Sweet and Salty Chex Mix with Bugles
Every game day spread needs one snack bowl that empties before kickoff, and this sweet-and-salty Chex mix is the one guests keep reaching for. Crunchy Bugles, Rice Chex, mini pretzels, and two kinds of peanuts get tossed in a buttery brown sugar syrup, baked until crisp, then finished with Reese’s Pieces. The glossy coating balances the salty crunch in every handful, so nobody has to choose between sweet and savory. It keeps for weeks, so you can make it days ahead and spend the game with your guests instead of in the kitchen.
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This is a baked snack mix that combines salty crunchy favorites with a caramel-style glaze. Bugles, Rice Chex, mini pretzel twists, dry roasted peanuts, and honey roasted peanuts are coated in a brown sugar and butter syrup, baked until the coating turns crisp, and topped with Reese’s Pieces while still warm.
The result is part Chex mix and part caramel corn, with a little something for everyone in each handful. It is made for game days, tailgates, and parties, but it also works as a holiday gift or an after-school snack.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Since you can prepare this mix ahead of time, you’ll have plenty of time to cheer on your favorite team with your friends without being stuck in the kitchen. Unfortunately, that may lead to perhaps the biggest problem with this version of Chex Mix.
If you aren’t careful, it’s so good you’ll wind up eating all of it before your guests even show up! But don’t worry, this best Sweet and Salty Chex Mix recipe is so quick and easy to make, you can whip up another batch during the pregame show!
Sweet and Salty Chex Mix ingredients
For Sweet and Salty Chex Mix with Bugles, you’ll need:
- Bugles – Add a crunchy, salty corn snack whose hollow cone shape traps extra glaze.
- Rice Chex cereal – Provides a light, crisp base with nooks that hold the coating.
- Mini pretzel twists – Bring a sturdy, salty crunch that contrasts with the sweet glaze.
- Dry roasted peanuts – Add savory, salty richness and a hearty crunch.
- Honey roasted peanuts – Layer in a lightly sweet, nutty flavor that bridges the salty and sweet ingredients.
- Light brown sugar – Forms the base of the caramel-style glaze and adds gentle molasses flavor.
- Unsalted butter – Gives the glaze its rich, buttery flavor while letting you control the salt.
- Light corn syrup – Keeps the glaze smooth and glossy by preventing sugar crystals from forming.
- Salt – Sharpens the glaze’s flavor and keeps it from tasting one-note sweet.
- Vanilla extract – Rounds out the caramel flavor with warm, aromatic notes.
- Baking soda – Makes the syrup foam so it coats thinly and bakes up crisp.
- Reese’s Pieces – Add pops of color, peanut butter flavor, and candy sweetness.
- Nonstick cooking spray or neutral oil – Keeps the sticky glaze from sticking to the pan.
Ingredient Notes
- Swap the candy. If you are not a fan of Reese’s Pieces, M&Ms work just as well.
- Swap the cereal. Corn Chex or Wheat Chex can replace Rice Chex.
- Use light brown sugar, not dark. Dark brown sugar has more molasses and can make the glaze taste heavier and brown faster in the oven.
- Measure the baking soda carefully. Too much can give the glaze a bitter, soapy aftertaste.
How to make this version of Chex Mix
To make this classic sweet and salty snack mix:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Heavily spray a large roasting pan with non-stick spray or grease with a neutral cooking oil like canola.
- Pour the Bugles, Rice Chex, mini pretzels, and both types of peanuts into the greased roasting pan, and use your hands to gently combine. Reserve for later.
- In a medium saucepan, stir together the light brown sugar, unsalted butter, light corn syrup, and salt. Bring to a full boil over medium heat while stirring with a wooden spatula.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and carefully stir in the vanilla extract and baking soda. The mixture will foam, so keep your hands away from the saucepan.
- Carefully pour the hot syrup over the ingredients in the roasting pan.
- Shake the roasting pan and use a wooden spatula to coat the ingredients evenly.
- Bake for 15 minutes in the center of the preheated oven. After every 5 minutes of cooking, remove the mix from the oven and stir gently with a wooden spatula.
- While the Chex Mix bakes, Line two baking trays with parchment paper.
- Spread the hot mix on the prepared parchment-lined baking trays and return to the oven for 2 more minutes. Watch carefully to avoid burning the mix.
- Remove the baking pans and set on wire racks.
- Sprinkle the Reese’s Pieces over the warm mix while the syrup is still sticky.
- Cool the Sweet and Salty Chex Mix with Bugles entirely before eating or storing.
This sweet and salty mix is perfect to make ahead of time
You can make this 2 days ahead and store this sweet and salty Chex mix recipe with Bugles in an airtight container.
What to serve with it?
Build the best snack table in the neighborhood with these easy-to-make recipes:
Fried mushrooms. Logan’s Roadhouse Fried Mushrooms are hot and crispy. Their earthy flavor highlights the sweetness of the Chex mix.
Mississippi meatballs. A platter of these beef and pepperoncini Mississippi Meatballs tossed in a tangy sauce will add a bit of savory zip to your next party.
Veggies and dip. Lighten things up with a bowl of Dill Dip and plenty of crudite. Baby carrots, celery sticks, and bell pepper strips are great options.
How to store Chex Mix
Put Sweet and Salty Chex Mix with Bugles in an airtight container. You can keep it in the cupboard at room temperature or, for long-term storage, freeze it.
How long does it last?
Room-temperature Chex Mix, kept away from excessive moisture, will stay fresh for two to three weeks. Frozen Chex Mix is good for two or three months. But don’t throw away the mix if it loses a little crunch.
Reheating it on a parchment-lined baking tray in a 350°F oven for a few minutes can go a long way to reviving it.
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weet and Salty Chex Mix with Bugles
Ingredients
- 4 cups Bugles
- 4 cups Rice Chex
- 1 cup bite-sized pretzel twists
- 1 cup dry roasted peanuts
- 1 cup honey roasted peanuts
- ¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
- ½ cup butter
- 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ cups Reese’s Pieces or M&Ms
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a large roasting pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place the Bugles, Chex, pretzels, and peanuts in the prepared pan. Mix and set aside.
- In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture comes to a full boil. Remove from the heat, add the vanilla and baking soda, and stir. The mixture will foam up and expand.
- Pour the syrup over the cereal mixture and toss to coat.
- Bake the Chex mix on the center rack for 15 minutes, removing every 5 minutes to stir.
- Remove the Chex mix from the oven and spread it out over wax paper to cool for about 2 minutes before sprinkling the Reese’s Pieces on top.
- When completely cool, store in an airtight container.
Notes
- Have everything ready before the syrup boils. Once the baking soda goes in, the syrup starts to thicken and set, so pour it over the mix right away.
- Stir from the edges in. The mix along the sides of the roasting pan browns fastest. Pull it toward the center each time you stir.
- Watch the final two minutes. Ovens vary, and sugar goes from golden to burned quickly. If the glaze starts to darken at the edges, take the sheets out early.
- Wait for the Reese’s Pieces. Adding the candy before baking melts the shells. Sprinkling it on right out of the oven lets it stick without losing its crunch.
- Cool it spread out. Leaving the mix piled in the roasting pan traps steam and softens the coating. A single layer on parchment sets up crispness.
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