Hello friends, and Happy New Year! Today, I’m sharing a recipe that I developed before Christmas. And I had every intention of getting it up before Christmas, but then life happened. But I’m hoping it’s not too late to share it today, because boy oh boy, it’s a good one, and easy too! I really love this zesty ranch snack mix.
You know the scene–you’re hanging out at home in your loungies, things are getting cozy. You’re about to turn on your favorite Netflix show for a good binge. Or maybe you’re getting ready for an epic game of dominoes with your family (I’ve had several of these long game sessions) and you just need something to snack on. Enter in this super easy snack mix!
Suprisingly, this was my first time making a snack mix. But after seeing a them here and there, I wanted to make my own version. I mean, the huge freaking bag of Chex mix only costs like $5 or something at Costco, but I wanted something different. Customization is key for me, so I wanted to be able to pick what snacks I threw in mine. I mean, don’t we all know the experience of cracking open a mix of something and not liking some of the pieces?
This is the brilliant thing about making your own snack mixes. You can throw whatever you want in there and skip out on what you don’t like. Hello snack customization!
Let’s talk ingredients…
One thing I knew I really wanted in mine was Bugles. These things have to be some of the most underrated snacks of all time, and whenever I buy them I always find myself thinking, why don’t I buy these more often?! They’re perfectly crispy and salty.
I also knew that I wanted nuts in my zesty ranch snack mix. Now, here’s the thing. I used cashews but you can totally use any type of nuts that you’d like. I would suggest, however, that you use lightly salted or unsalted nuts. This is only because the other snacks and the seasoning sauce that you’ll pour over the mix has quite a bit of salt in it. Salted nuts typically have quite a bit of salt on them, so go for the ones that are salted on the lighter side.
I also used Chex cereal in mine. I used a good mix, but if you’re not in the mood to buy a few different types of boxes of Chex, then you can just stick to one kind. Keep it simple if you want!
Of course, I had to add some type of cheddary element to the snack mix, so I went for Cheez-Its. But you can really use any type of cheddary cracker if you’d like. Also, when it comes to the pretzels, you don’t have to use the sticks either. You can use regular mini pretzels or any shape that you’d like. Think of the possibilities!
How hard is it to make snack mix?
So, so easy! The only thing that you’ll need for this recipe, other than the ingredients, is just a little bit of time. The zesty ranch snack mix has to bake for about an hour, and you’ll need to stir it up every 15 minutes to make sure it bakes evenly. But that’s it! And you know, the awesome thing about making a batch is that it makes quite a bit, and you’ll have plenty of ranch snack mix to go around!
After the snack mix has been baked and cooled, store it in an airtight container. I’d imagine that it would last a couple of weeks at least, but mine has always disappeared by then!
I hope you enjoy this recipe and that you had a happy holiday season!
Zesty Ranch Snack Mix
Zesty, ranchy, a little cheddary and a little nutty, this is the perfect snack mix for the holidays!
Ingredients
- 2 cups Bugles
- 2 cups pretzel sticks
- 2 cups Cheez-Its (or other cheese-flavored crackers)
- 1 cup wheat Chex
- 1 cup corn Chex
- 1 cup no salt or lightly salted nuts
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon ranch seasoning mix
- 1 1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- pinch of pepper
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 250 F. Combine Bugels, pretzels, Cheez-Its, Chex, and nuts into a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine melted butter, ranch seasoning, worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and pinch of pepper and mix until combined. Pour over the dry ingredients in the bowl and stir to coat. Pour the mixture onto a baking sheet. Bake for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes to make sure its baked evenly. Once cool, store in an airtight container. Enjoy!
