Caramel Nut Snack Mix is a crunchy caramel combination of Chex cereal, nuts and M&M’s that’s so delicious your whole family will love it! Perfect snack mix for watching football, sharing with friends or gifting!
There are so many different ways to make Chex cereal snack mixes, but this one brings the best salty-sweet flavors to the table. I made this recipe for a family get-together one time and no one was able to stay away from it. It’s a winning recipe that is not only irresistibly good but incredibly easy to make as well!
While the flavors are already so perfectly matched for one another, you can make your caramel nut snack mix more unique by adding in new ingredients or switching out a few of the ones in it for something else. Keep reading to see some amazing ideas you’ll want to try soon!
Making Caramel Nut Snack Mix
Melt together the ingredients needed to make the caramel sauce.
Mix in the cereal and then lay it out on a sheet pan.
Bake it. Cool it. Break it. Eat it.
Tip- I suggest using a rubber spatula and parchment paper because it makes the mess so much easier to handle!
How many cups of cereal are in a box of Chex cereal?
There are about 10 cups of cereal inside a 12 oz box of Chex cereal. So if you only have a large family size box available, you can just scoop out the amount of cereal that you need or mix and match a few different types to create something new and exciting.
Is caramel nut snack mix gluten-free?
If you choose to use Chex mix cereal make sure that you use one of their gluten-free varieties. They have 8 different flavors and only the wheat Chex contains wheat. Other than that this recipe is gluten-free, just double-check for cross-contamination on the other store-bought ingredients if you have an allergy risk.
Caramel Nut Snack Mix Ingredients
-1/2 cup butter: I use salted butter, but you’re free to use what you have on hand!
-3/4 cup white corn syrup: use the light colored corn syrup, not the dark amber colored corn syrup
-1 cup packed brown sugar: light colored brown sugar is best here as well
-2 cups salted mixed nuts: cashews and peanuts were our favorites!
-1 (12 ounce) package crispy corn or rice cereal, like Chex: off brand works just fine here!
-1 or 2 cups festive M&M’s- I used the harvest colored ones that come out in late August
How to make the caramel snack mix
Preheat your oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Line two large jelly-roll pans with parchment paper.
In a medium-size microwave-safe bowl, mix butter, white corn syrup, and brown sugar.
Place the mixture in the microwave and cook 2 minutes, or until butter melts. Stir the mixture until it’s combined and smooth.
Place the cereal and nuts onto the prepared pans. Pour the melted butter mixture over the cereal and nuts and mix gently until the cereal and nuts are coated. I used a rubber scraper and just gently held on to the side of the parchment paper while mixing. It was easier to do than I thought it’d be!
Bake for 50 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Halfway through, rotate the pans in the oven as well. (Anything on the bottom rack of my oven cooks faster, so rotating prevents half of your mix from overcooking!)
Remover the pans from the oven and continue to stir the mix so that it doesn’t harden in 1 large piece! I held the edges of the parchment paper and slid the mix onto the countertop so that it’d cool faster. It took only a few minutes, so be sure to stir them immediately after they come out of the oven!
Once the mix is cool, add in the M&M’s and toss lightly to incorporate. ENJOY!
CARAMEL NUT SNACK MIX
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter
- ¾ cup white corn syrup
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 cups salted mixed nuts {cashews and peanuts were our favorites!}
- 12 oz Chex Rice or corn cereal
- 1-2 cups festive M&M’s- I used the harvest colored ones
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Line 2 large jelly-roll pans with parchment paper.
- In a medium-size microwave safe bowl, mix butter, white corn syrup and brown sugar. Place the mixture in the microwave and cook 2 minutes, or until butter melts. Stir mixture until combined and smooth.
- Place the cereal and nuts onto the prepared pans.
- Pour the melted butter mixture over the cereal and nuts and mix gently until the cereal and nuts are coated. I used a rubber scraper and just gently held on to the side of the parchment paper while mixing. It was easier to do than I thought it’d be!
- Bake for 50 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Half way through, rotate the pans in the oven as well. (Anything on the bottom rack of my oven cooks faster, so rotating prevents half of your mix from overcooking!)
- Remover the pans from the oven and continue to stir the mix so that it doesn’t harden in 1 large piece! I held the edges of the parchment paper and slid the mix onto the counter top, so that it’d cool faster. It took only a few minutes, so be sure to stir them immediately after they come out of the oven!
- Once the mix is cool, add in the M&M’s and toss lightly to incorporate. ENJOY!
Nutrition
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What type of M&M’s should I use?
Using festive colored M&M’s make the dish look pretty and fit in with any simple theme, but you can use any color choice or M&M variety that you want. While there are some M&M flavors out there that may not be great with this (such as the mint filled) others like the peanut butter filled ones could be an amazing addition!
How should I store this caramel Chex snack mix?
After your cereal has cooled down, you can safely store any uneaten snack mix in a covered bowl or Ziploc bag for up to a week at room temperature. The older your snack mix becomes, the more stale and chewy it may be, so eat it fresh.
Is this snack mix vegan?
Sadly, the butter and the M&M’s cause this recipe to not be vegan, but you can make the safe ingredient substitutions to make it that way! You will also want to choose a vegan crispy corn cereal such as Puffins or Quaker Life.
If you love this Caramel Nut Snack Mix, be sure to try some of our other favorite recipes!
Caramel Nut Snack Mix is a crunchy caramel combination of Chex cereal, nuts and M&M’s that’s so delicious your whole family will love it! Perfect snack mix for watching football, sharing with friends or gifting!
Ms. Baker says
Does this store well, or should it be made just before eaten?
elle says
Is a 12 ounce package of the cereal a full box If so, do you use 2 boxes for each kind?
Jessica says
You just use 12 ounces of cereal- you can use either Corn Chex or Rice Chex.
Denise says
Is there a reason to mix it on the parchment paper? I would think a bowl would be easier. Just want to make sure. This sounds amazing and I can’t wait to try it!
Jessica says
Well, you end up mixing on the parchment several times anyways, so in my opinion, no need to dirty a bowl in the very final step!
Crystal says
I only have dark corn syrup. would that make a difference to the recipe?
Jessica says
The end result might be a bit darker in color, but it will taste the same!
Joan Huffman says
can’t wait to try it. Sounds wonderful. I’ll use Easter M and Ms.
Sharon says
This is fantastic. I’ve made it a few times. Definitely use parchment. It makes mid-way stirring and cooling so much easier. I find it gets better after a day or two as the Carmel softens ever so slightly. I also use a lot more nuts because it’s my favourite part. Toasted whole almonds, peanuts and cashews work well.
Jessica says
So glad you like it! YES parchment is so wonderful, especially in this recipe. 🙂
Vicki says
This is delicious. One suggestion – when you remove it from the parchment paper/pan to cool, spread it on non-stick foil. I spread mine on wax paper and some stuck to it.
Alison says
Vicki, Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for your suggestion!
Maria says
Can you suggest a suitable substitute for corn syrup?
Jessica says
You can use honey instead!