Last updated: July 5th, 2024
This post may contain affiliate links. As Amazon Associates and through other affiliate programs, we earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a link – at no extra cost to you. We only promote products we actually use and truly love!
This sweet and salty trail mix with M&Ms, nuts, peanut butter chips, and no raisins is a nutritious take on store-bought monster trail mix! Pack it to go for hikes, picnics, or beach days.
Trail mix is our go-to snack for hikes, road trips, and even beach days! But the options at the grocery store don’t always align with our personal tastes. Since our favorite store-bought option is monster trail mix, but I really hate raisins, we decided it was finally time to make our own homemade version – without raisins! The recipe we landed on is what we call our sweet and salty trail mix.
It’s really easy to make your own homemade trail mix with M&Ms, and the best part is that you get to choose what goes into it! Customizing your trail mix to your personal tastes is 100% worth the little bit of effort that goes into making it. Our homemade sweet and salty trail mix features a blend of our favorite savory nuts, plus M&M’s and peanut butter chips for a little bit of sweetness. If you love all the same flavors we do, then try the recipe below – but if not, use it as inspiration to mix and match your favorite ingredients into your ultimate trail mix. Plus, we are able to make our sweet and salty trail mix wthiout raisins, since neither of us enjoy them.
Sweet and Salty Trail Mix Recipe
A classic monster trail mix typically features peanuts, M&M’s, chocolate candies, raisins, milk chocolate chips, and peanut butter chips. Here’s the thing we love about monster trail mix: the delicious combination of sweet and salty. Here’s the thing we don’t love: how sugary sweet and unhealthy it feels (plus the raisins). So to make our perfect version of a sweet and salty trail mix at home, we tried to strike a better balance of healthy nuts and sweet treats.
These are the ingredients we feature in our sweet and salty trail mix recipe:
- Lightly salted dry roasted peanuts
- Lightly salted roasted whole cashews
- Roasted salted almonds
- Dry roasted sunflower kernels
- M&M’s
- Peanut butter chips
Featuring nuts more heavily makes our trail mix more filling and nutritious than typical monster trail mix. But we kept some chocolate and peanut butter in the mix so it still satisfies that sweet tooth craving and provides an added sugar boost! All in all, our sweet and salty trail mix is comparable in calories to store-bought monster trail mix but has much more protein and way less sugar.
How To Make Homemade Trail Mix With M&Ms
If you’ve tried to make your own trail mix at home before and been overwhelmed by all the options at the grocery store, we have some suggestions to get you started! If you shop at Target, the Good & Gather brand offers a great selection of reasonably priced nuts. We chose this brand for our peanuts, cashews, and sunflower kernels. As far as almonds go, Blue Diamond is hands-down the best brand out there. The most important thing is to pick high-quality brands you know and love, so you can get the best flavor out of your trail mix!
To make M&M trail mix at home, simply add all your ingredients to a large bowl and gently toss with your hands (or a large spoon). Then you can store it in a large tub or glass jar for about 1 month and snack as you please – or pack small portions to go for hikes and road trips! It’s really that simple. And if you love trail mix, you’ll go through it in no time.
We found that our ideal ratio of savory to sweet is about 5:1. If you’re using our recipe as a guideline for crafting your own perfect homemade trail mix, this is a great starting point for determining how much of each ingredient to use.
Try the recipe below and share your favorite trail mix ingredients with us in the comments!
Love this recipe? You may also enjoy these other recipes for when you’re on the go:
- Cinnamon Avocado Muffins
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Protein Shake
- Garlic Parmesan Herb Seasoned Popcorn
- Healthy Strawberry And Banana Smoothie
To browse more of our latest recipes and seasonal dishes, visit our homepage here.
Like this recipe? Don’t forget to share it and follow us on Pinterest!
Sweet and Salty Trail Mix
Ingredients
- 2 cups lightly salted dry roasted peanuts
- 1 cup lightly salted roasted whole cashews
- 1 cup roasted salted almonds
- 1 cup dry roasted sunflower kernels
- ½ cup M&M's
- ½ cup peanut butter chips
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a large bowl and stir gently to combine.
- Store in a large air-tight container for up to 1 month. Pack small servings in to-go containers for hikes, picnics, or road trips!
Notes
Nutrition
If you have any questions regarding the information presented in this post, please refer to our Nutrition Disclaimer here.
Looking for kitchen inspiration? Head over to our shop to see what we cook with every day, plus recommendations for foodie gifts and eco-friendly products.