Homemade Chex Mix

Homemade Chex mix is a salty, savory snack that’s easy to make and addictive! The cereals, pretzels and peanuts, plus a buttery sauce to coat it, makes for a great snack on game day, for parties and at the holidays.

 

Tomorrow we get to bring home our new puppy, a chocolate lab we've named Sadie, and I can hardly wait!

She has the sweetest little face and is such a good snuggler. (We've gotten to visit her twice since her litter was born.)

The kiddos are ecstatic, the house is as prepped as it can be, and our 12-year-old current dog has no idea what's coming for her.

I imagine these first few weeks will be a little, um, intense, as we work on potty training and crate training and getting her acclimated. It's been a long time since I've had a puppy - or even a child - I had to watch like a hawk or possibly wake up with in the middle of the night, so that will be an adjustment.

But those puppy kisses and little butt wiggles when they are so excited to see you, oh, those are the best!

OK, on to the food so I can distract myself from all the excitement!

Today’s recipe for homemade Chex mix is a holiday classic in my family.

It’s something we’ve made every year since I was little, and it just wouldn’t be Christmas without some of this snack mix on hand. (It's always part of my mom and I's baking day tradition.)

In fact, it’s one of those holiday classics for us that always gets stored in the same container. Does your family have those?

There was always a certain holiday tin for my grandmother’s chocolate chip brownies, another one for my family’s classic chocolate chip cookies, a different one for our sugar cookies, etc.

And this Chex mix had its own - very large - plastic container with a lid. I can even picture my Dad sneaking in to the corner of the kitchen to pop open the lid and grab a handful. I did the same thing.

This homemade Chex mix is addictive! It’s the perfect combination of salty and crunchy and savory and delicious.

And I’m definitely one of those who likes to hand pick my bites so I get the perfect amount of Chex cereal, pretzels, Cheerios and peanuts in each bite.

Nom, nom, nom. You can’t beat this combo!

Plus, I think it’s really nice to have something salty and savory to go along with all the cookies and sweets around the holidays. Sugar overload is fun and all, but a little balance is good, too, right?

(If you want to straddle the middle, check out these sweet and spicy roasted pecans. Another holiday fave! Or go all sweet with this reindeer chow that's so irresistible!)

But of course, this Chex mix recipe is great to make any time of year. Whether it’s for game day or sleepovers or backyard parties, everyone will be happily digging in!

OK, let’s get cooking so you can get your snack on.

Now, I’ve got some notes and substitutions coming up on how to make Chex mix. I also answer a few FAQs. Just tryin’ to be helpful.

If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.

What do I need to make homemade Chex mix?

Here are the ingredients you’ll need: butter, Worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt, garlic powder, Crispix cereal or rice and corn Chex, wheat Chex, Cheerios, pretzels and peanuts.

So that’s what goes into it. Let’s talk about making it.

You basically make the buttery spice mixture in the pan - so easy, no extra clean-up - then just add in all the mix-ins and stir it really, really well.

You want to get everything well coated and well mixed.

Then it’s ready for the oven!

How long do you cook Chex mix?

You’ll need to bake your mix for 1 hour at 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Be sure to remove it every 15 minutes and give it a good stir so everything cooks evenly.

OK, let’s get to some substitutions and other tips.

Ingredient Notes:

• Crispix: My mom discovered years ago that she could buy a single box of Crispix cereal, which is half corn and half rice, instead of buying boxes of both corn Chex and rice Chex. This is our go-to now, but feel free to go either way.
• Wheat Chex: This adds a bit more heartiness and is traditional in Chex mix. If you really dislike it, you could just substitute more Crispix or more corn or rice Chex in its place.
• Pretzels: We like the short, thin pretzel sticks for our Chex mix. You could also substitute some small pretzel twists if you prefer.
• Peanuts: Peanuts are a must in my family. However, if you have a peanut allergy, you could substitute a different nut, like cashews. Or leave them out all together if you need this to be nut free.

So those are the different variations of the classic recipe.

But you can also swap in some other mix-ins if you’d like.

One year, we added some cheesy crackers - I think it was just Cheeze-Its - and that was a fun twist. I think Goldfish would work here, too.

I personally don’t love the cheese element with the other flavors here, but the kiddos did and it can be fun to mix it up.

I’m sure there are plenty of other swaps and cereals you could use here. Just try to keep the total quantity of mix-ins about the same so that you have enough of the buttery mixture to coat everything.

So, this makes a lot. That’s kind-of the point and I promise, it will go fast.

But in the meantime, here’s a few tips on storing the Chex mix.

Storage Tips:

Once cooled, store the Chex Mix in a covered container for up to 10-14 days. A really large Tupperware container works well, and you can also use plastic storage bags to store it.

Make sure it stays sealed so the Chex Mix doesn’t get stale.

You can also gift this savory snack around the holidays. It can be a great addition to a cookie or dessert tray for teachers, neighbors or friends. Place it in a colorful bag or bowl or container and bam, good to go!

I hope you add this to your holiday mix this year. It’s been a long-time favorite in our house, and I think it will be in yours, too.

Enjoy and happy holidays!

XO,

Kathryn