By CostcoFan | Updated June 2026
Item #1877258 | Catalina Crunch Cinnamon Toast Cereal | 24 oz bag | $12.99 regular, sale price as low as $9.00, clearance as low as $6.97 | Available at 480+ Costco warehouses
If you’ve walked past the cereal aisle at Costco in the last year or two, you’ve seen the big black bag of Catalina Crunch Cinnamon Toast. It’s one of those products that splits Costco shoppers into two loud camps: the people who throw 3 bags in the cart every visit and the people who think it tastes like sweetened cardboard. I’ll tell you up front which camp I’m in — I’ve bought this bag close to 50 times, and there’s a reason I keep coming back to it. But I also get why the other camp exists, and which one you land in depends entirely on what you think a “cereal” is supposed to do.
Here’s the honest breakdown from someone who actually eats this stuff on the regular: what’s in the bag, what it really costs (regular, sale, and clearance prices), how I actually eat it, the legitimate downsides, and whether it’s worth $12.99.
This article contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, CostcoFan earns from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
What You’re Getting
The Costco bag is the Catalina Crunch Cinnamon Toast Cereal in a 24 oz size (Item #1877258). Specs:
- 24 oz (1.5 lb) resealable bag — same cereal you’d find at the grocery store, just in a much bigger format
- 11g protein per ½ cup serving (from pea protein)
- 9g fiber per serving (32% daily value)
- 0g sugar (sweetened with stevia and monk fruit)
- 5g net carbs per serving — which is why this is a keto-aisle staple
- 110 calories per serving
- Gluten-free, grain-free, plant-based, non-GMO, vegan, diabetic-friendly
So it’s a cereal designed to not be cereal in the traditional sense — no wheat, no rice, no oats, no sugar. The flakes are built from pea protein, potato fiber, corn fiber, chicory root fiber, tapioca flour, and high-oleic sunflower oil. That’s the explanation for both the macros (genuinely excellent) and the texture (denser and crunchier than the cereal it’s mimicking).
How I Actually Eat It
Let me get personal here, because this is the part that separates a spec sheet from a real review — and it’s the thing most articles about this cereal can’t tell you.
I don’t eat this like traditional cereal. My go-to move is small bowls after dinner — I’ll grab a little bowl, add just a splash of almond milk (not a full pour), and go back for several rounds throughout the evening. It scratches the “I want something sweet after dinner” itch without the sugar crash, which is the entire point of a 0g-sugar cereal. I’ve genuinely eaten it this way more nights than I can count.
The other way I crush this bag: dry, by the handful, as a straight-up snack. It’s crunchy, lightly sweet, and honestly works better as a dry snack than half the “snack” products in the warehouse. When I want something to munch on, this is in the rotation.
And here’s the thing I can tell you from real experience that the skeptics get wrong: it stays crunchy in milk. A lot of cereals turn to mush the second they hit liquid — this one doesn’t. Because the flakes are dense and built from pea protein rather than airy grain, they hold their crunch even after sitting in almond milk. For me that’s a feature, not a bug. If you hate soggy cereal, this is your friend.
How Much Does Catalina Crunch Cost at Costco?
This is where the article actually pays off, because the Costco price on this one moves around a lot — and knowing the range tells you whether to grab it now or wait. I’ve bought it at all three price points over the years, so here’s the real range:
Regular price: $12.99 for the 24 oz bag. That works out to $0.54/oz. Not cheap — at a single-box grocery store comparison this is roughly $9.99 for a 9 oz box ($1.11/oz), so you’re already paying about half the per-ounce price by buying the Costco bag. But $12.99 is still real money for cereal.
Sale price: as low as $9.00. This hits Costco’s monthly instant savings circulars semi-regularly. At $9.00 for 24 oz that’s $0.375/oz — the price where I stock up.
Clearance price: $6.97 (the “.97 ending”). Every once in a while a warehouse runs this down to $6.97 to clear inventory ahead of restock or a flavor switch. That’s $0.29/oz — about a quarter of grocery-store per-ounce pricing. When I see the “.97” tag, I grab multiple bags. The seal is good and it stores well in the pantry.
Quick math: the bag is 12 servings (½ cup each). At regular price that’s $1.08 per serving. At sale price, $0.75. At clearance, $0.58. For 11g of protein and 9g of fiber per serving, the clearance price is borderline absurd.
Worth It or Overpriced?
Honest take from a repeat buyer: at $12.99 regular, this is fairly priced but not exciting. You’re paying for the macros, the gluten-free formulation, and the Costco convenience — and the per-ounce price still beats single-box grocery pricing. Fair, not thrilling.
