Hot buttered Cheerios are a tasty, nostalgic snack straight from the 1980’s when Betty Crocker helped make this simple treat popular. Cheerios cereal is lightly toasted in melted butter and then coated in cinnamon sugar for a sweet snack that is great to serve for any occasion.

I first remember having hot buttered Cheerios at a sleepover in 6th grade. My friend’s mom made a big batch for us to snack on while we watched a movie instead of the usual popcorn. After that, I was hooked and it has become one of my favorite simple snacks.

This sweet version of buttered Cheerios reminds me of my cinnamon churro Bugles and this churro snack mix. The cereal is coated with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar for a sweet treat that is hard to resist.

If you want a sweet and salty treat that can be made in 10 minutes, this recipe is a must try.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Fast and easy to make. This delicious snack can be made in just a few simple steps.
• Delicious snack for any occasion. You can serve this for just about any occasion. It’s great for movie nights, after school snacks, holiday parties, and more.
• Can be customized to be sweet or savory. Use the base recipe to make a variety of different hot buttered Cheerios. Scroll to the bottom for seasoning ideas.

Ingredients

The original hot buttered Cheerios can be made with just two ingredients. This sweet version adds just a few extra ingredients.

• Cheerios: You can use Original Cheerios, Multigrain Cheerios, or Honey Nut Cheerios. I like using Original Cheerios because the mild flavor is the perfect base for the cinnamon and sugar.
• Butter: I use salted butter to add a savory balance to the sweetness. You can substitute with unsalted butter.
• Vanilla extract: This adds warm, sweet flavor.
• Sugar: Granulated sugar adds sweetness to the mixture.
• Cinnamon: Ground cinnamon gives this cereal snack wonderful flavor.

How To Make Hot Buttered Cheerios

1. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
2. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium low heat. Once the butter is melted, stir in the vanilla.

3. Stir in the Cheerios cereal. Keep stirring to coat the cereal with the melted butter until lightly toasted. This will take about 5 minutes.

4. Sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar mixture over the Cheerios. Stir the cereal to coat with the sugar mixture.
5. Serve the Cheerios warm or let cool and store for later.

Heather’s Recipe Tips

• Use a large skillet. This will make it easier to stir the Cheerios and coat with the melted butter.
• Warm over medium-low heat. Toasting on medium low heat will help prevent the cereal from burning.
• Stir frequently. Stirring the cereal will help prevent them from browning too much.
• Add the cinnamon sugar mixture while the Cheerios are warm. This will help the mixture stick to the warmed butter on the cereal.

Variations

Make these hot buttered Cheerios your own with these variations.

• Original: The original old fashioned hot buttered Cheerios recipe called for just toasting the cereal in melted butter with no cinnamon or sugar.
• Ranch: Toss the buttered Cheerios with 1/2 teaspoon of ranch seasoning.
• Garlic: You can toss with grated parmesan cheese and a little sprinkle of garlic powder.
• Cheesy: Sprinkle with a little powdered cheese for delicious cheese flavor.
• Apple spice: Make a mixture of sugar and apple spice for great fall flavor.

Serving Suggestions

I like serving these sweet, buttery Cheerios warm fresh out of the skillet. You can let them cool and save for later or package them up for a delicious gift.

Serve these as an after school snack, movie snack, packed in a lunch box, on top of yogurt, or in a large bowl at a party.

Storage Instructions

Let the snack completely cool and then store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Common Questions

More Snack Recipes

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• Fall popcorn snack mix
• Gingerbread Chex mix
• Christmas reindeer crack
• Butter toffee pretzels