Feeling a little snacky? Try this easy recipe for Air Fryer Chex Mix! All of the savory and crunchy goodness of the original - but it's ready in just 8 minutes.
If you've ever had homemade Chex Mix, you know how much better it is when made at home versus purchased at the store. Buttery, salty, savory, and just so fresh - it's easily a top pick when it comes to snacks.
While making up a big batch during the holiday season is fun, sometimes you're craving the same crunchy goodness - but you're just not into the clean-up and time commitment.
Enter in air fried chex mix. Yes! You can totally make this beloved snack food in the air fryer, and yes it tastes just as good as the original! And yes, it's ready in a fraction of the time.
Why You'll Love It:
- Quick and easy. Pop it into your air fryer for a quick 6-8 minutes, and you'll have a crispy, crunchy snack that will last for weeks (if you don't eat it first!).
- Salty and savory. If you're like me and crave salty snacks, you're going to be thrilled that you can make your very own Chex mix in an air fryer.
- Customizable. You can use this method to make any flavor, and you can play around with various mix-ins to get all sorts of taste combos.
- Perfect for gifting. Gifting homemade batches of Chex Mix is a tradition for many people around the holiday season. Using an air fryer (or a slow cooker) makes this process even easier.
You Will Need:
- Chex cereal: I like to use a blend of different types (wheat, corn, and/or rice) for the best variety of texture and flavor.
- Pretzels: Mini twists work the best for homemade Chex mix, but pretzel sticks work great too! I find the regular-sized pretzels a bit too large.
- Mixed nuts: I like to use a "deluxe" blend with cashews, but you can use a mix of whatever nuts you have on hand.
- Add-ins: We like to use Cheez-its, but if you like the classic blend you'll want to do rye chips or bagel chips. Really, you can use whatever you like!
- Butter: Either salted or unsalted is fine.
- Worcestershire sauce: This adds a yummy savory flavor. It's so good!
- Seasoning: Garlic powder, onion powder, and seasoned salt.
- Flavor variations: You can add your favorite mixes and seasonings to add different flavors. Ranch dressing mix, cheddar cheese powder, taco seasoning, buffalo ranch seasoning, etc.
Ideas for Mix-Ins
- Bagel chips (or rye chips)
- Cheerios
- Cheese sticks
- Cheese crackers (Cheez-its, goldfish, etc)
- Candies
- M&m's
- Reese's Pieces
- Extra nuts or pretzels
How to Make Chex Mix in an Air Fryer
- Add 4 ½ cups of Chex cereals, 1 cup of pretzels, 1 cup of add-ins, and ½ cup of mixed nuts to a large bowl. Stir to combine.
- Melt ¼ cup of butter in the microwave, then stir in 1 tablespoon of worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon of seasoned salt, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, and ¼ teaspoon onion powder.
- Pour the melted butter and seasonings over the dry mixture.
- Fold everything together with a silicone spatula until evenly distributed. Then, preheat your air fryer to 300ºF (149ºC) for 3 minutes, or according to the manufacturer's instructions
- Add the Chex mix to the basket of your air fryer.
- Cook in the air fryer for 6-8 minutes, shaking the basket 1-2 times to help promote even cooking.
- Your Chex mix is done when it is lightly toasted in spots and dry to the touch.
- As it cools it will continue to crisp up.
- Allow the mixture to cool completely before transferring to storage (jars, bags, etc).
Storing Chex Mix
Leftover Chex Mix can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 weeks.
Top tip: For the best results, make sure that the snack mix is completely cooled before adding it to a container, as a warm mix will cause condensation in the jar, which accelerates spoilage.
For gifting: Add individual servings of your own Chex mix to pint or quart-sized jars, and add a pretty ribbon and custom label. Cellophane bags also work well.
Flavor Options
- Ranch. Add ½-1 package of ranch dressing mix (or homemade ranch seasoning) to the butter and seasonings.
- Dill pickle. Add 2-3 tablespoons of Dill pickle seasoning to the butter and seasonings.
