Homemade Chex Mix Recipe (2024)

This Homemade Chex Mix recipe is perfect for potlucks, parties, or gifting to friends and family. It's made with simple ingredients, and can be customized with mix-ins to get loads of different flavors.

When it comes to Mom's recipes, this is one that I absolutely adore and love to have tucked away in my recipe box at all times.

I've updated the classic Chex Mix recipe to be extra buttery, and have also added the added step of baking (optional) for a toasty, nutty flavor that makes for the perfect party snack.

Why You'll Love This Recipe:

1. Crowd favorite. There's a good reason this snack mix is a popular option for parties and potlucks - it's so delicious! Just fill a big bowl and watch it disappear.
2. Better than store-bought. Sure, you can buy classic Chex Mix at the store in bags, but this baked version is SO much better, and has a deliciously buttery flavor.
3. Different cooking methods. Feel free to leave your mix as is, bake it, OR make it in the slow cooker - the choice is yours.
4. Simple recipe. You need just a few popular snack foods to form the base of this original Chex Mix recipe, plus some butter and a few simple seasonings.

Ingredients

• Chex cereal: For the best results I recommend using at least two different types of cereal. I used rice chex and corn chex, but wheat chex is also available for purchase.
• Pretzels: The salty pretzels are one of the best parts of Chex mix! Use your favorite type - I like the mini twists, but pretzel sticks or small pieces work well too.
• Mix-ins: Traditionally bagel chips or rye chips have been used, but this is one area where you can get creative. I used Cheez-it crackers, but have also used Goldfish crackers, cheerios, and sweet options (like M&M's, candy corn, etc).
• Nuts: You can use whatever combination of nuts you like best. I use the deluxe mixed nuts from Costco.
• Butter: This can be either salted or unsalted, depending on how salty you like your snack mix to be!
• Worcestershire sauce: This is a key ingredient, and not one to be skipped!
• Seasonings: You will need seasoned salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.

Equipment

• Baking sheets: You'll either need two rimmed baking sheets, or a very large roasting pan (about the size of your oven rack). If you only have one baking sheet you could do a half recipe, or work in batches.

Instructions (Oven Method)

Mixing Everything Together

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Note: If you want to stop at this point, you can just cool the mix and store for up to 1 week. For longer storage and more complex flavors, proceed with baking the snack mix (or make it in a slow cooker).

Baking and Cooling

Slow Cooker Method

Yes, you can make Chex mix in a Crock Pot! Here's how:

1. Add the Chex cereal, nuts, pretzels, and the mix-ins of your choice (unless they are sweet and meltable) to a large crock pot insert. Stir well.
2. Melt the butter, then add the Worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.
3. Pour the butter mixture over the cereal mixture and stir well until everything is well coated.
4. Cook on "low" for 3 hours, stirring every 1 hour to prevent burning.
5. Turn off the heat, remove the crock from the base, and remove the lid.
6. Allow to cool to room temperature before serving or storing.

Storing Chex Mix

Leftover Chex Mix can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 weeks.

Top tip: For the best results, make sure that the snack mix is completely cooled before adding it to a container, as a warm mix will cause condensation in the jar, which accelerates spoilage.

For gifting: Add individual servings of your own Chex mix to pint or quart-sized jars, and add a pretty ribbon and custom label. Cellophane bags also work well.

Ideas for Mix-Ins

• Bagel chips (or rye chips)
• Cheerios
• Cheese sticks
• Cheese crackers (Cheez-its, goldfish, etc)
• Candies
• M&m's
• Reese's Pieces
• Extra nuts or pretzels

Substitutions

Worcestershire sauce: If you don't have this on hand but still want to make homemade Chex mix, try using soy sauce, tamari, coconut aminos, malt vinegar, or ketchup in its place.

Without Chex: Crispix or Life cereals make a good substitute for Chex. If you live in Canada or the UK, Shreddies is a good option as well.

Gluten-free: Use gluten-free varieties of Chex cereal (rice and corn), gluten-free pretzels (I like Snyder's gluten-free mini twists), and a gluten-free mix-in option (or more nuts).

Dairy-free: Use your favorite plant-based spread in place of the butter in this recipe.

Variations

• Sweet and Salty. Use a sweet type of Chex cereal like cinnamon or honey nut, and add about ¼ cup of brown sugar to the melted butter mixture.
• Fall. Add in your favorite fall-colored treats like Reese's Pieces, peanut butter cups, candy corn, etc.
• Halloween. This can overlap with some of the "Fall" inspired ingredients, but you could also include Halloween candies, mellow creme pumpkins, etc.
• Christmas. Use holiday M&M's, Hershey's Kisses, candy canes, etc, for your mix-ins.
• Spring/Easter. Use Spring-colored M&M's, Spring Hershey's kisses, and/or Spring themed sprinkles or candies.
• Game day. This favorite snack works perfectly as-is for a viewing party or Super Bowl party. Feel free to serve it with your favorite sides and appetizers (like my Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Dip).

Is Chex Mix gluten-free?

While Chex offers a variety of gluten-free cereals, both store-bought Chex Mix and homemade Chex mix contain gluten. That being said, it is very easy to make a gluten-free version by using gluten-free pretzels and mix-ins, as well as gluten-free Chex varieties (rice and corn).

Is it cheaper to buy Chex Mix or make your own?

It may cost a little bit more to buy the ingredients upfront, but it is definitely cheaper per serving when you make your own. You can easily make a large batch, which is perfect for parties or gifting, and lowers your price per serving significantly.

What is the Chex Mix seasoning made of?

Homemade Chex Mix is made with a mixture of melted butter, Worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.