Cereal Marshmallows are truly one of life’s greatest guilty pleasures. The combination of crunchy cereal with soft, gooey marshmallows is a match made in heaven, and they excite adults just as much as children.
If you have a favorite marshmallow cereal it’s probably based on a fond memory from childhood hot chocolate moments, so deciding which is the best one is usually subjective.
We’ve compared three absolute classics based on taste, healthiness, nutritional value, and marshmallowy goodness so that next time you have to choose which delightful cereal to choose, you’ll be well informed.
Sections
Lucky Charms
Ingredients & nutrition facts
One serving (36g) of this cereal contains:
- Calories – 140
- Fat – 1.5g/2%
- Saturated fat – 0.0g
- Sodium (salt) – 230mg/10%
- Carbohydrate – 30g/11%
- Sugar – 12g/24%
- Protein – 3g
- Fiber – 2g/7%
- Vitamin D – 10%
- Calcium – 10%
- Iron – 20%
- Vitamin A – 10%
- Vitamin C – 10%
- Thiamin – 20%
- Riboflavin – 10%
- Niacin – 10%
- Vitamin B6 – 20%
- Folate – 20%
- Vitamin B12 – 20%
- Phosphorus – 8%
- Magnesium – 8%
- Zinc – 20%
% = recommended daily intake
The ingredients in this cereal include:
- Whole grain oats
- Sugar
- Corn starch
- Modified cornstarch
- Corn syrup
- Dextrose
- Gelatin
- Trisodium Phosphate
- Natural and artificial flavor
Is it healthy?
Lucky Charms are one of the nation’s favorite cereal marshmallows because of their delicious, sweet taste. They’re famous for their marshmallows shaped like green clovers, orange stars, yellow moons, blue moons, red balloons, and pink hearts and are therefore absolutely gorgeous to look at when added on top of a hot chocolate.
But, the reason that they taste so good is that they’re packed with sugar. One serving contains 12 grams of sugar which are 24% of your recommended daily intake.
The vibrant colors of these cereal marshmallows are also made using several different types of artificial colors, such as Red 40. Although scientific opinion is divided on how bad artificial flavors and colors are for you, it’s still always best to opt for breakfast cereals that use natural ingredients.
Is it gluten-free?
Lucky Charms are gluten-free as they’re made with whole grain oats and corn starch rather than with wheat. Whole grain oats are naturally gluten-free but in they can be contaminated with gluten during the sorting and processing process.
General Mills uses a sifting process to make sure that the ingredients it uses in its cereal are not contaminated, and they also have their own fleet of gluten-free vehicles which they use to transport their products.
Is it vegan?
Unfortunately, Lucky Charms are not vegan-friendly. They contain gelatin which is an animal product. Gelatin is made from collagen which is sourced from animal skins, bones, and tissues.
Is it keto?
Lucky Charms are not keto-friendly as they contain a high amount of sugar and carbohydrates. Both sugar and carbs prevent the body from entering ketosis and need to be avoided by anyone who is on the keto diet.
Protein & fiber content
Lucky Charms are not a good source of fiber or protein with one serving giving you just 2 grams and 3 grams respectively.
Protein is a very important part of our diets as our bodies use it to build and repair muscles, tissues, and bones. It’s particularly vital that children get plenty of protein as they grow. So, if you eat Lucky Charms for breakfast you’ll need to make sure that you get lots of protein from other sources.
Marshmallow Fruity Pebbles
Ingredients & nutrition facts
One serving (40g) of this cereal contains:
- Calories – 160
- Fat – 1g/1%
- Saturated fat – 0.0g
- Sodium (salt) – 240mg/11%
- Carbohydrate – 36g/13%
- Fiber – 0.0g
- Sugar – 18g/36%
- Protein – 2g
- Vitamin A – 35%
- Vitamin B12 – 90%
- Iron – 4%
- Vitamin D – 6%
- Thiamin – 35%
- Zinc – 10%
- Riboflavin – 40%
- Folate DFE – 60%
- Vitamin B6 – 40%
- Niacin – 40%
The ingredients in this cereal include:
- Rice
- Sugar
- Marshmallows
- Modified cornstarch
- Corn syrup
- Dextrose
- Gelatin
- Sodium hexametaphosphate
- Artificial flavor
- Canola oil
Is it healthy?
Fruity Pebbles have long been among the favorite cereals for kids and adults, and with added marshmallows, they make for an even more tasty treat. As with the other cereals in this list, this does mean they deliver a lot of sugar in each serving, at 12 grams per bowl.
