This Peanut Butter Trail Mix is the ultimate sweet-and-salty snack for peanut butter lovers. Packed with Chocolate Chex cereal, Reese's candies, peanut butter chips, and crunchy pretzels, this easy no-bake recipe comes together in just five minutes and is perfect for lunchboxes, road trips, movie nights, parties, and everyday snacking.
Peanut Butter Trail Mix Recipe Essentials
- 🍽️ Course: Snack, Dessert
- ⏱️ Cooking Time: 5 minutes
- 🍴 Servings: About 5 cups (5-6 servings)
- 🧄 Flavor Profile: Sweet, salty, crunchy, chocolatey, peanut buttery
- 🍚 Best Served With: Lunchboxes, movie nights, road trips, parties, holiday snack boards
- 🧊 Make Ahead?: Yes! Stores beautifully for easy snacking all week.
Summarize and Save This Content On
One of my favorite things about this peanut butter trail mix is how easy it is to customize with everyone's favorite peanut butter treats. My husband is always sneaking a handful whenever he walks through the kitchen, and my almost five-year-old grandson loves helping pour all the colorful ingredients into the bowl and giving everything a big stir. Even my two-year-old granddaughter gets excited watching the mix come together. Simple recipes like this become family favorites because they're fun to make, impossible to resist, and disappear almost as quickly as they're mixed.
This recipe was inspired by my peanut butter Chex mix and caramel Chex mix and pairs perfectly with my muddy buddy popcorn and cinnamon sugar churro popcorn.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Quick, easy, and loaded with peanut butter flavor: This no-bake snack comes together in just 5 minutes using simple pantry ingredients everyone loves.
- Sweet, salty, and perfectly crunchy: Chocolate Chex, Reese's candies, peanut butter chips, and pretzels create the ultimate combination of textures and flavors.
- Perfect for any occasion: Great for lunchboxes, road trips, movie nights, parties, holiday gift bags, or an easy grab-and-go snack.
Ingredients
One of the best things about this trail mix is that it uses just a handful of fun, easy-to-find ingredients. Every bite is packed with crunchy, chocolatey peanut butter goodness.
- Crunchy Base: Chocolate Chex cereal and peanut butter filled pretzel bites provide the perfect balance of crispy, sweet, and salty flavors.
- Peanut Butter Favorites: Reese's Minis, Reese's Pieces, and Reese's Peanut Butter Chips create layers of creamy peanut butter and chocolate in every bite.
- Extra Crunch: Reese's Dipped Pretzels add another delicious layer of chocolate-covered crunch that ties the whole mix together.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Change the cereal: Swap the Chocolate Chex for Peanut Butter Chex, Cocoa Pebbles, Chocolate Cheerios, Reese's Puffs, Golden Grahams, or pretzel sticks for a different crunch.
- Switch the candy: Try our chocolate peanut butter pretzels, peanut butter M&M's, Butterfinger Bites, our chocolate peanut butter popcorn, chopped Snickers, mini Rolos, or your favorite chopped chocolate bars.
- Add more crunch: Mix in roasted peanuts, honey-roasted peanuts, almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts, or additional pretzels.
- Make it extra sweet: Stir in mini marshmallows, white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, caramel bits, toffee pieces, or mini cookies.
- Customize every batch: Add popcorn, banana chips, raisins, baked strawberries, dried cherries, coconut flakes, or festive sprinkles to create a trail mix for every season and celebration.
How to Make Peanut Butter Trail Mix
This Peanut Butter Trail Mix couldn't be easier to make, just like our classic trail mix. With just two simple steps and no baking required, you'll have a sweet, crunchy snack ready in minutes that's perfect for sharing, packing in lunchboxes, or taking on the go.
Step 1: Combine the ingredients. Gather the Chocolate Chex cereal, Reese's Minis, Reese's Dipped Pretzels, Reese's Pieces, Reese's Peanut Butter Chips, and pretzel bites. Add everything to a large mixing bowl.