At $9.00 on sale, it’s a clear buy if you eat this stuff regularly like I do. I stack 2-3 bags.
At $6.97 clearance, it’s one of the better grocery deals in the warehouse. Stack the cart. The Costco price beats Amazon’s subscription price and absolutely buries the per-bag price at Target, Whole Foods, and Sprouts.
Where this product genuinely doesn’t make sense: if you’re expecting it to taste like Cinnamon Toast Crunch. It doesn’t, and it never will. Go in with that expectation and you’ll be disappointed. Go in understanding it’s a high-protein, no-sugar cereal alternative — basically a crunchy snack — and you’ll probably end up like me, buying it on repeat. As always: different products for different people.
What Else People Do With It
The after-dinner bowls and dry snacking are my personal habit, but Catalina Crunch has a whole community of quiet superfans, and most of them don’t eat it as a traditional bowl-with-milk cereal either. Here are the most common uses, roughly in order of how often they come up:
- Sprinkled on Greek yogurt (full review here) with berries — the #1 reported use. Adds protein, fiber, and crunch to a yogurt bowl without dumping sugar on top. This is the use that turns skeptics into repeat buyers.
- As a granola replacement in yogurt parfaits or overnight oats.
- By the handful as a sweet snack — my move, and a lot of other people’s too. No milk required.
- Pulsed into a cheesecake crust or crumble topping — add butter and a bit of sweetener for a low-sugar crust. A frequently cited “best use” hack.
- Mixed with another cereal — half this, half regular, to cut the sugar load while keeping the flavor of the cereal you like.
- Smoothie or protein-shake topper — adds crunch and fiber.
- As a “dessert” before bed — when you want something sweet without derailing the day. The 0g sugar is the whole point (this overlaps with my after-dinner routine).
- Trail mix add-in — with nuts, raisins, and chocolate chips for kids’ snacks.
- With protein milk (Fairlife, Carbmaster, etc.) — pushes the protein per bowl over 20g, making it a legit post-workout option.
If you’ve been eyeing this bag wondering “but do I really want a bowl of keto cereal,” the honest answer for a lot of people is “you want it as a yogurt topper or a dry snack.” That’s what pays off the bag.
The Honest Cons
I love this cereal, but I’d be doing you a disservice if I only wrote the positive side. Here’s what’s real:
The taste is divisive. This is the most repeated criticism, and it’s fair. People expecting Cinnamon Toast Crunch will be disappointed. There’s a stevia/monk-fruit sweetener note that some people taste strongly and others (me included) barely notice. The only way to know your camp is to try a bowl.
Some people find it chalky — and I’ll be honest about that. A common knock is a slightly chalky or dry mouthfeel. I get where it comes from, but here’s my take after eating it dozens of times: basically every dry, high-protein cereal has some texture quirk — it’s the nature of a grain-free, pea-protein flake. It genuinely doesn’t bother me, and a splash of almond milk softens it right out. If you’re extremely texture-sensitive it’s worth knowing about, but I think it gets overstated by people comparing it to sugary grain cereal, which is a different thing entirely.
The coating can come off in milk if you drown it. A few people note the cinnamon coating dissolves into the milk, leaving plainer flakes. My fix is the same reason I use just a splash of almond milk instead of a full bowl — less milk, problem solved, and you keep the crunch.
The ingredient list is engineered. Pea protein, chicory root fiber, guar gum, natural flavors — that’s the trade-off for “high protein, high fiber, zero sugar.” If “minimally processed” is your standard, this isn’t that, and that’s a fair criticism even from fans like me. Also note: chicory root fiber is high FODMAP, so people with IBS/FODMAP sensitivities often don’t tolerate it well.
$12.99 is a lot for cereal if you’re not the target buyer. The sale price is the real price. Try a bag on sale before committing.
Is Catalina Crunch Available at Costco? (Availability)
Catalina Crunch lives in the center grocery aisles, usually near the cereals and bars rather than any keto-specific section. As of the latest in-store checks, it’s stocked at roughly 480 of 609 reporting Costco warehouses (about 79%), so most locations carry it — but it’s not a guaranteed item, and it cycles in and out as Costco rotates SKUs. The fastest way to check yours: look up Item #1877258 in the Costco app (Warehouse tab) before you drive over.
Two things I’ve learned from buying this for years:
It goes through “is it gone?” phases. More than once I’ve thought Costco dropped it entirely, only for it to reappear a few weeks later — sometimes at a lower introductory price. So if your warehouse doesn’t have it today, check again in a month before giving up.