On the plus side, they are fortified with a good amount of vitamins and minerals, and one bowl will provide you with 20% of your daily iron and zinc.
Is it gluten-free?
Marshmallow Fruity Pebbles are gluten-free as they’re made with rice instead of wheat. This delicious cereal can be enjoyed by those with celiac disease and by people who have gluten intolerance.
Is it vegan?
As with most cereals containing marshmallows, the actual marshmallow shapes are made using gelatin.
This cereal is also fortified with Vitamin B12. B12 cannot be derived from plants and is sourced from bacteria which are living organisms. This means that it is classed as an animal product.
So, this cereal would definitely not be classed as vegan-friendly.
Is it keto?
Cereals containing marshmallows are probably one of the last food items that would be on someone’s list if they’re trying to follow a keto diet. This is because of their high sugar and carbohydrate content.
Marshmallow Fruity Pebbles are no different and each serving contains 36 grams of carbs. The keto diet recommends that you eat a maximum of 30 grams of carbs in a day, so one bowl of this cereal would put you way over this.
Protein & fiber content
Marshmallow Fruity Pebbles contains 3 grams of protein per serving, which is low, but according to the nutritional label, it doesn’t contain any fiber at all. This is very rare for any kind of cereal as most of them will contain at least some dietary fiber.
Count Chocula
Ingredients & nutrition facts
One serving (36g) of this cereal contains:
- Calories – 140
- Fat – 1g/2%
- Saturated fat – 0.0g
- Carbohydrate – 31g/11%
- Sugar – 8.9g
- Protein – 2g
- Sodium (salt) – 170mg/8%
- Fiber – 2g/6%
- Vitamin D – 10%
- Vitamin A – 10%
- Vitamin C – 10%
- Calcium – 10%
- Iron – 20%
- Thiamin – 20%
- Riboflavin – 10%
- Niacin – 10%
- Vitamin B6 – 20%
- Vitamin B12 – 20%
- Phosphorus – 8%
- Magnesium – 4%
- Zinc – 20%
The ingredients in this cereal include:
- Whole grain corn
- Cornmeal
- Canola oil
- Modified corn starch
- Cocoa
- Natural and artificial colors
- Gelatin
Is it healthy?
Count Chocolate is another one of people’s favorite cereal that contains marshmallows. They only appear around Halloween which only adds to the excitement. Like its competitors, the sweet taste of this cereal comes at the cost of a lot of sugar, with 8.9 grams per serving.
Count Chocula does slightly make up for this fact as it has no saturated fat, so that may alleviate some of the guilt as you enjoy this festive treat.
Is it gluten-free?
Although this cereal isn’t made with any ingredients that contain gluten it still isn’t marketed by General Mills as gluten-free. This means there is probably a risk that there are trace amounts of gluten in this cereal, and it should not be eaten by anyone who needs to avoid gluten in their diet.
Is it vegan?
As with the other two kinds of cereal, Count Chocula contains gelatin which is made from animal products.
It’s also fortified with Vitamin D3 which is sourced from sheep’s lanolin and is therefore classed as an animal product as well. So, this cereal should be avoided by vegans.
Is it keto?
This cereal is definitely not keto as it contains lots of sugar and carbohydrates. Sugar from carbohydrates can cause the blood sugar level to spike and prevent the body from going into ketosis, which is the aim of the keto diet.
Protein & fiber content
This cereal contains 2 grams per serving of both protein and fiber. It’s recommended that the average adult male eats between 30 to 38 grams of fiber a day, and for the average adult female, it’s between 21 to 25 grams per day.
It’s important that we get enough fiber in our diets as it helps to promote normal bowel function and a healthy gut. If you do eat this cereal in the morning you’ll need to supplement it with other fiber-rich foods throughout the day.
Where To Buy Marshmallow Cereals
Shop in-store
You can buy these marshmallow cereals and other varieties in many grocery stores such as Target and Kroger.
Shop online
You can also purchase them from online retailers such as Amazon and Walmart.
Final Thoughts
We all enjoy a bowl of marshmallow cereal from time to time. Let’s face it, it’s pretty irresistible. Everybody knows that it’s not a healthy food and it should only be eaten as an occasional, well-earned treat.
If you’re looking for a cereal that’s rich in fiber and protein, and low in sugar, then it’s definitely best to look elsewhere. But we’re allowed to indulge ourselves every now and again.
So, next time you’re in the cereal aisle you’ll now have some key facts about three of the finest marshmallow cereals out there, and which one you choose is up to you.