Homemade Trail Mix
Are you tired of the same old store-bought trail mix that is loaded with low quality ingredients, too many raisins, and not enough fun? This homemade trail mix offers flavor, excitement and personality, and it is so easy to make, customize, and enjoy! You get the perfect combination of sweet, savory, and even some spice with the addition of hot tamales! The array of nuts, chocolates, fruity candies, dried fruit, crunchy, salty, chewy, etc., you get just what you need to satisfy every snack craving!
The best part of crafting your own homemade trail mix is in the sweet freedom of personalization!
I love homemade versions of favorites, like this Homemade Chocolate Almond Butter or Neapolitan Road Trip Snack Mix!
Hate walnuts? Leave them out! When you customize it to your preference, you ensure every handful is a delightful experience tailored to your taste buds. Say goodbye to the disappointment of unwanted raisins dominating the mix, and not nearly enough chocolate! You have the creative control to curate a blend that truly speaks to you and aligns with your cravings.
So, whether you’re a fan of crunchy almonds, decadent chocolate chunks, or the sweet kick of yogurt-covered cherries, let’s get in the habit of making your own custom trail mix and savoring every bite!
What Do You Need?
To be perfectly honest, what you really need for the best ever tail mix is:
- A combination of your favorite nuts–both salted and sweet (think honey roasted)
- A few options for chocolate (think Whoppers, M&M’s, chocolate covered nuts, etc.
- Something fruity, this can be fruit flavored candies, or actual dried fruits
- Something salty, like pretzels
- A fun addition, like cinnamon bears, hot tamales, or maybe even wasabi peas.
Then it is just a matter of mixing it to get the right rations so every bite is fun and satisfying. Here is my favorite combination:
- 1 1/2 cups Almonds (roasted and salted)
- 1 cup Pretzels
- 1/2 cup Yogurt or Chocolate Covered Cherries
- 1/2 cup Candied Macadamia Nuts (honey roasted)
- 1/2 cup M&M’s
- 1/2 cup Roasted Cashews (salted)
- 1/2 cup Chocolate Chunks (dark is my preference here)
- 1/2 cup Skittles
- 1/2 cup Honey Roasted Peanuts
- 1/2 cup Salted Peanuts
- 1/2 cup Dried Sour Cherries (or you can use raisins, craisins, apricots, fruit snacks)
- 1/2 cup Malt Balls or Robin’s Eggs
- 1/2 cup Toasted Walnuts
- 1/2 cup Whoppers
- 1 cup Peanut M&M’s
- 1/2 cup Salted Pistachios
How to Make Homemade Trail Mix
Making your homemade trail mix couldn’t be easier. It is just a few simple steps:
- Gather Your Ingredients: Lay out all your chosen ingredients on a clean and spacious surface. Feel free to customize the quantities based on your preferences.
- Mix and Match: In a large mixing bowl, combine the almonds, pretzels, yogurt-covered cherries, candied macadamia nuts, M&M’s, roasted cashews, chocolate chunks, skittles, honey-roasted peanuts, salted peanuts, dried sour cherries, malt balls or robin’s eggs, toasted walnuts, Whoppers, peanut M&M’s, and salted pistachios. This is where the magic happens, and you can get creative with your combinations! Try Mike and Ikes instead of hot tamales, for example, if you aren’t a fan of cinnamon. Or skip the roasted and salted and opt for raw for a slightly more nutritious option.
- Toss with Care: Gently toss the ingredients together, ensuring an even distribution of flavors and textures.
- Store in Airtight Containers: Once mixed to perfection, transfer your homemade trail mix into airtight containers or resealable bags to maintain its freshness. Mason jars work wonderfully as well, and make a great visual presentation.
- On-the-Go Snacking: Pack your personalized trail mix in snack-sized portions for convenient, on-the-go munching. Whether it’s for a hiking, biking, walking, some other outdoor adventure, a road trip, or a quick office snack, your custom trail mix is the perfect option. I like to keep some in my care for when hunger strikes and I am out and about. Keeps me from hitting up a drive thru, or option for a less healthy option.
Why Homemade Trail Mix?
- Endless Variety: I like to throw the whole kitchen sink in my trail mix, because I love a lot of variety and flavor. I also love a huge batch that I can package out and grab on the go. However, you can tailor your trail mix to suit your taste buds. Swap ingredients, adjust quantities, and experiment until you find your perfect mix.
- Nutrient-Rich Goodness: While fun, flavorful, and sweet, this trail mix is also packed with nuts and dried fruits, making it a nutrient-rich snack with a blend of healthy fats, protein, and natural sugars (as well as added sugars).
