This delicious Pumpkin Spice Snack Mix starts with cinnamon and honey-nut flavored cereals tossed in mixed nuts and coated in a caramelly sugar mixture with a hint of pumpkin pie spice. Toss in some pretzels and seasonally colored candies and you’ve got a great mix to enjoy with family or friends or a perfect gift; fill up a bag or decorative box with this mix and give it out as a festive treat.
Pumpkin Spice Snack Mix
One of the first recipes I ever shared on this site was this No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake. It has been a popular recipe on the site for the past seven years and one I make every fall or Thanksgiving for my own family. One of the hallmarks of that recipe is a faint pumpkin flavor that is anything but overwhelming. My husband was convinced he didn’t like pumpkin pie, and I was convinced I could get him to love it.
Turns out that cheesecake is one of his favorite recipes and he’ll tell you it’s because the pumpkin isn’t overpowering. While most of my other pumpkin recipes have pumpkin as the front-and-center flavor, Pumpkin Spice Snack Mix is not overwhelmingly pumpkin. In fact, there is not any actual pumpkin in this snack mix; instead, there’s just a hint of pumpkin in the form of pumpkin pie spice.
Quick Tip
Pumpkin pie spice is a delicious combination of warming spices. You can find it among other spices in the grocery store, or you can make your own!
How to make Pumpkin Spice Snack Mix
- Start by tossing together the cereal and nuts. Use any type of nuts; I love a combination of nuts! I recommend lightly salted nuts so the nuts have a better flavor without requiring you to season them.
- Make the syrup. Combine butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup and boil for one minute. Be sure to stir the entire time the mixture is boiling!
- Mix into the cereal and nuts. Pour the prepared syrup over the cereal and nuts and, working very quickly, toss to coat everything in the sugar mixture.
- Stir together pumpkin pie spice and sugar. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the cereal and nuts; then bake the mix.
- Remove the snack mix from the oven. Toss everything with a spatula and return to the oven for a few more minutes.
- Add mix-ins. After baking, let the mix cool slightly and then add in the pretzels and M&M’s. Let the mix stand for another 30+ minutes to fully harden and solidify.
Quick Tip
Make sure the sugar syrup mixture boils for 1 minute; start the timer once it’s doing a full rolling boil, not just simmering.
Pumpkin Spice Snack Mix Tips
- I recommend using an extra-large sheet pan (15×21 inches) or two large sheet pans.
- Make sure to get the right cereal. The cinnamon and honey-nut flavored Chex cereals add so much to this Pumpkin Spice Snack Mix! (Not sponsored)
- Line the sheet pans with foil, parchment paper, or Silpat® liners so the mix doesn’t stick and make a big mess! It’s nearly impossible to get off an unlined tray.
- Let the mix cool completely before serving. This mixture needs some time for the sugar syrup to fully harden and the cereal to become firm. Set aside at least an hour for everything to fully set up.
- I recommend a good nonstick saucepan; you want one with a heavy bottom so you don’t burn the syrup.
- Use a pot bigger than you think you’ll need because the syrup “grows” when the baking soda is mixed in.
- Add pumpkin pie spice to taste. In the recipe I indicate 2-3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice; add this to personal preference. We like 2 teaspoons, but if you’d like a stronger pumpkin spice flavor, add 3.
Quick Tip
Customize this snack mix to the occasion. Use red and green M&M’s for Christmas, blue and white for Hanukkah, and orange and brown for Thanksgiving. And because the pumpkin spice flavor is so subtle, this can be used year-round, not just in fall and winter.
More Pumpkin Treats
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cookies with cream cheese frosting
- Our favorite Pumpkin Bread or try this Pumpkin Bread with Streusel Topping
- Soft Pumpkin Cookies with chocolate chips
- Pumpkin Waffles with a buttermilk syrup
- 7 Layer Pumpkin Bars with chocolate and toffee bits
Pumpkin Spice Snack Mix
Equipment
- Aluminum foil heavy duty
- large sheet pan, 15 x 21-inch
- Medium pot
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 4 cups Cinnamon Chex cereal
- 4 cups Honey Nut Chex cereal
- 1 cup mixed nuts lightly salted
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 1-tablespoon pieces
- 1 cup dark brown sugar or light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 to 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 cup snap pretzels
- 1 cup M&M's see note 1
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a 15x21-inch sheet pan (or 2 smaller sheet pans) with heavy-duty foil or parchment paper (regular foil tends to rip easily) and grease generously with cooking spray.
- Add Cinnamon Chex, Honey Nut Chex, and mixed nuts to the prepared sheet pan.
- In a medium pot, add butter (cut into tablespoons), brown sugar, and corn syrup. Place over medium to medium-high heat and stir constantly until butter is melted. Continue to stir until mixture comes to a rapid boil. Boil for exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly, and remove from heat. Add baking soda and salt. Stir to combine. Add vanilla and stir to combine. Pour over cereal on the sheet pan and, working quickly, stir until cereal and nuts are coated in the mixture. Spread cereal and nut mixture into one even layer.
- In a small bowl, combine pumpkin pie spice (add 3 teaspoons for a stronger pumpkin spice flavor) and granulated sugar; stir to combine. Sprinkle evenly over cereal mixture. (Don't mix this spiced sugar into the cereal).
- Bake for 5 minutes, remove from oven, and toss using a metal spatula. Spread mixture again to an even layer. Return to oven and bake for 4 more minutes. Remove from oven and toss again. Spread in one even layer and let cool for 5 minutes. Add pretzels and M&M's onto the sheet pan, toss to combine, and spread in an even layer. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour to fully harden and set up.
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