Flavors vary by region and over time. Cinnamon Toast is the Costco mainstay, but Costco has carried and rotated out Chocolate Banana, Maple Waffle, Cinnamon Bun, Blueberry Muffin, and Honey Graham at different points. The other flavors are usually only on Amazon or the Catalina Crunch website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is Catalina Crunch at Costco?
The regular price is $12.99 for the 24 oz bag (Item #1877258). On sale it drops to around $9.00, and clearance pricing goes as low as $6.97. Pricing varies by region.
Is Catalina Crunch still available at Costco?
Yes, as of June 2026 it’s stocked at roughly 480 of 609 Costco warehouses. It does cycle in and out, so check Item #1877258 in the Costco app for your local warehouse, but it’s a regular Costco item, not a one-time buy.
How many servings are in the Costco Catalina Crunch bag?
12 servings per 24 oz bag (½ cup per serving). At regular price that’s about $1.08 per serving; on sale about $0.75.
Is Catalina Crunch keto-friendly?
Yes. 5g net carbs per serving (14g total carbohydrate minus 9g fiber), 0g sugar, 11g protein. It’s one of the more popular cereals for keto, low-carb, or diabetic-friendly eating.
Does it stay crunchy in milk?
In my experience, yes — better than most cereals. The dense pea-protein flakes hold their crunch even after sitting in milk, which is one of the main reasons I keep buying it. Use less milk (a splash, not a full pour) and it stays crunchy throughout.
Does Catalina Crunch taste chalky?
Some people describe a slightly chalky or dry texture. After eating it dozens of times, my honest take is that it’s typical of any grain-free, high-protein cereal, and a splash of almond milk smooths it out. It doesn’t bother me, but if you’re very texture-sensitive, it’s worth trying a bag on sale first.
Does Catalina Crunch contain real cinnamon toast crunch ingredients?
No. There’s no wheat, no rice, and no traditional cereal grains. The flakes are made from pea protein, potato fiber, corn fiber, chicory root fiber, tapioca flour, and high-oleic sunflower oil, sweetened with stevia and monk fruit. It mimics the flavor but is a completely different product underneath.
Is Costco’s Catalina Crunch cheaper than Amazon or the grocery store?
At regular Costco price ($12.99 for 24 oz / $0.54 per oz), yes — most grocery stores sell the 9 oz box for $7.99–9.99 ($0.89–$1.11 per oz). Amazon’s Subscribe & Save is often close to Costco’s regular price, but Costco’s sale and clearance prices ($9.00 and $6.97) beat Amazon comfortably
Where to Buy
Costco In-Store: $12.99 regular / as low as $6.97 clearance (Item #1877258) — stocked at roughly 480 of 609 warehouses; check your local aisle.
Catalina Crunch Cinnamon Toast Cereal, 9 oz Box on Amazon → The standard grocery-store size if you want to test the flavor before committing to the 24 oz Costco bag.
Catalina Crunch Protein Cereal – Dark Chocolate – 9 oz. Bag on Amazon → GUILT-FREE DARK CHOCOLATE BLISS: Chocolate lovers, this is your stop. Premium ingredients sweetened with stevia and monk fruit make for a healthier breakfast food or afternoon snack.
Catalina Crunch Protein Snack Mix with Cheese Crisps on Amazon → Same brand, snack format. Lots of Costco buyers who loved the cereal also stock the snack mixes when Costco isn’t carrying them in-warehouse.
Fairlife Nutrition Plan High Protein Shake, Vanilla, 12-Pack on Amazon → The high-protein milk a lot of Catalina Crunch buyers use to push a bowl past 20g of protein — turns the cereal into a real post-workout option.
(As an Amazon Associate, CostcoFan earns from qualifying purchases.)
Follow CostcoFan for more Costco finds:
This article contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, CostcoFan earns from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. CostcoFan is not affiliated with Costco Wholesale Corporation or Catalina Crunch.
Related Posts:
I buy Catalina Crunch regularly at COSTCO. Unfortunately all of the COSTCOs in the Long Beach and Orange County area have been out of stock for months now. This happens every time they run out. I’ve seen the product at grocery stores, but the bag is less than half the weight and the price is too high. I emailed the company and urging them to restock their cereal at COSTCO. I hope it returns soon.
This is one of those products that tend to go in an out of stock. I can think of 3-5 products our family buys where this happens. It’s on the shelf for 2 months & then gone for 2 months. I usually buy 3-5 bags at a time. I understand where your coming from. Sounds like you check the other Costco’s as well, which was going to be my recommendation. Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done except keep checking the local Costco’s. Yes, the price is WAY higher when purchased anywhere else!