- Cheese. Add 2-4 tablespoons of white or cheddar cheese powder to the melted butter mixture.
- Buffalo ranch. Add 2-3 tablespoons of buffalo ranch seasoning (and 1.5-3 tablespoons ranch seasoning; if desired) to the butter mixture.
Substitutions
Worcestershire sauce: If you don't have this on hand but still want to make homemade Chex mix, try using soy sauce, tamari, coconut aminos, malt vinegar, or ketchup in its place.
Without Chex: Crispix or Life cereals make a good substitute for Chex. If you live in Canada or the UK, Shreddies is a good option as well.
Gluten-free: Use gluten-free varieties of Chex cereal (rice and corn), gluten-free pretzels (I like Snyder's gluten-free mini twists), and a gluten-free mix-in option (or more nuts).
Dairy-free: Use your favorite plant-based spread in place of the butter in this recipe.
Oven Method
- Preheat the oven to 275ºF (135ºC) and line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Prepare the Chex Mix by combining the cereals, mixed nuts, pretzels, and mix-ins of your choice. Pour over the seasoned butter and stir to coat.
- Spread the Chex Mix into the prepared baking sheets in a single layer.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25-35 minutes, stirring the mixture every 10 minutes or so, until lightly browned and toasted.
- Remove from the oven and cool completely before transferring to storage.
More Chex Mix Recipes:
If you loved this recipe for Air Fryer Chex Mix, let me know by leaving a 5-star review in the recipe card or comment below! You can also tag me on Instagram @dashfordinner.
Air Fryer Chex Mix
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 ½ cups Chex cereal a mix of your choice - I used rice and corn
- ½ cup mixed nuts
- 1 cup pretzels
- 1 cup mix-ins of your choice Cheez-its, bagel chips, goldfish, cheerios, etc.
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 300ºF (149ºC) for at least 3 minutes, or according to your manufacturer's instructions.
- Add the Chex cereals, mixed nuts, pretzels, and the mix-ins of your choice into a very large bowl.
- In a separate microwave-safe bowl, add the butter. Heat in 30-second intervals until completely melted.
- Add the Worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt, garlic powder, and onion powder to the melted butter and stir well to combine.
- Pour half of the melted butter mixture over the cereal and mixins, and toss well to coat. Add the remaining half of the butter mixture, and toss well until everything is evenly coated.
- Transfer the prepared Chex Mix to your air fryer basket, spreading it out evenly.
- Cook for 6-8 minutes, shaking the basket every 2 minutes to help promote even cooking.
- Once the chex mix has some lightly browned bits, remove from the air fryer allow to cool (I like to spread it out on a parchment-lined tray).
- Once completely cooled, serve immediately in a large bowl OR transfer to an airtight container for storage.
- Keeps well at room temperature for 1-2 weeks.
Notes
Variations
- Gluten free: Swap the pretzels for gluten free pretzels, and use the gluten-free types of Chex cereal (rice and corn). Choose a gluten-free option for a mix-in, or use more cereal, pretzels, or mixed nuts.
- Ranch: Use 1.5-3 tablespoons of ranch dressing mix (or homemade ranch seasoning) and omit the garlic powder, onion powder, and seasoned salt.
- Buffalo ranch: Omit the garlic powder and onion powder. Use 2-3 tablespoons of buffalo ranch seasoning, and an optional 1.5-3 tablespoons of ranch dressing mix.
- Cheese: Add 2-4 tablespoons of white or cheddar cheese powder to the melted butter mixture.
- Dill Pickle: Add 2-3 tablespoons of dill pickle seasoning to the butter mixture.
Nutrition
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LindaR says
This looks so delicious ! What size airfryer did you use ? and did you basically fill the basket with goodies or more airfry in an even layer ?
Dorothy Bigelow says
I think the air fryer size I used was about 6 quarts? It's the standard sized Cosori or Ninja, which I think is about 6 quarts. If you follow the recipe, you will have enough Chex mix to cook it in a single batch, in an even layer (not packed into the air fryer). If you double or triple the recipe I recommend cooking in 2-3 batches instead.