Sweet and Salty Snack Mix
When you are craving something sweet but slightly salty just reach for this Sweet and Salty Snack Mix. This amazing snack is a sweet and crunchy blend of cereal mixed with the salty perfection of pretzels. It makes an unbelievable flavor combination.
I love this sweet but slightly salty snack mix. So do my kids, and all their friends… and their friends’ friends. In other words it is really a delicious sweet and crunchy snack.

This makes a perfect game day snack or party food. It is equally fabulous for a holiday feast, family gathering, office party or pot luck. If you have a big occasion to plan for, you might even want to double the recipe. Just be careful not to eat the whole bowl!
This sweet and salty snack mix is so easy to make. It only takes about 10 minutes to prepare. Not only delicious, but also so quick and simple to make that it will definitely save you time in the kitchen. It is also a very fun recipe to make along with your kids.
I have included both the traditional stove and oven cooked version as well as the microwave. I prefer the oven method because it is a healthier way to cook your food but you could use a microwave if you don’t have access to a stove.
Ingredients

The ingredients needed for this yummy snack mix are very simple. You should be able to fine most of these ingredients in the cereal aisle, and baking aisle. Butter, as I'm sure you know, is in the dairy section. This might seem like a long list of ingredients but it all comes together very quickly.
You will need:
- Rice Chex Cereal
- Wheat Chex Cereal
- Cheerios Cereal
- Pretzels
- Peanuts or Cashews (optional)
- Light Corn Syrup
- Salted Butter
- Brown Sugar
- Baking Soda
- Vanilla
Directions

To make this super delicious crunchy sweet snack mix just mix together 2 cups each of Rice Chex Cereal, Wheat Chex Cereal, Cheerios and Pretzels. Add in 1 cup of nuts, if you want. I omitted the nuts this time that I made it.

Next you will melt the butter, sugar, and corn syrup, stirring occasionally. Make sure to use sweet cream butter for this recipe, this is the salted butter. Bring to a boil and then without stirring boil for about a minute.
Pour the sugar mixture over cereal and mix well to coat evenly. Then bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Let it cool completely. As it is cooling down stir several times to break up the pieces. Then enjoy!

Variations
You can absolutely substitute in different kinds of cereal or bite sized crispy crunchy snacks. You could also use Corn Chex, Kix, oyster crackers, bite sized graham crackers, popcorn, or different types of nuts.
After your snack mix has cooled you could also add in raisins, dried cranberries or other dried fruit. Get creative here and add your own favorite snacks and combinations!
Recipe

Perfect Sweet and Salty Snack Mix
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Rice Chex Cereal
- 2 Cups Wheat Chex Cereal
- 2 Cups Cheerios Cereal
- 2 Cups Pretzels
- 1 Cup Peanuts or Cashews optional
- ½ cup Light corn syrup
- 1 Cup Brown sugar
- ½ Cup Butter sweet cream aka. salted butter
- ¼ tsp. Baking soda
- 1 tsp. Vanilla
Instructions
Oven Directions
- Preheat oven to 350º
- Mix the cereal, pretzels, and nuts together in a 9 by 13 inch baking pan.
- In a medium sized sauce pan melt butter, sugar, and corn syrup, stirring occasionally. Bring to a boil and then without stirring boil for 1 minute.
- Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla. It will bubble up a little bit as you stir.
- Pour sugar mixture over cereal and mix well to coat evenly. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
- Let it cool completely. As it is cooling down stir several times to break up the pieces. Store in an air tight container.
Microwave Directions
- In a large microwave safe bowl mix together butter, sugar and corn syrup. Microwave for 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds.
- Stir in soda and vanilla. It will bubble up a little bit as you stir.
- Add in the cereal, pretzels and nuts and mix well to coat evenly.
- Microwave for 5 to 6 minutes, stopping to stir every minute, until the cereal just begins to brown.
- Let it cool completely. As it is cooling down stir several times to break up the pieces. Store in an air tight container.
You also might like to try my blueberry crumble bars or authentic guacamole!
Please make sure to leave you questions, comments and ratings below.
Vickie
OMG this snack mix is so delicious. Made it for a party and it was gone immediately. I think I will make another batch just for myself this time. Sweet and salty perfection.
Vicky Elam
The last couple times I have made this wonderful mix it has turned out almost too crunchy and on the very hard side. What have I done wrong? I have cooked it the same lengthen of time.
Sam
A number of different factors could affect the crunchiness of this cereal mix. Humidity, climate as well as variations in ovens can all affect results. I suggest reducing the cooking time down to 20 minutes or turning the oven temperature to 300°. Let me know if this helps reduce the crunchiness. If it still seems too hard you also could try cutting the brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, baking soda, and vanilla all in half. This will give you less candy coating which will also make it less crunchy.
Karen
So yummy! I added cayenne pepper. So good.
Sam
Hi Karen,
That sounds delicious with cayenne pepper! I will have to try it.
Shelia
Love this recipe, I have made it several years now and everyone begs for it throughout the year. I did add about 3 Tablespoons of Spicy Ranch Mix to make a spicy version.