6 Halloween Cereals To Buy This Year & 6 You Might Want To Avoid

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When spooky season approaches, you know that things are about to get very tasty. Food has been an integral part of Halloween tradition for as long as it has existed due to the celebration's roots in harvest festivals and events that offered food to the dead. Nowadays, though, we tend to associate Halloween way more with the sweet treats that fill the shelves throughout September and October. And every year, an impressive selection of Halloween cereals go on sale, with many of them offering a haunted twist on a beloved breakfast classic.

With so much to choose from, it can be tricky to know which ones are winners and which are best avoided -- this is where we come in. In our round-up of the best and worst Halloween cereals to buy, we focus primarily on which products taste the best and offer a nuanced or distinctive flavor versus those that taste flat or boring. Some of our best-ranked products have also been selected with affordability in mind and whether they're a hit with other customers, with several of our worst-ranked items being too expensive for what they offer or having bad reviews.

Read more: 14 Of The Oldest Cereals Still On Shelves

Buy: Reese's Puffs Peanut Butter Bats

Chocolate and peanut butter fans will be overjoyed with Reese's Puffs Peanut Butter Bats. This limited-edition cereal takes the moreish flavor of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and places them into crunchy, bat-shaped corn puffs. The flavor combo is a welcome change to the other Halloween cereals on the market, which can tend to have a generically sugary taste. Here, the nuttiness of the peanut butter and the gentle sweetness of the chocolate balance each other out well.

Like all of the best cereals, Reese's Puffs Peanut Butter Bats also leave your milk tasting completely delicious, with the chocolate and peanut butter seeping into the liquid. Reviewers have noted that the bat pieces in this cereal are bigger than the regular Reese's Puffs, creating a more satisfying bite. As you might expect, this cereal is also a hit with kids. While it would be a stretch to call Reese's Puffs Peanut Butter Bats healthy, it's good to see that they're made with whole grains, which provide more fiber, vitamins, and minerals than refined grains. This cereal won't break the bank, either, and is reasonably priced.

You can buy Reese's Puffs Peanut Butter Bats from Walmart at around $4.00 for a 20.7 oz box. ‌

Avoid: Monster Mash Remix

Monster Mash Remix is a pretty chaotic product. Designed as part of the General Mills Monsters Cereal line, Monster Mash Remix seems to be a tie-in with a song released by one of the characters in the company's line-up, designed to be used on TikTok. Confused yet? Don't worry, so are we. The main thing to know about this cereal is that it's underwhelming in the flavor department.

Monster Mash Remix is a mash-up of all of the General Mills Halloween flavors, including Count Chocula, Boo Berry, Franken Berry, and Carmella Creeper. The effect of doing this, though, is that the individual flavors lose their punch, and nothing is able to shine through properly. As a result, all of the pieces clash with each other, and the whole bowl ends up retreating into itself, tasting bland. This isn't helped by the fact that some of the most prominent flavors included, like Boo Berry, are totally boring and have no definable flavor to them.

Reviewers have also pointed out that while the product promises that every cereal is featured, that's far from the truth. "It does not in fact even have all the cereals. It's basically a Boo Berry mixed with Franken Berry. There is no Count Chocula whatsoever," says one unhappy customer via Walmart.

You can buy Monster Mash Remix Cereal from Walmart at around $5.00 for a 16 oz. box. ‌

Buy: Kellogg's Shocking Orange Rice Krispies

If you want to keep things simple yet spooky this year, Kellogg's Shocking Orange Rice Krispies is the cereal for you. This cereal doesn't try and change things up too much, and instead simply takes the classic Rice Krispie flavor and infuses it with a bright orange color.

The result is a reliable breakfast item that has the gently sweet, slightly malty taste of regular Rice Krispies, as well as the timeless snap, crackle, and pop. Despite containing food dyes that help it to achieve its vibrant tones, there's no strange aftertaste. Its relatively mild flavor also means that it's a perfect base for any additions you want to add to it, like sliced fruit, and it's a great choice for Halloween-themed Rice Krispies Treats.

Kellogg's Shocking Orange Rice Krispies are also comparatively low in added sugar, containing just 4 grams per 1 ½ cup serving -- a welcome amount when some other Halloween cereals can contain quadruple that amount in a smaller serving size. Kellogg's Shocking Orange Rice Krispies is a hit with customers, too, boasting an almost five-star rating from purchasers at Target.

You can buy Kellogg's Rice Krispies Shocking Orange Cereal from Target at around $5.30 for a 12 oz. box.

Avoid: Kellogg's Spooky Frosted Flakes

Kellogg's Frosted Flakes are one of the most well-known cereals out there, and so it's little surprise that they make a Halloween version. But with its Spooky Frosted Flakes product, it sadly ends up doing way too much. The cereal combines chocolate-coated frosted flakes with spooky pink, green, and white marshmallows, which appear to be berry-flavored, and this creates a collection of flavors that don't work together. "I was excited -- I love frosted flakes, love choc, love marshmallows. But this smashes them all together in bad proportions. Avoid," said one reviewer via Amazon.

