Nut-Free Homemade Trail Mix (15 cent/serving)

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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.

red snack bowl piled high with homemade nut-free trail mix.

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

ingredients in large white bowl divided by type.

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

What is in a typical trail mix?

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.

Can trail mix be frozen?

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.

Is trail mix gluten-free?

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.

divided lunch tray with apple, eggs, cheese, crackers, and trail mix.

More Snacks You Can Make Yourself

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5 from 1 vote