Back in 2012 I could eat an entire bag of Chex Mix on a daily basis. Mind you, I was pregnant with Matthew, so that was the best and worst part. A bag is expensive and as a snack I like to make it for the kids for school. With this recipe you can have total control with the cost based on what you add to the dry mix. Once done, this recipe yields 3 pounds of Chex Mix! That gives you two gallon-sized bags FULL of this delicious homemade salty and sweet snack.

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Published October 5, 2021
Updated March 16, 2022
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In this recipe, I like to mix up which cereals and ingredients to use. Typical “Chex Mix” might have peanuts or rye bread chips, or other ingredients that are not always on-hand. Having an almond allergy, I omit any nut (usually) from my diet as I am still getting used to watching out for nuts. And for the rye bread chips, it is so hard sometimes to find them at a regular grocery store. In replace of those I add different flavors of cereal that add to the expansive taste of Chex Mix.

One of those cereals I add is Original Balance Multigrain Cereal, also called “Life”. Using this cereal adds a level of sweetness that offsets the overall saltiness. It also gives the mix a different shape and color, more so for ascetics.

The second cereal I add is a Honey Nut Crispy Oats, or also known as Honey Nut Cheerios. Adding a honey nut flavored ingredient gives such a sweet flavor and a nice blend when added with the saltiness of the seasonings.

Cost breakdown for Chex Mix

Buying a bag of “family size” Chex Mix is $4.29 for 15-ounces. That makes this Chex Mix cost over $4.30 per pound.

Rice Chex Cereal $0.80
Corn Chex Cereal $0.80
Honey Nut Crispy Oats $0.50
Original Balance Cereal $1.00
Pretzel Sticks $0.72
Worcestershire Sauce $0.45
Lowry’s Seasoning Salt $0.18
Garlic Powder $0.10
Onion Powder $0.10
Chile Powder $0.10

Total cost to make this recipe is $4.75 for two entire gallon zip lock bags that totals 3-pounds. To buy 16 ounces of Chex mix, you would pay $4.57. This recipe makes 48-ounces for $4.75 at a cost of $0.09 an ounce compared to store-bought Chex mix at $0.29 an ounce.

Homemade Chex Mix Recipe

Ingredients

6 cups Corn Chex Cereal
6 cups Rice Chex Cereal
4 cups Pretzel sticks
2 Tablespoons Seasoning Salt
4 cups Original Life Cereal
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 cup butter
2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon Chili powder (Optional)
8 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees then take out two baking sheets and set aside.
2. Measure each cereal and add it to a large bowl. Typically, this is just a rough measurement and does not have to be completely accurate. If you like more or less of one, go with it!

3. Measure and add pretzel sticks and then add them to the bowl with the cereal. If you prefer to use the pretzel twists or any other snack foods like peanuts or cashews, add them at this time with the pretzels.
*Pro-Tip Do not add anything chocolate at this point. Chocolate can be added to the Chex Mix when it is out of the oven and completely cooled off.

4. When all of the ingredients are in the bowl, mix it up well! This bowl is a giant 8-Quart stainless steel gem. I use it for any baking when I make a large quantity like granola, granola bars, and this amazing Chex Mix. I highly recommend having this in your cupboard, additionally you can also use it for parties to hold chips.

5. Place butter in a Pyrex microwavable bowl and then melt in the microwave for 1-minute. If you need to put the butter in for more time, do it in 10-20 second increments and keep a watch on it. Our daughter, Elliana, was so excited to help momma mix!

6. Next, to the melted butter add 2 Tablespoons Seasoning Salt, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons onion powder, and 8 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce and then whisk to combine. I had a fantastic helper in the kitchen today who measured out and added all of the dry seasonings!
At two, she is just learning how to hold the measuring spoons, stir, and follow directions. It may have added many minutes to my prep, there may be more cleanup, but it is so worth it knowing I can teach our four kids how to be successful in a kitchen!

7. If desired, add chili powder and then mix it into the melted butter. We like ours to have a little bit of a kick, so I added only 1 teaspoon. Chili powder does go a long way!

8. Drizzle the butter and seasoning mixture over cereal evenly and then using a large spatula, mix well. For this recipe, doing the pouring in batches helps because the bowl might get too full to mix the seasoning onto it properly. You can pour out half the cereal onto a baking sheet and drizzle half the seasoning at a time onto the Chex Mix ingredients.

9. Pour mixture onto baking sheets in an even layer. You can also use parchment paper on the baking sheets for an easier clean up! Just make sure the mix is not to high and only one layer thick otherwise it will not bake well. No one likes soggy Chex Mix!

10. Finally, bake the Chex Mix for 1 hour, making sure to mix every 15 minutes. When I make this huge batch, I pull a baking sheet out of the oven and pour the mix back into my 8-Quart bowl. Then I stir it well and pour it back onto the baking sheet to continue to cook.

Additionally, having a large spatula helps to get all of the seasonings back onto the Chex Mix. I had three baking sheets for this recipe going in the oven, so my baking time went to 1 hour 15 minutes. That extra time did not burn any of the cereal but allowed for the seasonings to bake more and not have any soggy bits.

Finally, remove the pans with the Chex Mix from the oven and let them rest to cool. Are you a snacker? Do you like sweet or salty? I sure love to have a nice crunchy salty snack to nibble on, but baker beware… you will not be able to resist having only a handful! This is a full-blown-get-a-bowl type of snack. I dare you to try to make these two bags of Chex Mix last a week! Consequently, ours sure will not and I may be to blame. Enjoy!!
~Monica

Recipe for Chex Mix

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