Flavors Tried: Cocoa, Birthday Cake, Cinnamon, Mixed Berry
Price: $20 for 4 boxes through Hive ($5 per box)
Nutrition: 130 Calories, 2g Fat, 22g Carbs (5g Fiber & 6g Sugar), 12g Protein
Ingredients (Cinnamon Flavor): Pea Protein, Brown Rice Flour, Tapioca Flour, Organic Agave Fiber (Fructan), Cane Sugar, Cinnamon, Salt, High Oleic Sunflower Oil, Sunflower Lecithin, Calcium Carbonate, Monk Fruit Extract, Mixed Tocopherols
When I was putting together my official Protein Cereal Ranking, I was unsure whether or not I should include Love Grown cereal. Love Grown is a cereal made from chickpeas, so it has some added protein, but it’s not necessarily high in protein.
In looking it up, I discovered that Love Grown sells a higher-protein version of their cereal. Having never heard of this before, I had to do some digging (and buy some for a review, of course).
I didn’t know this, but Love Grown partnered with Hive in 2023 to sell their products exclusively online. I used to buy the regular Love Grown cereal at my local supermarket, but those days are no more.
I’ve never shopped through Hive before, but since I placed an order for this cereal, they gave me a referral code for all my friends. I consider you all my friends, so if you decide you want to try this cereal, you can use this link to save 20% off your first Hive order.
If you’ve never had Love Grown cereal, it is very similar to Three Wishes, but lower in protein. It can be an acquired taste since it is plant-based, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Here’s how this “Power Puffs” cereal stacks up nutritionally:
Each flavor contains 120-130 calories and has 12 grams of protein, which is excellent for a protein cereal.
For comparison purposes, Magic Spoon contains 150 calories and 13 grams of protein per serving, and Three Wishes contains 130 calories and 8 grams of protein. Love Grown is right up there with the best of the best.
And as you can see from the ingredients list, there is not a whole lot going on here. Pea protein is the main ingredient (which makes me nervous about the flavor), and then it is rounded out with rice flour, tapioca starch, sugar, and a few other ingredients. When compared to other options out there, this list is very short.
This isn’t a keto cereal, which I prefer in this case because I am hoping the sugar & carbs in this cereal can help mask the pea protein flavor a bit.
Cocoa Power Puffs Cereal
Starting with cocoa, it passes the smell test with flying colors. Right off the bat, I was hit with the pleasant aroma of chocolate.
The cereal pieces themselves are small and extremely crunchy. If these were made as loops instead of balls, I think the texture would be improved. Don’t get me wrong, I want my cereal to be crunchy, but these are almost too crunchy.
That being said, the flavor of this cereal is great. I was so nervous that the pea protein would overpower the cocoa, but chocolate is the main flavor that comes through. It is a little bit earthy, and you’ll never confuse this with a cereal like Cocoa Puffs, but the earthiness of the pea protein is much more subtle than I feared.
When eaten with milk, the chocolate coating runs off into the milk, leaving you with chocolate milk at the end of the bowl. And as we all know, that’s the best part of any chocolate cereal.
This won’t blow you away in the flavor department, but as far as plant-based options are concerned, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Cinnamon Power Puffs Cereal
The cinnamon flavor is generously dusted with a cinnamon coating, which was nice to see. When you open this one up, you immediately smell real cinnamon rather than cinnamon sugar (which is disappointing, but expected).
In terms of flavor, there isn’t a whole lot going on with this one. You certainly taste cinnamon, but there isn’t enough flavor to fully mask the earthy nature of the pea protein.
It’s not bad, but it leaves me wishing there was more flavor and especially more sweetness.
I don’t hate this cereal by any means, and I’ll still eat it, but it will be the last resort after I finish the other flavors.
Birthday Cake Power Puffs Cereal
This birthday cake flavor blew me away. The sprinkles are not very plentiful, but I do appreciate the effort to make this flavor a bit festive.
The smell of this cereal blew me away- it smells very sweet, and it is reminiscent of Sprinkle Donut Crunch.
And while the cereal doesn’t taste nearly as sweet as it smells, this one has a balanced sweetness. There is a strong vanilla flavor, but you also get hints of actual cake flavor as well.
Like the other cereal flavors, that pea protein taste is tiptoeing in the background, but it is a secondary taste. I really enjoyed this one.
Mixed Berry Power Puffs Cereal
The mixed berry flavor is an interesting one, and it smells like Nerds candy. Is that a good smell? Yes. Is that what I want my cereal to smell like? Not really.
Luckily, the cereal doesn’t taste nearly as strong as it smells, but it still has a distinct berry flavor to it. The flavor is oddly reminiscent of fruity candy, but you can tell that there are hints of both blueberry and strawberry in here.
If Magic Spoon‘s fruity cereal is reminiscent of Froot Loops, Love Grown’s version is much closer to Trix. But if you added pea protein to Trix and made it significantly crunchier.
Love Grown Power Puffs Cereal: Final Thoughts
This Power Puffs surprised me in the best way. It is very much on par with Three Wishes, but it has them beat in the nutrition department as the highest-protein plant-based option I have seen.
If you’ve never experienced plant-based cereal before, then you need to adjust your expectations before giving this a try. Plant-based cereal is always going to taste a bit earthy and not nearly as sweet as the cereal you are used to.
But, take it from someone who hates the taste of pea protein: the earthy flavor of this cereal is not overpowering.
This will never replace your favorite cereal, but considering each serving is only 120 calories with 12 grams of protein, it’s an amazing way to get some extra protein in. I had a bowl of 2 servings for breakfast this morning, and having a meal with 240 calories and 24 grams of protein is quite rare.
Unfortunately, this cereal is only available through Hive. I have no affiliation with Hive, but since I placed an order already, you can use my referral link to get 20% off your order if you want to try this cereal.
At the time of writing this, a variety pack of 4 boxes is available for $20, which is insanely cheap for protein cereal, so you should give it a try if you are looking for a plant-based option.
At the end of the day, this cereal won’t blow you away by any means, but it’s a fantastic option for anyone who eats plant-based.