- Customizable for All Occasions: This is such a fun snack to customize. For example, you can use pink and red M&M’s, white yogurt covered cherries, heart shaped pretzels, and hot tamales to make a fun Valentine’s themed mix. Or adjust accordingly to make other mixes for holidays or special occasions. You can even add seasonal ingredients for a festive touch.
- Cost-Effective: Buying pre-made trail mixes, that have filler ingredients are not only less satisfying, but also expensive. Even though this trail mix recipe has a lot of quality buts etc., buying ingredients in bulk and making your own trail mix at home is often far more cost-effective than purchasing pre-made varieties.
- Share the Love: This is the perfect snack to share with friends and family while adventuring or out and about. There is something for everyone in it.
This is the perfect blend to suit your cravings.Mix, match, and munch your way to snacking perfection with this simple homemade mix! And did I mention it only takes a few minutes to throw together. Think of it is the perfect way to use up leftover candy from Halloween, odds and ends bags of nuts and pretzels, etc.
It can be so fun to explore the playful realm of mixing sweet and savory elements. Just remember you want contrasting tastes and flavors to collide, creating magic on your taste buds. There is just something about the satisfying crunch of honey-roasted peanuts paired with the velvety sweetness of chocolate chunks or the salty kick of pretzels meeting the chewy goodness of dried sour cherries.
While I think this recipe for homemade trail mix is the perfect combo, you should mix and match, experiment, and substitute ingredients to craft a trail mix uniquely suited to you. Swap almonds for cashews, pretzels for granola, or peanut M&M’s for dark chocolate-covered nuts—the possibilities are endless! Just remember to keep a nice balance of sweet, savory, salty, crunchy, and chewy.
Storage and Substitutions
To store this snack mix or trail mix, you want to put the mixed ingredients in air tight containers. This can be zip top bags, or jars, etc. And then store in a cool dry place until ready to eat. If you want to make a bunch, ahead of time, it can be frozen!
Substitutions
Cater to your cravings and dietary preferences with the versatility this recipe offers.
- Toss in some dried mango or pineapple for a tropical twist.
- Opt for spiced nuts to add a kick of flavor.
- Leave out the chocolate if you are going to be in hot climates.
- Add in extra of whatever you like best.
- Try a handful of gummy candies.
By getting creativity in your ingredient choices, you transform your snack into a personalized masterpiece, where every handful is a delightful surprise. Let your tastebuds guide you.
Other Great Snacks
- No Bake M&Ms® Granola Bars
- Homemade Lara Bars- Date and Nut Bars
- Caramel Moose Munch Fancy Popcorn
- Valentine Snack Mix
- Leprechaun Bait Snack Mix
Homemade Trail Mix
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Almonds
- 1 cup Pretzels
- 1/2 cup Yogurt Covered Cherries
- 1/2 cup Candied Macadamia Nuts
- 1/2 cup M&M's
- 1/2 cup Roasted Cashews
- 1/2 cup Chocolate Chunks
- 1/2 cup Skittles
- 1/2 cup Honey Roasted Peanuts
- 1/2 cup Salted Peanuts
- 1/2 cup Dried Sour Cherries
- 1/2 cup Malt Balls or Robin's Eggs
- 1/2 cup Toasted Walnuts
- 1/2 cup Whoppers
- 1 cup Peanut M&M's
- 1/2 cup Salted Pistachios
Instructions
- Gather Your Ingredients: Lay out all your chosen ingredients on a clean and spacious surface. Feel free to customize the quantities based on your preferences.
- Mix and Match: In a large mixing bowl, combine the almonds, pretzels, yogurt-covered cherries, candied macadamia nuts, M&M's, roasted cashews, chocolate chunks, skittles, honey-roasted peanuts, salted peanuts, dried sour cherries, malt balls or robin's eggs, toasted walnuts, Whoppers, peanut M&M's, and salted pistachios.
- Toss with Care: Gently toss the ingredients together, ensuring an even distribution of flavors and textures. This is where the magic happens, and you can get creative with your combinations!
- Store in Airtight Containers: Once mixed to perfection, transfer your homemade trail mix into airtight containers or resealable bags to maintain its freshness. Mason jars work wonderfully for a charming presentation.
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
Want to use this recipe in a meal plan?Try PrePear, my FREE Meal Planning App that allows you to save your recipes, plan meals, shop for groceries, and cook simply in one place. Join Here!Pin to your Snack board on Pinterest:
Leave a Reply