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Cracklin’ Oat Bran Cereal Clone (Gluten-Free Recipe)

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homemade Cracklin' Oat Bran cereal on a plate

Cracklin’ Oat Bran is one of my favorite cereals.  I am not the only one – in searching the internet for recipes, I found the word “crack” used a few times to describe how addicting it is.  I am sharing with you my Cracklin’ Oat Bran Cereal Clone recipe so that you can make a healthier version in your own kitchen.

Cracklin’ Oat Bran Ingredients

The cereal that is sold on the shelves of grocery stores has more ingredients than the homemade version.  It also contains wheat bran, wheat starch, and malt flavoring – therefore prohibiting it from being gluten-free.

The homemade version also cuts out palm, palm kernel and/or soybean oil with TBHQ, and soy lecithin.

Though my daughter is not a fan of the cereal like I am, I was able to get her to taste my homemade version and compare it to the store-bought.  She *honestly* told me that she preferred mine.  That’s what I am talking about!  Homemade winning the showdown over the original.

gluten-free cracklin' oat bran homemade

An advocate of making things easier, I like to use my food processor.  (Thanks, Mom, for the Christmas gift.  I really am using it!)

healthy cracklin' oat bran

There are no eggs or dairy products in this, so if you must sample a little before it goes in the oven it should be okay.

A nice, somewhat thin layer is ideal so that it can “dry” out when it bakes.  That’s what makes it “crackle.”

homemade version of cracklin' oat branHomemade vs. Commercial Version

After you remove the cereal from the oven and while it is still warm, gently cut (score) it into small rectangles but don’t separate it.  If you want to try to replicate the hole in the middle, insert a chopstick point into the middle of each piece and lightly move it around.  The cereal will be soft and pliable while it is still hot.  Allow it to cool and harden, then break it into pieces.

Cracklin’ Oat Bran Cereal Clone (Gluten-Free Recipe)

Cracklin’ Oat Bran Cereal Clone (Gluten-Free Recipe)

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Additional Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Adapted from http://foodfunlife.blogspot.com/2013/04/cracklin-oat-bran-copycat-granola.html

Ingredients

  • 1½ cups oats
  • 1 cup oat bran
  • ½ cup packed brown sugar
  • ½ cup sweetened coconut
  • ½ cup ground flax seeds
  • 1 Tbsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp salt
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil, in liquid state
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1 Tbsp molasses
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  2. Add all of the dry ingredients to the well of a large food processor and pulse 5-6 times.
  3. Add remaining ingredients and process on high until mixture is moist.
  4. Spread mixture onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  5. Bake for approximately 25 minutes.
  6. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Break granola into pieces and store in an airtight container.

Notes

The nutrition information is based on the ENTIRE recipe. Please keep that in mind if you are counting calories and other macronutrients.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1/16 batch
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 149 Total Fat: 7g Saturated Fat: 5g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 2g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 85mg Carbohydrates: 20g Fiber: 3g Sugar: 12g Protein: 2g
Nutrition information is an approximation.
© Lynda
Cuisine: American / Category: Breakfast
The homemade version won’t have those perfectly shaped in the cute little “O’s” like Kellogg’s.  At least we know exactly what is in our cereal and just how fresh it is.

plate of homemade cereal

If you find yourself always in a hurry in the mornings, consider cutting the cereal into bars instead.  Then you will have a delicious breakfast treat ready to go when you are.

homemade cereal bars

What is your favorite cereal?

Comments

  1. Nate says

    This is brilliant and exactly what I was looking for.
    I used to enjoy this cereal as a kid before the recipe change in 1989. Due to pressure from “public health advocates,” Kellogg removed the coconut oil. Saturated fat was considered evil at the time, and they replaced it with far worse soybean and cottonseed oils.
    I occasionally wonder why a healthier alternative isn’t offered today to capitalize on the popularity of trends like organic foods and coconut oil.

