Ready to grab a quick snack for the road? Making Nut-Free Homemade Trail Mix is a great snack you can pack for school, work, hiking, or road trips.
Enjoy it on its own or serve it atop Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats for a fun and tasty breakfast. You can even serve it on Homemade Ice Cream for a unique sundae topping.
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When I was a kid, trail mix was somewhat of a novelty. A hippie novelty. Usually a melange of nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and carob chips, it was a fun snack to take camping or on road trips.
Except for the carob.
Today trail mix has become almost a dessert! Check out the commercially made versions at the store and you’ll see what I mean; some are only nuts and chocolate-covered candies! I don’t see that being all that different than a candy bar.
And at $14.59 for a 44-ounce container, it’s not really a good cheap eat. Time to make your own Nut-Free Homemade Trail Mix!
Why Make This
You can customize it to dietary needs. If you or someone you cook for eats vegan or has a peanut- or nut-allergy, making homemade trail mix is the way to go. You can customize it to suit their allergen-free needs or preferences without sacrificing taste.
For this recipe, I worked toward a balanced mixture of salty and sweet. Though my daughter could have other nuts, like almonds or cashews, I chose to make this one nut-free which makes it close to being completely allergen-free.
It’s way cheaper. As I mentioned, commercial trail mix is not cheap. Making your own is the affordable way to go, about half the price of a store bought mix.
Ingredients
Homemade trail mix is a great way to use up all the bits and bobs of dried fruit, nuts, seeds, and chocolates you might have on hand. For this specific, nut-free mix, here’s what to use:
dried cranberries – Just the right amount of sweet and tart
banana chips – The crunch of nuts while still being nut-free
roasted and salted sunflower seeds and pepitas (pumpkin seeds)– Great alternatives to nuts
chocolate chunks – If allergens are an issue, be sure to look for chocolates which are gluten-free, dairy-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, egg-free, soy-free, etc.
Obviously, if allergies are not an issue for you, you can use whatever nuts, dried fruit, seeds, and chocolate you’d like in your homemade trail mix.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Making homemade trail mix is not difficult at all. It’s only a matter of throwing a bunch of ingredients in a bowl and giving it a good stir.
Store it in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. You can freeze it for longer storage.
FAQs
Trail mix is a snack mixture made up of a variety of dried fruits, nuts, seeds, and sometimes coconut, chocolate, or candies. Often called scroggin or gorp, it was originally designed to give quick energy on hikes.
The ingredients of trail mix are all freezer friendly, so you can stash a bag or two in the freezer without a problem. Thaw it at room temperature in the packaging.
Most ingredients typically included in trail mix are gluten-free, but it’s always best practice to read the labels on everything you add to your recipes to make sure there are no issues of cross-contamination. Making homemade trail mix is a great way to make something allergen-free.
Recipe Costs
Knowing how much it costs you to prepare a recipe can help you decide if it’s the type of recipe to make regularly or one you might want to save for special occasions. Let’s crunch some numbers and see how this recipe pencils out.
I bought all my ingredients separately and I bought premium ingredients from Trader Joe’s and Sprouts. You don’t have to do that. Grab what fits your financial, dietary goals.
Here’s how it went for me:
- allergen-free chocolate chips $1.27
- sunflower seeds $0.60
- pepitas $1.50
- cranberries $1.00
- banana chips $0.50
Total spent for 32 ounces of mix: $4.87. This works out to be 15 cents per ounce. Alternatively, the grocery store “candy mix” turns out to be 33.2 cents per ounce.
My trail mix is about half the price and way better for you! FYI: I’m not a huge fan of banana chips, but I really liked them in this mix. In honor of banana chips cooked in coconut oil, I dub this Nut-Free Homemade Trail Mix.
More Snacks You Can Make Yourself
Tell us what you think!
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Nut-Free Homemade Trail Mix
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- spoon
- large airtight container
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup banana chips
- 1 cup chocolate chunks
- ½ cup sunflower seeds
- ½ cup pepitas
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients.1 cup dried cranberries, 1 cup banana chips, 1 cup chocolate chunks, ½ cup sunflower seeds, ½ cup pepitas
- Store in an airtight container in a cool place.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on October 4, 2013. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Matt
Hi Jessica,
I am allergic to all nuts which makes it quite difficult to find a delicious trail mix (or any trail mix for that matter!) at the store, so this recipe is perfect! Thanks so much for sharing.
Jessica Fisher
Yay! So glad to hear it. It can be hard to manage nut allergies. Always glad to help!
Kasia
I have looked everywhere for sunflower seeds without any additives that don’t say may contain tree nuts. Do you have a brand or place to suggest ?
Jessica Fisher
I have found them at Trader Joe’s, but it’s hit or miss. Sorry I can’t be more help!
C.K.O.
I made this today, I added seeds, dried apples, dried cherries, and raisins. It’s super yummy, and makes it wonderful for me since I work with people who have nut allergies!
Amy
thanks for this. I can not have nuts and all you find in the store are munch mix with nuts. Nuts in every bag. Hello don’t people know about allergens? Crazy. so this was great to see. thanks for sharing
Jen E
Thank you for including nut-free ideas. My son has tree nut allergies and sometimes it’s difficult to remove those products fully. I am excited to see what other recipes you come up with! (Fyi regarding sunflower seeds: according to our doctor and my son’s allergy tests, sunflower seeds are in the same category for those with nut allergies. Who knew)?
Jessica Fisher
Yeah, the related stuff is very complicated. At the moment, our allergist isn’t concerned, and my girl has challenged fine with sunflower. I’m trying to be observant of changes, though. Her tree nut issue is currently only walnuts.
lindsay
Legitimate question: isn’t coconut/coconut oil part of the nut grouping? My BIL is allergic to nuts and can’t have coconut. Want to make sure I make something school-safe.
Jessica Fisher
I have heard mixed opinions on that, and never from a doctor, so I can’t tell you for sure. My daughter is only allergic to peanuts and walnuts. She can have other nuts just fine, but we are careful that they aren’t cross contaminated with the “bad nuts”.
The recipe, however, doesn’t call for coconut. You would just need to check that coconut oil wasn’t used on the banana chips.
elena
Made this for my nut-free kiddos and we (ALL) loved it! Somehow I always think trail mix is out because of nuts but this was great. thanks for the idea!
KDavis
Thanks for a recipe without nuts! My vegetarian son is allergic to all nuts, except peanuts, and so many healthy snacks include nuts as a primary ingredient, it can be frustrating for him.
Allie Zirkle
Ours looks like this with coconut too. I need to find date pieces, probably at Sprouts, to go with this. Super yum! I do prefer the Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips though; something about how they feel on my teeth. Great pic too
Kristin
We’ve been using the mini chips! So good in homemade granola bars!
Tanya W
This looks *super* yummy! My DD5 is gluten intolerant so we often use the Enjoy Life products. We loved being able to use their chocolate chunks when she was also dairy free. (The fact that they are yummy helped immensely!) School is nut-free so this is a perfect lunchbox snack for my littles. Thanks so much!
Jessica Fisher
I was surprised that they tasted so good!