The ultimate Chocolate Chex Mix recipe! Rich, sweet, and salty clusters that store well and make the best edible holiday gift. Ready in 15 minutes.!
This is one of our favorite no bake holiday treats (up there with eggnog rice pudding and pumpkin spice mug cake) and it feeds a crowd! SO cute to bring to parties or give out in treat boxes or bags for friends.
We LOVE homemade chex mix, it's a fun no bake treat to give as gifts to friends and neighbors but we usually end up a lot ourselve. It's super easy to customize and takes minutes to put together. Probably even easier than cookie butter rice krispie treats.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Taste: Buttery, chocolate, crunchy goodness with just a hint of coconut. The gold grahams and chocolate are the more prominent flavors.
- Ease: Beginner level! No baking required.
- Time: 15 minutes start to finish!
🛒 Key Ingredients
- Cereal - I use a mixture of cocoa puffs, chocolate chex, and golden grahams cereals. You can use other chocolate cereals (cocoa pebbles, chocolate cherrios, cookie crisp, etc.)
- Coconut - I LOVE coconut flakes in my chex mix, just like I had it growing up. You can leave it out if you like.
- Nuts - we usually use almonds but peanuts would be delicious with the chocolate!
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
✏️ Substitutions & Variations
- Gluten free- Use all gluten free cereal, such as Chex.
- Pretzels - for a salty crunch!
- Chocolate - oh boy, so many options. Mint chips, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips. The list goes on! Just make sure to let the mixture cool before adding chocolate, so it doesn't melt the chocolate.
- Mini Marshmallows - add when semi-cooled so they don't melt. Now it's S'mores Chex mix!
- Dried Fruit - dried cranberries or banana chips would work well, or maybe candied oranges.
- Swap out the almonds for peanuts and use peanut butter chocolate cereal!
🧑🍳 Instructions
- Step 1. In a large mixing bowl, combine cereals, toasted coconut, and almonds.
- Step 2. In a saucepan, combine light corn syrup, butter, and white granulated sugar. Over medium heat, bring mixture to a gentle boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 2 minutes while stirring.
- Step 3. Remove from heat and add in vanilla extract.
- Step 4. Pour over cereal mixture, and stir in gently with rubber spatula, being careful not to crush the cereal.
- Step 5. Let cool before serving (10-15 minutes). Speed up the cooling process by spreading in layer over greased parchment paper. Serve once cooled!
Top Tips
Prep your bowl -spray a non-stick cooking spray inside your bowl before adding the mix, it makes it easier to clean the bowl after.
Stir constantly - stirring the corn syrup/sugar/butter mixture constantly as it's boiling can help prevent it from boiling over.
Still boiling over? -turn the heat down as you're stirring if you start to see the syrup/sugar/butter start to rise too quickly.
Use a rubber spatula -this helps prevent crushing the cereal as you stir the corn syrup mixture in.
Toast the coconut!-toasting the coconut enhances that lovely flavor and adds a little more crunch. See recipe notes for instructions.
📌 Troubleshooting
- Cereal soggy: spread on new baking sheet to air-dry; bake at low temp 200°F for 5-10 minutes to crisp.
❄️ Make Ahead, Store, and Freezing Tips
Best containers are airtight.
Ideal shelf life: room temp 5-7 days, fridge 2-3 weeks, freezer up to 3 months.
❓Frequently Asked Questions
I don't recommend it. It's best eaten freshly made and can lose it's crunchy texture if frozen.
Nope! Refrigeration makes gooey chex mix hard to pull apart and eat, it's best served at room temperature. The cold temperature can also make it go stale faster, just like bread.
You can prep the cereal and coconut by toasting in a low temp oven. 325-350 for 5-10 minutes before mixing in the corn syrup mixture.
Yes! It is shelf stable for 7-10 days, although it may taste a little stale towards the end. Make sure to put it in a sealable bag or airtight container, then a box so it doesn't get crushed.
More Delicious Holiday Recipes
Did You Try This Recipe? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Make sure to leave a star rating and a comment below the recipe card. I love hearing from you, and it is so helpful to other readers! Better yet, share it with family and friends. Thank you!!
📝 Printable Recipe
Chocolate Gooey Chex Mix
Ingredients
- 5 cups Chocolate Chex cereal
- 5 cups Cocoa Puffs cereal
- 4 cups Golden Grahams cereal
- 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut toasted (see note 1)
- 1 cup almonds sliced or slivered
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1¼ cup salted butter
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 5 cups Chocolate Chex cereal, 5 cups Cocoa Puffs cereal , 4 cups Golden Grahams cereal, 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut, and 1 cup almonds.
- In a saucepan, combine 1 cup light corn syrup , 1¼ cup salted butter, and 1 cup white granulated sugar. Over medium heat, bring mixture to a gentle boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 2 minutes while stirring.
- Remove from heat and add in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Pour over cereal mixture, and stir in gently with rubber spatula, being careful not to crush the cereal. Spread in a layer over greased parchment paper to cool to speed up the cooling process.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi, I'm Sara!
Registered Nurse by day, food blogger by weekend. Perfect dip tester & snack quester. I love short walks on the beach and long naps. Sharing my love for food, one bite at a time.
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