Bold, crunchy, buttery, cheesy, and oh-so-flavorful, this Homemade Chex Mix always keeps you coming back for more! Bonus: It’s easy-to-make and can be prepared days in advance.
I can’t tell you how many times we have made this homemade chex mix at this point! We package it up every year to gift out for the holidays (it’s our most requested – more than cookies!), make it for game nights, and just anytime we need to bring something to a party.
This recipe blends a variety of salty, cheesy, and crunchy crackers (and pretzels) for layers of texture and flavor. We then coat it in a buttery, savory goodness, with just the right hint of spice and a little sweetness for balance. Trust me, once you try this, the store-bought bags won’t cut it.
“We absolutely loved this flavorful Chex Mix recipe. It’s so easy, savory, and slightly sweet, with the perfect amount of crunch. It made so much and yet it was gone in two days! It’s the perfect snack and I will definitely have this recipe in regular rotation at my house.” — Brittany, home cook, homesteader, and recipe tester.
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Key Ingredient Notes
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Butter: I prefer unsalted butter as it lets you control the overall salt level more easily. The ranch seasoning and crackers are both already salted.
- Ranch seasoning mix: You want to use the dry seasoning powder. Do not use liquid ranch dressing for this!
- Light Brown Sugar: You can cut this in half, but I really like the ever so slight sweetness that the 4 tablespoons adds to give all the other flavors balance.
- Worcestershire Sauce: Don’t skip this! It adds a great savory, umami style flavor to the chex mix.
- Cayenne Pepper: No one ever thinks this chex mix is spicy, but they all ask what that ever so subtle heat is at the end. If you want your mix to be spicy, feel free to double – or triple – this.
- Corn Chex: You want to use an un-sweetened chex cereal.
- Mini Pretzels: They can also be pieces, sticks, or nibblers or even goldfish pretzels will work. You want them to be small so you get a balanced bite when you grab a handful.
- Oyster crackers: Roughly chopped salted crackers work too.
- Cheez-It Crackers: I usually go for the classic, but you can use any flavor!
- Goldfish Crackers: Classic cheddar goldfish are the best in this mix. They don’t overpower the other cheesy crackers.
Tips For Making This Homemade Chex Mix Recipe
I’ve made this cheddar chex mix recipe more times than I can count! Along the way I’ve picked up some useful tricks that I’ll share below. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full instructions!
Don’t over season the butter. It might seem like more equals better, but it can overpower the mix and make it too salty. Stick to the amounts in the recipe until you’ve made it once and know what you like.
Mix everything in a giant bowl before spreading it on your baking pan. You will need a bigger bowl than you think! Do it gently so you don’t crush the crackers.
Use a large roasting pan or divide into two baking sheets, if needed. Overcrowding the chex mix on a small pan can lead to uneven cooking.
Stirring every 20 minutes while it bakes is key – don’t skip it! It keeps everything cooking evenly and helps avoid any burnt bits.
Don’t be tempted to raise the oven temperature to “speed things up”. This mix needs the full bake time at 250°F to absorb all the seasoning and get crunchy without burning.
Let it cool completely before packing it up. If it’s even a little warm, it can sweat, and you’ll end up with a soft mix instead of that addictive crunch.
Chex Mix Recipe Variations
- Add nuts: Use salted or unsalted depending on your salt preferences – cashews, peanuts, and almonds are all great options.
- More seasonings: Add 3 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon dried chives, 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder, and 2 teaspoons smoked paprika into the seasoning mixture.
- Make it even cheesier: Fold 1/2 cup freshly-grated parmesan cheese or pecorino romano into the chex mix in the last 10 minutes of baking.
- Bagel chips: They add extra crunch and absorb flavor beautifully. Garlic bagel chips are especially tasty.
- Rye chips: Adding a cup or two of rye chips is always a tasty addition!
How to Store
If you’re planning ahead, this mix stores beautifully! Just let it cool fully and then transfer it to a large ziplock bag or airtight container. Store it at room temperature for up to a week. (Or longer, it’s still good until it becomes stale!)
You can even freeze it for up to three months! Let it come to room temp before serving, and it’s just as good as fresh.
Homemade Chex Mix Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 (1 oz) packets ranch seasoning, the dry powder packets
- 4 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 5 cups corn chex
- 3 cups mini pretzels
- 3 cups oyster crackers
- 3 cups cheez-it crackers
- 2 cups goldfish crackers
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 225°F. Line a 13 x 18-inch sheet pan with parchment paper (or two 9 x 13-inch sheet pans); set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together butter, ranch dressing mix, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and cayenne pepper. Set aside.
