Healthy Trail Mix Recipe – A Sweet and Salty Snack
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Healthy, versatile, and totally adaptable, nothing curbs a crunch craving quite like a healthy trail mix recipe. You’ll love this sweet and salty version!
For me, afternoon is the most dangerous time of the day. Somewhere in the lull between lunch and dinner that twinge of hunger appears, and the crunch monster inside me starts a-grumbling.
When the crunch monster gets hungry there’s no telling what he might reach for.
Sure, it could be carrots… Or it could be carrot’s equally orange but less healthy cousin, cheese puffs.
Feed Your Crunch Monster Some Healthy Trail Mix
I’ve gotten to know the crunch monster pretty well over the years, and I’ve learned that nothing makes him happier than a handful of crunchy, sweet and salty trail mix.
For years, I’ve been keeping a stash of trail mix in my desk drawer at work so I always have something healthy to keep the crunch monster satisfied.
Make Your Own Homemade Trail Mix
I used to buy trail mix at the store, but after a while I got bored with the options. Costco trail mix is my favorite, but eventually everyone gets sick of plain old GORP. I also got tired of picking around the sub-par dried out raisin globs that get stuck in your teeth for the rest of the afternoon. Not cool, raisins!
Plus, trail mix is expensive, people! Buying the ingredients in bulk and making your own homemade trail mix allows you to customize your snack with only fresh and delicious things that you love. Plus, you’ll save some money along the way. That’s a win-win.
Creating your own perfect healthy trail mix is easy! Below I’ve included some guidelines to get you started.
Trail Mix Ingredients
Nuts For Trail Mix
- Nuts are the foundational ingredient of most recipes for trail mix. Nuts are chock full of protein, fiber, and healthy fats, which help you feel fuller longer and give you a sustained energy boost.
- To keep things healthy, it’s best to choose nuts that are unsalted, unroasted (or dry roasted), and without any added sugar, oils, or preservatives.
- I like to put 2 kinds of nuts in my trail mix, one cup of each. My favorite combo is almonds and cashews–almonds for crunch and cashews for their rich, buttery taste and slight sweetness. These, along with pistachios, are also the lowest calorie nut. You can also include seeds in your mix, if you like. Fair warning though: the smaller the seeds, the more likely that they will just fall through to the bottom of your trail mix.
- For a great guide to nuts, including calories, protein, fiber, and fat contents, check out The Ultimate Guide to Nuts infographic.
Dried Fruits In Trail Mix
- For your fruit ingredients, look for varieties with limited added sugar. I like to use dried cranberries and dried bananas. I’m a total sucker for those banana chips (and the crunch monster approves). Dried apples, blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, raisins, or dates are also good options.
- Tart fruits like cranberries are likely to be sweetened with something. If they are, try to select those that are sweetened with 100% fruit juice rather than high fructose corn syrup or other sugars.
- Depending on the size of your dried fruits, you’ll want to add 1-2 cups to your mix.
Fun Extras (Mix-ins For Trail Mix)
While not quite the nutritional dynamos of nuts or dried fruits, I like to add some fun extras to keep things interesting.
- My college roommate used to snack on a mixture of oyster crackers and dark chocolate. I used to think she was weird. That is, until I tried it. OMG. The salty crunch of the oyster crackers paired with the smooth, bittersweet chocolate is a combo that’s hard to quit. Now I like to add oyster crackers to my trail mix as a tribute to my former roommates’ snack genius.
- Pretzels, granola, puffed rice cereal, wheat chex, or cheerios are also good options. Just be sure to balance sweet with salty (depending on the taste you’re going for with your mix)
- You might see lots of recipes for trail mix that include your favorite cereal. But before you go adding Lucky Charms to your trail mix recipe, consider the dust at the bottom of a bag of that cereal, and ask yourself, “Would I want that dust all over my hands and/or pants?”
- Trail mix should be sturdy and easy to handle, and should not leave a mess on everyone who grabs a quick handful. So I would avoid any particularly crumbly or messy ingredients and things that go stale quickly (looking at you popcorn).
- I usually keep these fun extras to 1 cup or less.
Chocolate In Trail Mix
And then of course, there’s chocolate.
- I love dark chocolate and it actually has several health benefits, including helping to lower blood sugar and being packed with antioxidants. However,
imposterwhite chocolate can pair well with cranberries and other fruits. - For outdoor trail mix, avoid baking chips (since they melt so easily) and stick with either chocolate covered raisins/nuts, or the thin candy shell variety.
- M&Ms are a classic trail mix choice, but the Mr. really has a love for Reese’s Pieces (not chocolate, I know, but it substitutes well). I have to hide these or I’ll find him gobbling them out of my baking drawer like some sort of crazed E.T. dad.
Just remember, these candy/chocolate ingredients will be higher in calories, so keep these add-ins to 1/3 cup or less in your trail mix recipe.
A Healthy Trail Mix Recipe – Better Than Store Bought
Lots of you are probably wondering if your recipes for trail mix are actually healthy, so I ran my trail mix recipe through the calorie counter to see how it stacks up against store bought versions.
This stuff will run you 110-130 calories per 1/4 cup serving which IS lower than most store bought brands (and homemade is definitely higher quality). As with any snack, portion control is important, but a handful of this trail mix is a great energy booster and craving-curber that you can enjoy guilt free!
