It’s no secret that I have a bit of a thing for homemade Chex Mix.
It’s been my favorite snack to munch on ever since I was a kid. I make huge batches each year (including four this past weekend!) to give out as gifts to friends and family around the holidays. And as of now, I’ve posted — not one, not two, not three, but now — four Chex Mix recipes here on the blog, including my Slow Cooker Chex Mix recipe that continues to (um, surprisingly!) be one of the top recipes on Gimme Some Oven.
So much Chex Mix!!!
That said, of all the flavors I’ve tried, I’ve gotta be honest and say that about 90% of the time I stick with my own original recipe. Which is based off of the original Chex Mix recipe on the box, but — ahem — kicked up a big notch. Because when it comes to good Chex Mix, I’m a big believer that the more of that magical, zesty, bold sauce — the better.
So for anyone looking for a killer Chex Mix recipe this season, allow me to introduce you to my go-to recipe.
I call it my EXTRA-Bold Chex Mix. ♡
Extra-Bold Chex Mix Recipe | 1-Minute Video
Like I said, I literally made four batches of this stuff over the weekend. So I figured I’d snap a few photos during a batch to show you how zee Chex Mix and I roll.
First off, you’ve gotta start with the rockstar ingredients — All The Chex.
Well, back in the good ol’ days, these were the only three kinds of Chex. Now there are apparently all kinds to choose from at the store. But for my extra-bold mix, I prefer to stick with the holy trinity of Chex — wheat, rice, and corn.
You’re welcome to add whatever other crunchy ingredients to the mix that you’d like. Or you can definitely add in chopped dried fruit, M&Ms, or crackers after the mix has baked. But I tend to stick with what I grew up with — Cheerios, pretzels, and party peanuts. (Pro tip — I especially recommend adding those O’s. They tend to soak up tons of the sauce and get extra flavorful.)
Then, they key to this “Extra-Bold”-ness is all in the sauce. I don’t know about you, but I always felt like the original recipe was good, but never quite included as much of that zesty, buttery worcestershire-garlicky-seasoned-salty sauce. So over the years, I’ve upped and upped my amounts of sauce until I feel like I’ve found my happy sauce place.
And the result?!
Seriously the most irresistible batch of Chex Mix you’ve ever tried.
So give it a try! :)
Extra-Bold Chex Mix
Ingredients
- 9 cups Chex cereal (I used equal parts corn, rice, and wheat Chex)
- 2 cups mini pretzels
- 1 cup Cheerios
- 1 cup peanuts
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted and hot
- 1/3 cup worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons seasoned salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Add the Chex, pretzels, Cheerios, and peanuts together in a large microwave-safe mixing bowl, and gently stir a bit to combine.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt and garlic powder together until combined. Drizzle half of the sauce evenly over the Chex mix. Then give the mix a gentle stir to combine. (I like to stir with a rubber spatula, to help prevent breaking the Chex.) Repeat by drizzling the remaining sauce over the Chex mix, and stir again until combined.
- Microwave uncovered on high 5 to 6 minutes, thoroughly stirring every 2 minutes.
- Spread the mix out on parchment paper or paper towels until it has cooled to room temperature. Store in airtight container for up to 3 weeks.
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
I’m going to try this recipe tonight ad it sounds wonderful all the bold flavors…yum!!! Have you tried it using the oven?
This is pretty close to the recipe my mother in law made, except she added Beau Monde seasoning to it. That really makes it good!~
Yum! I made a small test batch and only had one issue. After about four minutes the cheerios caught fire, even with the pauses to stir every two minutes. I picked out the burnt guys and it was still good! Gave it a little smokey flavor. :) Next time I’ll make them in the oven.
Hi Hans! Oh my goodness, we can’t believe the cheerios caught on fire, that’s wild! That’s definitely never happened to us before! Yikes. We’re so glad you still enjoyed this though and that everything was salvageable!
I’ve been making this extra bold recipe for years! It’s sooo good and I love doing it in the slow cooker too. I do add in goldfish crackers or cheezits (I just do less pretzels and wheat chex to keep the total volume the same) and I also add onion powder and white pepper to the sauce. Looking forward to this year’s (first) batch!
Where do you find Seasoned salt? . I’ve been to a couple stores no luck. The last time I made this was in 8th grade Home Ec class!
If you can’t find it in the spice section of your local grocery store, you can order it online. :) Lawry’s is the brand we see most often. We hope this helps!
Spike or Badia complete seasoning is what I like to use for this mix also perfect for the salted rim of a bloody mary & esp popcorn , less salt more flavor
Help !!! I followed the instructions exactly. Even using the rubber spatula. But mine have come out soggy. Any suggestions ??
Hmmmm, they are definitely a little soggy at first, and then crunchier and drier as they dry. If they are too soggy, I would cook them a bit longer. :)
Don’t forget the hot sauce! I also use Cheez-Its and either pecans or cashews (I don’t like peanuts unless they’re enrolled in chocolate), and the batch I baked yesterday, I added Bugles and tripled the sauce. O.M.Gee! So good!
Yes! You can never go wrong with some hot sauce! :)
Any tips for making this in the oven? I don’t have a microwave :(
Hi Natalie! Yes, you could definitely do this in the oven. We would set your temp for 250. Mix the cereals, pretzels and peanuts in a large bowl, then melt your butter in a saucepan and stir in your seasoned salt, garlic powder, and worcestershire sauce. Pour the hot mixture in the bowl and toss everything to coat (make sure each piece is coated well). Then bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread the mix out on paper towels to cool, (15 minutes or so) Then store in an airtight container. We hope you enjoy! :)
This sounds delicious!!! I want to make some this weekend for the holidays and I stumbled across your slow cooker post and then this EXTRA bold post, which quickly caught my attention (who doesn’t love EXTRA flavor?!).
Would you recommend the microwave or crock pot method? I am wondering if using the crock pot makes it taste/crunch better than the microwave?
Thanks, Chelsea — we hope you enjoy! We like both methods, so it’s honestly up to you, but we will say that we probably do this in the microwave more often than the slow cooker.
I can’t wait to try this!
Question Ali, what kind of seasoned salt do you use? In my mind, I am seeing 25 kinds of seasoned salt at the grocery store, what have you found to be best? I want to make your delicious snack mix for the holidays.
I’m a big fan of good ol’ Lawry’s seasoned salt. ;)