This PB & J Trail Mix turns the classic peanut butter and jelly combination into a crunchy, sweet snack you can enjoy by the handful. Berry cereal, peanut butter cereal, fruity snacks, and creamy peanut butter chips come together in just 5 minutes with no cooking required.
PB & J Trail Mix Recipe Essentials
- 🍽️ Course: Snack, Dessert
- ⏱️ Cooking Time: No cooking | Prep: 5 minutes
- 🍴 Servings: Makes about 5 cups
- 🥜 Flavor Profile: Sweet, fruity, peanut buttery, crunchy, and chewy
- 🍎 Best Served With: Fresh fruit, yogurt, milk, smoothies, sandwiches, or other grab-and-go snacks
- 🧊 Make Ahead?: Yes! This is an excellent snack to prepare ahead for lunches, parties, and travel.
Summarize and Save This Content On
I love how easy this trail mix is to throw together when you need a quick snack for busy days, road trips, school lunches, parties, or movie nights. It's colorful, kid-friendly, completely customizable, and easy to portion into bags for grab-and-go snacking.
My grandma always kept simple snacks around for the grandkids, like our spring trail mix and baby trail mix. She knew her treat bags didn't have to be complicated to disappear quickly. This sweet and crunchy trail mix is exactly the kind of easy treat everyone would have happily grabbed by the handful.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Ready in 5 minutes: Simply measure, combine, and toss-there's no baking or cooking required.
- Classic PB & J flavor: Fruity cereal and fruit snacks pair with peanut butter cereal and chips for a fun twist on the nostalgic sandwich.
- Perfect for sharing: The colorful combination of crunchy cereal, chewy fruit snacks, and creamy peanut butter chips makes this a fun snack for both kids and adults.
Ingredients
You only need four easy-to-find ingredients to make this PB & J trail mix.
- Cereals: Very Berry Cheerios provide the fruity "jelly" flavor, while Peanut Butter Crunch cereal adds crunch and plenty of peanut butter flavor.
- Fruit Snacks: Add a soft, chewy texture and an extra burst of fruity sweetness. Berry-heavy varieties work especially well.
- Peanut Butter Chips: Add creamy peanut butter flavor and a candy-like sweetness that ties the whole mix together.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Switch the Cereals: Substitute Strawberry Banana Cheerios for Very Berry Cheerios, or use Reese's cereal for an extra chocolate-peanut butter flavor. You can also mix in another favorite crunchy cereal.
- Change the Fruit: Use any variety of fruit snacks, baked strawberries, dried cranberries, raisins, banana chips, or dried cherries to change the fruity "jelly" flavor.
- Add Chocolate: Mix in chocolate chips, mini M&M's, chocolate-covered raisins, Reese's Pieces, or chopped peanut butter cups for a more dessert-like trail mix.
- Add More Crunch: Toss in pretzels, peanuts, cashews, almonds, granola clusters, popcorn, or mini crackers for additional texture.
- Change the Peanut Butter Chips: Any brand of peanut butter baking chips works, or substitute chocolate, butterscotch, or white chocolate chips for a different flavor combination.
How to Make PB & J Trail Mix
This no-cook PB & J trail mix couldn't be easier. You'll have 5 cups of sweet, crunchy snack mix ready in just 2 simple steps.
Step 1: Combine the Ingredients. Add the Very Berry Cheerios, Peanut Butter Crunch cereal, fruit snacks, and peanut butter chips to a large mixing bowl.
Step 2: Toss and Serve. Gently toss until everything is evenly distributed. Adjust the amounts to suit your taste, then transfer the trail mix to a serving bowl or portion it into resealable bags for snacking on the go.
Expert Tips
- Keep the Flavors Balanced: Aim for a good mix of fruity and peanut butter ingredients in every handful. Adjust the proportions to make the trail mix more fruity, crunchy, or peanut buttery.
- Choose Similar-Sized Pieces: Cereals, fruit snacks, and mix-ins that are similar in size distribute more evenly and make the trail mix easier to eat.
- Toss Gently: Use a large bowl and gently toss the ingredients so you don't crush the cereal or break apart the softer fruit snacks.
- Keep Everything Dry: Make sure your bowl, utensils, and storage containers are completely dry since moisture can quickly make the cereal lose its crunch.
- Portion for Convenience: Divide the trail mix into individual resealable bags or containers for lunches, road trips, picnics, or quick grab-and-go snacks.
- Store Properly: Keep PB & J Trail Mix in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 7 days, or refrigerate for up to 14 days, keeping it tightly sealed to protect the cereal from moisture.
If you love recipes like this, you may also enjoy our tropical trail mix and classic trail mix.
Serving Suggestions
- Lunchbox Snack: Portion into small containers or resealable bags and pair with Ritz cracker sandwiches, fresh fruit, cheese, or yogurt.
- On-the-Go Treat: Pair individual portions with our churro snack mix and pack them in reusable containers for an easy sweet-and-crunchy snack wherever the day takes you.
- Party Snack: Serve in a large bowl or individual cups for birthday parties, sleepovers, playdates, or family movie nights with our ranch snack mix.
- Breakfast Addition: Sprinkle a small handful over yogurt or a smoothie bowl for extra crunch, fruit flavor, and peanut butter sweetness.
- Snack Board: Add it to a snack platter with fresh strawberries, bananas, grapes, pretzels, crackers, cheese, and other bite-sized favorites like our Ritz muddy buddies and Buffalo snack mix.
PB & J Trail Mix Recipe FAQs
Use Reese's cereal and add chocolate chips, mini M&M's, Reese's Pieces, or another chocolate candy.
Freezing isn't recommended because condensation can develop during thawing and make the cereal soggy.
Any variety works. Fruit snacks with plenty of berry flavors are particularly good for recreating the fruity "jelly" side of PB & J.
More Trail Mix Recipes
If you love quick and easy snacks, be sure to try more of our homemade trail mix recipes. They're perfect for keeping on hand whenever you're craving something sweet and crunchy.
If you try this recipe and love it please leave a star rating in the recipe card below or even better, drop a review in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to follow along with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube for more easy recipes!
PB & J Trail Mix
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups Very Berry Cheerios
- 1 ½ cups Cap'n Crunch Peanut Butter Crunch Cereal
- ½ cup Fruit Snacks
- 1 cup Reese's Peanut Butter Chips
Instructions
- Add the Very Berry Cheerios, Peanut Butter Crunch cereal, fruit snacks, and peanut butter chips to a large mixing bowl.
- Gently toss until everything is evenly distributed. Adjust the amounts to suit your taste, then transfer the trail mix to a serving bowl or portion it into resealable bags for snacking on the go.
Notes
- Keep the Flavors Balanced: Aim for a good mix of fruity and peanut butter ingredients in every handful. Adjust the proportions to make the trail mix more fruity, crunchy, or peanut buttery.
- Choose Similar-Sized Pieces: Cereals, fruit snacks, and mix-ins that are similar in size distribute more evenly and make the trail mix easier to eat.
- Toss Gently: Use a large bowl and gently toss the ingredients so you don't crush the cereal or break apart the softer fruit snacks.
- Keep Everything Dry: Make sure your bowl, utensils, and storage containers are completely dry since moisture can quickly make the cereal lose its crunch.
- Portion for Convenience: Divide the trail mix into individual resealable bags or containers for lunches, road trips, picnics, or quick grab-and-go snacks.
- Store Properly: Keep PB & J Trail Mix in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 7 days, or refrigerate for up to 14 days, keeping it tightly sealed to protect the cereal from moisture.
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