Homemade Chex Mix
This post may contain affiliate or sponsored links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This Homemade Chex Mix recipe is easy to whip up, makes your home smell ah-maze-ing as it bakes in the oven, and is an addictive snack food that has proven to be a crowd favorite for decades. The recipe comes from my grandma and its secret sauce is the key to its deliciousness.
The History Behind the Family Recipe
I’m almost a little hesitant to share our “TV Mix” recipe.
No, not because of its addictive nature and unmatchable flavor.
Not because it makes a HUGE batch and is easy to store, give away, or bring to a large group get-together.
Nor for the reason that it will make your house smell AMAZING and your mouth water when it’s cooking in the oven. Nope. None of those reasons.
The reason I’m hesitant is because it’s a somewhat secret family recipe that we make EVERY Fall. I guess we’ve never declared it a secret but I don’t know of anyone else who makes this “TV Mix” as we like to call it.
This yummy snack was originally a recipe of my grandma’s. I remember her always having it out and ready at family gatherings. I’m so glad my mom snagged the recipe and perfected it. I even have the original recipe card from her!
I love that we can carry on the family tradition of making the TV mix together.
A Short Video of How to Make Homemade Chex Mix
In fact, we recently got together to make a batch. Look how easily it comes together!
Note: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Read our full disclosure policy here.
How to Make it: 3 Easy Steps
STEP 1: Mix all the munchie ingredients together in a large roasting pan. You can add just about any kind of munchie to the cereal mixture. Some examples we’ve used in the past are: Crispix, pretzel fish, crushed garlic bagel chips, sesame seed sticks, pine nuts, etc. You can play with it once you get a feel for the recipe. Because I know you’ll be making it more than once. 🙂
STEP 2: Make the secret sauce and drizzle it over the mix. The snacky ingredients are somewhat flexible. The magic sauce is not. And it’s this sauce that is key to its deliciousness.
The only ingredient in the recipe that might be tricky to find is Ground Savory. If your store doesn’t have it, you can easily get it on Amazon.
STEP 3: Bake it! This is the best part because it smells SO dang good once it gets going. The mix does need to be stirred every 15 minutes, but it will be worth it, I promise. If you don’t stir it, parts of the mix will get burnt.
It’s not just nostalgia that makes this recipe one of a kind. It is truly SO good and SO addicting. In fact, my college roommates banned it because we all had no self-control when it was in our apartment. Bring it to any gathering and people will be clamoring for the recipe.
My mom always has a stash on hand that she busts out when family is in down or they have a social gathering.
Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!
Homemade Chex Mix Recipe
This Homemade Chex Mix recipe has been a family hit for years! Throw a batch together for your next large gathering. Your guests won’t be able to get enough!
Ingredients
- 3 cups of Cheerios
- 3 cups of Rice Chex
- 3 cups of Wheat Chex
- 3 cups of Corn Chex
- 3 cups of Kix
- 1 regular bag of stick pretzels
- 1 (8 oz.) can mixed nuts
- 1 (8 oz.) can peanuts
- 1 or 2 cups cashew halves
- 1 1/2 cups corn oil (sub: avocado oil)
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon onion salt
- 1 teaspoon celery salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground savory (sub: ground thyme)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250°F.
- In a large roasting pan, combine cereals, pretzels, and nuts.
- In a mason jar or small bowl, combine oil, Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, onion salt, celery salt, and savory in a mason jar or small mixing bowl. Shake or stir well.
- Pour the sauce over mixture and stir well to combine.
- Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes
- Let cool completely before storing.
Notes/Tips
Stores well on the counter or in the pantry in an airtight container.
It’s fun to use holiday-themed pretzels around the holidays.
Want More Healthy Snack Ideas?
Swing by our 30+ Healthy On-the-Go Snack Ideas! We include trick on how to get your family to actually eat them too!
So I get online searching for a “TV Mix” recipe similar to what my Aunt Annie used to make…and I run across this one, and it seems to be EXACTLY what I’m looking for! Imagine my delight to realize that I’m on the Thriving Home, and it really is Aunt Annie’s recipe… because my Aunt Annie is Polly’s Grandma that the recipe came from! Don’t you love the way the world works sometimes? And the recipe is still as delicious as I remembered it!
★★★★★
Hi Deb!!! Love that I can share her recipe with so many others who will enjoy it for years to come. Fun that you stumbled across us! Hugs! -Polly
Love this recipe but can I substitute vegetable oil or butter? I don’t have any corn oil on hand! Thank you!
★★★★★
Any kind of neutral cooking oil like vegetable oil or avocado oil will work. We haven’t tested it with butter, but I’m afraid it could burn.
Sorry need some clarifying. Is that 3 cups of each individual cereal to total 15 cups? Or just 3 total cups? Have you ever halved the recipe? My daughter and I are making this tomorrow 😁
Thank you for this question. It’s 3 cups of each kind of cereal (so a total of 15 cups). Polly said she has never halved it, but she thinks it wouldn’t cook quite as long. I’ve updated the recipe to make this clearer.
Super fun recipe. It really does make so much! I had to use a couple different pans to fit it all in my oven. #pangoals
★★★★★
I love hearing this! This recipe is so near and dear to my heart. Thanks for taking the time to rate and review.
Which pan is it in the photo? I don’t have one that big
Which roasting pan did you use in the picture? I don’t have one haha and I’m wondering if a disposable one would work here.
You can find a similar one here! https://www.amazon.com/shop/thrivinghome?listId=3JNMR3BOVUB6A&ref=cm_sw_em_r_inf_list_own_thrivinghome_dp_TWo92PGD4DuLM
My husband’s grandma made this every year at Christmas and now my mother in law does. We have her recipe card in her old script handwriting. I love it! We use butter instead of oil so probably less healthy haha. Thanks for sharing 🙂
★★★★★
Butter is always better, right? Ha! Thanks for sharing your story. Food is always better when it’s connected to family.
I know this is an old post but I was trying to see if anyone else made the chex mix my family has been making since My mom was a kid. My grandma made this every Christmas\NewYear’s. I have never had any other chex mix like it. We use almost the same ingredients except our nuts are just fancy mix(sometimes I add extra pecans because I love them!) and peanut. We don’t use the celery, onion, or savory salt. Just 2.5 tsp garlic powder, Wsauce, and corn oil. I make sure to buy salted nuts so the mix gets its salt from that. It’s such a good and addicting mix. Everyone loves it! So glad I found another family that makes it!