    Reply

  2. Janice says

    I finally made this recipe today. It turned out very good. I did make a couple of changes: I substituted 1 cup of almond flour for the cup of oat bran; substituted 1/2 cup coconut sugar for the 1/2 cup brown sugar; omitted the nutmeg. Also, I mixed the dry ingredients in a large bowl until well blended, then mixed all the liquid ingredients together, made a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and poured it in, mixing well with a wooden spoon. I used an 11″x 15″ stoneware bar pan lined with parchment paper, pressed it out flat and baked it at 325*for 25 minutes as directed. When it cooled, the edges were crispy and the middle was somewhat soft. So you may need to bake it longer if you want it to be crispy all the way through. My daughter and I think this is better than the Cracklin’ Oat Bran. We crumbled half of it to use like cereal and cut the other half into bars. An excellent recipe and not hard to make variations. Raisins would be a nice addition. Thank you for sharing this!

    Reply

  3. Marla Bear says

    My family and me LOVE Cracklin’ Oat Bran but those skinny expensive boxes of cereal never last long enough! Pinterest came to the rescue again. I compared several copycat recipes and decided this one looked like the one to try. I(we) we’re not disappointed! It’s very close to the right flavor. My kids all agreed! As some others commented, I’d cut back the brown sugar slightly next time. I also baked it long and slow like I do my other granola recipes rather than the way the recipe instructed here. 250 degrees for 1 1/2 hours without stirring. Then stir and crumble it to bite sized chunks as soon as it’s out of the oven. Gets crispy, crunchy as it cools. Turned out perfectly!

    Reply

  4. Tom says

    This recipe is fantastic! I made it last night. Everyone in the family loved it. Super tasty. Next time I’m going to cut the sugar dramatically. It seems with the brown sugar and syrup it’s a similar amount of sugar to the real COB, or more :(. Still, this is yummy and I don’t want to knock what you’ve done here. It’s awesome, and I think will be a little healthier with a reduction of the sugar.

    Reply

  8. Nancy says

    DELICIOUS! Thank you for your GF version of Cracklin Oat Bran. A member of my family has Celiac and trying to make GF substitutes for his favorite things has been frustrating at times. This is very close, if not better in taste, and the whole family LOVES it. Mostly we eat it in the shape of small granola bars for snacks but its great crumbled up in milk too. I don’t have a ‘food processor’ but I used my Ninja Master Prep large pitcher to process it in and it worked great. Thank you, thank you thank you for posting your recipe!

    Reply

  9. Alex says

    I cannot TELL you how many times I’ve made your recipe the last 2-3 years. I always loved the store bought version but hated the ingredients! This is SO much better in taste and quality! I make it for my entire family, and the fact that it is gluten free and dairy free allows everyone to enjoy it! So good at any time of day! Thank you so much for sharing! I usually quadruple the recipe and it still doesn’t last! I make it so often that I have it memorized. Thank you!!

    Reply

  10. carissa says

    I’m recently GF bc I was getting rashes from gluten products suddenly, and I’m a big cereal eater, but also like to eat cleanly and from scratch as much as possible. I found this recipe and made it (and ate some in raw milk) and it’s a home run!!! I also used to love Cracklin’ Oat Bran as a child, but this is way better! Thank you!! Delicious:)

    Reply

  11. lena says

    cracklin oat bran was my all time favorite cereal. this recipe is soo good. on its own dry it doesnt taste like cracklin oat bran much to me but with milk it is very very close and satisfies my craving for it. it is so addictive its hard not to have two giant bowls back to back!

    Reply

  12. Andrea says

    I stumbled upon this recipe and I had everything in my pantry so I made it. It’s REALLY good! It’s high in fiber and filling. I divided it into 12 servings so I could be “reasonable” about eating it! I sprayed the back of a silicone spatula with coconut oil spray which helped me spread it out. I baked mine on silicone mats and it worked fine. Thanks!

    Reply

  13. Laura says

    Can’t wait to try this recipe. I plan to make it with my four year old as Reindeer feed. Just add a couple shakes of magic (sparkling cake topping flakes) and we’re all set. And tasty as granola bars for her as well. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

    • Lynda says

      I love the smell of it, too! I have also gotten to the point where I bake it as one long flat sheet and then cut it into bars and eat them like granola bars.

