15 Minute Easy Cereal Chevdo (Chevro)

• Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free

• Easy to make in under 15 minutes with commonly used Indian spices

The easiest way I can describe this cereal chevdo recipe is an Indian cereal trail mix. Before the 1990s when Indian grocery stores started to become more common in the US everyone would use cereal to make a spicy snack like traditional snacks made in India.  Cereal chevdo is the first spin on traditional Indian food my mom learned from her friend in the US!

An example of a traditional chevdo is Roasted Poha Chevdo.  Instead of using flattened rice (poha), other ingredients like cereal are substituted to make cereal no chevdo. Another easy snack is Sev Mamra.

The fun part of this snack is there are so many ways to make it and each family usually has its twist on it. I love my mom’s version because she uses my grandma’s special recipe for garam masala which gives the chevdo a taste of home.

Note: Chevdo is a Gujarati word. Chivda is how you say chevdo in Hindi.

Ingredients

Cereal: Any combination of cereals can be used.  Corn flakes, Rice Krispies, Multigrain Squares (like Chex), Kix, and Cheerios are all commonly used. Feel free to get creative and find your favorite way!

Dry fruits: Raisins, peanuts, cashew nuts

Note: The recipe includes a step for deep frying the nuts.  You can skip and roast the nuts if you prefer.

Potato sticks: This is optional but a lot of people commonly add it to chevdo mixes! You can use ready-made potato sticks, pieces of potato chips, or at Indian grocery stores, they sell dried potato sticks for frying. 

            Feel free to substitute another type of cereal as well!

Spices: turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala, salt, sugar and cumin coriander powder

Tips

1. If you don’t have garam masala on hand you can make a quick DIY garam masala substitute.
2. You can also use cumin powder and coriander powder separately if you don’t use it as a spice blend (common in Gujarati households).

How to Make

Heat oil for frying in a deep pan.  Once the oil is hot fry the cashews (45 seconds to 1 minute).  Take out and place on a paper towel-lined plate.  Then fry the peanuts (about 2 minutes). The peanuts will split so you know they are done.  Last, if you have raw potato sticks you can deep fry those.

Tip: If you want to check to ensure the oil is well heated you can drop 2-3 cumin seeds in the oil to see if they start sizzling!

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large pot on a stovetop on medium-high.  Once the oil is hot add the turmeric and mix.

Add in the corn flakes and rice crispies.  Mix well until coated.

Add in all the spices.  Continue mixing for about two minutes. Taste the cereal. It should be crunchy and coated with spices.  Adjust spices to your liking.

Add in peanuts, cashews, raisins, and potato sticks.  Turn gas to low heat and mix well.

Cereal chivda is ready.

Variations

As mentioned earlier, there are so many variations of cereal chevdo.  Some examples of other ingredients people add are:

• Roasted chana dal

• Curry Leaves (fried in oil)
• Fennel seeds
• Sesame seeds
• Citric acid
• Green chilies (fried in oil)
• Mustard seeds

Serving Suggestions

This is a great tea time snack. The taste of chai is complimentary to the spicy, crunchy chevdo.

Storing

If stored in a good, airtight container the cereal no chevdo can last 1-2 months. But it never lasts more than a week at my home! 😊