Make your own Trail Mix! This post contains five different Trail Mix recipes — a tropical version, an indulgent version, a mountain version, a peanut lover’s version, and a healthy version. Try one–or all five!
Save money and make your own!
There are few snacks I like more than trail mix, but you certainly pay a premium for pre-mixed nuts and candies. Making your own trail mix not only saves money, but also ensures you get exactly what you want in your mix (you know, so you don’t end up with an entire bag of leftover raisins that you didn’t even want in the mix…).
So let’s start by talking about what’s in a trail mix and then go over options for customizing your own mix.
What is in Trail Mix?
Trail Mix commonly includes a variety of nuts and/or seeds, dried fruits, and often, candies or chocolate. Below are the ingredients I’m using in the different recipes today. (None of the below brands I call out are sponsoring this post; they’re just what I use, love, and recommend.)
- Roasted cashews: I like to save myself the step of roasting nuts and prefer to buy the pre-roasted varieties. Use whole cashews or even cashew halves and pieces.
- Roasted and salted almonds: We prefer the salted and roasted almonds over regular almonds; they have so much more flavor!
- Coconut chips: These toasted coconut chips by Bare® are my absolute favorites.
- Banana chips: I also love Bare’s banana chips; for a nice flavor twist, use the cinnamon- or strawberry-flavored apple chips.
- Dried mango: I don’t recommend the sugared dried mangos; I find them too sweet. Instead, I highly recommend Sunsweet Pacific Tropicals® Dried Mango.
- White chocolate chips: If you don’t love white chocolate, use extra milk chocolate or a different type of chocolate instead.
- Milk chocolate chips: If you want less sweetness, semi-sweet chocolate or dark chocolate can be used instead — whatever you like best!
- Peanut butter baking chips: These chips are typically found on the baking aisle near other baking chips.
- Dried cranberries: Sometimes we’ll switch it up and use cherry-juice-infused dried cranberries; both are great in Trail Mix.
- Dry roasted peanuts
- Raisins
- M&M’s: I like using miniature (baking) M&M’s® in these mixes, but regular M&M’s also work.
- Pretzels: I get the itty bitty mini pretzels so they’re about the same size as the other ingredients. Any pretzels work, but you might want to break larger pretzels up a bit.
- Reese’s pieces®
- Vanilla yogurt raisins: I love Mariana® vanilla yogurt raisins for these recipes.
Other ingredients
Some other ingredients that pop up commonly in trail mix: Shelled and salted sunflower seeds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, dried pineapple, Rice Chex® cereal, pecans, dried cherries, golden raisins, popcorn, pistachios, chocolate-covered pretzels, dried papaya, dates, Teddy Grahams®, mini peanut butter cups, chocolate-covered pretzels, and chocolate chunks are all popular choices.
Feel free to replace ingredients you don’t love with the ones listed above, or add in extra ingredients.
Quick Tip
One of the great things about Trail Mix is that it’s so portable. It’s the perfect energy-boosting snack to take along to events. Keep in mind where you’ll be going when you create your mix. If you’ll be somewhere with a lot of heat (either outside or in a closed vehicle), remember that chocolate- and yogurt-covered ingredients will melt and get sticky. Stick with the non-melting item!
Storage
How to make Trail Mix
Find a flavor profile that resonates best with you and toss everything in a large bowl until combined. Transfer portions to a large bag or container, or individual bags or containers.
Below are the five Trail Mix recipes with photos under the recipes and additional details for each mix.
Tropical Trail Mix
Tropical Trail Mix combines banana chips, coconut chips, dried mango, cashews, and almonds. To ensure crunchy nuts, this mix is best eaten soon after being made; sometimes the dried fruit has enough moisture to soften the rest of the ingredients.
Other additions: Try dried pineapple, dried papaya, yogurt-covered raisins, golden raisins, dried cranberries, walnuts, dried kiwi, dried apricots, or chopped dates.
Indulgent Trail Mix
Indulgent Trail Mix combines milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, peanut butter baking chips, dried cranberries, peanuts, and cashews. This mix is meant to be more of a treat, and is a great mix to bring to a party!
Other addition: Try some dark chocolate chips or chunks, chocolate-covered pretzels, chocolate-covered almonds, popcorn, golden raisins, mini peanut butter cups, or dried cherries.
Mountain Trail Mix
Mountain Trail Mix combines almonds, cashews, mini M&M’s, raisins, and cashews; it’s a great all-purpose trail mix — perfect for taking along as you hike up a mountain.
Other addition ideas: Include regular-sized M&M’s, sunflower seeds, chocolate-covered popcorn, dark chocolate chunks, or pecans.
