Cinnamon Pebbles Cereal Review: An Unimaginative Rendition Of The Fruity Favorite

The new Cinnamon Pebbles cereal is nearing release, and if I'm honest, I'm not sure how I feel about it. Set to hit shelves in select markets in December and nationwide on January 1, 2026, Post describes the cereal as infused with cinnamon and vanilla, claiming it to be the "fun" flavor that fans all over have been waiting for. 

If you're anything like me, Fruity Pebbles was your jam back in the day; nothing quite beats sitting down with a bowl of rainbow-colored rice to start what's bound to be a lazy, cartoon-studded Saturday. I might be alone here, but to me, replacing all of that artificially flavored yumminess with a simple combination of cinnamon and vanilla sounds a bit boring. Sure, Cinnamon Toast Crunch had a similar flavor profile (and was also one of the throwback '90s cereals with the least amount of sugar), but let's be honest, it was totally delish. Cinnamon Pebbles, though? Eh, I'm not so sure.

Being the trooper that I am, I decided to give the new Cinnamon Pebbles a shot despite my initial hesitation. Will it have all the irresistible flavor of some of the other popular store-bought cinnamon cereals we all know and love? Read on to find out. I'm sharing my honest thoughts on the new Cinnamon Pebbles cereal release coming up next.

Cinnamon Pebbles cereal is the new, annoyingly mature spin on the classic Fruity Pebbles cereal. Set for national release in January 2026, it offers fans the same "pebbles" look and texture, but with a cinnamon twist. According to the brand, the cereal comes in three sizes: the regular 11-ounce size, a family size at 19 ½ ounces, and even an individual 2-ounce cup. 

​Something else to note about Cinnamon Pebbles cereal is that it's free of wheat, making it yet another store-bought gluten-free cereal option for folks to enjoy. Also, like many old-school breakfast cereals out there, Cinnamon Pebbles is fortified with vitamins, including 50% your daily recommended value of folate and as much as 80% of Vitamin B12. Even so, beware of its high sugar content — despite being wheatless and packed with vitamins, this cereal still contains 12 grams of sugar per cup, making it quite a sweet endeavor for an early morning breakfast. ​

​Cinnamon Pebbles was everything I expected to be: a dull, lifeless rendition of the original. After pouring the cereal into a bowl, I was immediately caught off guard by its appearance — though made of crisped rice, it actually looked more like granola. Cinnamon Pebbles is not granola, of course, but the cinnamon used worked to project a very sad and boring appearance.

​I reluctantly twisted the lid off my carton of milk, poured it into the bowl, and grabbed a spoon. At first bite, the texture of Cinnamon Pebbles is as you'd expect — it's crispy and crunchy, just like the original Fruity Pebbles. It's weird, though; although I know the cereal is made of rice, its granola-esque look tricked my brain into thinking it should also have a pleasing granola flavor. It didn't, but that wasn't the issue. The real problem here is its sweetness.

Oh, my goodness, how could anyone enjoy a cereal this darn sweet? I get that the original Fruity Pebbles isn't exactly the healthiest, but the sugary taste of Cinnamon Pebbles is next level; so much so that I had trouble taking another bite.

So, is Cinnamon Pebbles cereal worth the purchase? Not hardly. After tasting it, I sat there, silently trying to convince myself to finish the bowl as the milk slowly turned slimy from the leftover Pebble mush. Don't get me wrong; I can enjoy a good cinnamon cereal when done right. As for Cinnamon Pebbles cereal, it's simply too sweet.  There also isn't anything interesting about its cinnamon flavor — I mean, I can definitely taste the cinnamon, but it's nothing I'd jump and click my heels about.

​If I could offer a respectful piece of advice to the Post brand, it'd be to please back off the sweet. Better yet, just nix the whole cinnamon concept altogether; releases that stay true to the original, like Krispy Kreme's Fruity Pebbles Milk Glazed Doughnut, work so much better, and those of us who love Fruity Pebbles won't give up its energetic flavor for something as low-key as cinnamon and vanilla — I won't, anyway.