We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
WiseGEEK

Advertiser Disclosure

Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.

How We Make Money

We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently from our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Culinary

What is Chex Mix®?

By Kris Roudebush
Updated Feb 13, 2024
Our promise to you
WiseGEEK is dedicated to creating trustworthy, high-quality content that always prioritizes transparency, integrity, and inclusivity above all else. Our ensure that our content creation and review process includes rigorous fact-checking, evidence-based, and continual updates to ensure accuracy and reliability.

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

Editorial Standards

At WiseGEEK, we are committed to creating content that you can trust. Our editorial process is designed to ensure that every piece of content we publish is accurate, reliable, and informative.

Our team of experienced writers and editors follows a strict set of guidelines to ensure the highest quality content. We conduct thorough research, fact-check all information, and rely on credible sources to back up our claims. Our content is reviewed by subject matter experts to ensure accuracy and clarity.

We believe in transparency and maintain editorial independence from our advertisers. Our team does not receive direct compensation from advertisers, allowing us to create unbiased content that prioritizes your interests.

Chex Mix® is a combination of Chex® cereals and a variety of other snack foods. Depending on the Chex Mix® flavor or recipe, you can find pretzels, popcorn, chocolate pieces, or peanuts, just to name a few. Once all the foods are combined there is usually a spice or coating that is baked on and can include salt, garlic powder, brown sugar, or ranch dressing mix, but traditionally will include butter. You can make them up yourself or purchase a bag of Chex Mix® at most grocery stores. There are 15 different varieties of Chex Mix® produced by General Mills, not including limited editions.

Traditional Chex Mix® is a salty snack that contains Chex® pieces, mini breadsticks, pretzels, and rye chips. The rye chips always seem to get grabbed up first. There must be something in their garlicky seasoning that tickles everyone's taste buds. Of course there are a dozen or so recipes online, and even on the back of Chex® cereal boxes, that you can whip up at home.

The first Chex Mix® was called Chex Snack Mix® and found its way on grocery store shelves in 1987. Back then you'd find peanuts but no rye chips. Chex® cereal and Chex Mix® snacks were owned by Ralston Purina but they were sold to General Mills in the 90's. Today Traditional Chex Mix® is a better choice than potato chips, but it is still high in sodium. Other varieties of Chex Mix® may also contain high amounts of sugar as well.

General Mills seems to enjoy experimenting with new combinations because they now have several varieties of Chex Mix® in every category. The categories are salty, chocolate, sweet and salty, 100 Calorie, and limited editions. But if that's not enough variety for you, their site has nearly 40 different recipes including gluten free and holiday Chex Mix®. There seems to be a Chex Mix® for nearly every occasion, including a chai crunch and a Chex® brittle.

ChexY® wasn't the first cereal to promote recipes in which cereals were used as snack foods. It was, in fact, Kix® that got the ball rolling. The first Kix® recipe was found in 1950. It would not be till June of 1952 that a Chex® mix recipe would find its way into a Life magazine.

WiseGEEK is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
See our Editorial Process Share Feedback

Discussion Comments

By Rotergirl — On Feb 24, 2014

Chex mix is ubiquitous at most get togethers now. One of the best parts about the recipe is it can be altered to suit the tastes of everyone in the house. I've seen recipes that used onion powder and dill, cayenne and paprika, and soy sauce, garlic and five-spice powder. It just depends on personal preference.

There are also endless varieties of the individual combinations of ingredients. I like using rice and corn Chex, toasted pecan halves, Cheerios, Cheezits and a healthy dose of garlic. Some people like toasted almonds and others prefer peanuts.

A sweet Chex mix in the form of muddy buddies or "puppy chow" Chex is also good. This uses powdered sugar, peanut butter and chocolate chips for a coating. It's also tasty.

WiseGEEK, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGEEK, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.