Trail Mix

Make your own Trail Mix! This post contains five different Trail Mix recipes — a tropical version, an indulgent version, a mountain version, a peanut lover’s version, and a healthy version. Try one—or all five!

Save money and make your own!

There are few snacks I like more than trail mix. Buying the pre-made nuts and candies can get expensive, though. Making your own not only saves money, but it also means you can skip the things you don’t like. You know, so you don’t end up with an entire bag of leftover raisins that you didn’t even want in the mix…

It’s also just fun to mix and match your own ingredients. You get to build the perfect combo of salty, sweet, crunchy, and chewy—just the way you like it. In my family we each have our favorite mixes, and I love to even match the mix to the trip.

Let’s start by talking about what’s in a trail mix. Then, I’ll share ideas for putting together your own mix.

What is in Trail Mix?

Trail mix usually includes a blend of nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. It also often has something sweet like chocolate or candy. Below are some of the ingredients I use in today’s recipe.

• Roasted cashews: I like to buy the pre-roasted kind to save some time. Use whole cashews or even cashew halves and pieces.
• Roasted and salted almonds: I prefer the salted and roasted almonds over regular almonds. They have so much more flavor!
• Coconut and Banana chips: These ones by Bare are my top picks.
• Dried mango: I find the sugared dried mangos too sweet. Instead, I suggest Sunsweet Pacific Tropicals Dried Mango.
• White chocolate chips: Not a fan? Use another type of chocolate instead.
• Milk chocolate chips: For less sweetness, semi-sweet or dark chocolate work too.
• Peanut butter baking chips: These are typically found in the baking aisle near other baking chips.
• Dried cranberries: Cherry juice-infused dried cranberries also work great!
• M&M’s: I like using mini M&M’s in these mixes, but regular M&M’s also work.
• Pretzels: I get the mini pretzels. This way they’re about the same size as the other ingredients. Any pretzels work, but you might want to break larger pretzels up a bit.
• Raisins & vanilla yogurt raisins: I love Mariana vanilla yogurt raisins for these recipes.

How to make Trail Mix

Find a flavor profile with the mix-ins you like best and toss everything in a large bowl. Then, transfer to one large bag or container, or portion it into individual bags or containers. 

Below are the five recipes with photos and additional details for each.

Tropical Trail Mix

Tropical Trail Mix combines banana chips, coconut chips, dried mango, cashews, and almonds. To keep the nuts crunchy, this mix is best eaten soon after being made.

Other additions: Try dried pineapple, dried papaya, yogurt-covered raisins, golden raisins, dried cranberries, walnuts, dried kiwi, dried apricots, or chopped dates.

Indulgent Trail Mix

Indulgent Trail Mix combines white and milk chocolate chips, peanut butter baking chips, dried cranberries, peanuts, and cashews. This mix is meant to be more of a treat, and it’s great to bring to a party!

Other addition: Try some dark chocolate chips or chunks, chocolate-covered pretzels, chocolate-covered almonds, popcorn, golden raisins, mini peanut butter cups, or dried cherries.

Mountain Trail Mix

Mountain Trail Mix combines almonds, cashews, mini M&M’s, and raisins. It’s a great all-purpose snack — perfect for taking along as you hike up a mountain.

Other add-in ideas: Include normal-sized M&M’s, sunflower seeds, chocolate-covered popcorn, dark chocolate chunks, or pecans.

Peanut Lover’s Trail Mix

Peanut Lover’s Trail Mix is a treat for anyone like me who loves peanuts!

Other additions: Add in some chocolate chips or chunks, chocolate-covered pretzels, white chocolate chips, mini Reese’s Cups, or cocoa-roasted almonds.

Healthy Trail Mix

This is the healthiest mix of all the recipes in this post. Healthy Trail Mix combines dried cranberries, yogurt-covered raisins, cashews, and almonds. This one is great if you want a mix that is less sweet or if you’re trying to eat less sugar.

Other add-ins: Include some walnuts, pecans, dried cherries, pistachios, pepitas, sunflower seeds, cocoa-roasted almonds, or coconut chips.

Trail Mix FAQs

Is Trail Mix Healthy?

Trail mix is a great snack to have in small quantities and in moderation. While nuts and seeds are incredibly healthy, they’re also high in calories and fat. Trail mixes sometimes have ingredients that add fat and sugar but not much nutritional value. Plus, it’s a snack that’s easy to overeat—those handfuls add up fast!

How to Make Trail Mix Healthier

• Portion control: Portion small amounts of the mix, so the whole thing isn’t consumed in one sitting.
• Reduce sweet add-ins: Remove or cut down the number of sugary add-ins.
• Add air-popped popcorn: Popcorn is low in calories and fat, and it adds bulk. This makes smaller portions more filling without piling on more calories.
• Dried fruit: Look for dried fruit with no added sugar or other ingredients. Just the fruit!

More easy snacks

• No-Bake Energy Bites
• Almond Granola
• Healthy Banana Muffins
• Homemade Granola Bars
• Peanut Butter Granola