How to Use Up Leftover Cereal

Not enough for a bowl? Don't throw it away.

Breakfast cereal can be expensive and costs continue to rise. One way to get the most out of your cereal budget is by using every last crumb of cereal. So if you have a box of cereal that's just about empty, don't throw it away. Try these tips to use up leftover cereal instead.

Things You'll Need

• Leftover cereal

Instructions

1. If you have several almost-empty boxes of cereal, combine them for a flavorful blend that your brood might enjoy more than the originals.

2. Unsweetened varieties of leftover cereal can be crushed and interchanged with breadcrumbs in all of your favorite recipes. Try cornflakes as topping for your casseroles. Shredded wheat makes a crunchy crust for fried chicken.

3. While you probably would not use fruity circles to top your mac and cheese, do not discard those either. Bits of leftover sweetened cereal make an interesting addition to your favorite cookie or muffin recipes.

4. Crush up leftover cereal very finely and use it to mix into waffle or pancake batter or bread dough. Or don't crush it quite as fine and use it to sprinkle onto ice cream or yogurt for a crunchy treat.

5. You know that powdery remnant you are often left with when the cereal is gone? Use it to “dust” raisins before packing them in baggies for lunches so they are not as sticky. You can also use it to coat chocolate chips or raisins before mixing into your wet ingredients when baking. This will keep them from sinking to the bottom of the mix.

Tips & Warnings

• Stale cereal can be used for most of these tips as well.