- In an extra large bowl, combine Corn Chex, mini pretzels, oyster crackers, cheesy crackers, and goldfish. Pour butter mixture on top of Chex Mix mixture and toss to coat well.
- Spread in an even layer on prepared cookie sheet and bake for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes.
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More Snack Recipes To Try
- Churro chex mix or this Halloween chex mix are always fun!
- For Christmas, we always have to make a batch of puppy chow!
- Upgrade your pigs in a blanket with a cheesy ranch twist.
- These easy bisquick sausage balls are always a party favorite.
- Candied walnuts are a reader favorite every year!
- These chili cheese fries or Texas cheese fries are great for game days.
- Honey mustard pretzels are simple to make and so flavorful.
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I tried this as something to take to work other than cookies or brownies. I made the recipe as is and had so many compliments. The brown sugar adds a little sweetness. I will be making this again.
This is the only chex mix I make now. It’s so good and my family and coworkers LOVE IT! There’s just something about the sweet and savory that just works. It’s not overly sweet and rounds the flavors out.
I used Organic Coconut Sugar instead of the brown sugar. So good and so many compliments!
I am anxious to try this recipe it am not sure about the brown sugar. What was the reason for adding this?
A little sweetness helps round out the flavors! You can skip it, or cut it in half, but it’s delicious as is!
This was very good! Will make again. I tweeked a bit, halved the butter, brown sugar & worshishire sauce and omitted the red pepper. Got several compliments!
Would this be okay without the brown sugar? Or perhaps if the brown sugar was cut in half? If anyone has tried this please let me know.
Yes you can skip the sugar!
I like to use original Cherrios. I’d probably sub for the oyster crackers. And Orville Redenbacher makes a buttery oil that’s quite good as a sub for butter. I use it in other recipes. For this, I’d start out with a little less.
Too much cayenne pepper, way too spicy. I think I’d leave it out next time.
Wow yummy recipe, thanks for sharing it. I watch football with this recipe and True Elements Party Mix as a yummy party option and they are really tasty and healthy. This party mix made my football party hit!
I am always want to try different things.I got to give this a try for sure.
Interesting note – in your comments it says you use Rice Chex but in the recipe it calls for Corn Chex. Not really a problem as I like both…just glad it didn’t say Wheat Chex as I don’t really care for them! Anxious to make it!
Thanks for catching that! You can use any of them! They all work great in this recipe!
There isn’t any cheese why is it called cheesy ranch
It has cheeze its and goldfish, making it plenty cheesy!
So good! Sub’d butter for oil due to A dairy restrictions and it was a hit!
Ranch Cheesy Chex™ Mix
Time: 5m
Bake/Cook Time: 1h
Yield: 16 servings
Loaded with flavor and crunchy goodness, this Ranch Cheesy Chex Mix is the new ultimate tailgating party snack mix! It is also wonderful for an after school snack and stores well for up a week in an airtight container.
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Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
2 (1 oz) packets ranch dressing mix (the powder packets)
4 tablespoons Dixie Crystals Light Brown Sugar
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
5 cups Corn Chex™
3 cups mini pretzels
3 cups oyster crackers
3 cups cheese crackers
2 cups goldfish crackers
Directions
Preheat oven to 225°F. Line a 13 x 18-inch sheet pan with parchment paper (or two 9 x 13-inch sheet pans); set aside.1
In a medium bowl, whisk together butter, ranch dressing mix, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and cayenne pepper. Set aside.2
In an extra large bowl, combine Corn Chex, mini pretzels, oyster crackers, cheesy crackers, and goldfish. Pour butter mixture on top of Chex Mix mixture and toss to coat well.3
Spread in an even layer on prepared cookie sheet and bake for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes.4
Let cool and serve or store in an airtight container for up to a week.
Where is the recipe? The link doesn’t work.
IT WORKED FOR ME ?
That’s a great idea! My son loves Cheesy Ranch too much. I try to make, but, maybe I can’t like yours! Learnt something new to apply for the next time! Thank you so much for sharing! 🙂
I make chex mix in the crockpot. it takes longer but so good. I always add more seasoning.
The link does not take us to a recipe. Either post the entire thing or not at all. Frustrating.
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I thought I bough the right ounce packets
Just now looking at them and they are 4 oz.?
Hi Sue! As long as they are the ranch seasoning packets, you will want to use half of the 4oz packet. The recipe calls for 2 (1 oz) packets, for a total of 2 oz. So since your packets are 4 oz, just use half of 1 packet! Hope this helps!