Trail Mix is pretty pricey at the grocery store, but homemade is super simple to prep. Plus you can control the quality and proportions of the fruit, seeds, and chocolate you include. Prepare the easiest and tastiest of snacks with this simple Trail Mix Recipe with Fruit, Seeds, and Chocolate. It’s delicious on its own, atop yogurt or oatmeal, or baked into cookies.
The arrival of Spring just beckons us to come outside. Once the clouds clear and the sun pops out, it’s time to hit the trail. And what better snack to take on a long hike or walk than trail mix?
Bursting with nuts, fruits, seeds, and chocolate, trail mix packs a punch. Not only is it full of carbs and fiber which you need on the trail — and a little sweetness to boot — but it’s also easily portable and perfect for snacking.
Or not necessarily portable, as my children ate this bowlful while my back was turned!
How Do You Make Homemade Trail Mix?
Since trail mix combines a little bit of everything, it’s great for using those odd bags of fruits, seeds, nuts, and chocolate that you might have stashed in your pantry.
Talk about pantry challenge and spring cleaning all rolled into one.
Do I Need To Add Nuts To My Trail Mix?
Due to my daughter’s walnut and peanut allergy, I don’t usually add nuts into my trail mix like this nut free monkey trail mix. There’s too big a risk for cross contamination with most nut brands. However, I’ve found pepitas and sunflower seeds to add a nice crunch instead.
In this particular trail mix recipe, I use cranberries and two tones of raisins for the chewiness/eat-the-rainbow factor. Mini chocolate chips do the job of, well, chocolate, I mean sweetness.
I was born in the 70s and well remember carob chips in our trail mix along with dried figs of which I am not a fan. Too hard and weird. This trail mix is super tasty and up with the times.
How to make this good and cheap:
Here are some of the strategies you can use to make this recipe more economical:
- Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. When I find regular kitchen staples on sale, I buy a lot. I’m currently using a price book to track prices and that’s saving me money. For this recipe, keeping an eye on the price of seeds and dried fruit can help keep the price down. I always recommend buying generic when it comes to your dried fruit and nuts (if you are using them).
- Buying in bulk – It’s rare that I would buy a small package of dried cranberries. I usually buy the ginormous bag at Costco.
- Shopping the manager’s specials – I find all kinds of great deals on the clearance racks.
How I make this recipe easy:
This recipe really couldn’t be easier than it is, but having the right kitchen tools can really make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. Over time, I’ve honed my collection so that they are perfect for my needs.
Here are the tools that I use for this recipe:
- mixing bowl – I love the contrast of ingredients against the white bowls.
- aluminum scoop – These are great for scooping bulk ingredients!
- measuring cups – My daughter is fascinated by the magnets that hold this set together.
- canning jars – Not sure I could live without these.
- plastic lids – or these!
Something new here on Good Cheap Eats that I’m slowly rolling out is the option to rate the recipes you try. After you’ve made this easy homemade Trail Mix, I’d love for you to come back and tell me how you liked it. Be sure to give it a starred rating in the comments. Thank so much!
Prepare the easiest and tastiest of snacks with this simple Trail Mix Recipe with Fruit, Seeds, and Chocolate. It's delicious on its own, atop yogurt or oatmeal, or baked into cookies.
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup golden raisins
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup pepitas
- 1 cup sunflower seeds
- 1 cup chocolate chips or mini Hershey's kisses
Originally published March 21, 2011. Updated February 17, 2018.
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Thanks for sharing. We’re nut-free here too. I added your post to Pinterest. (http://pinterest.com/mama__b/)
We’re nut free too, I’ve been using sunflower seeds in my granola bars for awhile. I just starting adding pepitas, although I do find them to be a bit pricey. Have you found a good frugal source for pepitas?
@Danielle, I buy them at Trader Joe’s. But honestly, I don’t remember the price. I just know they were a lot cheaper than pine nuts. Holy cow!
@Jessica, unfortunately we don’t have Trader Joes in Colorado. Oh, how I miss it. I wish Costco would carry seeds, because they’re nut prices are usually quite competitive. Pine nuts are ridiculously expensive, but my husband is allergic to all tree nuts including pine nuts, so I guess I don’t have to worry about those anymore. He can eat peanuts (I guess since those are a legume) so that’s always an option for us, but I’ve been leaving them out because they don’t want us to give the little one nuts or peanuts until she’s 3 because of my husband’s nut allergy. A few more months and then hopefully I can start using peanuts again. Not having food allergies of my own it’s been quite the eye-opener dealing with my husbands. I do keep a small stash of almonds for my oatmeal in the mornings, but that’s about the only thing anymore, I worry to much about cross-contimanation.
@Danielle, did they specifically test him for pine nuts? Because my understanding is that they are really a seed. Check with his allergist first, obviously.
Try a mexican grocery store if you have one nearby. I have found pepitas to be cheaper there.
We’re nut free here too, but I can’t find any seeds that aren’t processed with nuts. Any suggestions? We don’t have a Trader Joe’s:(
Great recipe, but you forgot the chocolate!!!
How did I do THAT?!
What are pepitas? Where would you find them in north Ga?
Pepitas are pumpkin seeds. I don’t know if you can find them there, but they’re not very uncommon, so I would think so.
I couldn’t help but chuckle about a pnatry cleanup and leftover chocolate. Who has leftover chocolate? 🙂 We NEVER do!
Allie
I love this kind of trail mix, I end up eating way too much of it though! 🙂
We’re nut free too. I do a similar trail mix but add shredded coconut, and dried cherries instead of two types of raisins. It’s delicious!!
Those looking for pepitas you can order raw pumpkin seeds from Bob’s Red Mill website.
You might want to try soaking your seeds for even more nutritional benefits. This article explains in detail the reason why we should (http://www.foodmatters.tv/articles-1/the-benefits-of-soaking-nuts-and-seeds) but here’s the gist (in a nutshell, pun intended):
1. To remove or reduce phytic acid.
2. To remove or reduce tannins.
3. To neutralize the enzyme inhibitors.
4. To encourage the production of beneficial enzymes.
5. To increase the amounts of vitamins, especially B vitamins.
6. To break down gluten and make digestion easier.
7. To make the proteins more readily available for absorption.
8. To prevent mineral deficiencies and bone loss.
9. To help neutralize toxins in the colon and keep the colon clean.
10. To prevent many health diseases and conditions.
I have never made trail mix from a recipe. When my kids were little I would simply start with a quarter cup of chocolate chips or M&Ms and started adding a mix of pretzels, cereals, nuts & seeds, and dried fruit from the cupboards. Consequently, the kids never had the same trail mix twice. Some combos worked better than others, but the kids never seemed to mind.
True, you don’t really need a “recipe”, but it’s always nice to hear what combinations others use, I think. Love the idea of pretzels! YUM!
I wish I could like raisins. I hate them so much. I don’t mind the craisins so I just add more of those. #raisinhateisreal LOL
For some reason, my people don’t mind this mix. Normally they are raisin-haters, too. I get you.