After a market survey in the early 1960s revealed that kids preferred crunchy foods to soggy ones, Quaker Oats Company decided to create Cap’n Crunch a corn and oat cereal that stays crunchy in milk.
This crunchy cereal with a golden butterscotch coating is designed to keep milk out and maintain that crunch until the final mouthful.
With the success of Cap’n Crunch, Quaker Oats Company saw an opportunity to capitalize on this simple but winning formula with a range of different Cap’n Crunch flavors. It was only a few years after the initial release that Cap’n Crunch’s Crunch Berries and Cap’n Crunch’s Peanut Butter had joined the originals on store shelves.
Today we’re going to take a look at Cap’n Crunch’s exciting list of flavors.
Sections
Original Cap’n Crunch
Quaker was onto something in 1963 and no matter how many different flavors they released, Original Captain Crunch has stood the test of time.
The sweetness of a bowl of Cap’n Crunch is a perfect blend of butter, vanilla, caramel, and brown sugar. The subtlety of these flavors sets this cereal apart from other more intensely sweet cereals, there’s a modesty to its flavor that doesn’t sacrifice a drop of flavor.
Nutrition Facts
A serving size (36g) of Cap’n Crunch contains:
- Calories – 143
- Calories from fat – 16.6
- Total fat – 1.8g
- Saturated fat – 1.2g
- Monounsaturated fat – 0.2g
- Polyunsaturated fat – 0.3g
- Trans fat – 0g
- Sodium – 271.4mg/12% DV
- Potassium – 67mg/2%
- Carbohydrates – 30.8g
- Net carbs – 29.9g
- Sugar – 16g
- Fiber – 0.9g/4%DV
- Protein – 1.6g
Ingredients
- Corn flour
- Sugar
- Oat Flour
- Brown Sugar
- Palm and/or Coconut oil
- Salt
- Reduced Iron
- Yellow 5
- Niacinamide (One of the B vitamins)
- Yellow 6
- BHT (to preserve freshness)
- Thiamin mononitrate
- Pyridoxine hydrochloride
- Riboflavin
- Folic acid
Is it healthy?
If you’re looking for a healthy cereal, Cap’n Crunch is not the one. Cap’n Crunch cereal should be treated like a sweet snack and not the cornerstone of a healthy breakfast.
A serving contains 30g of carbohydrates, 16g of which come from sugar, and only 143 calories. So it provides only a very small amount of energy, the majority of which is made up of simple sugars that don’t provide healthy, lasting energy.
Is it gluten-free?
The oat flour used in Cap’n Crunch is potentially contaminated with trace amounts of gluten-containing grains so is not labeled gluten-free
Is it vegan?
Cap’n Crunch contains no explicit animal products but bone char is often used during the sugar whitening process in cereals. For this reason, it’s important to exercise caution whenever you are choosing a cereal.
Is it keto?
Cereals are made with grains, which are made primarily of carbohydrates and virtually no fat. For this reason, cereals are unsuitable for a keto diet.
Protein & fiber content
Cap’n Crunch is very low in fiber with less than a gram per 36g serving. The same is true of protein which makes up a tiny amount of a portion’s macros with 1.6g.
Cap’n Crunch’s Peanut Butter Crunch
Cap’n Crunch’s Peanut Butter Crunch has been available only a few years less than the original Cap’n Crunch which shows that this flavor has more than enough nutty taste to stand the test of time.
Peanut butter isn’t uncommon at the breakfast table; it’s hard to think of any other peanut butter flavored cereal besides Reese’s Pieces, but Cap’n Crunch has been out here doing it much longer, and some would argue more successfully.
