Copycat Kashi Go Lean Crunch Cereal
Love Kashi cereals? Did you know that you can make your own Copy Cat Kashi Go Lean Crunch Cereal at home? It’s easier than you think!
I love cereal. Like really love it. A while back I fell in particular love with Kashi’s Go Lean Crunch Cereal. Not only did it hit all the right notes: crunchy with just the right amount of sweet, but it was super healthy. Whole grains! Protein! Fiber! All the other good for you stuffs that you won’t find in a box of Cheerios. Then I realized: if I could make granola from scratch, why couldn’t I do a Copycat Kashi Go Lean Crunch Cereal from scratch?! The answer: I can!
Ingredients Needed
- Oats – Whole old fashioned or steal cut are best for this recipe. Instant aren’t quite right.
- TVP – Total Vegetable Protein, also known as textured soy protein adds some great nutrition and another kind of texture and crunch to this copycat cereal.
- Chia Seeds – These little powerhouse packed seeds are my favorite way to pack in some great nutrition to any recipe!
- Flax Seed – You could use ground flax seeds or whole. Both are great.
- Agave or Honey – Use your all natural sweetener of choice! Maple syrup is great too – although it does adjust the flavor a touch with a nice maple note.
- Eggs – Just the whites! This is to help bind it all. Don’t throw away those egg yolks, though! Whip up some of your own Homemade Mayonnaise! To make it vegan, see our recipe notes for a vegan egg replacement option!
- Almonds – Sliced is our preferred but you could also use whole and just give them a little chop – just be sure to use unsalted.
- Cinnamon – We had a stick so we gave it a little fresh grate, but ground works just as fine, too.
- Salt – Just a touch!
Puffed Barley – The ingredient is really key to this cereal being different from granola and more like than Kashi cereal.
Step-by-Step Instructions
As with most of our copycat recipes, this Kashi Go Lean Crunch one is easier than you might think, and will make you wonder why you ever buy cereal from the store!
Step 1: Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl.
Step 2: Mix the egg whites and agave.
Step 3: Add them together and mix well!
Then, just like homemade granola, it’s just a matter of baking it. This will help create those signature crunchy clumps!
Done! Copycat Kashi Go Lean Cereal ready for your favorite milk! Or (I’m totally guilty of this) just to eat on its own!
So crunchy. SO healthy!
FAQs
Very simply, barley puffed up. It has a mild, slightly sweet, and nutty flavor and really is key to getting the right texture for a Kashi cereal. It’s packed full of fiber, protein, B complex vitamins, magnesium, potassium, and iron!
Nope! This can be a tough one to find in the grocery store. While it adds a great amount of protein to this cereal and a unique texture, it can be omitted and you can use oats in its place.
Yes! For the egg whites, you can use ½ tbsp of ground flaxseed + 1 ½ tbsp water to replace one egg white. See the recipe card for instructions.
Of course! Add closer to 1/3 or even up to 1/2 cup of agave for a much sweeter cereal.
Totally. We’ve made this with pecans and hazelnuts, too. While it won’t be as similar to the Kashi cereal with a different nut, it’s still just as delicious!
Enjoy! As always, if you make this recipe or any of my others, I love to hear what you think! Leave a comment below, email me, or you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
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Copycat Kashi Go Lean Crunch Cereal
Ingredients
- 3 cups puffed barley
- 1 cup oats whole old fashioned or steal cut
- 1 cup TVP
- 2 tablespoons flax seed whole or ground
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1/2 cup sliced / whole unsalted almonds
- 4 egg whites
- 1/4 – 1/3 cup Agave
- 1 – 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg whites and sweetener.
- Add to dry ingredients and mix very well, ensuring all is coated with egg whites. The egg whites act as a binder which is what gives you the crispy nuggets of goodness.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and add mixture in an even layer.
- Bake in middle rack for 12 – 15 minutes (check for crispy level), then remove from oven and flip cereal. Here is where you’ll have large chunks – flip them but ensure that you rearrange so that it lies flat again to the baking pan.
- Bake for another 10-13 minutes.
- Cool and then store in an airtight container.
Hi Tracy! I cant seem to find puff barley anywhere? Can this be substituted?
Hi Erin! Yes, it can be hard to find, I usually buy it online or you could also substitute puffed rice!
Hello Tracey thank you for creating this recipe. I love Kashi cereal and sometimes a bowl of cereal is just what you want. I want to try this using aquafaba do you think it would work in place of eggs? I love chickpeas and always think of ways to use up aquafaba.
Hi Danielle! Thank YOU! I haven’t tried it with aquafaba yet, but I think it should!
Thanks I may give it a try with it and let you know how it works.
Hi! Is this nutrition info for all 5 cups or for 1 cup?
Hi Maddison! The nutritional value is per cup, although I took another look at it because it was high and the counter had inflated numbers for the puffed barley. It’s accurate now! Enjoy!
Sorry but that cereal is VEGAN. No eggs. So not really a copycat…
That’s why I have in the recipe note about how to replace the egg whites with flaxseed, which will make this vegan.
Can this be altered to get the peanut butter crunch flavor?
Would adding peanut butter, PB Fit powder, or peanuts in addition to/or instead of almonds work for that?
Oooh interesting idea! I haven’t tried this yet, but I think that sounds like a delicious idea!
Great recipe – makes a delicious breakfast! I added some shredded coconut and a bit of almond meal to the recipe.
I’ve used this to make all of the flavors. Thank you for figuring this out!!
If anyone wants to try making other flavors: For the chocolate, I just add vanilla, a whiff of cocoa powder and mini chips. I add peanut butter to make the peanut butter flavor. Sometimes this turns out a little soft and I’ve taken to adding a smidge of tapioca starch and a bit more maple syrup which seems to help.
I have been looking for a copycat recipe for Kashi GoLean original cereal. Have you seen one?
Do you think we could use either chia or flax egg instead if the egg whites as I would love to make for my daughter who is vegan
Hi Kim! Yes – I think flax egg would work! I’ve never tried it but I’ve heard from my vegan friends that it works as a good binder replacement for eggs. If you try it, please let me know how it works; I’m curious! 😀