Other customers have pointed out the tartness of the marshmallows and that this cereal's quality appears to have deteriorated in recent years, skimping on the quality of the ingredients. And there's no denying that while some people love how sweet it is, others find it way too sugary -- and they're not wrong. Each bowl of Kellogg's Spooky Frosted Flakes contains 16 grams of added sugar, which is more than 60% of the recommended limit of 25 grams of sugar daily for kids between the ages of 2-18. That's a lot of sugar for a cereal that may not be worth it.

You can buy Kellogg's Spooky Frosted Flakes from Target at around $5.30 per 24.7 oz box.

Buy: Count Chocula Cereal With Monster Marshmallows

Few food mascots are as iconic as Count Chocula. The character and his cereal have been pleasing kids and adults alike since the early 1970s. And the good news is that the Count's cereal has remained as tasty to this very day. Count Chocula Cereal with Monster Marshmallows is reliably delicious, with a strong chocolate flavor that's rich without being overpowering. The taste of the cereal is reinforced by the chocolate marshmallows, which give a texture contrast while not clashing with the central flavor of the bowl.

Count Chocula is also a winner because, unlike other cereals, it doesn't deteriorate when it comes into contact with milk. Instead, the cereal pieces remain robust and crunchy. And the best part, of course, is that as the cereal sits in your bowl, its flavors infuse with the liquid, creating a chocolate milk that you get to slurp down once you're done. "This is the best cereal ever made," said one reviewer via Walmart. It's hard to argue with a review like that.

You can buy Count Chocula Cereal with Monster Marshmallows from Walmart at around $5.00 per 18.8 oz box.

Avoid: Carmella Creeper Caramel Apple Cereal

Carmella Creeper is part of the General Mills Monsters family, and the character is the mascot for a caramel apple-flavored cereal that, quite frankly, doesn't impress much. The first thing you notice with Carmella Creeper Caramel Apple Cereal is the pretty unsettling color combinations of the product, with bright, sickly green pieces of cereal clashing with the pale purple, yellow, and orange marshmallows.

It doesn't exactly look appetizing, and it doesn't taste great, either. The main problem with Carmella Creeper Caramel Apple Cereal is that it doesn't taste like the very thing it claims to. "There is absolutely no apple flavor whatsoever. A very strong caramel flavor is present, yet it does and doesn't taste like caramel," stated a reviewer, per Walmart. Another pointed out that this caramel flavor seems to come exclusively from the marshmallows, whereas the cereal pieces have no flavor at all.

Unfortunately, the cereal seems to be so bad that several customers didn't even manage to finish their boxes -- or even their bowls. "Excited to try. It was so bad I couldn't eat more than 2 bites. [I don't know] if I've ever eaten a cereal that tasted that bad," one furious person stated.

You can buy Carmella Creeper Caramel Apple Cereal from Walmart at around $5.00 for a 15.8 oz box. ‌

Buy: Cap'n Crunch's Halloween Crunch

Cap'n Crunch has been accompanying kids through breakfast for generations, and that doesn't stop at Halloween. Instead, the titular Captain gets spooky with a Halloween Crunch variety that includes marshmallows studded with green sprinkles, which give your milk a green tint as you eat.

The green milk is a fun quirk for kids eating the cereal, and it really does do the trick: The milk turns a lurid shade almost instantly, with a serious visual impact. But the real win with this product is, of course, its taste. Cap'n Crunch's Halloween Crunch has all of the classic, sweet corn taste that Cap'n Crunch is known for, with the marshmallows giving the bowl a gentle fruit flavor. The berry-flavored marshmallows don't clash with the cereal but instead accompany and reinforce it.

One of the things we love the most about this product, though, is how budget-friendly it is. This cereal is a great way to have a little fun at Halloween without having to spend a high price on limited-edition breakfast items.

You can buy Cap'n Crunch's Halloween Crunch at Walmart for about $4.00 per 20.5 oz box.

Avoid: Kellogg's It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Kellogg's It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown appears to be a pretty classy take on a Halloween cereal. Instead of going for off-putting 3D characters on its packaging and bizarre flavor combinations, this cereal takes the simple approach, with hand-drawn Charlie Brown characters and a product that seems to only be flavored with vanilla.

The problem, though, is that by only using vanilla, it's ended up making a cereal that tastes of nothing whatsoever. "Very disappointed! The box says that it is called vanilla and cold flavored however, they taste like someone took Kix bran cereal removed any and all flavoring and then added some food coloring," says just one of the poor reviews citing its lack of taste, per Target. Another person states that the cereal is so bland that it tastes like cardboard, which is surprising given its bright orange and green pebbles. And while It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown -- which, if you think about it, should really be pumpkin spice flavored, given its name -- promises marshmallows, the actual result is far from impressive. One customer counted a grand total of just nine marshmallows in their entire box. That's particularly unimpressive given it's higher price for a smaller size.

