food
By Katherine Gillen
•
Published Apr 26, 2023
A little-known fact about us is that our middle name is GORP. We’re lying…but we do have a habit of developing a major crush on basically any trail mix, Chex mix, nut mix or granola that comes into our life. Whether you like to pick the peanut butter chips out and eat them last or love a good raisin-cashew combo, these 20 snack mix recipes are meant to be eaten by the handful—great news, considering you won’t be able to stop after one bite. From pizza trail mix to sweet and salty nuts, we want to make them all.
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Kristin Teig/Mostly Veggies
1. Pizza Trail Mix
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, low sugar, kid-friendly
It’s everything it sounds like:mixed nutsdusted in a savory blend of Italian seasonings and sun-dried tomatoes. We’d consider hiking an actual trail for this one.
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Katherine Gillen
2. Dill Pickle Snack Mix
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, low sugar, nut free
If salt and vinegar potato chips met up with dill pickles, this snack mix would be the result. It’s briny, herby and crunchy, thanks to pretzels, cereal and cheese crackers.
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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
3. Roasted Mixed Nuts
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: <15 minutes, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, no sugar
You can’t beat a classic. These savory bar nuts would be at home at a co*cktail soirée or portioned into snack packs for car trips and lunchboxes.
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Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling Erin McDowell
4. Cocoa Peanut Butter Granola
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, make ahead
This granola is sweet and rich enough to taste decadent but sneakily packed with enough protein (ahem, nine grams per serving) to keep you satisfied. A snack winner, if you will.
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Carina Skrobecki/Simply Real Eating
5. Cranberry Walnut Grain-Free Granola
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, gluten free, dairy free
Not only is homemade granola less expensive than the store-bought stuff, it’s also way easier to customize. This one is gluten free and packed with healthy omegas from pumpkin, sunflower and hemp seeds.
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- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: <15 minutes, <10 ingredients, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
Our motto in life is “everything in moderation,” which is why we like a one-to-one ratio of chocolate candies to everything else.
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: <15 minutes, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
The combination of Worcestershire, seasoned salt and onion powder is a standby for a reason, but you could also try something new: Cajun seasoning, garlic powder or hot sauce would all be good.
8. Double Dark Chocolate Muddy Buddies
Whether you know it as muddy buddies or puppy chow, this sweet snack mix is nearly impossible to put down. Gaby Dalkin’s version uses almond butter, but you could use peanut butter too.
9. Ranch Slow Cooker Chex Mix Made Easy
- Time Commitment: 2 hours, 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: slow cooker recipe, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
Snack mix in the slow cooker? Yep, it’s a thing. Sure, the method frees up your oven for other purposes, but it also makes it possible to satisfy a craving when you don’t want to heat up your whole house.
10. Sweet and Spicy Roasted Party Nuts
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy
This is “how to win the holiday party 101.” Fresh rosemary, maple syrup, vanilla and cayenne sound like an unlikely combo, but it all works.
11. Coconut White Chocolate Muddy Buddies
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: kid-friendly, <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser
Even so-called white chocolate haters will find this mix hard to resist. The chocolate footballs are optional but would make a fitting addition for any game watch party.
- Time Commitment: 14 minutes
- Why We Love It: gluten free, vegan, one pan
Want to seem fancy? Make a batch of these cinnamon-y, cayenne spiked nuts, divvy them into cellophane bags and hand them out as holiday gifts.
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
Watching a sporting event on TV is a tough sell for us…unless the promise of this spicy, herby snack is included in the deal.
- Time Commitment: 2 hours
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy
If you’re all about sweet heat, be careful with this mix. You’ll want to devour a whole sheet pan of the stuff. Choose whatever nuts and crackers you please; the real star is the brown sugar–chipotle glaze.
15. Sweet and Salty Chocolate Caramel Banana Snack Mix
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why We Love It: <15 minutes, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
This mix has a little bit of everything: salty, crunchy, creamy, sweet and chewy. You know what that means? We’re making a double batch.
16. Roasted Cashews with Coconut
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, gluten free, dairy free
We can’t get enough of the subtly salty taste of this otherwise sweet snack mix. One handful and you’ll understand.
17. Everything Bagel Snack Mix
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: <15 minutes, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
We’ll put the seasoning blend on pigs in a blanket and chicken tenders, so why not snack mix? We just wish we’d thought of it first.
18. Browned Butter Furikake Snack Mix
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, make ahead
Furikake is a Japanese condiment that typically contains a mixture of toasted chopped seaweed, sesame seeds, sugar and other umami-rich seasonings. It also happens to be an excellent pair for a sweet maple glaze.
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: kid-friendly, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
We can totally see ourselves diving into this mix of wasabi peas, popcorn and honey roasted cashews by the pool. All we need is a co*cktail.
20. Sweet and Spicy Honey Snack Mix
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead
Wanna know a secret? When it comes to snack mix, it’s all about the sauce. This one combines butter, Worcestershire, hot sauce and honey for irresistible sweet-savory flavor.
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Katherine Gillen is PureWow’s senior food editor. She’s a writer, recipe developer and food stylist with a degree in culinary arts and professional experience in New York City restaurants. She used to sling sugary desserts in a pastry kitchen, but now she’s an avid home cook and fanatic baker.
Katherine Gillen
Senior Food Editor
Katherine Gillenis PureWow’s senior food editor. She’s a writer, recipe developer and food stylist with a degree in culinary arts and professional experience in New York City...
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