Looking for the perfect blend of sweet, spicy, and salty? That sounds like a dream snack to me and this Hot Honey Chex Mix has you covered with all three flavors!
With a smooth sweet crunch, the aftertaste is where the heat pops in. It’s subtle enough for the mildest of heat lovers, but there’s enough spiciness that you can still get all of the flavor without the burn (or you can crank it up, too).
Why It’s Worth It to Make Hot Honey Chex Mix
If you’ve had the original, you already know that this crunchy snack is almost addictive as-is. But add the butter and hot honey coating to it to take it to the next level and you’ll find no one will be able to turn it down!
- Perfect for Parties – Whether you’re the host or you’re taking snacks to another party, this mix makes things easy. It doesn’t need to be refrigerated and it can be easily transported in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag.
- Make Ahead Magic – Since this snack stores well, you can make it ahead of time and just pull it out when you want it!
- Plenty to Go Around – Maybe you want to make sure that you have plenty of snacks to get through the week or perhaps you’re expecting to feed a crowd of hungry mouths — either way, the large quantity that this recipe makes has you covered.
Ingredients
Everyone who’s had Chex Mix knows that the key to it is having so many different flavors and textures (though some of us like to cherry-pick our favorites out). Coating the pieces with hot honey makes this mix even more irresistible.
- Corn Chex Cereal – This classic corn cereal is delicate yet delicious. The hot honey gets caught in its waffled texture for the perfect explosion of flavor.
- Crispix Cereal – Slightly sweet and super crispy, this rice-based cereal adds dimension to the mix.
- Pretzel Minis – These miniature pretzels add a salty element to the snack.
- Bagel Chips – You can buy a small version of bagel chips, similar to what you’d find in a bag of Chex Mix. Or, you can break up a larger size version and add the pieces to the mix.
- Salted Peanuts – I love to use salty peanuts because they pair so well with the sweetness of the honey. However, you can use an unsalted version if that’s what you prefer.
- Salted Butter – Butter helps to coat the cereal when mixed with the hot honey.
- Hot Honey – Use Mike’s Hot Honey or make your own Homemade Hot Honey!
- Coarse Kosher Salt – While the recipe calls for other salted ingredients, I like to add a little extra for the perfect savory and sweet balance.
Can I Use Other Ingredients in Hot Honey Chex Mix?
You can absolutely create your own Chex Mix-style snack. Here are some ideas for ingredients to mix and match:
- Dried Fruit
- Cheerios
- Combos
- Flavored Nuts
- Wheaties
- Cinnamon Toast Crunch
- Granola
- Popcorn
- Crispy Chickpeas
- Pepitas
- Sunflower Seeds
- Cracker Pieces
- Whisps
- Crispy Dehydrated Vegetables (Like Snap Peas)
How to Make Hot Honey Chex Mix
This simple snack is a breeze to make and will have everyone munching during movie night, game day, or just to ward off afternoon hunger.
- Add snack mix ingrdients to bowl. Add the Chex, Crispix, pretzels, bagel chips, and nuts to a large bowl and toss together to disperse the ingredients evenly.
- Melt butter. Melt the butter in a small saucepan or in the microwave in intervals.
- Add hot honey and salt. Add the hot honey and salt to the melted butter and stir until combined.
- Toss dry ingredients in honey butter mixture. Coat the dry ingredients with the honey butter mixture. Transferring the ingredients between two bowls multiple times with help to spread the mixture over the cereal mix without breaking the pieces.
- Add to baking sheet and bake. Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for the recommended time.
- Toss ingredients and bake again. Move the ingredients on the cookie sheet around using a rubber spatula and return to the oven.
- Allow to cool. Once finished cooking, remove the pan from the oven and allow the mix to cool to room temperature.
- Serve or store. Transfer the snack mix to a serving bowl or store it in an airtight container.
What to Serve With Hot Honey Chex Mix
This little snack is the perfect way to tame mid-day hangriness or enjoy while binge-watching your favorite show. But it’s also great served alongside a spread of other snacks at a party.
Try serving it with other sweet or savory small bites like dill pickle ranch pretzels, candied bacon, gouda pecans, or potato chip marshmallow bars.
Variations
The most beautiful thing about this recipe is that it’s so easy to make it your own signature snack blend. Switch up ingredients, swapping some in and others out, and you can create your unique sweet and savory treat!
- Nuts – Trade out the peanuts for other nuts like pistachios, cashews, almonds, walnuts, or pecans.
- Butter – Use unsalted butter or try a compound butter for even more layers of flavor.
- Spiciness – Adjust the heat level by adding more spiciness to the hot honey or by sprinkling the mix with spices like cayenne pepper powder, chili powder, or crushed red pepper flakes when you take it out of the oven. You can also incorporate hot sauce or sriracha sauce into the honey butter mixture.
- Savory Flavor – Add more savory flavor to your snack mix by incorporating nutritional yeast, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, or an umami seasoning blend. You can also sprinkle parmesan cheese over top when it comes out of the oven.
- Bagel Chips – Original Chex Mix uses an unseasoned style of bagel chips in its blend but you can pick up one that has other flavors like everything, sesame, or poppy.
Storage
You can easily combine all of the dry ingredients and then bake when you’re ready.
How to Store Hot Honey Snack Mix
This snack is so easy to store! Just put it in an airtight container and store it at room temperature for a week. No need to refrigerate!
Common Questions About Hot Honey Chex Mix
Most foods in moderation can fit into a healthy diet. We’re not medical professionals, so we can’t speak to what works best in anyone’s specific diet. But what we can say is that there can be benefits to consuming spicy food, honey, and nuts.
If your Chex mix isn’t crisp, it probably needs more time in the oven. Simply pop it back in and let it crisp up.
Chex mix is an amazing snack because it’s filled with a variety of textures and savory flavors. Our hot honey version adds even more layers of flavors with sweetness and heat.
More Crunchy Snacks
There’s nothing better than a good snack or appetizer, so here are some of our favorites that we know you’ll love.
Dill Pickle Ranch Pretzels
Spiced Nut Recipe
Ranch Chex Mix
Hot Honey Chex Mix (Sweet & Spicy Chex Mix)
Ingredients
- 4 cups corn Chex
- 4 cups Crispix cereal
- 4 cups pretzel minis
- 2 cups bagel chips
- 1 cup salted peanuts
- 1 cup salted butter
- 1 cup hot honey
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Toss together the Chex, Crispix, pretzels, bagel chips and peanuts in a large bowl.
- In a small saucepan or in the microwave safe bowl, melt the butter. Whisk in the hot honey and salt.
- Pour the honey butter mixture over the dry ingredients, gently tossing to combine, being careful to not crush the cereal. Pro tip: Pour the mixture from one large bowl to another instead of tossing to prevent breaking the cereal or use two smaller bowls.
- Spread the snack mix evenly onto the prepared baking sheet, trying to arrange in a single layer.
- Bake for 20 minutes, remove and gently toss, returning to the oven for an additional 10 minutes.
- Remove and allow to cool fully before transfering to a serving bowl or an airtight storage container.
- If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
Nutrition
I was looking for a recipe to use my new hot honey in, and I’m so glad I came across this one. What a way to elevate ordinary snacks! Thank you
Oh yum! Such a delicious treat. I love how easily it all comes together and the fantastic combination of flavors.
This was sooo good. I loved all the textures and the kids asked if I could send some to school in their lunchboxes.
We are taking a road trip next week and I think this will be the perfect snack. Thanks for sharing!