Trail Mix Recipe – 3 Variations!

DIY Trail Mix

Super easy to make. This homemade trail mix recipe takes minutes (not even!) to make. All you need is a mixing bowl, a spoon and a few seconds to measure and stir it up. When you make your own, you can customize it to please, and it tastes a LOT fresher than store-bought trail mix.

Portable snack. Trail mix is perfect for travel or a fun on-the-go snack. It’s easy to pack, it isn’t messy, and it will give you a quick hit of energy. Package the trail mix into snack-sized containers or resealable bags, and it’s all ready to throw into a beach bag, backpack, or diaper bag. Take it to the park, hiking trails, zoo, museums, or wherever you go. (Try homemade breakfast cookies, too!)

Perfect lunchbox treat. Because trail mix is so portable, it makes a great lunchbox treat, too. Portion out the trail mix ahead of time into snack bags so it’s easy to grab a bag to stuff into those lunch boxes. Packaging trail mix helps for good portion control, too, because trail mix can be one of those snacks that you just can’t stop eating.

Lots of goodies. Did I mention homemade trail mix tastes amazing? I’ll give you the basic trail mix recipe so you know how to proportion the ingredients to make a balanced trail mix. I’ll also give you recipes for three of my favorite trail mix combos: classic trail mix, peanut butter trail mix, and fancy (gourmet) trail mix.

Basic Trail Mix Ingredients

This is the basic formula that I use to make trail mix. You’ll see that it allows for a lot of variation!

• 1 ½ cups nuts: Choose your favorite type of nut. It can be almonds, cashews, peanuts, walnuts, or pecans. I’ve used mixed nuts, too. The nuts can be roasted, dry roasted, or raw, depending on what you like. They can be salted or unsalted.
• 1 cup dried fruit: Choose your favorite dried fruit. Try raisins (golden raisins are great, too), dried cranberries, dried cherries, dried apricots, or banana chips. Dried mango and pineapple are good choices for a tropical vibe. You can include unsweetened dried coconut flakes (the large flakes, not shredded).
• ¾ cup candy: This can be various types of chocolate chips or M&M’s.
• ¼ cup seeds: Seeds, such as sunflower seeds or pepitas, add extra nutrition and flavor. Choose seeds that are large enough to pick up with your fingers.

Popular Trail Mix Variations

Classic Trail Mix. This classic trail mix recipe is always popular. It’s what you think of when you think trail mix. Combine 1 cup dry roasted salted peanuts, ½ cup cashews, 1 cup raisins, ¾ cup M&Ms, and ¼ cup chocolate chips.

Peanut Butter Trail Mix. Peanut butter trail mix is all the peanut goodness you could want and more. If you know (or are) someone that loves peanut butter, you need to try this one! Combine 1 cup dry roasted salted peanuts, 1 cup raisins, ½ cup Peanut Butter M&Ms, ½ cup Reese’s Pieces, and ½ cup peanut butter baking chips.

Fancy (Gourmet) Trail Mix. This one usually appeals more to adults. Combine 1 cup cashews, ½ cup almonds, 1 cup dried cherries or cranberries, ¾ cup white chocolate chips, and ¼ cup roasted pepitas.

More Trail Mix Ideas

Make a double batch. Since trail mix keeps well in the pantry or refrigerator, feel free to make a big batch. Sometimes I even make a triple batch!

Change the proportions. Have a sweet tooth? Add more chocolate chips or M&Ms. If you really don’t care for sweets, omit the candy and add extra nuts or dried fruit. It’s super easy to adapt the basic trail mix recipe to make it just the way you like it. That’s one of the advantages of DIY.

Add crackers or cereal. Choose a firm variety that won’t crumble too much when transported. Cheerios and Chex are popular choices. Try a small cracker like Cheez-Its or toasted bagel bits. Sesame sticks are a good add-in.

Storage

Store trail mix in an airtight container or portion it out into individual snack bags. Trail mix will keep for a week or two in the pantry. For longer storage (up to a couple of months), refrigerate the trail mix.