Best Halloween Chex Mix Recipe – easy, sweet & salty

Our recipe for Halloween Chex Mix combines cereal, pretzels, popcorn, cashews, and Halloween candies, all coated in a crunchy sugary glaze.

This perfect snack turns simple ingredients into magic! We made so many variations of this sweet treat, and I have to do a brag here: we nailed the perfect combo and ratio of ingredients.

Snatch a batch of this heavenly Halloween mix! Pin the spellbinding image to your favorites board on Pinterest, then come back when you’re ready to scare your guests with magically delicious Halloween treats!

We always break out this family favorite on Halloween night for guests and family. Yes, sugary snacks totally dominate this time of year. Nevertheless, I don’t mind adding even more sweets to the table because this recipe provides a little salty contrast and an option for filling up on something a bit more substantial than candy.

It’s an obvious choice for Halloween parties and the school Monster Mash, but it also works any time of year for movie night, potlucks, game day, and more!

FAQs:

What is in the original Chex mix recipe?

The classic original Chex Mix recipe contains Corn Chex, Wheat Chex, bagel chips, pretzels, mini breadsticks, and rye chips, covered in a savoring seasoning blend of butter, garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt, and Worcestershire sauce. 

Is it less expensive to buy Chex Mix or make your own at home?

Homemade Chex Mix is much cheaper than buying Chex Mix at grocery stores. Of course, the first time you buy all the ingredients, it will cost more than one bag of Chex Mix, but all the ingredients combined will yield a way bigger batch of this perfect snack.

Plus, you probably have some of the ingredients already and can use the new ingredients to make other things – or just have a bowl of cereal.

Supplies for Halloween Party Mix:

• large baking sheet
• parchment paper
• whisk
• large microwavable bowl or large saucepan (ideally with pouring functionality)
• large serving bowl
• squeeze bottle or piping bag (optional)

Halloween Chex Mix

Ingredients for Easy Halloween Snack Mix:

Salty snack mix base:

• 3 cups Rice Chex cereal 
• 3 cups Corn Chex cereal
• 3 cups mini pretzel sticks
• 2 cups salted cashews

Sugary coating:

• 1 cup salted butter (1 big stick or 2 small sticks)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 Tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 

Add-ins:

• 2 cups salty popcorn (low or no butter)
• 2 cups Reese’s pieces
• 2 cups Halloween M&M’s
• 1 cup kettle corn
• 1 cup candy pumpkins
• 1 cup white chocolate chips

Directions to make Homemade Chex Mix for Halloween:

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat,  or in the microwave at 20-second intervals.

3. Add brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt. Then whisk until well combined.

4.Mix rice chex, corn chex, pretzels, and cashews in a bowl. Drizzle the sugar and butter mixture over the salty snack mix base and gently toss the base ingredients until completely coated.

5. Distribute coated cereal mixture in an even layer onto 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for 25 minutes, remove from the oven, and toss the snack mix with a heat-safe utensil (a regular spoon is fine), then bake for an additional 25 minutes.

6. Remove from oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet, again, tossing the mixture occasionally.

7. Once the baking sheet and mixture have completely cooled, toss in salty popcorn, kettle corn, Reese’s pieces, Halloween M&M’s, candy pumpkins, and white chocolate chips, distributing the ingredients evenly.

8. This last step is totally optional, but it’s a great way to add even more fun to your presentation. Use melted chocolate or candy melts in a piping bag or squeeze bottle to decorate a handful of pretzel sticks with piped broom bristles and bands.

I like making orange bristles with purple or green bands across them. You can also pipe Frankenstein or mummy faces on some of the Chex cereal pieces.

Hide in the pantry and eat it all yourself or share with your family. You pick.

Variations and substitutions:

You can replace

• Kettle corn with caramel corn
• Cashews with almonds or peanuts
• Corn or Rice Chex with Wheat Chex (Or you can combine all 3 by using 2 cups of each of the 3 cereals.)
• Any of our candies with your favorite Halloween candies (To be honest, I’m not crazy about candy corn pumpkins or candy corn of any kind, but the kids love them and they’re just so dang cute I have to add them – then pick around them.)

Tips and Tricks:

• Feeding a small family? Or a massive crowd? Halve or double (or triple!) this recipe.
• Store your yummy mix in an airtight container at room temperature and maintain maximum freshness for 2-3 days. It’s not quite as good after that, but the sugar coating keeps it pretty fresh and tastes great!

Crazy delicious Chex Mix with the perfect combination of flavors, textures, and festive fun? Is this sorcery, you ask? Nope. I can guarantee that no sorcery was performed in the making of this easy recipe.

A little bit of effort goes a long way in serving a Halloween crowd. Plus you’ll love watching all the Halloween beasties devour the whole bowl. Trust me, they’ll be fiending for more!

Happy Halloween! Do your little monsters and ghouls agree that this is the most perfect combination for sweet and salty Halloween Chex Mix? We would love your support by giving it a 5-star rating, and don’t be scared to share this spooky snack mix on Facebook. Remember to click the pic and pin this easy Halloween Chex Mix recipe to your favorites board on Pinterest for your next monster mash!

Find more of our favorite Halloween treats here: Halloween Rice Crispie Treats, Halloween Candy Kabobs, Halloween Monster Munch.