Are Golden Grahams Healthy
They are among the 50 best breakfast foods for weight loss, as they are free from hydrogenated oils, artificial dyes and flavors, soy lecithin, and BHT. That being said, there is still a large quantity of sodium and some artificial sugar. Always read the labels to make sure they meet your dietary needs and restrictions.
True, they are packed with whole grains and have minimal ingredients, but some of the other cereal options listed above are much lower in sugar, cholesterol, sodium and overall fat content. Try out these suggested healthier alternatives to see what flavors and brands you like best!
Whats In Golden Graham Cereal Bars
Golden Graham bars come together easily with just a handful of ingredients which makes them a great choice for late-night sweet cravings!
- Golden Grahams: Youll find these in the sugary cereal section of the grocery store. Theyre toasted, crispy squares that have a signature flavor of honey and brown sugar. Very similar to graham crackers!
- Salted butter: I like to use salted butter to balance out the sweetness. Use unsalted if you have it, it wont make or break the recipe. You may want to think about adding in some flaked sea salt instead!
- Mini marshmallows: If you have jumbo marshmallows, they can work for the melted marshmallow and butter portion only. Otherwise, any additional marshmallows for texture will need to be mini marshmallows!
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips: I usually buy a big bag so I always have some on hand for other recipes too.
Are Nestle Golden Grahams Vegan
Nestle Golden Grahams are generally considered vegan. However, they do contain sugar and natural flavouring, which are gray-area ingredients that some vegans avoid.
Nestle Golden Grahams is sold more in other parts fo the world like Europe, whereas the General Mills brand is sold more here in the US.
Compared to the US version of Golden Grahams, the Nestle version has 1 less sketchy ingredient from a vegan perspective, and thats vitamin D3.
Heres the full list of ingredients for the Nestle product:
Nestle Golden Grahams Ingredients:Golden Grahams Ingredients Cereal Grains , Wheat Flour , Maize Semolina ), Sugar, Glucose Syrup, Maize Starch, Sunflower Oil, Invert Sugar Syrup, Brown Sugar, Vitamins and Minerals , Raising Agent: Sodium Bicarbonate, Salt, Molasses, Caramelised Sugar Syrup, Natural Flavouring.
Also Check: Gluten Free Dairy Free Cheese
What Are The Ingredients In Golen Grahams Cereal
Surprisingly, Golden Grahams cereal is fairly nutritious, containing elements rarely found in average cereal brands. The recipe makes use of relatively straightforward ingredients with no artificial flavors or colors being added. Owing to the lack of artificial additives, the cereal is also a good source of many vitamins and minerals. Golden Grahams Cereal contains the following primary ingredients:
- Whole grain wheat
- Various varieties of Vitamin B
- Vitamin D and C
How To Make This Copycat Golden Graham Cereal
-Sift oat flour, chickpea flour, baking powder into a medium sized bowl. Sifting is important as it catches any hard bits of oat and makes the cereal less dense. Add cinnamon and salt Mix together.
-In a second small bowl, add melted vegan butter , molasses, agave or maple syrup, sesame milk and vanilla. Mix well.
-Add wet ingredients to the dry. Stir or until a dough forms adding more sesame milk if the dough is too dry.
-Divide the dough into half to make handling easier.
-Place half the dough between two sheets of parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough about 1/8 inch thin. Remove top layer of parchment.
-Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut out a rectangle sheet. Remove extra dough and save for later.
-Next, cut vertical and horizontal lines into the sheet to create 1.5~1.8cm squares.
-Drag a fork down the centre of each square to create groves in the cereal.
-Leave on the parchment paper and place on baking tray.
-Place into the preheated oven and cook for only 5 minutes. Be careful this cereal burns quickly!
-Allow cereal to cool down completely. Break it out into small squares with your hands.
-How quick and easy was that?
Scroll down to the recipe to see the full instructions, ingredients and nutritional information/
Don’t Miss: Where To Buy Vital Wheat Gluten
Where Can You Buy Gluten Free Graham Cereal
At the time of the writing of this article I could not find any true gluten free graham cereal. There are several brands that are close though. And in a pinch you could use graham crackers . Our favorite substitute are the Snackin’ Free because of their similarity to Golden Grahams cereal that the original recipe calls for. We have all of those listed for you:
- 7 cups gluten free “Golden Grahams” cereal
- 16 oz mini marshmallows, divided
- ½ cup butter
- 8 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
TO MAKE THE CEREAL:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a mixing bowl, stir together the ingredients until combined. The dough will be soft. Spread the dough onto the cookie sheet, spreading to -1/4 inch thickness. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and with a pizza cutter slice dough into small squares. Stir the cereal then place back into the oven and cook an additional 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool before making bars.
TO MAKE THE BARS:
Set aside 3 oz of chocolate chips and 3 cups of marshmallows.
In a pan, melt the butter and six cups of mini marshmallows over low heat, stirring constantly until melted. Remove from heat and stir in five ounces of chocolate, stirring until melted. Stir in cereal, mixing until combined. Add in 3 cups of marshmallows .
To store: Store bars in an airtight container for up to one week. Makes 12-16 bars.
