Magic Spoon is a cereal brand that advertises itself as keto-friendly, which is unique because most cereal products are high in carbs. The brand is a positioned as a healthier alternative to regular breakfast cereal, and describes itself as "High protein cereal that tastes too good to be true."
But does Magic Spoon cereal actually contain healthier ingredients than regular cereal or are these just marketing claims? Does it have any unhealthy additives? Can the brand actually fit into a keto diet given the strict carb limit of such diets? And how do real users rate and describe the taste of Magic Spoon cereal?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more as we analyze the ingredients in Magic Spoon based on medical studies to give our take on whether or not it's actually healthier than regular cereal.
We'll explain if Magic Spoon can actually fit in a keto diet, document the cheapest place to buy it from, and share customer reviews of Magic Spoon.
Ingredient Analysis
All flavors of Magic Spoon contain the same core ingredients, with only minor differences for natural colorants like vegetable juice.
Milk protein provides all nine essential amino acids and was shown in a medical review published in the Nutrition & Metabolism journal to have favorable effects on metabolic health, blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
Monk fruit extract and allulose are the ingredients in the sweetener blend, and these plant-based sweeteners are shown in medical studies to have favorable effects on blood sugar levels in moderation, which is the opposite effect of processed table sugar.
Vegetable juice and spirulina extract are nutritious, plant-based colorants and the oil blend contains sunflower oil and avocado oil which we approve of.
Natural flavors is the only ingredient that health-conscious consumers may wish to avoid. A medical review published in the Environmental Health Perspectives journal documented toxicity concerns regarding some natural flavoring agents.
So is Magic Spoon healthier than regular breakfast cereal?
As we explained in our review of the healthiest cereal brands, the majority of commercial cereal brands contain many unhealthy ingredients including high amounts of added sugar, artificial flavors, corn syrup and preservatives. Check out the ingredient label of Cinnamon Toast Crunch below:
One cup not only contains 12 grams (g) of added sugar, but also the synthetic preservative BHT and a blend of added vitamins and minerals (we recommend getting vitamins and minerals from whole foods).
We consider Magic Spoon to be significantly healthier than the average breakfast cereal brand.
But how does it taste? We'll cover that in the next section.
We Tried Magic Spoon – Our Take
As one of the authors of this article (Calloway), I wanted to purchase Magic Spoon myself and try it to give my thoughts on its taste and how it made me feel.
I purchased the Cinnamon Roll and Fruit flavors, and ate them on consecutive days after working out.
I actually liked the taste better than regular cereal like Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Trix because it's slightly less sweet and has more complexity (the fruit flavor has a hint of actual fruit taste rather than just artificial sweeteners).
I felt "lighter" after eating these cereal boxes than I would if I ate a full box of regular cereal. I attribute this to the lower sugar, more optimal macro ratio and lower calories.
I don't personally have much of a sweet tooth so I wouldn't purchase this brand again, but I think they'd make a great, relatively healthy "cheat" meal for someone who regularly exercises and has a high protein requirement.
I'm also too frugal to pay $9.99 for a single box of cereal, which is what these flavors cost at my local Target.
Overall, I'd rate this brand 5/10.
Real People Try Magic Spoon
Magic Spoon is sold on Amazon, which is a more objective resource for product reviews than a brand's website in our opinion. The cereal has been reviewed over 13,000 times with an average review rating of 4 out of 5 stars.
The top positive review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named "Phoneman" who gives the product a 4-star rating and claims it tastes pretty good:
"Right out of the box, it passed the taste test. Feel and crunch are similar to store cereals, and while there's that slight protein taste, it's subtle and not off putting. A small bowl with milk later, and I can tell you it held up well to milk, and had an experience like eating a bowl of cereal. Does it duplicate the taste of Capts PB crunch? No it is its own taste, but it's not bad imo."
The top negative review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named "LRK" who gives the product a 1-star rating and claims that three of the flavors are bad:
"Frosted-let’s just put it this way. I took three bites and I could not eat it. If you are a Frosted Flakes fan. There is no comparison! Not even a hint!!...Peanut Butter- tolerable. Meaning If I was on a camping trip starving, and I had nothing else to eat. I would eat it...Cinnamon Roll- OK, If you ever had cinnamon gum and you know how it has a little spice to it, this is exactly what it taste like, cinnamon gum."
A YouTube creator named "Avocado on Everything" reviewed several flavors of the brand, explained whether the cereal was filling and highlighted some issues with the product's packaging:
Is Magic Spoon Actually Keto?
Magic Spoon cereal ranges from 10 g to 15 g of carbs, but all flavors contain 4 g of "net carbs."
The reason the company can claim a much lower net carb amount is because allulose, the sweetener we referenced earlier, is counted as a carb on the Nutrition Facts label but has zero calories and is not digested according to medical research.
As we documented in our Pruvit Ketones review article, keto diets typically restrict carbs to under 50 g per day, and more strict versions restrict carbs to under 20 g per day.
Here's our issue with the keto claims: 1% milk contains over 12 g of carbs per cup according to the USDA, and it's easy to use far more than one cup of milk in cereal depending on the bowl size. Nut milks like almond milk typically only contain one or two g of carbs per cup so these may be a better option.
It also seems likely that consumers may use more than one serving of Magic Spoon. Two servings is only 40% of the box, and provides 8 g net carbs.
Here's our takeaway: people who are regimented about tracking macros and who use alternative milks can include Magic Spoon in a keto diet, but we wouldn't recommend it. Since carbs are already so limited on a keto diet, we recommend using them on whole, unprocessed foods like fruit.
A YouTube channel called "Keto Connect" did a taste test comparing four keto cereal brands including Magic Spoon:
Where to Get the Best Price
Magic Spoon is sold at a variety of online retailers. Here's a price breakdown for the 4-pack at the time of updating this article:
Walmart: $72.38 (third-party seller, link)
Brand website: $39 (plus $5.99 shipping, link)
Amazon: $43.99 (free shipping, link to official Amazon listing)
Magic Spoon is currently 2% cheaper on Amazon than on the brand's website.
Our Clean Cereal Picks
Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Cereal is the healthiest cereal brand in our opinion, and features entirely sprouted grains like organic sprouted wheat, organic sprouted barley and organic sprouted millet.
A Harvard Health review found that sprouted grains have more bioavailable nutrients than unsprouted grains, and a medical review published in the Nutrients journal found that “the amount of anti-nutritional factors…decreases significantly” when grains are sprouted.
Rather than processed white sugar, Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin cereal is naturally sweetened with organic raisins, which are shown in medical research to improve cardiovascular health and gut function.
There are no questionable additive ingredients in this product at all and it's rich in naturally-occurring vitamins and minerals.
