A bowl of snack mix is the easiest thing you can put out at a Christmas party, and somehow it is always the first thing to disappear. No slicing, no plating, no forks. You set it down and people gather around it.
This list covers the whole range. There are white chocolate Chex mixes and peppermint puppy chows, a couple of properly savory baked mixes for the people who skip dessert, popcorn mixes, a Grinch mix for the kids, and a churro mix that tastes like a fairground. Most of them take under 30 minutes. Almost all of them pack up neatly into bags and jars, which makes them some of the best edible gifts you can make in December.
Pick one for the party and one for gifting.
1. Christmas Chex Mix with M&Ms
This is the classic white chocolate Chex mix, and Madeline keeps it simple: Chex, mini pretzels and peanuts get coated in melted white chocolate thinned with a little coconut oil, then tossed in powdered sugar with mini marshmallows and Christmas M&Ms. It takes about 15 minutes, no oven involved. One batch makes around 10 cups, which is enough for a party bowl plus several gift bags. Note that it contains mini marshmallows, so it is not gelatin-free.
Recipe by Madeline of Mad About Food: Christmas Chex Mix with M&Ms
2. Reindeer Chow
Amy’s version of reindeer chow starts the way the best muddy buddies do, with Chex coated in melted chocolate and peanut butter, then shaken in a bag of powdered sugar until every piece looks snow-dusted. Then come the extras: white chocolate morsels, mini marshmallows, holiday Sixlets and M&Ms, plus optional mini reindeer candies. It doubles as a gift, packed into cone bags with a red gumball at the bottom. It contains mini marshmallows and peanuts, so keep that in mind for allergies.
Recipe by Amy Desrosiers of Sizzling Eats: Reindeer Chow
3. Christmas Reindeer Crack
Heather’s reindeer crack is the sweet-and-salty one to make when you want crunch from every direction. Pretzels, Bugles, Cheerios, Chex, M&Ms and roasted peanuts all go into one big bowl, then melted white chocolate is poured over the top and everything gets tossed until coated. Spread it on a baking sheet, sprinkle while the chocolate is wet, and break it apart once set. It keeps about five days at room temperature and freezes for up to three months.
Recipe by Heather of Food Lovin’ Family: Christmas Reindeer Crack
4. Peppermint Crunch Puppy Chow
This one has been on Sally’s site since 2012, and it was her first viral recipe. Four ingredients, about ten minutes: Rice Chex coated in melted white chocolate, folded with crushed candy canes, then shaken in a bag with confectioners’ sugar. That is the whole recipe. Readers add holiday mint M&Ms or extra crushed peppermint, and it holds up for a week at room temperature or two weeks in the fridge.
Recipe by Sally McKenney of Sally’s Baking Addiction: Peppermint Crunch Puppy Chow
5. Christmas Puppy Chow with Almond Bark
Sarah’s take skips the peanut butter and the powdered sugar shake entirely, which makes it the neatest puppy chow on this list for gifting. Rice Chex gets folded into melted white almond bark with a quarter teaspoon of peppermint extract, then crushed hard peppermint candies go in while the coating is still wet. It sets in 10 to 15 minutes and keeps one to two weeks in an airtight container.
Recipe by Sarah Mock of Savoring the Good: Christmas Puppy Chow with Almond Bark
6. Peppermint Bark Puppy Chow
Jessica’s version is the closest thing to actual peppermint bark in snack mix form. Chex gets coated in melted semi-sweet chocolate and peanut butter, poured over the cereal in stages so the coverage stays even, then shaken in a bag of powdered sugar mixed with finely crushed peppermint candy. An hour in the fridge sets it into crisp clusters. Mini pretzels or holiday M&Ms add more crunch and color.
Recipe by Jessica Formicola of Savory Experiments: Peppermint Bark Puppy Chow
7. Gingerbread Chex Mix
If gingerbread is your favorite Christmas flavor, this mix from Inspired by Charm is the one to try. Corn Chex and Cinnamon Chex get coated in a butter, brown sugar and molasses glaze with cinnamon, ginger and cloves, baked for ten minutes, then tossed with broken gingersnap cookies and finished with a white chocolate drizzle. The spice is warm rather than hot, and the mix keeps for up to two weeks.
