Homemade Chex Mix

Chex mix is the ultimate DIY snack. It’s crunchy, just the right amount of salty, and stays good for several weeks, making it the perfect thing to keep on the counter for midday or pre-dinner nibbling. Plus, our version can be made with whatever cereal, toasted nuts, and crunchy snacks you’ve stocked up on.

Many Chex mix recipes (including the original) have you simply melt some butter and pour it over the ingredients. But we firmly believe that the very best, most irresistible Chex mix is oven-baked Chex mix. Oven-baked Chex mix takes whatever mix of ingredients you’re using, tosses them in a generous amount of heavily seasoned melted butter, and bakes it in the oven until crisp and perfectly toasted. Here’s how to do it.

• Toasted is always better. Baking Chex mix in the oven transforms it into a toastier, crunchier version of the classic, and makes the flavors of the spices pop and become bolder. Think of it like the difference between raw nuts and toasted nuts.
• It’s baked low-and-slow. The trick to getting the Chex mix perfectly crisp and golden is to gently toast it at a low temperature. This helps the moisture in the butter evaporate so that the mix gets crispy, and it makes sure the nuts and cereal don’t burn and get bitter.

• Chex cereals: This recipe uses both rice and wheat varieties, but you can honestly pick whatever your favorites are. We recommend two kinds so there’s a variety of flavors, colors, and textures.
• Pretzels: Mini pretzel twists are fun and cute, but you can use sticks or snaps (square shaped) instead.
• Bagel chips: These tend to be in larger pieces, so break them up with your hands first.
• Nuts: Peanuts are used here, but you can use any kind of nut. If you want to keep it nut free, use more cereal, pretzels, or bagel chips instead.
• Butter: Use unsalted here, as there’s plenty of salt in the seasoned salt.
• Seasoned salt: This old-school seasoning has a blend of onion, garlic, spices, and salt. We like Lawry’s for Chex mix.
• Onion and garlic powders: These give the Chex mix a deeper, more savory taste.
• Worcestershire sauce: A generous amount of lends a subtle savoriness that rounds all the flavors out.

1. Heat the oven to 250°F. Arrange 2 racks to divide the oven into thirds and heat the oven to 250°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Make the seasoning mixture. Place the unsalted butter in a medium, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 10-second intervals, stirring between each, until melted. Add the Worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. Whisk well to combine.
3. Combine the Chex mix. Place the bagel chips in a large bowl and lightly crush them with your hands into bite-sized pieces. Add the Rice Chex, Wheat Chex, mini pretzel twists, and peanuts. Lightly toss to combine.
4. Toss with butter. Pour half of the butter mixture over the Chex mixture and gently toss to coat. Pour in the remaining butter mixture and gently toss again so all the pieces are evenly coated.
5. Bake until lightly brown and crispy. Divide the mixture between the baking sheets and spread into an even layer. Bake, stirring every 15 minutes, until lightly browned and crisp, 45 to 50 minutes total. Let cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheets before serving.

• Cereal: Don’t have Chex? Use Cheerios or Crispix instead.
• Nuts: Peanuts not your thing? Swap them out for almonds.
• Oven temperature: Our recipe calls for baking it at 250°F, which for some ovens is the lowest temperature it will go. If your oven can only go down to 275°F, that also works — just keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t burn, and pull it out as soon as it gets golden.

However you riff, just be sure to keep the total volume of snacks the same to ensure that the butter mixture coats each and every piece. Here’s a helpful formula:

• 9 cups cereal: Chex cereal preferred, but any savory variety will work.
• 1 cup nuts: Use any variety of roasted nuts.
• 5 cups add-ins: Use your favorite add-ins, such as pretzels, chips, or crackers.

1. Don’t skimp on the seasoning. The recipe makes a lot of Chex mix, and it can handle a lot of seasoning, so be sure to use the full amount even if it seems like a lot.
2. Toss the Chex mix with the butter in two steps. To make sure that every piece of your Chex mix is evenly coated in the butter mixture, pour half of it over the Chex mix, give it a toss, then proceed with the rest.
3. Stir the Chex mix every 15 minutes as it bakes. To make sure the Chex mix is toasting evenly, bake it on 2 baking sheets and give it a stir every 15 minutes.

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