & nutrition facts
One cup of Original Lucky Charms cereal contains:
- Calories: 140
- Total fat: 1.5g or 2% Daily Value
- Cholesterol: 0mg
- Sodium: 230mg or 10% of Daily Value
- Total carbohydrates: 30g or 11% of Daily Value
- Dietary fiber: 2g or 7% of Daily Value
- Added sugar: 12g or 24% of Daily Value
- Protein: 3g
- Vitamin D: 2mcg or 10% of Daily Value
- Calcium: 130mg or 10% of Daily Value
- Iron: 3.6mg or 20% of Daily Value
- Potassium: 0mg
- Vitamin A: 10% of Daily Value
- Vitamin C: 10% of Daily Value
- Thiamin: 20% of Daily Value
- Riboflavin: 10% of Daily Value
- Niacin: 10% of Daily Value
- Vitamin B6: 20% of Daily Value
- Folate: 20% of Daily Value
- Vitamin B12: 20% of Daily Value
- Phosphorus: 8% of Daily Value
- Magnesium: 8% of Daily Value
- Zinc: 20% of Daily Value
The ingredients used to make General Mills Original Lucky Charms Cereal are:
- Whole grain oats
- Sugar
- Corn starch
- Modified corn starch
- Corn syrup
- Dextrose
- Salt
- Gelatin
- Trisodium Phosphate
- Red 40
- Yellow 5 & 6
- Blue 1
- Natural flavor
- Artificial flavor
- Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols)
Is it healthy?
Marshmallow cereal is not often healthy, and Original Lucky Charms Cereal is no different. This cereal contains a lot of added sugar, a lot of which comes from high fructose corn syrup, so it would not make a great breakfast meal.
Eating an excessive amount of sugar can be exceptionally bad for your health, as it can cause weight gain and increase your risk of contracting heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, and only one bowl of this cereal contributes to 24% of your daily intake of sugar.
Is it gluten-free?
Thankfully, those with Celiac disease and gluten intolerance will be able to eat Original Lucky Charms Cereal, as it does not contain any gluten.
Is it vegan?
Original Lucky Charms Cereal is not vegan, as the marshmallows contain gelatin, which is an animal product derived from pigs.
Is it keto?
This Lucky Charms marshmallow cereal is not keto-friendly, as it is a processed food that contains a lot of carbohydrates and some protein, both of which are not suitable for a keto diet.
Protein & fiber content
Original Lucky Charms Cereal does not contain much in the way of protein or fiber and, therefore, can’t be considered to be much of a healthy meal.
It’s generally better to have a bowl of this General Mills cereal once in a while rather than for breakfast every day.
Malt-O-Meal Marshmallow Mateys
Marshmallow Mateys are sometimes considered to be a cheaper alternative to Lucky Charms, but many consumers actually prefer this marshmallow cereal over the Lucky Charms brand.
Like Lucky Charms Cereal, Marshmallow Mateys also has shaped marshmallow pieces; however, this cereal has a nautical theme, and therefore, its marshmallow pieces are shaped accordingly.
Ingredients & nutrition facts
One and a quarter cups of Marshmallow Mateys cereal contains:
- Total fat: 1.5g or 2% of Daily Value
- Cholesterol: omg
- Sodium: 280mg or 12% of Daily Value
- Total carbohydrates: 35g or 13% of Daily Value
- Dietary fiber: 2g or 8% of Daily Value
- Total sugars: 17g or 34% of Daily Value
- Protein 3g
- Vitamin D: 0mcg
- Calcium: 190mg or 10% of Daily Value
- Iron: 4.5mg or 25% of Daily Value
- Potassium: 80mg or 0% of Daily Value
- Thiamin: 50% of Daily Value
- Niacin: 10% of Daily Value
- Vitamin B6: 10% of Daily Value
- Folate: 30mg or 8% of Daily Value
- Pantothenic acid: 10% of Daily Value
- Phosphorus: 6% of Daily Value
- Zinc: 15% of Daily Value
The ingredients used to make Marshmallow Mateys are:
- Whole grain oat flour
- Sugar
- Corn syrup
- Wheat starch
- Modified corn starch
- Salt
- Calcium carbonate
- Dextrose
- Gelatin
- Sodium hexametaphosphate
- Artificial flavor
- Trisodium phosphate
- Yellow 5
- Red 40
- Blue 1
- Yellow 6
Is it healthy?
