11 Uses For Stale Cereal

Stale cereal is a given, in any household.� Maybe the kids didn’t like it, or there wasn’t enough for a full bowl.

Either way, you have to throw it out (which is wasting more money and we here at SAHM aren’t fans of that!) or find a way to use it.

So long as it isn’t completely rancid there are things that can be done with it. Here are ten ideas that we’ve come up with to make the most out of our left over cereal.

Apple Crumble

Use as a topping for home-made Apple Crumble. Once baked sprinkle with some sugar and cinnamon and you would never know it was even stale.

Chicken Schnitzels

Use stale cornflakes for crumbing your own Chicken Schnitzels.

Bird Food

If it’s really stale and not a sugary cereal you can use it to feed the birds.

Muffin Mix

Make stale cereal muffins. Just loosely grind some stale cereal and add to a muffin mix. Just a different spin on bran muffins really. It’s best to avoid cereals with fruits in it as they tend to get stuck in the blender.

Everyday Baking

Stale cereal can be used in everything from cookies to cakes with success. Give it a go! You might be pleasantly surprised. If it has dried fruits etc. in it you can also soak it in brandy for a yummy spin on a fruit cake.

Flour Substitute

High fibre cereal can be crushed finely to create a “flour” and used as a substitute for one quarter of the regular white flour in most recipes.

Dessert Topper

Crushed cereal can be added to in a bowl or as a topping for sundaes, yoghurt or icecream

Breadcrumb Substitute

Blend up plain stale cereals and use as bread crumbs

Reheat and Reuse

Did you know that you�can refresh chewy cereal by putting it in the oven for 3-5 minutes at 150 degrees Celsius. Simply place on a tray lined with baking paper and be careful not to burn it. Leave to cool and then store in an airtight container. It will stay fresh for another few days.

Art and Craft

Use stale fruit loops, Cheerio’s or any cereal with holes in it for the kids to make play jewellery and crafts out of. If you are worried about ants etc. simply spray them with an aerosol sealant.

In The Garden

Even the oldest and stalest cereal is good enough for composting.

Clare Whitfield Chief Editor

Clare Whitfield is the Editor of Stay at Home Mum and a recognised voice in practical home management for Australian families. Based in the northern suburbs of Sydney, she balances editorial leadership with life as a stay at home mum to two school age children. Her background in home economics and more than a decade of experience in recipe development, family budgeting, and household systems inform her work.

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