Recipe by Inspired by Charm: Gingerbread Chex Mix
8. Gingerbread Caramel Corn
Sheila calls this the original gingerbread caramel corn, and it has been on her site since 2012. The caramel is made from butter, dark brown sugar, Karo syrup and molasses, then whisked with a full gingerbread spice mix: ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, cardamom and allspice. A pinch of baking soda goes in at the end, which makes the caramel foam up and coat the popcorn more evenly. Two short stints in a low oven finish it.
Recipe by Sheila of Eat2Gather: Gingerbread Caramel Corn
9. Savory Christmas Snack Mix
Not everyone wants something sweet, and this is the mix for them. Food Meanderings built a fully savory holiday Chex mix with red tortilla chips and green pistachios for Christmas color, plus dill, ranch seasoning, lemon pepper and garlic. It bakes low and slow for an hour and a half, stirred every 15 minutes, which is what keeps it crisp for weeks. One batch makes about 36 cups, so it fills a lot of gift jars. One note: it contains Worcestershire sauce, which is traditionally made with anchovy, so it is not vegetarian.
Recipe by Food Meanderings: Savory Christmas Snack Mix
10. Sweet and Spicy Pretzel and Nut Snack Mix
This one comes from David Leibowitz, shared by Flavour and Savour, and it has been around since 2006 for good reason. Roasted mixed nuts and small pretzel twists get coated in a glaze of butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, cayenne and maple syrup, then baked for 12 to 18 minutes. The cayenne is adjustable, so you can keep it gentle or turn it up. It keeps two weeks at room temperature and freezes for a month, and the post includes free printable gift tags if you are bagging it up for neighbours.
Recipe by David Leibowitz, via Flavour and Savour: Sweet and Spicy Pretzel and Nut Snack Mix
11. Nuts and Bolts
Andy Hay’s nuts and bolts is the Canadian cousin of Chex mix, and it is the most old-fashioned recipe on this list. Cheerios, Shreddies, pretzel sticks, roasted peanuts, Goldfish, Cheez-Its and pecans get tossed in a spiced butter with Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, smoked paprika, chili powder and a touch of maple syrup, then baked low and slow for up to two hours. It keeps two to three weeks and freezes well. It contains Worcestershire sauce, which is traditionally made with anchovy.
Recipe by Andy Hay of The East Coast Kitchen: Nuts and Bolts
12. Christmas Popcorn
When you have ten minutes and a party starting soon, this is the mix. Wholesome Family Meals lays popped popcorn, pretzels and red and green M&Ms out on a baking tray, drizzles melted white candy wafers over the top, and finishes with red and green sprinkles. Six ingredients, no baking, and it looks like you spent far longer on it than you did. The post also lists a white chocolate cranberry version with pistachios and a salted caramel version.
Recipe by Wholesome Family Meals: Christmas Popcorn
13. Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Popcorn
Natalie’s white chocolate popcorn started as an accident, which is usually how the best recipes happen. Air-popped popcorn, dried cranberries and broken pretzels get drizzled with white chocolate that has orange zest stirred into it. The orange is the detail that makes it: bright against the sweet chocolate, and the cranberries add a tart chew. It keeps several days in an airtight container, and it packs neatly into cellophane bags with a ribbon.
Recipe by Perry’s Plate: Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Popcorn
14. Popcorn and Pretzel Sweet Snack Mix
This one comes from a recipe in the author’s mother’s old “Holiday Gifts from a Jar” cookbook, tweaked over the years into its current form. Popcorn, mini pretzels, roasted almonds and dried cranberries get coated in white chocolate with a teaspoon and a half of cinnamon stirred in, which warms the whole thing up. It sets in about an hour, makes 11 cups, and keeps a week at room temperature.
Recipe by Easy GF Recipes: Popcorn and Pretzel Sweet Snack Mix
15. Grinch Puppy Chow
Kelli’s Grinch puppy chow is the most fun-looking mix in this list, and kids love helping with it. Corn Chex gets coated in melted vanilla almond bark and peanut butter tinted bright green with gel food coloring. About two-thirds of the cereal gets shaken in powdered sugar and the rest stays green, which gives the mix its two-tone look. Red heart sprinkles go on last, while the coating is still tacky. Fifteen minutes of hands-on time, no oven.
Recipe by Kelli Miller of 3 Boys and a Dog: Grinch Puppy Chow
16. Grinch Popcorn
Inside BruCrew Life’s Grinch popcorn is built for Christmas movie nights. Popped popcorn and mini marshmallows get coated in melted white chocolate, spread on a tray to set, then drizzled with melted Andes mint chips and finished with mint M&Ms, red heart sprinkles and green sugar. It is best eaten within a day, though it keeps three to four days. Note that it contains mini marshmallows.
