REVIEW: Malt-O-Meal Maple Bacon Donut Cereal

What is it?

Although I typically associate Malt-O-Meal as being a purveyor of “hot cereal” (porridge? runny oatmeal? gruel?), it makes over THIRTY varieties of the cold stuff, and the latter actually equates to 75% of its sales. So I guess the joke is on me. While most of its offerings mimic those of its biggest competitors — Kellogg’s and General Mills — its newest flavor is a bit of an original: Maple Bacon Donut.

How is it?

It’s decent, but I don’t know that “maple bacon donut” is what I get from it. Mostly, it tastes like an extra sugary Honey Nut Cheerios with a liberal dash of artificial smoke and a bit of salt. And that description may sound kind of awful, but I assure you that the actual result is not. Every once in a while I got a little something maple-like, but mostly, it was “general sweetness.” Again, with a little smoke. And some saltiness.

Anything else you should know?

Like most Malt-O-Meal cereals, this variety comes in a resealable bag, and the bag is the size of a pillow. This is a really great thing if you like the Malt-O-Meal you purchased; if you weren’t a fan, however, congrats to your children on the giant bag of cereal they’ll inherit upon your passing.

Conclusion:

While I appreciated this new and unusual flavor, I’d be reluctant to buy again. It was only slightly better than okay, and there’s just SO much of it. As it is, I’ll probably already be passing this bag down to the next generation. (Which I mean, kind of a steal for less than $6.)

Purchased Price: $5.48
Size: 30 oz bag
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup) 150 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 250 milligrams of sodium, 34 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 17 grams of total sugars (including 17 grams of added sugar), and 2 grams of protein.

5 thoughts to “REVIEW: Malt-O-Meal Maple Bacon Donut Cereal”

  1. The idea of this as a pillow really opens up new possibilities for breakfast in bed. Too bad they couldn’t nail the maple part of the flavor, it seems like it shouldn’t be that hard to capture.

  2. Thanks for the review, I was definitely curious to see how this one worked out. Maybe another brand will have a stab at it because it seems like it could be executed well. Something tells me that we haven’t seen the last of attempts at this flavour.

    Now somebody take a stab at a coffee and doughnuts cereal, please.

  3. I had high hopes for this one, bought a bag and the smell of them was just way off.. and the “bacon” taste was like a rancid bacon grease and not at all in a good way.

    1. Hmm…I don’t think that the taste of rancid bacon grease ever is a good thing, actually. 🙂

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