Want More Recipes For Trail Mix?
You can use my healthy trail mix recipe below as the starting point for creating your own homemade trail mix.
Or, if you go ape for nuts and bananas, check out my Chunky Monkey Trail Mix!
Need even more ingredient inspiration? Consult the trail mix experts (the Boy Scouts) in this helpful trail mix ingredients guide.
How To Make Healthy Sweet and Salty Trail Mix
Ingredients
- 1 cup roasted unsalted cashews
- 1 cup roasted almonds
- 1 cup dried banana chips
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup oyster crackers
- 1/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients together.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
- 2 cups nuts (try pecans, walnuts, or peanuts in place of the cashews or almonds)
- 1-2 cups dried fruits
- 1 cup salty, crunchy snack such as oyster crackers, pretzels or wheat chex
- 1/4-1/3 cup chocolate chips or M&Ms
I really love this healthy trail mix recipe, nice content, good read and informative.
Do you make a dressing or anything to pour over and then bake or heat up like maybe butter melted?
I do not, but you absolutely could mix up some of your favorite seasonings and butter and bake this. I prefer raw trail mix myself so I don’t bake it.
The only thing I did different was replace almonds with pistachios. Soooo glad you shared this! It is absolutely the best ever!!!
Hi! You mention your “ultimate trail mix recipe below” but I don’t see any actual recipe–help!
Yeah, I was wondering the same thing! Am I missing something?
Hi guys! My guidelines for how much of each ingredient to add are in the text. This is very much a DIY, make it the way you like it kind of recipe, but here’s one of my favorites:
2 cups nuts (I use one cup cashews and 1 cup almonds)
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup dried banana chips
1 cup oyster crackers
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Hope that helps!
Thanks! 🙂
I love love love LOVE this!!! 🙂 haha I’m glad i’m not the only one who gets the crunch monster hahaha great pictures btw make me want to grab some nuts 🙂
Haha! Thanks Maggie!
Love all those ingredients that you have use. I’ll manage to finish the whole bottle!
I am such a sucker for banana chips too. But, can you believe I’ve never thought to put them in our train mixes? For shame! Thanks for the inspiration.
Love this! Making your trail mix at home is always sooo much better b/c you are choosing what to throw in, love this!!
Every once in awhile I crave trail mix, thanks for sharing a different combo!
Same here – the time between lunch & dinner is te snack attack time. You trail mix sounds perfect!
Trail mix is my favorite snack to take with me when I go snowboarding!
With ski season quickly approaching, I’m thinking these make your own trail mix goodies are going to be my new snacking buddy!
Yum! I know whose desk I’m heading for when the crunch monster calls =) Besides, snack time I do believe your granola would be gorgeous with a cup of ice cream =)
That is a brilliant idea!
A delightful snack change would be 2 cups vanilla ice cream and then add the mix (chocolate syrup or chips just because I like it, peanuts, corn Chex coarsely crushed and served in a waffle cone. A short cut is to stop in at a Dairy Queen and order the “peanut buster parifait.” Please note that I am serious about this varation! I love trail mix, BUT if that is the only snack I eat day in and day out, it will soon become noticeably absent from my snack list. Variety, healthy, low carbs and calories are key in choosing my snacks. I noted that only women’s responses above might infer that men don’t consume trail mix as a snack. I can assure you that men love trail mix, but may have a different take with respect to ingredients and variety.
These are great tips, Courtney! It’s so easy to make but damnit, am I ever lazy. I always end up just buying the stale stuff from the bulk bins. No more! I’m going to make my own and the tasty variations are endless!
Do it!! Seriously it takes 5 minutes. Just dump and stir. 🙂
I can’t believe I have never thought of making my own trail mix. This looks great!
Thanks! It’s so nice to be able to make it just the way you want it.
What a healthy snack… until I just can’t stop at a 1/4 c serving 🙂 I love trail mix!
Haha! I know. I have to put away the container after I’ve taken out a handful or else it’ll disappear embarrassingly quickly.
I should make this for my mom to take to work, she loves her snacks
You just gave me an idea to package these in cute little bags tied with pretty ribbon. They’d be a fun just-for-the-anyhow gift.
Just simply perfect!
I like how simple this is. I love a great, simple trail mix!
I love trail mix with it’s sweet and salty crunch, great recipe!!
We spend so much money on trail mix, it’s crazy! Thanks for the how-to so we can break from that rut!
I used to too! I love it so much, but it was an expensive snack addiction. 🙂
“The Crunch Monster” <- too funny! I also quit buying trail mix because of how it is over-priced and always has something in it that I don't like. Nice to make your own and you did a great tutorial.
Thanks Renee. I seriously feel like I have one of those inside of me. Just demands something to crunch on!
I haven’t had trail mix in years, and now I want it so badly. Love the idea of adding crackers. And I definitely need to try dried bananas.
Yessss! Dried bananas are the. bomb. So crunchy and sweet!
What an awesome recipe for trail mix!
Your trail mix looks better than any I’ve seen! I love your choice of nuts and dried fruits 🙂
Well thanks, Liz. I like them too. 😉
Really great combination, especially with the oyster crackers! They are so addicting, I can eat a box of those alone.
I know, right? Adding oyster crackers totally changed the trail mix scene for me.
I love trail mix and i love the combination you are using! I could easily eat this all day long!!