Nutrition facts
A 40g serving of this cereal contains –
- Calories 170
- Total Fat 3.5g 5% DV
- Saturated Fat 1g 5% DV
- Trans Fat 0g
- Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
- Monounsaturated Fat 1.5g
- Cholesterol 0mg 0% DV
- Sodium 300mg 13% DV
- Total Carbohydrate 32g 12% DV
- Dietary Fiber < 1g 2% DV
- Total Sugars 13g
- Incl. Added Sugars 13g 26% DV
- Protein 3g
- Vitamin D 0mcg 0%
- Calcium 0mg 0%
- Iron 7mg 35% DV
- Potassium 70mg 0% DV
- Thiamin 0.1mg 10%
- Riboflavin 0.2mg 15% DV
- Niacin 4.8mg 30% DV
- Vitamin B6 0.5mg 30% DV
- Folate FDE 200mcg 50% DV
- Folic Acid 134mcg
Ingredients
- Corn Flour
- Sugar
- Peanut Butter (Peanuts, Dextrose, Hydrogenated Cottonseed and/or Rapeseed Oil, Salt)
- Oat Flour
- Rice Flour
- Palm and/or Coconut Oil
- Salt
- Caramel Color
- Reduced Iron
- Niacinamide BHT (to preserve freshness)
Is it Healthy?
This peanut butter variety uses essentially the same macros as the original Cap’n Crunch cereal, meaning it’s high in simple sugars, and low in energy and protein, meaning it is not healthy.
Is it gluten free?
Again, as it’s made using grains that may be contaminated with gluten, this cereal is not suitable for a gluten-free diet.
Is it vegan?
While there are no explicit animal products in this cereal, there is the question of bone char being used for sugar-whitening. It also contains palm oil which is a notorious cause of deforestation of animal habits, making this a questionable choice on an ethical diet.
Protein and Fiber Content
While it contains 3g of protein, a fraction more than the original flavor, this is still very low in protein and contains less than a gram of soluble fiber.
Cap’n Crunch’s Crunch Berries
You might not have thought that berries would make a perfect pairing with Cap’n Crunch but sometimes it’s nice to be wrong.
Crunch Berries was created simply by adding berry-flavored pebbles in red, green, blue, and purple, changing the whole feel of the cereal changes both visually and on the tongue.
Nutrition Facts
A 37g serving of this cereal flavor contains –
- Calories 150
- % Daily Value*
- Total Fat 2g 2%
- Saturated Fat 0.5g 4%
- Trans Fat 0g
- Polyunsaturated Fat 0g
- Monounsaturated Fat 0.5g
- Cholesterol 0mg 0%
- Sodium 270mg 12%
- Total Carbohydrate 32g 12%
- Dietary Fiber < 1g 3%
- Total Sugars 16g
- Incl. Added Sugars 16g 32%
- Protein 2g
- Vitamin D 0mcg 0%
- Calcium 0mg 0%
- Iron 7.5mg 40%
- Potassium 50mg 0%
- Thiamin 0.3mg 25%
- Riboflavin 0.3mg 25%
- Niacin 4.8mg 30%
- Vitamin B6 0.4mg 25%
- Folate FDE 200mcg 50%
- Folic Acid 134mcg
Ingredients
- Corn Flour
- Sugar
- Oat Flour
- Brown Sugar
- Palm and/or Coconut Oil
- Salt
- Sodium Citrate
- Natural and Artificial Flavor
- Malic Acid
- Red 40
- Reduced Iron
- Yellow 5
- Niacinamide
- Blue 1
- Yellow 6
- BHT (to preserve freshness)
- Thiamin Mononitrate
- Pyridoxine Hydrochloride
- Riboflavin
- Folic Acid
Is it healthy?
Crunch Berries should be eaten as a fun treat at breakfast, supplemented with other more well-rounded foods as nutritionally it’s empty of any valuable macros.
Is it gluten free?
This cereal is made using grains that may be contaminated with gluten-containing grains, meaning it’s unsuitable to eat on a gluten-free diet.
Is it vegan?
Again, no explicit animal products in this cereal, but don’t rush out to pour a bowl for yourself. It contains palm oil which is a massive cause of deforestation of animal habitats, as well as the potential for bone char being used during the cereal production process.
Protein and Fiber Content
Berry Crunch uses the same basic ingredients as other Cap’n Crunch varieties so it’s low in protein and fiber with only 2g and <1g respectively.
Final Thoughts
We’ve barely scratched the surface of the sheer range of Cap’n Crunch flavors today, there’s still Cinnamon Candy Crunch, Cotton Candy Crunch as well as a timed Halloween Crunch and Christmas Crunch release that turns your milk green or red.
In any case, all these cereals are very similar in how they’re made, just with a wide, creative range of flavors, as well as a host of cereal bars.
We hope you enjoy your adventures once you climb aboard Cap’n Crunch’s ship!