Kamala Harris' Go-To Breakfast Is An Underrated Cereal

When it comes to the eating habits of people in the public eye, we're utterly fascinated. This is particularly interesting when it comes to top-ranking politicians. With breakfast being the most important meal of the day, how these high-profile individuals fuel their mornings actually does matter. President Ulysses S. Grant's favorite breakfast food of vinegar-soaked cucumbers and black coffee was rather unique — while the 12 ounces of steak that President Taft ate for breakfast daily was considered excessive by his physician. President Joe Biden's regular breakfast is either eggs or cereal, with the occasional breakfast burrito when traveling. Similarly, Vice President Kamala Harris' morning meal also consists of a plain bowl of cereal.

Now that Harris is running for president, we're even more curious about what she likes. As for what kind of cereal the White House would stock should she become commander in chief, she told The Cut in 2018 that her go-to breakfast cereal is Raisin Bran with almond milk, which she follows with a cup of lemony tea, sweetened with honey.

Raisin Bran is generally thought of as nutritious thanks to whole grains and wheat bran, but its high sugar content can be a bit deceiving. While it's a good source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals, especially iron, a one-cup serving of raisin bran can contain as much as half of the recommended daily sugar intake. Harris seems well aware of this, however, mentioning to The Cut that she buys a generic variety without much sugar.

Even though Kamala Harris' breakfast is cereal, she's an avid home cook. Her preferred mode of relaxation is to cozy up to a good cookbook (via The Cut), which she has an aficionado-level collection of. When Harris appeared on the "Jennifer Hudson Show," she revealed that she'd started writing down her recipes because, one day, she'd like to publish her own cookbook (via YouTube).

Harris' love for cooking (and breakfast) started at an early age. In 2020, she tweeted: "In third grade[,] I loved to make scrambled eggs topped with cheese in the shape of a smiley face." Today, preparing and cooking Sunday dinners for her family is one of her all-time favorite things, and it's something that gives her joy and keeps her grounded. During the peak of the pandemic, she shared in an Instagram post that "During difficult times[,] I have always turned to cooking," along with her recipe for cornbread dressing.

She even had her own YouTube cooking series called "Cooking With Kamala." In one episode, she schooled Senator Mark Warner on how to make a proper tuna melt after the one he made previously was unanimously panned online. In another episode, she wowed the internet with her ability to expertly crack an egg one-handed, and in her video featuring Tom Colicchio, the chef was thoroughly impressed with Harris' onion cooking hack. She also had chef José Andréson preparing tofu, and Ayesha Curry making Rasta pasta.

Kamala Harris' mother told her as a child that since she loved eating, she needed to learn how to cook. She did, in fact, learn by watching her mom, who cooked from memory rather than writing down her recipes (via YouTube). Harris featured one of her mother's breakfast specialties on her cooking show: bacon-fried apples — with crispy bacon, chopped apples, nutmeg, and bourbon cooked down until caramelized. She then served the mouthwatering concoction over pancakes topped with butter and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Harris also got her love of South Indian cuisine from her mother, a passion and heritage she shares with actress Mindy Kaling (per YouTube). The two came together on "Cooking With Kamala" to make masala dosas — which are crepe-like wraps filled with potato curry. Harris noted that she grew up eating a lot of potato curry, as well as idli –soft and spongy rice cakes traditionally eaten for breakfast. They're made from a batter of ground rice and black lentils, which is first fermented and then steamed. Along with raisin bran, idli is Harris' other favorite breakfast food, served alongside sambar (lentil stew) for dipping.

Come election day, Vice President Harris may very well become Madam President. After all, as she stated in her interview for Forbes' "50 Over 50" list, her mantra for facing the challenge of being underestimated or undervalued, whether it be for her age or her gender, is: "I eat 'no' for breakfast."