You can buy Kellogg's It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown from Target for about $5.30 per 13.2 oz box. ‌

Buy: Franken Berry With Monster Marshmallows

While some General Mills Monsters cereals fall short of the mark, Franken Berry is one you should definitely be trying. The cereal is a combination of strawberry-flavored frosted cereal with berry-flavored marshmallows, with both cereal pieces and marshmallows sporting bright, attractive colors. While berry flavors in breakfast cereals can sometimes be totally disappointing, Franken Berry gets it right. The flavor is sweet but not overwhelming and has a distinctive strawberry flavor instead of just tasting generic.

The flavor is amped up by the marshmallows, which arguably provide a lot of the taste, and there's a generous amount in each box. And luckily, Franken Berry seems to have retained its quality throughout the years. "Just as delicious as I remembered it to be when I used to buy it for my children when they were little. Definitely recommend," says one reviewer on Walmart. Others point out the sheer nostalgia factor of this cereal, which is as good a reason to buy it as any.

You can buy Franken Berry with Monster Marshmallows from Walmart at around $5.00 per 16 oz box.

Avoid: Kellogg's Apple Jacks With Spooky Marshmallows

Kellogg's Apple Jacks with Spooky Marshmallows are pretty terrifying -- just not in the fun Halloween way. This intense-looking cereal is comprised of slightly off-putting orange and green hoops studded with red sprinkles that look more like scabs than delicious pieces of sugar. The color clash created is made even worse by the faded marshmallows in each bowl.

It doesn't exactly look appetizing, and multiple people have pointed out that this cereal is pretty poor-quality, lacking in any discernible taste while also having a poor texture. "My family looks forward to seasonal cereals every year. However this one was a big disappointment. Oddly the cereal and marshmallows were stale upon opening. No obvious reason (no holes, tears, etc.)," one person said on Target. The marshmallows are frequently pointed out as one of its main causes of staleness.

This absence of taste is all the more confusing, given how full of sugar this cereal is. With 16 grams of added sugar per serving, Apple Jacks with Spooky Marshmallows has one of the highest sugar contents out there of any Halloween cereal. This product is in danger of sending your blood sugar levels sky-high, leaving you with a serious crash afterward, according to Healthline.

You can buy Kellogg's Apple Jacks with Spooky Marshmallows from Target for about $5.30 per 18.7 oz box. ‌

Buy: Chocolate Lucky Charms With Haunted Marshmallows

Lucky Charms is the ultimate marshmallow-containing cereal, and at Halloween, it goes all out with its Chocolate Lucky Charms with Haunted Marshmallows. In each bowl, you get not only a chocolate-flavored cereal and the classic Lucky Charms marshmallows, but you also get a host of chocolate marshmallows. The result is a cereal that's big on flavor. Naturally, chocolate is the main flavor note here, but the added marshmallows give your bowl an additional lift of sweetness, cutting through the cereal's slightly mellower, malty notes.

And it's little surprise that if you're looking to keep your kids happy this Halloween, Chocolate Lucky Charms with Haunted Marshmallows are the way to go. The bright color contrasts of each bowl and the Halloween theme make breakfast an event. "Fun and delicious! My kiddos loved it. We're always excited about the new Lucky Charms products and this did not disappoint!" one reviewer said on Lucky Charms.

You can buy Chocolate Lucky Charms with Haunted Marshmallows from Target for about $5.30 per 18.6 oz box.

Avoid: Froot Loops Spooky Cereal

A bowl of Froot Loops is always a fun way to start the day. But with its Halloween edition, it somewhat sucks the joy out of the breakfast cereal. Froot Loops Spooky Cereal feels like a pale imitation of the classic Froot Loops product. Whereas regular Froot Loops are a fiesta of different colors, Froot Loops Spooky Cereal only contains two colors, a rather boring orange and purple.

Importantly, there's no differentiation in flavor between these two colors, and there's not much flavor overall. Several customers have pointed out that this cereal is lacking in flavor, with one reviewer stating that "they taste like cardboard" at Target. Although the added marshmallows do give the taste a boost, you'll be lucky if you find any. "The only flavor you get is from the marshmallows which has very little of it. The regular box has way more! You probably get [one] marshmallow for every [four] spoonfuls!" the same reviewer said. Unfortunately, while Froot Loops Spooky Cereal might make a fun change to your regular breakfast, the overriding feeling is that you're far better off getting a regular box of Froot Loops instead and not having to pay a premium for an inferior product.

You can buy Froot Loops Spooky Cereal from Target at around $5.30 per 18.7 oz box.

Read the original article on Daily Meal.