The Vintage Hack That Will Make Cheerios Your Favorite Breakfast

Eating cereal with milk is so last year (or maybe last night). If you've been wallowing in a bowl of soggy sadness since before you can remember — or you think milk doesn't belong anywhere near your cereal in the first place — it's high time you turn the page on the retro cookbook of truly living, and pour your Cheerios straight into the frying pan.

Invented in 1941 and debuting as "CheeriOats," Cheerios hit shelves with all the fanfare that dry, whole grain oat-shaped circles could muster. (Sorry, I fell asleep just thinking about that.) Still, to traditional mid-century oatmeal fans, ready-to-eat Cheerios were the greatest thing since sliced bread. Then, 40 years later, the 1980s were like, "But can you fry it, though?" The answer was yes, and the popular hack was born. Everyone and their grandma popped a pat of butter in a pan, and basically sautéed the cereal until it was golden brown and positively bursting with flavor. A sprinkle of salt, and those savory Hot Buttered O's were done in minutes. (Now, you can air-fry 'em in five.)

These days, modern spins lend even more flavor than the OG. Fry up mini doughnut energy by adding vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar; lean into the popcorn vibe with a little garlic, white cheddar, or parmesan; or elevate a basic box of Apple Cinnamon Cheerios by frying a few cups with apple pie spice, maple syrup, and a chopped, fresh apple for a decidedly pie-like treat you can scoop into your hands.

We've come a long way since 1980-something, celebrating global innovations in science, information, technology, and — most importantly — cereal. No longer are we restricted to riffing on plain Cheerios. It's the 2020-whatevers and we do what we want. And what we want is — all of the cereal.

Fry up enough cereal for a crowd by grabbing your top five favorite brands, and going to town on the sautéing. For a little inspiration, you can look to none other than modern kitsch guru, chef, historian, and entertainer, Charles Phoenix, to throw together the party bowl of the mid-century. For his snacktastic recipe, he combines six cups of cereal with a half-stick of salted butter, using single-serve boxes of Honey Smacks, Cocoa Krispies, Corn Flakes, Froot Loops, Corn Pops, and Frosted Flakes. But you can use any flavor you like, including your favorite gluten-free cereals. A variety of rainbow shapes and textures maxes out the fun, but the chic tones of all-chocolate or neutral cereals would satisfy the craving just as well.

But hold onto your Honey Bunches of Oats. An important step that's often left out of this retro method involves dusting off your cereal before adding it to your melted butter. All that sugary powder left in the bottom of the box that typically leads to sacred, leftover "cereal milk," creates a far less delicious result when mixed with butter. If you don't want to accidentally fry up "cereal sludge," gently shake your dry cereal using a fine mesh strainer before adding it to the pan, and set that floury sediment aside as a future ice cream topping. With a little butter, a frying pan, and your best box of Cheerios, you can finally enjoy cereal for dinner, dessert, snacks, or as your new favorite breakfast — any time of day.