      Reply

      • Carla says

        Hi Lynda – For some reason I couldn’t locate the field to leave a comment. So, here I am just having eaten my version of your recipe, but as a hot cereal. I was curious to see if others have been doing the same as I didn’t use a recipe . . . just instinct after tiring of oatmeal.
        Interestingly, my ingredients are the same, with a couple caveats: Oat Bran, dried/unsweetened coconut, flax meal, cinnamon and chopped walnuts or pecans (sometimes toasted!). I use water due to milk sensitivity. Sometimes I add a teaspoon of honey . .other times I top my bowl with fresh berries or banana. I think we all should decrease the amount of sugar in our diets a bit and get our taste buds used to the natural sweetness of things like Oats. It’s there. So, I’d suggest trying your recipe with simply dried, flakes of coconut for starters . . . then decrease or eliminate the brown sugar. If you add some ground nuts (almost like a flour . . . maybe try almond meal), you’ll make your snack a complete protein and probably find eating less of it will be more satisfying for longer.
        As you see, you’ve inspired me! Glad I found your posting!

        Reply

  15. Althea says

    Thank you so much! I would not have guessed that a recipe for a popular cereal was already online. I thought I was going to have to wing-it from scratch alone.
    I plan to use the bran cereal and whole wheat pastry-flour that I already have in my pantry. I will also leave out the cinnamon and nutmeg. And thanks for the reminder to use ground flax seeds instead of eggs.
    Before this search, I really was not aware of the poor ingredients in the store bought brand. Thanks so much.

    Reply

  16. Patti says

    I stumbled across your post when doing a search on Cracklin Oat Bran. As soon as I get to the store to buy some oat bran I will make this! I gave up the commercial version in about 1992 when they added nutmeg to the recipe. Now I can make my own and leave out the nutmeg…and the TBHQ, and other questionable “stuff.” Here goes the diet…. lol

    Reply

      • Patti says

        I had to go to two store to get the single ingredient I was missing (oat bran.) Made it this morning…FIVE STARS!!! I will be making this regularly for a “healthy-er” snack. The best part is that I can adjust it to my personal preference. In addition to leaving out the nutmeg, I think I will likely reduce the brown sugar by half. I’ve cut sugar in so many things that I now find many recipes too sweet. I won’t change a single other thing as I think it is fabulous! Thank you, thank you for sharing this recipe!

        Reply

  17. LuAnne says

    Absolutely delicious. Made exactly as directed and I agree with your daughter this is better. I had almost all the ingredients in my pantry so all I needed to pick up was the flax seeds. A little pricy if you have to buy all to start but then you could make multiple times so not too bad. Love this thanks for sharing your recipe.

    Reply

  18. Nicole Cobe says

    How many servings did you get? Just made this… Can not wait to try it! Crackin oat bran was my favorite cereal ever! And now this is a clean version! ?

    Reply

  20. William says

    Cracklin Oat Bran is my favorite cereal; has been for many years. I just made your version: incredible. SOOO delicious! Very happy about it : )

    Reply

    • Lynda says

      Thanks, William. I love it and was surprised at how easy it was to make at home. I am glad you enjoyed it.

      Reply

  32. Heather @ Work from Home with Kids says

    My husband has suffered for most of his life with digestive issues and until now no one has been able to diagnose him… he has more of taken it to be more of a lifestyle for him. Now that I’m learning more and more about ciliacs, I’m watching his diet and thinking that is a large part of his issue. I’m printing out this recipe and pinning it because it’ looks like something he may enjoy!

    Reply

  33. Kathy says

    Now that looks AWESOME! Not sure I can get all of these ingredients here, but I will try. I love cereal, and so many US brands are not available here.

    Thanks SO much for stopping by my blog this morning and taking the time to leave a comment.

    Hugs from Ecuador,
    Kathy

    Reply

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