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Extra-Bold Chex Mix

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Extra-Bold Chex Mix Recipe

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

Corn Chex, Rice Chex, Wheat Chex

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.

Chex Mix Ingredients

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.)

How To Make Chex Mix

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?!

Extra Bold Chex Mix

Seriously the most irresistible batch of Chex Mix you’ve ever tried.

So give it a try! :)

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Chex Mix Recipe

Extra-Bold Chex Mix

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.7 from 47 reviews
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 24 servings 1x

Description

This Extra-Bold Chex Mix recipe is made just the way I like it — with lots and lots of extra-zesty sauce.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 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

  1. Add the Chex, pretzels, Cheerios, and peanuts together in a large microwave-safe mixing bowl, and gently stir a bit to combine.
  2. 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.
  3. Microwave uncovered on high 5 to 6 minutes, thoroughly stirring every 2 minutes.
  4. 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.

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119 comments on “Extra-Bold Chex Mix”

  1. Yes! I totally agree. Chex Mix almost never has enough of the super salty buttery sauce as is needed around the holidays :) Pinning this now to make later!

  2. Oh yummy, I love things like this that you can just nibble away at :)

    Rachael xx.
    theteacozykitchen.blogspot.co.uk

  3. We’re happily eating our way through the test batch we snatched from the GSO test kitchen

  4. I’m such a weirdo about Chex Mix- I make mine with only Corn & Rice Chex. Period. No other crunchy add ons. I think of it as minimalist Chex…..but really, I’m just ridiculous. And I have plans to make myself a batch today!

  5. I make this every year (was going to skip this year due to holiday travel, but I’m craving it now). These proportions are what I use too, but I also add in 1 teaspoon onion powder and 1 teaspoon celery salt! That last one is my mom’s trick. Sooooo good! Totally agree on o’s. This is also great for road trip car snacks, and whatever’s left can be shared.

  6. You should try a small amount of Chili Powder, Cayenne Pepper and Curry Powder makes a wonderful change; Also I have added Celery Salt and Onion Salt for variations as well…..Enjoy them all :)

  7. I make Buffalo Chex mix. Try doing 4T Franks Wing sauce and 2T Worcestershire sauce. Add 2tsp celery seed and 1.5 packages dry ranch dressing mix. I use parmesan goldfish too. Holy Grail of Chex Mix. #justsayin

  8. Yum! I love Chex Mix.
    Kari

  9. Tabasco…you forgot the Tabasco. Less Worcestershire, more Tabasco. Trust me.

    Love your blog, tweets, ‘grams.

    Keep up the good work!

    • So true!Tabasco makes a huge difference and doesn’t get soggy at all. I use a whole small bottle for this many servings.






  10. I totally agree! I sometimes double the sauce for the mix. I love your addition of Cheerios and will try this recipe this year.

  11. 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.

  12. 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.

  13. 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! :)

  14. 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!

  15. 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. :)

  16. 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






  17. 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!






  18. 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!~






  19. I’m going to try this recipe tonight ad it sounds wonderful all the bold flavors…yum!!! Have you tried it using the oven?

  20. Made this tonight and it’s SOOOOO good!! Thanks for the great recipe!!






  21. Delicious thanks for sharing

  22. I just made the bold , extra bold…….so delish.. Thinking I will make ranch and spicy next…






  23. Just answered my own question. I must be crazy. I use a bottle of worstershire sauce, two sticks of butter, Goya Adobo, garlic and onion powder and Everyone loves it!

  24. For extra flavor, add ranch or honey mustard pretzel pieces instead of plain pretzels. SO GOOD!

  25. I’ve done this for over 20 years, I always doubled the seasonings, butter and Worcestershire sauce, it makes it soon much better. I agree it was always missing something. Just try it.

  26. This is my favorite Chex recipe of all time. I agree, the original Chex recipe was lacking that “pop”. The only change I make is I use crispex cereal instead of Chex. It’s corn on one side & rice on the other. Plus the hexagon shape makes it look nicer.






