Chex Mix

By Lidey Heuck

Published November 20, 2023

  • Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
1 hour, plus cooling
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
50 minutes
Rating
4(387)
Comments
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While store-bought snacks often inspire copycat recipes by home cooks, the Chex Mix found in every grocery store was actually created in response to the popularity of the recipe first printed on Chex cereal boxes in the 1950s. The savory, crunchy snack mix has proven to have enduring appeal, and many variations and flavors have sprung up since, including puppy chow, the popular sweet version. This savory version is inspired by the original recipe with a few modern tweaks. The ratio of the ingredients makes for a balanced mix, but feel free to tip the scales towards your favorites.

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Ingredients

Yield:Makes 12 cups 

  • 2 cups Corn Chex cereal 

  • 2 cups Rice Chex cereal 

  • 2 cups Wheat Chex cereal 

  • 2 cups bagel and/or rye chips, broken into bite-sized pieces, if large

  • 2 cups mini pretzels

  • 2 cup mixed roasted unsalted nuts, such as peanuts, almonds and cashews

  • ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted

  • ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder

  • 1 tablespoon onion powder

  • 1 tablespoon seasoned salt, such as Lawry’s

  • A few dashes of hot sauce, to taste

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving

43 grams carbs; 20 milligrams cholesterol; 333 calories; 6 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 16 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 502 milligrams sodium; 8 grams protein; 4 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Arrange two racks evenly spaced in the oven and heat to 250 degrees. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.

  2. Step 2

    In a very large bowl, combine the corn, rice and wheat cereals, bagel chips, pretzels and nuts.

  3. Step 3

    In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, Worcestershire, garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt and hot sauce. Whisk until smooth. Pour the butter mixture over the cereal mixture and toss well, until all the ingredients are coated and no butter pools at the bottom of the bowl.

  4. Step 4

    Divide the mixture between the two sheet pans, spreading everything into even layers. Bake, tossing the mixture and switching racks every 15 minutes, until the pretzels and bagel chips are lightly browned, 45 to 55 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Cool completely before transferring to airtight containers. Store at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
387 user ratings
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Comments

Stan Brown

I've been making this for years, but I've never liked the bagel chips that people started putting in. The original recipe used Cheese Nips, which I'm not sure even exist any more, so I use cheddar Goldfish. Rather than mini pretzels, I use the small thin pretzel sticks. I agree wholeheartedly about a long bake, with stirring, at 250° (original recipe, again). But stick to the original recipe, which called for half a cup of butter; that's plenty, in my opinion.

Katy

How is this recipe 20 servings? There are only four servings! Everyone knows that.

Beth

My sister is renowned amongst her friends in Seattle for her Chex Mix. Why? It’s definitely her ingenious addition of Bugles.

Corinne

Some other options: Add brown sugar and dried rosemary. The brown sugar sort of candy- fies if you leave it in long enough but you do have to keep it well stirred. I would cut back the butter. Also, I am not a fan of the mix in that I just make it with the different Chex varieties.

Caterinka

Not sure what I might have done wrong, but this recipe did not work for me! I couldn't find bagel chips so used pita ships and maybe that made it overly salty. Or maybe the Worchestire sauce I used was too old because both my hubby and I thought the flavor was off. Oh well, on to the next recipe!

Kristie

You know you don’t have to do this in the oven, right? I have made multiple batches every holiday season for at least 30 years, and I’ve always used a microwave. Depending on the microwave, I have to adjust cooking powers and times, but in my current 1000-watt microwave, I do 1.5-minute increments at 60% power a total of five times, stirring after each cycle. My spouse told me it is like crack for my entire family because we all love it (LOL), and when I share it with friends and coworkers, I always get requests for the recipe. Here it is if anyone is interested. 2 cups Corn Chex 2 cups Wheat Chex 2 cups Rice Chex 2 cups Cheez-Its 1 cup mini pretzels or sticks 1/2 cup to 1 cup nuts of any kind (my favorite are pistachios) 1 stick butter (I use salted) 4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp. seasoned salt 1/4 tsp. garlic powder 1/4 tsp. Old Bay seasoning 1/4 tsp. cayenne Melt the butter first in a large bowl, add all of the ingredients, and stir thoroughly before following the cooking directions above. Right out of the microwave, it will be somewhat soggy, but it will be perfect after it cools. I used to spread it out on paper towels but learned that is wasteful and not necessary. Just let it cool in the bowl you cook it in. Enjoy!

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