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Cinnamon Toast Crunch Iced Coffee Recipe
Soak Cinnamon Toast Crunch in oat milk. Strain it into Churro Coffee over ice. Top with a handful of dry cereal. This cinnamon toast crunch iced coffee recipe tastes exactly like the bowl — and looks like a $9 coffee shop drink that costs about $1.50 at home.
The Cereal Milk Technique Is the Whole Move.
- Soaking the cereal in oat milk first pulls the cinnamon-sugar flavor directly into the milk — so every sip tastes like the bottom of the bowl
- Churro Coffee already has cinnamon-sugar built into the roast, so the cereal milk amplifies what's already there rather than fighting it
- The dry cereal on top adds crunch and looks completely unhinged in the best way
- Ten minutes of soaking, five minutes to build — mornings have never been sweeter
The Java Momma Twist: Churro Coffee is the right call here — the cinnamon-sugar notes baked into the roast echo the cereal milk so the whole drink tastes like one intentional thing rather than coffee with cereal poured on top. Brew it strong and cold. Weak coffee disappears into cereal milk immediately.
What You'll Need
For the Cereal Milk (make this first):
- 4 oz oat milk
- 1 cup Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal
For the Cinnamon Simple Syrup (keeps 2 weeks in fridge):
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cinnamon sticks
To Build the Drink:
- 6 oz strong brewed Churro Coffee, cooled
- 1–2 Tbsp cinnamon simple syrup
- Cereal milk (from above), strained
- Crushed ice
- Small handful Cinnamon Toast Crunch, for garnish
How To Make It
Step 1 — Make the Cinnamon Simple Syrup
- Combine and simmer. Add water, sugar, and cinnamon sticks to a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar fully dissolves — about 3 minutes.
- Steep and cool. Simmer on low for 5 more minutes to infuse the cinnamon. Remove from heat, cool completely, and strain out the cinnamon sticks. Store in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Step 2 — Make the Cereal Milk
- Soak the cereal. Pour 4 oz oat milk over 1 cup of Cinnamon Toast Crunch in a bowl or glass. Let it soak for 10 minutes — the cereal will soften and release its cinnamon-sugar flavor into the milk.
- Strain directly into your glass. Pour the soaked cereal and milk through a fine mesh strainer directly into your glass of ice, pressing gently on the cereal to extract all the flavored milk. The leftover soggy cereal can be discarded — it's done its job.
Step 3 — Build the Drink
- Add the syrup. Stir 1–2 Tbsp cinnamon simple syrup into the cereal milk and ice.
- Pour the coffee. Pour the cooled brewed Churro Coffee slowly over the top. It'll layer beautifully over the cereal milk.
- Top with cereal. Add a small handful of dry Cinnamon Toast Crunch on top. Serve immediately with a wide straw before the cereal softens.
Timing tip: The dry cereal garnish on top softens quickly — serve and drink immediately for the best texture contrast between the crunchy cereal and the cold coffee beneath it.
Swaps & Permission Slips
- No oat milk? Whole milk produces a slightly creamier cereal milk. Almond milk works but thins out slightly — the cereal flavor still comes through, just lighter.
- Skip the homemade syrup? Store-bought cinnamon syrup works fine here. The cereal milk is doing most of the flavor work — the syrup just reinforces it.
- Want it stronger? Brew the Churro Coffee at double strength or use cold brew concentrate. The cereal milk is sweet enough to handle a bolder coffee base.
- No Churro Coffee? Any medium roast with warm or sweet notes works — but you lose the cinnamon-sugar echo that makes the drink feel intentional rather than accidental.
- Add sweetened condensed milk? A small drizzle in the glass before adding the cereal milk turns this into a full dessert drink. Completely optional, completely worth it.
- Love the cereal milk technique? Try it with Lucky Charms for a marshmallow-forward version — same method, completely different flavor. Lucky Charms Cereal Milk Iced Latte recipe here.
The cinnamon toast crunch iced coffee recipe is one of those drinks that sounds like a novelty and tastes like something you'll make every week. The cereal milk technique works — and once you try it you'll start wondering what else you can soak in oat milk. That's a Tuesday problem. Make the coffee first.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is cereal milk and how do you make it?
Cereal milk is milk that's been soaked with cereal long enough to absorb the flavor — the same phenomenon as the sweet, flavored milk left at the bottom of a cereal bowl. To make it, pour your milk of choice over a cup of cereal and let it soak for 10 minutes. Strain out the soggy cereal and what's left is flavored, sweetened milk ready to use as a latte base. Cinnamon Toast Crunch produces a cinnamon-sugar milk that pairs naturally with coffee.
Does the Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal get soggy on top?
Yes — relatively quickly, which is why this drink should be served and consumed immediately after building. The dry cereal garnish gives you a window of about 5 minutes before it softens noticeably. If you want to extend the crunch, keep the cereal separate and add it right before you hand the drink to someone. The softened cereal is still fine — it just loses the texture contrast that makes the garnish interesting.
What coffee works best in a Cinnamon Toast Crunch iced coffee?
A coffee with cinnamon-sugar or warm spice notes works best — it should feel like part of the drink rather than a separate element the cereal milk has to fight against. Java Momma's Churro Coffee is ideal because the cinnamon-sugar character is already in the roast and amplifies the cereal milk naturally. Brew it strong — the cereal milk is sweet and the coffee needs to hold its own.
Can I make the cereal milk ahead of time?
Yes — strained cereal milk keeps in the fridge for up to 2 days in a sealed jar. The flavor actually intensifies slightly overnight. Make a batch in the evening and the drink is a 3-minute build in the morning. Give it a quick stir before using as it can settle slightly.
Can I use regular milk instead of oat milk?
Yes — whole milk produces a slightly creamier cereal milk with a more traditional flavor. Oat milk is the preferred base because its natural sweetness and creamy texture complement the cinnamon-sugar cereal particularly well, and it's already a common coffee milk. Either works — the cereal does the flavor work regardless of which milk you start with.