What Is The Best Graham Crackers For Smores
The Best Graham Cracker: Honey Maid Any brand seems to do just fine in these desserts that start with a package of graham crackers. In this test, however, we found that there was only one graham we wanted in our smores: Honey Maid. These crackers impressed all of us with their nice honey flavor and mild sweetness.
You May Like: Gluten Free Bakery St Louis
History Of Golden Grahams Cereal
First released in 1976, Golden Grahams Cereal was initially presented and owned by a brand called Cereal Partners. It is produced under the Nestle brand worldwide except in the US and Canada, where it is currently sold under the General Mills brand.
The cereal was heavily marketed with multiple TV commercials during its launch and became known for its fun jingle called Oh those golden Grahams. This jingle was actually based on a song written by James Bland in 1879 and sung by many blackface minstrels titled Oh dem golden slippers.
We millennials know this song from an episode of The Simpsons sung by Homers beloved character during his flight to outer space. Later, the company started marketing the product with the slogan Youre not just good, youre golden, which stuck around till the mid-80s. They even introduced a mascot, Honey the honey drop.
For a while, he was included in most TV commercials and even presented on the cereals box packaging, but his stay was relatively short-lived and, for the most part, was marketed by celebrities.
The franchises popularity kept growing, and soon the company started releasing spin-offs of the traditional bite-sized cereal.
They also introduced a mascot for this new version called The Smorecer and an animated sorcerer. Unlike Golden Grahams, Smores Crunch wasnt as popular and couldnt hold its place in the market it was discontinued only six years later in 1988.
Is Golden Grahams Crunch Vegan
Golden Grahams Crunch is generally not considered vegan. It contains honey, sugar, and natural flavour, which are all gray-area ingredients to vegans. That said, some vegans are okay with eating all three of those ingredients.
I believe Golden Grahams Crunch is offered in Canada. Heres the full list of ingredients:
Golden Grahams Crunch Ingredients:Whole Grain Wheat, Degermed Corn Meal, Sugar And/Or Golden Sugar, Golden Syrup, High Monounsaturated Canola Oil, Honey, Baking Soda, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Dextrose, Trisodium Phosphate, Natural Flavour. Vitamins And Minerals: Iron, Niacinamide , Calcium Pantothenate , Pyridoxine Hydrochloride , Folate.
Read Also: Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Steel Cut Oats
Is Golden Grahams Retro Recipe Vegan
Golden Grahams Retro Recipe is generally not considered vegan. It contains honey, sugar, natural flavor, and vitamin D3 which are all gray-area ingredients to vegans. That said, some vegans are okay with eating all four of those ingredients.
Golden Grahams Retro Recipe came out in 2020, and its yet to be seen if it will stick around. But as a vegan, I dont really careI wont be getting it anyway! Heres the full list of ingredients:
Golden Grahams Retro Recipe Ingredients:Whole Grain Wheat, Corn Meal, Sugar, Brown Sugar Syrup, Canola Oil, Honey, Baking Soda, Salt, Dextrose, Tricalcium Phosphate, Natural Flavor. Vitamins and Minerals: Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin C , Iron And Zinc , A B Vitamin , Vitamin B6 , Vitamin B1 , Vitamin A , Vitamin B2 , A B Vitamin , Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3.
The History Of Golden Grahams
Golden Grahams have come a long way since its formation, as it was originally promoted as A Honey Of A New Cereal. Thats right, honey was a main ingredient in all of their cereals and they prided themselves on being the cereal replica of honey graham crackers, crunchy ridges and all. Because of its association with Honey for ages, it comes as no surprise that Golden Grahams could raise skepticism when labeled as a vegan cereal option.
To provide you with some backstory, Golden Grahams was introduced to the eyes of breakfast lovers everywhere back in 1976. They had slogans such as Have a Golden Day! and a TV campaign featuring a song called Oh, Dem Golden Slippers. The status of being golden was sewn into the brand from the get-go. Production was made possible by Nestlé and Golden Grahams .
In 1991, the two giant food product entities, Nestlé and General Mills decided to do a joint venture titled Cereal Partners Worldwide. The main objective of their venture? To produce scrumptious breakfast products. The conglomerate is Headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, and sells products to over 130 countries. This excludes the U.S. and Canada, where you will find General Mills branded on products like Golden Grahams and Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
You May Like: How To Use Bfr Bands For Glutes
Two More Recommendations For Your Plant
1. This is the best free video training Ive found on plant-based nutrition. Youll learn how to reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimers, and obesityall with plant-based food. Watch the free Food for Health Masterclass here.
2. This is the best vegan multivitamin Ive found in my 14 years of being vegan. It has vitamin B12, vitamin D, omega-3and nothing else. Translation: It only has the nutrients vegans are actually low in. Read my full review of Future Kinds multivitamin here .
Are Golden Grahams Dairy Free
Do Golden Grahams Have Dairy? Golden Grahams does not contain milk, lactose, or any dairy product. In fact, on my Golden Grahams box, there is not even any allergen warning for traces of milk or may contain milk. So even people with milk allergies or lactose intolerance should be okay with Golden Grahams.
