Healthy Homemade Gluten-Free Chex Mix Recipe (Vegan!)
Sep 16, 2022 • Updated Dec 12, 2023
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How to make crunchy, healthy vegan, and gluten-free Chex Mix with your favorite snack foods! A twist on a nostalgic party food with health benefits– a great snack for any occasion!
What Makes This Recipe Great
Who doesn’t love traditional Chex Mix? It’s salty, crunchy, and everyone has a favorite item– the perfect party snack! But sadly, what makes it taste so good also makes Chex Mix not the healthiest option. It’s full of refined grains, sugar, and tons of sodium.
That’s why I love to make my own healthy, Gluten Free Chex mix that’s just as addicting without the ultra-processed stuff. Plus, my version is fully vegan and gluten-free! This is such an easy and delicious snack mix made for road trips, game day, movie nights, and more!
Make a large batch of this easy gluten-free version– I doubt anyone will know the difference!
Ingredient Notes
Here’s what you need to make your own homemade Chex Mix recipe:
- Rice Chex Cereal. You can use unflavored Rice Chex or any crunchy gluten-free cereal you like.
- GF Pretzels. Use your favorite miniature gluten-free pretzels.
- Popcorn. I use vegan cheese-flavored popcorn, but any kind you like will work.
- Cheese snacks. These add major savory flavor. I like the nacho cheese-flavored Sun Poppers.
- Peanuts. you can use regular, unsalted, unroasted nuts because you’ll be roasting them yourself!
- Spices. Season your peanuts with smoked paprika and garlic powder to amp up the flavor.
- Cooking Oil. You can also you dairy-free butter/ vegan butter.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- In a large bowl, add all of your ingredients except for the peanut ingredients.
- Heat a pan over medium-high heat and add the oil to the pan.
- Next, add the peanuts and all of the spices and shake the pan to toss to coat. Cook for 5-6 minutes, shaking continuously, until the peanuts are golden brown or toasted to your liking. Let cool.
- Add the peanuts to the bowl with the cereal mixture and mix all ingredients with a spoon or with your hands.
- Serve in a big bowl or individual portions.
Ingredient Swaps
If you don’t have all of these ingredients on hand, here are more delicious add-ins to make your own Gluten Free Chex Mix. Source ingredients that sound good to you at grocery stores or online– tweak this recipe to make your own delicious Chex party mix.
- You can use almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds instead of peanuts. The pumpkin seeds make a great nut-free swap.
- Use any kind of cereal you like. I don’t recommend anything that’s too sweet, though.
- Swap out pretzels for gluten-free croutons or gluten-free bagel chips.
- Use any sturdy chip, such as tortilla or pita chips.
- You can also make your own flavored popcorn using this recipe for Miso Butter Furikake Popcorn (vegan, gluten free)
- Or, try making Popped Sorghum.
- Also, if you’re short on time, you can always buy pre-seasoned roasted nuts instead of making your own peanuts.
Storage Suggestions
Store leftover party mix in an airtight container or ziptop plastic bag at room temperature for up to a week.
More Gluten-Free Snacks
Homemade Japanese Rice Crackers (Senbei)
Kinako Rice Krispies with Peanuts and Mochi
If you make this recipe, be sure to let me know what you think with a comment below! Follow me on Instagram for more delicious recipes!
Healthy Homemade Gluten-Free Chex Mix Recipe (Vegan!)
Ingredients
- 2 cups rice chex or unflavoured gluten free cereal of choice
- 2 cups gluten free pretzels
- 2 cups popcorn I used these vegan “cheese” flavoured popcorn
- 2 cups vegan cheese snack of choice I used these vegan “nacho cheese” sun poppers
- Pan Toasted Peanuts
- 1 1/2 cups peanuts
- 2 tsp neutral oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add all of your ingredients except for the peanut ingredients.
- Heat a pan over medium high heat and add the oil to the pan.
- Next add the peanuts and all of the spices and shake the pan to toss to coat. Cook for 5-6 minutes, shaking continuously, until the peanuts are golden brown or toasted to your liking. Let cool.
- Add the peanuts to the bowl and mix all ingredients with a spoon or with your hands.
Notes
Ingredient Swaps
If you don’t have all of these ingredients on hand, here are more delicious add-ins to make your own Gluten Free Chex Mix. Source ingredients that sound good to you at grocery stores or online– tweak this recipe to make your own delicious Chex party mix.- You can use almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds instead of peanuts. The pumpkin seeds make a great nut-free swap.
- Use any kind of cereal you like. I don’t recommend anything that’s too sweet, though.
- Swap out pretzels for gluten-free croutons or gluten-free bagel chips.
- Use any sturdy chip, such as tortilla or pita chips.
- You can also make your own flavored popcorn using this recipe for Miso Butter Furikake Popcorn (vegan, gluten free)
- Or, try making Popped Sorghum.
- Also, if you’re short on time, you can always buy pre-seasoned roasted nuts instead of making your own peanuts.
Storage Suggestions
Store leftover party mix in an airtight container or ziptop plastic bag at room temperature for up to a week.Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
