Have I got a treat for you! This easy homemade Chex Mix is a little spicy, savory, salty, and sweet to balance it out. It has it all! When I say you won’t be able to stop eating this stuff, I’m not kidding! Everyone who tries it goes nuts for it. Coupled with the irresistible crunch of Chex Cereal, Cheez-Its, pretzels, Club Crackers, and mixed nuts that are coated in seasoned butter, we are talking a seriously amazing homemade snack recipe. After spending just 5 or 10 minutes stirring everything together, the snack mix bakes for an hour in a low oven to allow the kicked up butter to bake into the cereal and crackers just perfectly so they’re nice and crunchy and not the least bit soggy. This is a great snack recipe to keep on hand for hungry game day fans – here’s lookin’ at you Super Bowl and March Madness fans – or for an after work (or after school) snack before dinner is ready, or keep a batch around during the holiday season because it’s great to set out when you’re holiday entertaining to keep your guests delighted while you’re putting the finishing touches on the main course.
How Spicy Is This Hot and Spicy Chex Mix?
I would say that this homemade mix has kick but it isn’t crazy spicy. Here’s how to customize the heat level:
Ingredients Needed
You’ll need the following easy-to-find ingredients to make a batch of this snack mix with Chex cereal and more.
Unsalted butter Worcestershire sauce Ranch seasoning mix Light brown sugar Dried Italian seasoning Crushed red pepper flakes Garlic powder Onion powder Smoked paprika (or regular paprika) Cayenne pepper Corn Chex Wheat Chex Rice Chex Cheez-Its (or favorite cheese crackers) Mini pretzels Mini Club Crackers (or oyster crackers, bagel chips, bite size pita chips) Mixed nuts (or just peanuts, just cashews, pecans, almonds, etc.)
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Spicy Chex Mix
It’s a cinch to make this baked snack mix with cereal, crackers, nuts, and more. 10 mins of prep, and an hour to bake it, or about 1 hr 10 minutes total time, and you’re set!
Ingredients Substitutions to Try
You may be wondering if you can mix-and-match and the answer is, yes indeed! This is snack mix, not souffle. You’re not going to “mess anything up” if you make some tweaks. Here are some ingredients substitutions that may pique your interest:
You can switch out any of the mix ingredients to suit your tastes. However, make sure you are using the same ratio of ingredients so the sauce still coats it correctly. Meaning, if you just love Cheez-Its but don’t care about the mini Club Crackers, and want to use 3 cups Cheez-Its and no Club Crackers (1 1/2 cups Cheez-Its as called for, plus the 1 1/2 cups of Club Crackers you’re not using) that’s just fine. If you can’t find Mini Club Crackers, oyster crackers are a good alternative. No mixed nuts on hand? Or you just love peanuts or honey-roasted peanuts, or cashews? Use 10 ounces of your favorite nuts.
The recipe calls for a bit of brown sugar which I love because I am all about a touch of sweet with my heat. However, 2 tablespoons of any of the following are fine – regular white sugar, maple syrup, honey, or agave nectar. Regular paprika (sometimes called sweet paprika) in place of smoked paprika. Seasoning salt rather than onion powder or garlic powder. If for some reason, you don’t have both onion and garlic powder on hand, or Italian seasoning, and don’t want to pick up a whole jar for this recipe, it’ll probably be fine to go a bit heavier handed on another seasoning and just omit the one you don’t have. Of course, I recommend using everything for the best flavor! The one thing I wouldn’t omit is the ranch seasoning mix. It adds so much flavor and a salty kick that you can’t replace and I find instrumental to the flavor.
More Homemade Chex Mix Recipes:
Piña Colada Chex Mix – An EASY and addictively AMAZING salty-sweet snack!! It’s crunchy, chewy, and between the pineapple, coconut, banana, and lime you’ll feel like you’re on a tropical vacation!! In the Freezer: Believe it or not, you can freeze homemade Chex Mix. This recipe will keep airtight in the freezer for up to 3-4 months. Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes! 5-Minute Dill Pickle Chex Mix — We’re big pickle fanatics and loved this Chex mix that’s loaded with bold dill flavor. 5-Minute Pumpkin Spice Chex Mix — This mix comes together in the microwave in 3 minutes. There’s some flexibility in the recipe depending on what you have on hand and enjoy. Pumpkin Spice Crock-Pot Chex Mix — This Crock-Pot Chex Mix is LOADED with pumpkin spice flavor! It’s so easy to make and can easily be adapted to suit the ingredients you have on hand! Reindeer Chow — A holiday twist on classic Muddy Buddies that’s EASY, ready in 15 minutes, and perfect for hostess gifts or cookie exchanges!! Chex, chocolate, peanut butter, pretzels, M&M’s, and sprinkles make this dessert snack mix totally IRRESISTIBLE!! Loaded Christmas Puppy Chow — This fast, easy, no-bake holiday treat is LOADED with all the good stuff! Chocolate, peanut butter, sugar, M&Ms, peanut butter cups, and pretzels for a salty-sweet, crunchy, and addictive snack!
