pumpkin spice puff cereal

After waking up yesterday morning and putting on a sweater in hopes of cool-weather cozies (I think grown ups call that “hygge” or something?) only to melt like the Wicked Witch of the West in the sun and heat by the afternoon, I think it’s safe to say that I’m ready for fall.

Other signs that I’m ready? I’ve pulled my leather boots out of storage. I smile like a doofus at the changing leaves on trees. And I’m going to town on this Pumpkin Spice Puff Cereal on the daily.

It happens, like, once a year but I am very much on a cereal kick these days. Forget the peanut butter toast or the scrambled eggs (my usual go-to breakfasts): I am all about the classic breakfast in a bowl. But since I’ve pretty much bought out the entire cereal aisle at the grocery store of their Oatmeal Squares (ummmm have you had those? They’re amazing), I figured it was time to give my palate something new to crunch on in the morning. Enter this delicious homemade pumpkin spice cereal.

You guys, I love this stuff. It’s halfway between granola and cereal, with puffed rice and hearty old-fashioned oats, and the sunflower and pumpkin seeds (I think grown ups call them “pepitas”) add a wonderful crunch. Then you add pumpkin spice, cinnamon, ginger, sugar and salt, some maple syrup and coconut oil, bake it all in the oven until it’s golden brown and fragrant like a pumpkin spice candle in your kitchen and just like that, you’ve made homemade cereal. Sometimes I add golden raisins or top it off with fresh fruit for sweetness. And every time I eat it, it brings me instant fall cozies.

I also love that this recipe makes a big batch and that you can store it for weeks at a time, so you only have to make it, like, once a month and you’re set for a good long while. Unless you eat as much of it as I do — in which case, maybe a double batch is necessary.

As with all of my favorite recipes, this one is extremely versatile. Swap the amounts of sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds, adjust the seasonings to taste, add more sugar if you like it sweeter, the list goes on. You can also serve this cereal warm! Just heat it with milk on the stove or in the microwave for a minute or two until warm.

So while the weather here might not agree, I’m in full-on fall mode over here. Definitely gonna wear a sweater today, too.

Pumpkin Spice Puff Cereal

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• Author: Adapted from Nutrition Stripped
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins
• Total Time: 30 mins
• Yield: About 7 cups 1x

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Ingredients

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• 3 cups puffed rice cereal (I used the Arrowhead Mills brand)
• 2 cups uncooked old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup unsalted pumpkin seeds
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 cup golden raisins (optional)

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Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with oil.
2. In large bowl, stir puffed rice cereal, oats, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds to combine. Add pumpkin pie spice, sugar, cinnamon, salt and ginger. Stir until well combined.
3. Stir together maple syrup and coconut oil, then drizzle over cereal mixture. Stir until well combined.
4. Spread mixture in even layer on prepared baking sheet. Bake 15 to 18 minutes, stirring halfway through, until cereal is golden brown. Cool completely on baking sheet. Stir golden raisins into cooled cereal, if desired.
5. Store cereal in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 weeks.

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