Elevate Your Breakfast Cereal With A Sweet Seasoning

If you've ever lamented over the plainness of your morning bowl of cereal, this one's for you. It's time to leave behind the blah, bland bowls of yesterday with one simple trick: seasoning. This simple, easy way of elevating your breakfast cereal literally just involves adding a pinch or two of whatever seasonings you prefer into the bowl. Cinnamon proves popular, and we have a definitive guide to cinnamon that might help you get started. But don't stop there. Cardamom, nutmeg, clove, ginger, or pumpkin pie spice — just about any spice you'd throw into a baked good or oatmeal can be tossed into cereal just as easily. You can even drizzle a tiny splash of vanilla extract into your cereal milk for an elevated flavor profile.

How do you season your cereal? Simple: Just take a teaspoon or two of your seasoning (or seasonings) of choice, and gently sprinkle it over the top of your dry bowl of cereal. You can then mix the cereal and seasoning to combine, though this step isn't necessary. Next, pour your milk over the top, adding as much or little as you prefer. If you're drizzling in some vanilla extract, you can add it at this step and mix it in, too. It's a small set of steps, but ones that can make a huge difference in the flavor of your breakfast cereal.

Think of it like this: Oatmeal is basically just hot cereal, and people add seasoning to that all the time. Why not show your cold cereal the same love? Ideally, this trick works best with some of the more plain cereals. Think unflavored Cheerios, Life, Corn Flakes, and Kix; cereals that already need a bit of a flavor boost. Some excellent combinations are Cheerios with pumpkin pie spice; clove and nutmeg with Kix; and cinnamon and nutmeg with corn or rice Chex. You can also go the other direction and add a pinch of sea salt to super sweet cereals like Honey Smacks to strike a tasty balance between salty and sweet.

If you really want to take your seasoned breakfast cereal up to the next level, learn how to use whole spices like a professional chef by grinding them fresh. This unlocks the true potential of any spice, since you're using it up before it oxidizes with exposure to the air. Understanding how to store spices for the longest lasting flavor ensures that each cereal bowl you make has the most bombastic taste possible, so be sure to pick up a tip or two. Your breakfast cereal and taste buds will thank you.