While Marshmallow Mateys Cereal may taste great, it’s not very healthy. A serving contains 17g of added sugar, which accounts for 34% of your daily intake.
It would not be very healthy to eat a bowl of this cereal every day, as it contains an excessive amount of sugar, which can cause weight gain and increase your risk of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.
Is it gluten-free?
Marshmallow Mateys Cereal is, unfortunately, not gluten-free, as it contains wheat starch, and gluten is derived from wheat.
Is it vegan?
This cereal is also not suitable for vegans, as the marshmallows are made from gelatin, which is an animal product that comes from pigs.
Is it keto?
Marshmallow Mateys Cereal will not be suitable for anyone on a keto diet owing to the fact that it contains a lot of carbohydrates and some protein, both of which can prevent ketosis from taking place in your body.
Protein & fiber content
This cereal contains very little fiber and protein, so if you decide to eat a bowl of it for breakfast, you will need to consume a lot more of both in your other meals to have a balanced diet.
Count Chocula Cereal
Count Chocula Cereal is a General Mills marshmallow cereal that is only produced and sold seasonally. The cereal is monster-themed, which is why it comes out in the lead-up to Halloween.
Many people look forward to this cereal coming out yearly, along with the other Monster Cereals, as it signifies that Halloween is just around the corner while also being delicious to eat.
Ingredients & nutrition facts
One three quarter cup of Count Chocula Cereal contains:
- Calories: 100
- Total fat: 1.5g or 2% of Daily Value
- Cholesterol: 0mg
- Sodium: 130mg or 5% of Daily Value
- Potassium: 55g or 2% of Daily Value
- Total carbohydrate: 23g or 8% of Daily Value
- Added sugar: 9g or 18% of Daily Value
- Protein: 1g
- Vitamin A: 10% of Daily Value
- Vitamin C: 10% of Daily Value
- Calcium: 10% of Daily Value
- Iron: 25% of Daily Value
- Vitamin D: 10% of Daily Value
- Thiamin: 25% of Daily Value
- Riboflavin: 25% of Daily Value
- Niacin: 25% of Daily Value
- Vitamin B6: 25% of Daily Value
- Folic Acid: 25% of Daily Value
- Vitamin B12: 25% of Daily Value
- Phosphorus: 6% of Daily Value
- Magnesium: 2% of Daily Value
- Zinc: 25% of Daily Value
- Copper: 2% of Daily Value
The ingredients used to make Count Chocula Cereal are:
- Whole grain corn
- Sugar
- Corn meal
- Modified corn starch
- Corn syrup
- Dextrose
- Gelatin
- Red 40
- Yellow 5
- Yellow 6
- Blue 1
- Natural flavor
- Artificial flavor
- Canola oil
- Cocoa processed with alkali
- Salt
- Trisodium phosphate
Is it healthy?
Count Chocula Cereal is not healthy, just like the other marshmallow cereals listed above, as it also contains an excessive amount of sugar.
Eating an excessive amount of sugar daily can cause weight gain and contribute to your risk of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. If you eat this cereal as a meal, you will need to limit your sugar intake for the rest of the day if you want to have a balanced diet.
Is it gluten-free?
Count Chocula Cereal formerly contained gluten, but while the ingredients don’t list any items that contain gluten, the box doesn’t state that it is gluten-free.
Those with Celiac disease or gluten intolerance should, therefore, be wary of the cereal possibly containing some gluten.
Is it vegan?
Count Chocula Cereal is not vegan, as the marshmallows included within it contain gelatin, which is an animal product that comes from the feet of pigs.
Is it keto?
This cereal is not suitable for those on keto diets, as it contains a large amount of carbohydrates and some protein, neither of which are permitted on a keto diet.
Protein & fiber content
Count Chocula Cereal contains very little protein and fiber, which means that if you decide to eat this cereal as one of your meals, you should be sure to eat other food items high in both fiber and protein in order to have a balanced diet.