The Fastest, Fanciest Chex Mix Upgrade

Sheela Prakash
Sheela PrakashSenior Contributing Food Editor
Sheela is the Senior Contributing Food Editor at Kitchn and the author of Mediterranean Every Day: Simple, Inspired Recipes for Feel-Good Food. She received her master's degree from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy and is also a Registered Dietitian.
updated May 1, 2019
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Chex mix with pretzels, peanuts, and cereal squares coated in a sticky, orange glaze on a gray surface.
(Image credit: Lauren Volo)

Chex Mix is very much a casual party snack, but it can still show off every now and then. Here’s a quick and easy way to elevate its status at your next gathering:

Add brown butter and honey. These two ingredients lend nutty, caramelized qualities that make it quite fancy indeed. Suddenly your party mix is hanging with the baked brie instead of the cheese cubes.

First, Make (or Buy) Your Chex Mix

You’ll need a big batch of basic Chex Mix on hand before you can go and jazz it up. Luckily, churning some out couldn’t be easier — especially when you lean on your slow cooker. Simply combine Chex cereal, pretzels, bagel chips, and crackers with melted butter and seasonings. Let the mixture cook on low in a slow cooker for a few hours until it’s dry and toasty and you’ve got your classic Chex Mix.

While it’s hard to beat homemade Chex Mix, don’t hesitate to reach for the store-bought stuff in a pinch. In fact, adding a few ingredients to a bag of Chex Mix is the easiest way to make it taste so much closer to the from-scratch version.

(Image credit: Lauren Volo)

Make Fast & Fancy Chex Mix

1. From homemade: Follow the recipe for slow-cooker Chex Mix, but swap the melted butter for brown butter. Omit the Worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt, garlic powder, and onion powder and replace them with 2 tablespoons of honey and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. You can also replace the bagel chips and crackers with butter cookie or graham cracker pieces if you’d like it to lean sweeter.

2. From store-bought: Start with a bag of Honey Nut Chex Mix. Brown a tablespoon or two of butter and toss with the party mix. Lay it out in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 300°F for about 15 minutes, until the butter has absorbed and the mix is dry.

Chex Mix Upgrades

The beloved party mix is a classic for good reason, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be jazzed up. In fact, it’s a blank slate for flavorful additions and mix-ins. This series will show you just how easy it is to make Chex Mix — be it homemade or store-bought — all your own.