Step 2: Toss and serve. Gently toss the ingredients until they're evenly combined. Feel free to adjust the amounts of your favorite ingredients to suit your taste. Transfer the trail mix to a serving bowl for snacking or portion it into airtight containers or zip-top bags for an easy grab-and-go treat.
Expert Tips
- Mix gently: Fold everything together carefully to keep the cereal and candies from breaking.
- Customize it: Add extra peanut butter cups, pretzels, candies, or chocolate chips to make every batch your own.
- Keep it fresh: Store the trail mix in an airtight container away from heat and moisture to maintain its crunchy texture.
- Portion ahead: Divide into snack-size bags or containers for lunchboxes, road trips, hiking, or grab-and-go snacks.
- Perfect for entertaining: Serve in a large bowl for parties or package in mason jars, treat bags, or decorative tins for easy homemade gifts.
If you love recipes like this, you may also enjoy my and spring trail mix and baby trail mix.
Storage Directions
This mix stores wonderfully, making it the perfect make-ahead snack for busy weeks, road trips, lunchboxes, parties, and holiday gift giving.
Room Temperature: Store the trail mix in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 2 weeks.
Refrigerator: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving if the chocolate becomes firm.
Freezer: Freeze in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. The cereal and pretzels will lose some of their crisp texture after thawing.
Make Ahead: Prepare the trail mix several days or even a week ahead of time and store it in airtight containers or individual snack bags until you're ready to enjoy it.
Serving Suggestions
- Movie Night: Pair with Oreo popcorn, chocolate Cool Whip candy, cinnamon sugar churro pretzels, and your favorite cold drinks for the ultimate movie snack spread.
- Lunchboxes & After School: Pack with sandwiches, turkey club wrap, fresh fruit, yogurt, or cheese sticks for a fun treat.
- Road Trips & Camping: Enjoy alongside chocolate covered strawberry granola, granola bars, crackers, beef jerky, and bottled water for easy travel snacking.
- Holiday Gift Giving: Package in mason jars, festive tins, or cellophane treat bags for teachers, neighbors, hostess gifts, or stocking stuffers.
- Party Snack Board: Add to a dessert board with muddy buddy cookies, the best Dubai chocolate brownies, Fluffernutter muddy buddies, muddy buddy pretzels, and fresh fruit.
Peanut Butter Trail Mix Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! Since there's no cooking involved, this is a fun recipe for kids to help measure, pour, and mix.
Of course! This trail mix is easy to adapt using your favorite peanut butter candies, cereals, pretzels, nuts, dried fruit, or chocolate.
More Trail Mix Recipes
If you love sweet and salty snack mixes, here are a few more easy trail mix recipes that are perfect for parties, lunchboxes, road trips, holidays, and everyday snacking.
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!
Peanut Butter Trail Mix
Ingredients
- 1 cup Chocolate Chex cereal or your favorite Chex cereal
- 1 cup Reese's Miniature Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups or original Reese's Peanut Butter Cups cut into pieces
- 1 cup Reese's Dipped Pretzels or our chocolate peanut butter pretzels
- ½ cup Reese's Pieces
- ½ cup Peanut Butter Chips
- 1 cup Peanut Butter Filled Pretzel Bites
Instructions
- Add the Chocolate Chex cereal, Reese's Minis, Reese's Dipped Pretzels, Reese's Pieces, Reese's Peanut Butter Chips, and pretzel bites to a large mixing bowl.
- Gently toss everything together until evenly distributed.
- Adjust the amounts of your favorite ingredients to suit your taste, then transfer the trail mix to a serving bowl or divide it into airtight containers or zip-top bags for easy grab-and-go snacks.
Notes
- Mix gently: Fold everything together carefully to keep the cereal and candies from breaking.
- Customize it: Add extra peanut butter cups, pretzels, candies, or chocolate chips to make every batch your own.
- Keep it fresh: Store the trail mix in an airtight container away from heat and moisture to maintain its crunchy texture.
- Portion ahead: Divide into snack-size bags or containers for lunchboxes, road trips, hiking, or grab-and-go snacks.
- Perfect for entertaining: Serve in a large bowl for parties or package in mason jars, treat bags, or decorative tins for easy homemade gifts.
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