Jamelle Bouie Reviews General Mills' Banana Nut Cheerios

Jamelle Bouie assesses whether Banana Nut Cheerios are a worthy addition to the Cheerios family.

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Published May 18, 2020

Welcome back to Cereal Eats, the column in which Jamelle Bouie offers an on-camera review of an oddball cereal of his choice—the odder the better—once a month. If you missed the column from last month, check it out here. And if you have any oddball breakfast cereal tips, suggestions, or other pressing cereal intel, drop a note in the comments or email us!

Since I started doing cereal reviews, I've focused on evaluating the most outrageous products on the market, the cereals that are more novelty than actual foodstuff. For this review, I decided to take the opposite approach and try a cereal that you might actually buy and eat if you saw it at the grocery store—Banana Nut Cheerios.

I don’t think it is controversial to say that Cheerios are a top-tier cereal, something nearly everyone enjoys as a snack or breakfast item. A good deal of that is the texture; Cheerios have a great crunch and are immensely satisfying to eat. That’s true of Banana Nut Cheerios as well.

But what takes them from good to great is that the Banana Nut flavor is terrific. It's reminiscent of a banana bread, which means it’s more than subtle, but it isn't too strong. Artificial banana flavor can be hit or miss, but this is right on target. The oaty, Cheerios flavor is there as well and, together, they make a great package.

Banana Nut Cheerios aren’t as good as the best Cheerios flavors—which, for me, are Honey Nut and Apple Cinnamon—but they’re almost there, a worthy addition to the Cheerios family of cereals.

Verdict: 4.5 spoons.

The opinions expressed are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Serious Eats staff.