A comparative analysis was performed on 14 samples of different assortments of domestic and foreign cereal flakes. There were analysed Polish oat flakes (instant, organic, mountain, and plain), standard flakes produced from grains of different cereals (oats, barley, millet, wheat, spelt, rye, and buckwheat), and plain oat flakes manufactured in different countries (English, German, Polish, Slovak, and Swedish flakes). The colour of the flakes was determined using a reflectance colorimeter, and the water absorption thereof by a drip and centrifugal method. A comparative sensory analysis was carried out on raw and cooked cereals using a point method (rating: max 100 pts). As regards their physical characteristics, the cereals tested were little differentiated; the differences were mainly in the colour of product. The millet flakes were characterized by the brightest colour and the wheat and spelt flakes by the darkest colour. Irrespective of the method applied, the water absorption of the majority of samples ranged from approx. 100 to over 200 g per 100 g of flakes. Only in the case of the water absorption of buckwheat flakes measured by a centrifugal method, its value was above 400 g/100 g. In the sensory analysis, the overall score rated was above 50/100 points for all the studied flakes. The results of the sensory evaluation were statistically significantly differentiated. The highest sensory acceptance (in terms of the number of points scored) received the plain oat flakes of the Polish, Slovak and English origin, whereas the lowest: the millet, wheat (including spelt), and rye flakes. The results of the overall sensory evaluation were impacted, to a great extent, by the size of raw flakes and the scores awarded to the features of the cooked flakes, i.e. the sensation in the mouth and shape.