This sweet, spicy, crunchy, salty chex mix recipe is perfect snack for holiday season and great for gifting! It’s easy to make and a definite crowd favorite. Get your holiday party started with this spicy chex mix.
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About chex party mix
Ingredients needed to make chex mix
Dry Snacks –
- Chex Cereal (I used a combination of rice, corn and wheat chex cereal)
- Mini pretzels twists
- Mini pretzel rods
- Mini breadsticks
- Nuts (I used a combination of almonds, whole cashews and pistachios)
- Bagel chips (I used Rye bagel chips. You can use plain bagel chips)
Sweet & Spicy Sauce For Seasoning –
- Butter
- Worcestershire sauce
- Honey
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Salt
- Cayenne pepper
- Chili powder
How to make chex mix
Chex snack mix has three types of chex cereal in it. They are rice, corn and wheat chex cereal. You can use equal quantities of all three chex cereal or reduce the amount of wheat chex cereal. I have used 1 cup of rice chex cereal and ½ cups of both corn and wheat chex cereal. Feel free to use 1:1:1 ratio of all three cereals if you prefer it.
Other mix-ins are pretzles, nuts, candies. A mix of both pretzels twists and pretzel rods can be used. For nuts, use pecans, whole cashews, almonds, pistachios and/or macadamia nuts. Along with these mix in I added mini bread sticks. I avoided the candies.
Doesn’t stop just there. Think of adding some crackers – mini oyster crackers, ritz crackers, cheese crackers too. The more mix-ins you include, the better it’s going to taste. And the flavors are going to enhance. Don’t shy from adding more variety of ingredients.
One last thing to make this the best chex mix recipe is to add the seasoning. A homemade seasoning that is going to give this snack that spark of flavor. A sweet and spicy chex mix sauce made from scratch is what you need, not the store bought simple chex seasoning mix.
To make your own seasoning, you’ll need to melt butter and mix in Worcestershire sauce, honey, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne pepper, salt.
Pour this seasoning over the snack mix and give it a good mix to coat everything evenly with the seasoning.
Spread the seasoning chex mix over baking tray into one single layer.
Bake in pre-heated oven at 250 F for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the mix turns crispy. To prevent burning, be sure to stir it once or twice in between.
Chex mix can be made in oven, microwave, or even slow cooker. Chex mix in oven needs about a little more than an hour, whereas slow cooker chex mix recipe needs close to 3 hours to make.
Once chex snack mix is crispy, remove it from oven and allow it to cool completely. Place it air tight containers and store in cool place for upto 3 weeks.
Is chex mix spicy?
Not spicy at all. It is medium spicy.
Honey cuts down the spiciness making this Christmas snack mix mildly spiced. If you are someone who loves spice, I recommend you to increase the amount of chili powder and cayenne pepper. You can also sprinkle the spice powders once the snack mix is baked and out of the oven while it’s hot.
Chex mix flavors and variations
This recipe can be customized according to your preferences –
Make it your own : If you don’t like any ingredient, feel free to replace it with other ingredient that you prefer, or leave it out.
Gluten-Free – use rice chex mix, pretzels and gluten free bagel chips.
Nut-Free – Leave out nuts and use seeds like pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds instead.
Flavoring or Seasoning : If making for kids you can leave out chili powder and cayenne pepper complete or reduce the quantity and add it.
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📋Sweet and Spicy Chex Mix Recipe
Ingredients
Dry Snack Mix –
- 9 cups chex cereal I used a combination of rice, corn and wheat chex cereal
- 1 cup mini pretzels twists
- 1 cup mini pretzel rods
- 1 cup mini bread sticks
- 2 cups nuts I used a combination of almonds, whole cashews and pistachios
- 1 cup bagel chips I used Rye bagel chips. You can use plain bagel chips
Sweet & Spicy Sauce For Seasoning –
- ¾ cup butter melted
- 2 tablespoon Worcestshrire sauce
- ½ cups honey
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven at 250 F.
- In a bowl add all three types of chex cereal, mini pretzel twists, mini pretzel rods, mini bread sticks, bagel chips and nuts.
- In a microwave safe bowl melt butter. To melted butter add worcestshrire sauce, honey, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, cayenne pepper and chili powder. Whisk well.
- Pour the seasoning sauce over the dry snack mix.
- Using a spatula mix to coat all dry ingredients evenly.
- Transfer the chex snack mix contents onto a baking tray.
- Spread it into one even layer.
- Bake in preheated oven at 250 F for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until everything turns crispy evenly.
- Remove snack mix from oven and let it cool completely.
- You can serve it straight away for snacking or keep it stored in air tight container for up-to 3 weeks.
Michelle
This is perfect for the holidays! I can think of a lot of family members who’d love this as a gift
jyothirajesh
Thank you Michelle
Jamie
This made such a lovely snack for my nieces and nephew! I love the flavor the sweet and spicy sauce gave to the chex mix!
jyothirajesh
Thank you
Amanda
LOVE homemade Chex Mix for the Holidays. Thanks for sharing!
jyothirajesh
Glad you liked it. Thank yo Amanda
Jenni LeBaron
This sweet & spicy chex mix looks delicious! The bagel chips are always my favorite part! I’m positive this would be devoured in my house.
jyothirajesh
Made a big batch and it’s already over, a big hit with my family too. Do try it, I’m sure it’ll be devoured.
Patti@PattyCakesPantry
I love to make a big batch of Chex Mix to have on hand during the holidays, but I’ve never added cayenne, chili powder, and honey to mine. All I usually add in the way of heat is dash or two of Louisiana hot sauce. I also never thought to add bread sticks and bagel chips. Your comibnation sounds like it would taste so much bolder with the combination of sweet and spicy. I will definitely be giving this a try.
jyothirajesh
Thank you
Shelley
This is such a fun recipe! Seeing your post brought me straight back to my childhood, when we’d have some sort of similar Chex Mix at Christmas at my grandmother’s house. I’m sure it was one of the vintage versions like you describe! I love the updates here – especially the yummy pistachios and cashews!
jyothirajesh
Glad you liked it. Thank you Shelley
Tom Braeger
I made this and the seasoning is fantastic! Homemade is the way to go! Thanks!
jyothirajesh
So glad you tried and liked it Tom. Thank you for sharing your feedback.
Anna
Love this simple but delicious snack idea! And anything with a bit of heat added to it, and I’m all over t! These would be just perfect for all the festive gatherings in the upcoming holiday season!
jyothirajesh
I love spice too Anna. This was delicious! Thank you
Colleen
Except for the bagel chips, this is the exact recipe that my mom made for every single party and gathering, (and always at Christmas) when I was growing up. I haven’t thought of it in years, so thank you for sharing!
jyothirajesh
Thank you Colleen.