Easy Cheddar Chex Mix

You’ll be instantly addicted to this delicious cheddar Chex mix recipe. This homemade Chex mix is packed full of cheesy flavor that coats your favorite snacks all in one easy-to-make bowl. It’s perfect for any game day, movie night, or everyday snacking. 

Growing up I ate a whole lot of Chex Mix. It was my go-to road trip snack, game night snack, and pretty much any time snack.

Then I tried homemade Chex Mix and it was all over for me. While a bag of Chex Mix is fine, homemade Chex Mix is so much better. I worked really hard to perfect this homemade Chex Mix recipe (it’s amazing!). That recipe has hundreds of positive reviews!

But sometimes you just want something cheesy! So I made this cheddar Chex Mix for all of those times that I want a cheesy snacks that’s not just your typical Goldfish or Cheez-Its.

This cheese Chex Mix is made from my favorite snack mix and packed with a cheddar flavor experience, it’s the perfect snack for a backyard BBQ, school snacks, or to make before a big game for game day snacks. And it’s so much better than just a bowl of regular potato chips!

Made with easy-to-find ingredients that you can find any time you want, this recipe will be a staple for all your snacking needs. And if you’re craving sweet and salty, you could even use it as the base for this fall snack mix!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Versatile – don’t love cheese crackers? Easily trade them out for those mini breadsticks or rye chips instead. Make this recipe the right mix for you by adding in what you like to snack on.
• Family size batch – one batch can last for even the longest of games, or for weeks of midday snacks.
• Perfect party mix snack – makes a great snack for any type of party, including a baby shower, birthday party, or movie night. 

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes

• Corn Chex cereal – any type of square corn cereal will work though I am partial to the Chex brand. You can also use rice Chex or wheat Chex or mix cereals together. 
• Goldfish crackers – you can use any brand of these such as whales or Annie’s Bunnies.
• Pretzel twists – any shape of hard pretzel works other than large pretzel rods.
• Cheddary crackers – I used Cheez-its but another brand of cheese cracker will work as well.
• Butter – both salted and unsalted work, but I recommend unsalted for this.
• Seasoning salt – if you don’t have any on hand you can make your own.
• Parmesan cheese – you will want to use the powder kind for this.
• Cheddar cheese powder – this secret ingredient is how you get that cheddar flavor, but this recipe is just as great without this if you can’t find it at your local grocery store. Find it here if you want to order it ahead of time. 

How to make homemade Cheddar Chex Mix

Get ready to make your own Chex party mix, full of deliciously unpredictable combination of shapes all coated in that tasty cheddar cheese flavor. Follow these easy steps below and you’ll be happily snacking in record time. 

1 – Mix Snacks

1. Preheat oven to 250°F.
2. Using a very large bowl, combine all the cereal, goldfish, pretzels, and cheese crackers. Gently toss the cereal mixture so you don’t crush the pieces. 

2 – Mix The Seasoning Mixture 

1. In a small bowl, microwave butter until it is just melted.
2. Add Worcestershire sauce, seasoning salt, and garlic powder to the butter and stir until the seasoning mix is well combined. 

3 – Add the Seasoning to the Snack Mix

3. Take the seasoning mixture and pour it over the cereal and cracker mixture then stir gently to coat everything evenly.
4. Once it’s coated, sprinkle both powdered cheeses over it and stir again, making sure to stir gently so you don’t crush all the snack items.

4 – Bake And Serve

3. Spread the mixture out on baking sheets in a single layer. You can also do this in a roasting pan, but I prefer a baking sheet.
4. Bake for 45- 50 minutes, making sure to stir it every 15 minutes so it cooks evenly until it’s crisp and slightly browned.

Allow the cheddar Chex Mix to cool on the baking sheets before serving. While you can eat it right out of the oven, I recommend allowing it to cool and all the juices to soak into the snack items.

You can either transfer to a large bowl and serve immediately or bag up and save for later. If you’re going to bag it up, make sure it’s completely cooled before you seal the bag to keep the party mixes from getting soggy!

Expert Tips And Storage Info

Add one teaspoon of hot sauce to the butter before coating the cereal for an added kick. Or more if you want it really spicy!

For a tasty gift, put it in individual treat bags or small mason jars. This makes a great party favor for a sports-themed birthday party or a perfect Christmas gift wrapped up with one of these Christmas gift tags!

Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks at room temperature. You can either use regular zipper top bags or if you want to keep it from getting accidentally crunched, I like these food storage containers for snacks like this too!

Recipe FAQs

More Easy Party Mixes

If you’re a fan of snack mixes like I am, make sure to try out these delicious snacks – perfect for parties and games nights!

• Reindeer chow – this fun Christmas snack mix combines chocolate, red noses, and pretzels in a delicious holiday snack!
• Bunny bait – this fun Easter snack mix features Easter flavors, colors, and candies – even the Easter bunny approves!
• Christmas muddy buddies – this sweet holiday snack mix uses hot chocolate, marshmallows, and more yummy treats!
• Crock pot candied nuts – this mix is full of a variety of nuts, sweets, and flavor!
• Fall snack mix – the best combination of fall flavors, colors, and crunch!