Peanut Lover’s Trail Mix
Peanut Lover’s Trail Mix is more of a treat and truly for the peanut lover!
Other additions: Add in some chocolate chips or chunks, chocolate-covered pretzels, white chocolate chips, mini Reese’s Cups®, or cocoa-roasted almonds.
Healthy Trail Mix
This is the healthiest mix of all the recipes in this post. Healthy Trail Mix combines dried cranberries, yogurt-covered raisins, cashews, and almonds. This mix is great if you want a mix that is less sweet or if you’re watching your sugar intake.
Other additions: Include some walnuts, pecans, dried cherries, pistachios, pepitas, sunflower seeds, cocoa-roasted almonds, or coconut chips.
Trail Mix FAQs
Is Trail Mix Healthy?
Trail mix is a great snack to have in small quantities and in moderation. While nuts and seeds are incredibly healthy, they’re also high in calories and fat. Trail mixes sometimes include ingredients that don’t add significant nutritional value to the mix and are just add additional fat and sugar. Plus, it’s very easy to over-consume trail mix!
How to Make Trail Mix Healthier
- Portion control: Portion out small amounts of the mix, so the whole thing isn’t consumed in one sitting.
- Reduce sweet additions: Remove or reduce the number of sugary add-ins.
- Add air-popped popcorn: Popcorn is low in calories and fat, and can bulk up Trail Mix. This will make smaller quantities of the overall mix more filling and satisfying without tons of additional calories and fat.
- Dried fruit: A lot of dried fruit is covered in sugar or has other added ingredients. Try to find dried fruit that lists just the fruit in the ingredient list.
More easy snacks
- No-Bake Energy Bites
- Almond Granola
- Healthy Banana Muffins
- Homemade Granola Bars
- Peanut Butter Granola
Trail Mix
Equipment
- Large bowl
Ingredients
Tropical Trail Mix
- 1/2 cup banana chips coarsely chopped
- 1 cup dried mango coarsely chopped, I like Sunsweet Pacific Tropicals Premium Mango
- 1 cup roasted cashews see note 1
- 1/2 cup roasted, salted almonds
- 1/2 cup coconut chips
Indulgent Trail Mix
- 1/3 cup white chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup milk chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup peanut butter baking chips
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup roasted, salted cashews
- 1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts
Mountain Trail Mix
- 1 cup dry roasted peanuts
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 cup mini M&M’s
- 1/2 cup almonds
- 1/2 cup cashews
Peanut Lovers Mix
- 1 cup dry roasted peanuts
- 1 cup pretzels
- 1/2 cup peanut butter baking chips
- 1/2 cup Reese’s pieces
Healthy Trail Mix
- 1 cup roasted, salted almonds
- 1 cup roasted cashews
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt raisins
Instructions
- Tropical Trail Mix: Coarsely chop the banana chips and dried mango. Add 1/2 cup banana chips, 1 cup dried mango, 1 cup cashews, 1/2 cup almonds, and 1/2 cup coconut chips to a large bowl and toss to combine. Transfer to storage containers.
- Indulgent Trail Mix: Combine 1/3 cup white chocolate chips, 1/3 cup milk chocolate chips, 1/3 cup peanut butter baking chips, 1/2 cup dried cranberries, 1 cup cashews, and 1/2 cup peanuts to a large bowl and toss to combine. Transfer to storage containers.
- Mountain Trail Mix: Combine 1 cup peanuts, 1 cup pretzels, 1/2 cup peanut butter baking chips, and 1/2 cup Reese’s pieces to a large bowl and toss to combine. Transfer to storage containers.
- Peanut Lovers Mix: Combine 1 cup peanuts, 1 cup miniature M&M’s, 1/2 cup peanut butter baking chips, and 1/2 cup Reese’s pieces to a large bowl and toss to combine. Transfer to storage containers.
- Healthy Trail Mix: Combine 1 cup almonds, 1 cup cashews, 1/2 cup dried cranberries and 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt raisins to a large bowl and toss to combine. Transfer to storage containers.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Just an fyi your ingredient list and directions
for the peanut lovers mix have different ingredients. I will definitely be making the peanut lover mix for our next camping trip.
Thanks so much for letting me know! I’ve updated! 🙂
Never mind. I no sooner sent the question on amounts the I saw them. I AM blind. 😀
Haha!! There is a lot, it’s easy to miss! Enjoy Becky!
Where are the ingredients amounts? I must be blind! 🤔
great idea and mine would omit the raisins entire;y!
So would my kids! 🙂 haha!