Recipe by Inside BruCrew Life: Grinch Popcorn
17. Hot Chocolate Snack Mix
Chelsea’s hot chocolate snack mix tastes like the drink, in crunchy form. Chocolate Chex gets coated in melted milk chocolate, then shaken in a bag with powdered sugar and hot cocoa mix. Separately, mini marshmallows get coated in melted white chocolate and spread on a tray to set, then broken up and folded in. It is best within a day or two because of the marshmallows, and it freezes for up to three months without them. It contains mini marshmallows.
Recipe by Chelsea Lords of Chelsea’s Messy Apron: Hot Chocolate Snack Mix
18. Churro Chex Mix
Sally Thompson’s churro Chex mix needs no oven at all, just a saucepan. Butter, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla get melted together and poured hot over Rice or Corn Chex, then the mix cools on a baking sheet and gets an optional dusting of powdered sugar at the end. It tastes like a churro in cereal form: buttery, cinnamon-sugary, lightly salted. The whole thing takes 25 to 30 minutes including cooling time, keeps a week at room temperature, and freezes for two months. Add a pinch of cayenne to the cinnamon sugar if you like a little heat.
Recipe by Sally Thompson of Lady Savor: Churro Chex Mix
How to store and package snack mix for gifting
Most of the mixes in this list keep for a week or two in an airtight container at room temperature, and the baked savory ones last longest. The exceptions are the popcorn mixes with marshmallows, which go soft after a day or two, so make those close to when you plan to serve them. Always let a mix cool completely before you bag it. Even a little warmth trapped in a jar turns the crunch soggy.
For gifting, cellophane treat bags tied with ribbon are the easiest option, and a pint mason jar holds about two cups. Add a small tag with the mix name and any allergy notes. If a mix is going in the mail or a car, use a tin or a sturdy box instead of a bag so the pretzels do not end up as crumbs at the bottom.
Frequently asked questions
How long does Christmas snack mix last?
Most mixes keep one to two weeks in an airtight container at room temperature. The baked savory mixes last longest, up to three weeks, and most of the sweet Chex mixes freeze for two to three months. Popcorn mixes with marshmallows are the shortest-lived and are best eaten within a day or two.
Can I make Christmas snack mix ahead of time?
Yes, and most of them are better for it. Make the baked mixes and the white chocolate Chex mixes up to a week ahead. Save the popcorn and marshmallow mixes for the day before, since popcorn goes stale faster than cereal. Freeze anything you make more than a week early, and thaw it sealed on the counter so condensation forms on the bag instead of the mix.
How do I keep snack mix from getting soggy?
Let it cool completely before storing, and use a container that seals tightly. Skip the fridge for mixes with peppermint candy or powdered sugar coatings; the moisture makes them sticky. If a baked mix feels soft, spread it on a baking sheet and warm it in a low oven for ten minutes.
Can I make these snack mixes nut-free?
Most of them, yes. Leave the peanuts or nuts out and add extra pretzels, Cheerios or popcorn to make up the volume. The Grinch puppy chow can swap peanut butter for sunflower seed butter or cookie butter. Check the original recipe pages for nut-free swaps before you start.
What is the difference between puppy chow and reindeer chow?
They are the same kind of snack. Puppy chow and muddy buddies are the general names for Chex cereal coated in chocolate and shaken in powdered sugar. Reindeer chow is the Christmas version of that, usually with holiday candies, marshmallows and pretzels added. The name changes with the season and the add-ins, not the method.
Which Christmas snack mix is best for gifting?
The white chocolate Chex mixes and the baked savory mixes travel best, because they set firm and do not crumble. Pack them in cellophane bags, mason jars or tins with a ribbon and a tag. Avoid gifting the marshmallow popcorn mixes, since they go soft quickly, and always note peanuts on the tag.
Conclusion
Eighteen mixes, and there is genuinely one for every kind of December: the ten-minute popcorn for a last-minute party, the slow-baked savory mix for the neighbours who do not eat sweets, the Grinch mix for movie night with the kids. Start with one batch, see how fast it disappears, and make a double batch next time.
If you are turning a batch into gifts, look at these 20 edible Christmas gifts worth making this year for more ideas that pack and ship well. And if the snack table needs a drink to go with it, these 18 homemade hot chocolate recipes pair with just about everything on this list.
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