  27. Loved this so quick to make when friends drop in






  28. Great taste, but mine was soft and never hardened up. Had to put it into the oven for a good 30 minutes to crisp it up again. Not sure how everyone is achieving crispy results in the microwave.






  29. I’ve made this a few times now, and it is amazing! I looked through a bunch of chex mix recipes before trying this one, I think it has the perfect balance of ingredients. I can’t stop eating it! I do make it vegan by using vegan butter and Worcestershire sauce.

    I also typically bake it in the oven — just spread it out on a parchment paper in a cookie sheet, and bake it at 250 for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes. It takes a lot longer, but it’s so worth it, in my opinion!






  30. Definitely twice the sauce for me.






  31. We made this last night. A few changes for our preferences, only rice and corn chex…and we used garlic rye chips in place of the pretzels. It is fantastic! Loads of flavor. I was worried as it was mixing that it would not be enough, but it turned out really good! I think in the microwave it may be a little softer in some places than if we had used the oven. But most of the pieces are good and crunchy. I definitely liked the ease of the microwave. Will definitely be making this again. Thanks for sharing!






  32. I had a coworker who made the best Chex mix. I asked her how she made it, and she said she doubled the sauce, so, yes people, you need to make this.






  33. Any tips if we don’t have a microwave? Oven temp/time or slow cooker? Thanks, this looks great and I can’t wait to try!

  34. This is a fantastic recipe! I do add more seasoning as my husband and his trades buddies like it spicier. Fantastic thank you!!

  35. You forgot a few things the tabasco and onion & chilli power and so I’m adding it here. 1/4 cup tabasco 4 tbsp chilli powder and 2 tbsp onion powder

  36. Love that recipe, but we always add a 1/4 cup of Tabasco Sauce!

  37. Indeed the amping up the sauce is the trick…!
    My mom always added Cheerios… and IMHO- the best part is In fact when those little round treasures are extra soaked and just a little crispy (the wheat Chex are sooo scrumptious too).
    Seeing your recipe gave me their permission I needed to go for the extra butter, etc.. I just finished the first Party Mix batch of the season (there are always dozens) using your recipe… delicious… thanks! :). -CityRelics






  38. Liked it but it was way too salty. Was the seasoned salt supposed to be teaspoon instead of tablespoon?






  39. Really good!! – but baking it in the oven is the way to go even if it takes longer. I used my convection oven at 250 with all the goodies on cookie sheets. I stirred every 30 minutes. Like another poster I used both celery salt and onion salt. (that’s from the Canadian recipe and it’s just a familiar taste for nuts & bolts). When they were done I sprinkled very lightly, seasoning salt all over; it just amped it up a little bit. I love your recipes – thank you for another great one!

  40. needed to add stars!






  41. My late husband made this for get togethers. I lost it but I’m glad you had it.






  42. Good stuff but i use mixed nuts, add doritos, or corn nacho chips, even cheetos if want to extra sauce






  43. That all looks pretty good, but I would increase the ratio of peanuts, probably omit the Cheerios, and DEFINITELY add some cayenne pepper to it.






  44. Mine came out of the microwave soggy so I put it into a roasting pan under a 350 degree broil and turned them every 10 minutes for 20 minutes. I will cook this in an oven for now on.

  45. These weren’t quite bold enough for me, I’m going to slightly increase the butter, worcestshire, and seasonings to increase flavor but hopefully not make the cereal soggy. I baked mine per your directions in the comments and they turned out perfectly, not soggy at all.






  46. Try adding a little cayenne pepper to the sauce, along with some corn syrup!
    OMG! Yum!

  47. Deliciously bold! I used Kix instead of Cheerios.Added a sweet touch to the savory!






  48. I grew up with Chex Mix, also known in my family as “Scrabble Mix.” My Grandmother and Mom both baked it. Any reason you don’t?

  49. I ate this and made a little bit more sauce for it just because it was so darn good!