Recommended Reading: Does Papa John’s Have Gluten Free Pizza
How To Make Golden Graham Bars
The hardest part about this Golden Graham bars recipe is resisting the urge to eat it before it sets!
Golden Grahams Original Cereal
Golden Grahams classic cereal is a lightly sugared and crunchy delight. The original recipe did have honey, but over time they shifted their ingredients to accommodate those who are vegan. This cereal is safe to eat if you are vegan, but it is advised to carefully read all other labels from their brand if you plan to venture out of their original Golden Grahams cereal.
Ingredients:
- Canola and/or Rice Bran Oil
- Dextrose
- Calcium: 0%
Also Check: Is Sprouted Bread Gluten Free
What Is The Difference Between Graham Crackers And Crackers
The primary difference between the two is the shape of the final product. Whereas graham crackers are typically square, animal crackers come in the shape of lions, tigers, camels, bears, and giraffes, to name a few. They were developed in England in the late 1800s and were initially imported to the United States.
Why We Love Smores With Golden Grahams
Also Check: Gluten Free Spice Cake Mix
What Are Golden Grahams Called Now
First launched in the UK in 1984 under the brand Cinnamon Toast Crunch, before a name change to Cinnamon Grahams, and became a sister brand to the Iconic Golden Grahams cereal, but in 1998, the cinnamon square broke away to become its final form, Curiously Cinnamon, a standalone brand that has stood strong ever since.
Wait Arent Golden Grahams Vegan
It is well known that processed foods should be avoided as much as possible. As a mother I love giving my daughter fun breakfasts but we typically avoid cereal because of the added sugar and additives. The question is should we avoid it for ethical reasons too?
Here is what I discovered: Golden Grahams contain a high amount of sugar that in processing has been filtered with bone char , preservatives and in the United States, vitamin D3 which comes from sheeps wool . Some flavors, like Golden Grahams Crunch and Retro Recipe, also contain honey. These ingredients are recommended to be avoided by vegans, regular eaters and especially children.
Tap here to explore each of these controversial ingredients and what you should know.
Read Also: Gluten Free Devil’s Food Cake Mix
Are Golden Grahams Vegan
Golden Grahams have been branded as being A Honey of a Cereal, and being a honey graham ridged cereal. But you may be surprised to learn that normal Golden Grahams today dont even contain honey! So lets dig into whether this cereal is fully vegan or not.
Golden Grahams are generally considered vegan. However, they do contain sugar, natural flavor, and in the United States, vitamin D3. Some flavors, like Golden Grahams Crunch and Retro Recipe, also contain honey. These are all gray-area ingredients that some vegans avoid.
Below, Ill explore each of these controversial ingredients and what you should know before deciding whether to eat Golden Grahams as a vegan! Ill also share some interesting history on how this cereal not only contained honey, but also, a version of it had marshmallows!
What Does Golden Grahams Cereal Taste Like
The concept of Golden Grahams Creel came into existence after creators at Cereal partners were inspired by the combination of traditional cinnamon graham crackers and milk. This innovative breakfast cereal consists of tiny bite-sized graham cracker squares that can be eaten with milk.
When you study the ingredients, youll be surprised to know that Golden Grahams is a relatively healthy cereal having more nutritional value than an average cereal on the market.
Most of the carbohydrate and fiber content comes from the cracker itself, made from corn and whole wheat. The taste is very similar to a regular cinnamon graham cracker made sweeter by the addition of brown sugar or honey, producing a sweet maple syrup-like flavor when mixed with milk.
One cool thing to note is that only 11 grams of grain are present in one serving of Golden Grahams. The cereal also doesnt use high-fructose corn syrup and strays away from artificial colors, flavors, or ingredients.
Also Check: Are Rice Chex Gluten Free
Is Golden Grahams Cereal Dairy Free
Do Golden Grahams Have Dairy? Golden Grahams does not contain milk, lactose, or any dairy product. In fact, on my Golden Grahams box, there is not even any allergen warning for traces of milk or may contain milk. So even people with milk allergies or lactose intolerance should be okay with Golden Grahams.
Have You Heard Of Sesame Milk
Thankfully, there are now many options for people considering the switch from dairy milk to plant-based milk. Whether they are taking a stand for animal rights, are lactose intolerant or are doing so in response to the climate crisis, consumers can choose from soy, nut and seed milks.
Always on the lookout for the most sustainable products, I was recently introduced to Hope & Sesames milk.
Hope & Sesames milk is formulated to contain 8 grams of complete protein per serving, just like dairy milk. But unlike dairy milk and most milk alternative bases, sesame milk uses very little water to produce. Sesame scores big points as a sustainable crop.
Sesame is a magical seed that has been part of the human diet for over 5,000 years. It thrives in very little water and it renews the soil. Naturally pest-resistant, sesame self-pollinates and is bee friendly!
With all 9 essential amino acids, each 8-ounce glass of Hope & Sesames milk provides 8 grams of complete plant-based protein and is lower in sugar. Thats 8x more protein than almond and nut milks and 2x more protein than oat milk. All you need to do is shake and pour onto this Copycat Golden Graham Cereal!
Also Check: Foods To Avoid With Gluten
