For many people, especially in rural areas, Dollar General is one of the closest and most convenient places to buy food. DG isn’t a full-service grocer, but it does carry a number of staple products for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. In the breakfast department, the dollar store stocks a few core items, including eggs and Pop Tarts.
Its stores also carry a handful of cereal options. Some of those are name brand cereals made by the likes of General Mills and Kellogg’s. Others are part of Dollar General’s private label, Clover Valley. Some generic cereals do a better job of matching the name brand than others, and doing a proper imitation of Cheerios is arguably one of the hardest tasks to succeed in.
Still, many grocers have their own version of either Cheerios or its popular sibling, Honey Nut Cheerios. Dollar General is no different.
Clover Valley Honey Nut Toasted Oats can be found in the Dollar General dry foods section. A 12.5 ounce box runs $1.75. At 14 cents an ounce, it’s less than the 20 cents an ounce I see Cheerios go for and is about on par in cost with other generic honey nut toasted oats. Better still, you can get the DG price in a smaller box than you would have to buy in many other places. If you want inexpensive and don’t want to buy in bulk, you won’t easily beat this.
Is it Honey Nut Cheerios? No. Is it a pretty good on its own merits? I think so. It’s crunchy and sweet, and is a better imitation of the name brand than I would have expected, especially given where I bought it. I’m a Honey Nut Cheerios fan, but I wouldn’t have a problem substituting this day in and day out.
Nutritionally, it’s a lot like the name brand. It’s got decent nutritional value, including some dietary fiber. Not surprisingly, it also has a fair amount of sugar, something you’ll more easily avoid if you go with plain toasted oats. Also, be aware that, according to the ingredients, it contains two allergens: wheat and almonds.
Nutrition and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)
The Verdict:
Dollar General Honey Nut Toasted Oats are an underrated option for a Honey Nut Cheerios substitute. They’re inexpensive, especially given that you don’t have to buy them in a family size, and they do a good enough impersonation of the name brand to be worth a look.
