The Best Homemade Chex Mix Recipe (in the Oven or Microwave)

Homemade Chex Mix has something for everyone with its perfect mix of salty and crunchy components that are just right for an afternoon snack or a holiday movie marathon. This homemade Chex Mix recipe uses simple ingredients and is so much better than what you can buy at the store—it doesn’t even compare! It’s easy to customize to exactly your taste. You can make several variations to switch up the flavors, and it’s a holiday snack staple for many families over the Christmas season. We’ve even got a video to show you how easy it is!

You can make homemade Chex Party Mix in the oven, but we’ll also show you how to make it in the microwave as well. Homemade Chex Mix also makes a great gift!

Related: Churro Chex Mix Recipe, Puppy Chow (Muddy Buddies), Nutella Puppy Chow, Healthy Trail Mix, Wassail Recipe, Homemade Hot Chocolate

If you’ve typically purchased premade Chex Mix at the store and are scratching your head as to WHY this needs to be a homemade recipe, allow me to explain!

Homemade Chex Mix is 1000% more tasty that what you can buy at the store—it doesn’t even compare. It’s like a homemade chocolate chip cookie versus store bought—no contest. It’s the ultimate snack mix.

Ingredients needed for homemade Chex Mix

• Corn Chex cereal: The Corn Chex flavor adds a bit of sweetness to the mix.
• Rice Chex cereal: The lightest cereal of the bunch, Rice Chex is a great base for the flavored butter mixture and adds a good crunch
• Wheat Chex cereal: Wheat Chex cereal is smaller and crisper with a deeper flavor. If you don’t want to buy three flavors, you can simply add more of the corn and rice to make up for skipping the wheat.
• Bagel chips: Regular-sized bagel chips can be broken up with your hands to about 1″ pieces if they aren’t the mini size, and they really add a textured crunch to the mix. You can also sub out or add some rye chips if you can find them.
• Mini pretzels: Salty pretzels are so good with the spiced butter mixture. Feel free to choose sticks, squares, or the mini twist shape.
• Nuts: While you can easily leave out nuts if there are allergies present, adding peanuts, almonds, cashews, or a classic nut mix adds in a little protein and layer of nutty flavor.
• Worcestershire sauce: Adding a few tablespoons of Worcestershire is what gives Chex Mix its tangy flavor and you can add more or less to taste.
• Butter: You’ll want unsalted if you prefer a less salty mix, or go for salted butter if you like things on the saltier side.
• Garlic powder: Just a bit gives it a savory garlic note. You can also add some onion powder for a stronger savory flavor to compliment the garlic.
• Seasoned salt: Use a classic like Lawry’s seasoning salt to add a salty zing to your mix.

Instructions for homemade Chex Mix

• Mix your dry ingredients (your different Chex cereals, bagel chips, pretzels, and nuts) in a large bowl.
• Melt your butter in a small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl (cook on high for about 40 seconds or until melted).
• Add your seasonings (Worcestershire, garlic powder, and seasoning salt) to your melted butter and stir.
• Pour half your seasoned butter over top of your dry Chex Mix, stir thoroughly, and then drizzle the remaining butter over the mix and stir again.
• Spread your Chex Mix in an even layer on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet (you may need more than one sheet depending on how large your sheet is).
• Bake for 45 minutes at 250°F until just starting to brown and stir every 15 minutes so they bake evenly. You can use one large sheet pan if you are giving it a good stir, or use two pans if you have smaller or medium sizes. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before eating and store in an airtight container.

Optional add-ins for Chex mix

• Cheez-Its or other cheese crackers
• Sesame sticks
• Wasabi peas
• Cheerios (swap out some of the Chex cereal for Cheerios or even Honey Nut Cheerios for a touch of sweetness)
• Goldfish crackers
• Dried fruits
• M&Ms, Reese’s Pieces candies, or mini chocolate chips (sprinkled in after Chex Mix is baked and cooled)
• Dark or white chocolate melted and drizzled over top of your baked and cooled Chex Mix

How do you store homemade Chex Mix?

To store homemade Chex Mix, you’ll want to put it in an airtight container and you can keep it on your counter or in your pantry. It’s also popular to store Chex Mix in cookie tins as they tend to hold a lot and keep the mix fresh as well.

If you are gifting a batch of homemade Chex Mix, then putting it in a decorative or festive cookie tin is a fun way to gift the snack.

How long does homemade Chex Mix last?

When kept in an airtight container at room temperature, homemade Chex Mix can last several weeks.

Do I have to use all three kinds of Chex cereal?

While the classic recipe uses all three kinds, if you prefer to use only two, just stick to the Corn and Rice flavors. As long as your total cereal mixture equals 9 cups total, you can divide that between whichever flavors of Chex cereal you like best.

How do you make a sweet Chex Mix?

Making a sweet Chex Mix is also easy, quick, and a sweet and salty treat! You can make the classic peanut butter and chocolate Puppy Chow (Muddy Buddies) recipe, or add in some hazelnut flavor with this Nutella Puppy Chow, or even a cinnamon sugar treat with our Churro Chex Mix Recipe.

How do you make a gluten-free homemade Chex Mix?

Rice and Corn Chex are both gluten-free, so just use 4.5 cups of each of those cereals and omit the Wheat Chex. Just make sure you are also choosing a gluten-free pretzel and gluten-free bagel chip as well (Glutino makes a GF bagel chip).

How do you make homemade Chex Mix in the microwave?

• Add dry ingredients (your different Chex cereals, bagel chips, pretzels, and nuts) to a large microwave-safe bowl.
• Melt your butter in a small microwave-safe bowl for about 40 seconds on high or until melted.
• Add your seasonings (Worcestershire, garlic powder, and seasoning salt) to your melted butter and stir.
• Pour half your seasoned butter over top of your dry Chex Mix, stir thoroughly, and then pour in the remaining butter and stir again.
• Microwave on high for 5-6 minutes (stopping every 2 minutes to stir) and lay out on paper towels to cool.