This healthy homemade trail mix is the perfect snack to satisfy all your sweet and salty cravings.
With a delicious mix of honey almonds, cashews, pistachios, pepitas, raisins, banana chips, pretzels, and chocolate, this yummy trail mix makes snacking so much fun!
The BEST Homemade Trail Mix
Trail mix gets a bad rap, but let’s face it. It’s because most of us buy store-bought trail mix that either has 1. unpleasantly hard raisins, 2. an unsatisfying ratio of ingredients, or 3. ingredients that we dislike and skim through, leaving them collected and sad looking at the bottom of the bag.
But guess what? You don’t have to worry about that with homemade trail mix! This recipe, dare I say, is PERFECT the way it is, but you can always customize it to have all of your favorite snacks in one healthy trail mix. That’s the beauty of it!
Why you’ll love it!
You can easily customize this trail mix to your liking.
It’s a healthy snack that you can eat any time of the day.
Easy to make a large batch to share!
It’s a fun idea for a gift or something to snack on when entertaining.
Ingredients for Homemade Trail Mix
- Honey almonds: we used Trader Joe’s sesame honey almonds. They’re delish!
- Cashews: roasted and salted is a must for the best flavor.
- Pistachios: roasted and salted for better flavor. Make sure you de-shell your pistachios for easy eating, or make it even easier and buy a bag of already de-shelled pistachios.
- Raw pepitas: gotta add some tasty seeds to the mix!
- Golden raisins: we prefer golden raisins, but feel free to use traditional or green raisins.
- Banana chips: banana chips taste divine in this trail mix, but you’re welcome to use your favorite dried fruit. Think mangoes, pineapple, or apples!
- Salted pretzels: sticks, twists, or pretzel crisps all taste amazing! It gives the mix a nice extra crunch.
- Chocolate chunks: we used semi-sweet chocolate chunks to satisfy our sweet tooth.
Benefits of Eating Trail Mix
Trail mix is one of the nutrient-dense snacks you can eat. But what about them makes them so good for you? Here are some nutrition facts about trail mix that will make you want to make a big batch STAT:
Nuts
- High in Omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential fats that are good for both the brain and body.
- Contain anti-oxidants like Vitamins C and E, flavonoids, and selenium that help protect the body against free radicals.
Seeds
- High in fiber, Vitamin E, and monounsaturated fats that improve heart health and fight disease.
Dried Fruit
- Nutrient-dense and high in fiber and phenols. Phenols are antioxidants that prevent cancer, diabetes, and heart and brain disease.
Dark Chocolate
- Contains flavanols which are proven to lower blood pressure, improve circulation to the brain and heart, and prevent blood clots and cell damage.
Helpful Tools for Trail Mix
How to Make Your Own Homemade Trail Mix (2 Steps!)
MIX IT ALL TOGETHER
Add all of the ingredients for the trail mix to a large mixing bowl and mix everything together until combined.
TRANSFER TO CONTAINER
Separate the trail mix into mason jars, plastic bags, or an airtight container of your choice. Serve and enjoy!
quick tip!
It’s normal for the pretzels to soften after a few days due to the natural oils produced by the other ingredients. However, you can easily recover these salty treats by heating them in the oven.
Just preheat the oven to 350°F and spread your pretzels out on a cookie sheet. Let them bake for about 10 minutes, then remove them from the oven to cool. Violà! Revived, crispy pretzels!
Homemade Trail Mix Recipe Variations
You can use a variety of different sweet and salty ingredients for this trail mix. Here are some of our favorite ingredients to swap out or add:
Nuts
- Peanuts
- Macadamia nuts
- Walnuts
- Pecans
Dried Fruit
- Cranberries
- Apricots
- Dates
- Cherries
Crackers
- Cheez-Its
- Mini saltine crackers
- Goldfish
- Annie’s bunny crackers
Fun Things
Sweets
- Chocolate chips
- M&Ms
- Mini marshmallows
- Gummy bears
FAQs
Yes! This homemade trail mix can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to six months.
Yes! The dried fruits, nuts, and seeds in trail mix are especially healthy. They provide a great source of energy and protein that help promote immune health, muscle growth, and tissue repair.
Storage
Store your homemade trail mix in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks in a cool place.
To freeze: If you want your trail mix to last a while, keep it in the freezer and it will last up to 3 months.
Photography: photos taken in this post are by Ashley McGlaughlin from The Edible Perspective.
