Oh, it's scrumptious alright! I had a sudden craving for kid birthday party food. Maybe it's because it's back to school time and I am seeing all these little kiddos headed off with their oversized backpacks. But chex mix, or perhaps you called it party mix. That crispy, crunchy, addictive snack was just screaming my name this week.
If you are new to chex mix, it's basically just cereals, pretzels, and nuts seasoned with butter and Worcestershire sauce. Which of course, makes it not vegan. Not only because traditional butter isn't vegan, but Worcestershire sauce contains fish. Yeah, I know, yucky!
While you can purchase vegan Worcestershire sauce, I've never seen it in my grocery store (and you know how I feel about hard to find ingredients)... not my fave. So I drummed up this recipe to have all the classic flavours of the original buttery Worcestershire sauce coating, but of course, totally vegan, and totally easy to prepare.
And let me tell you, this stuff is addictive. Crunchy, munchy, savoury, umami, and all things snackable. While every piece is delicious, I ended up digging around the bowl looking for the extra dark pieces that had more sauce on them, just like you look for those extra buttery pieces of popcorn. It ends up being the worst game because before you know it, you've eaten half the bowl. Scrumptious Vegan Chex Mix for the win!
To make Scrumptious Vegan Chex Mix: Add all the seasoning ingredients to a small pot and melt over medium heat. It won't really mix together too well, and that's just fine., don't worry about it.
Add the cereals, pretzels, and nuts to a large bowl. Pour the melted seasoning sauce over the chex mixture while stirring to evenly coat.
Spread the mixture onto a large rimmed baking sheet. My baking sheet was a little crowded, but it all worked out fine. If your sheet is smaller you may want to spread the mix across two baking sheets. Bake for 60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes until the mix has crisped up and become evenly golden. Let cool before serving or storing in an air-tight container. Snack away my friends!
(click stars to vote)
Scrumptious Vegan Chex Mix
Servings: servings (makes about 9.5 cups, so a little over ½ cup serving each)
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Ingredients
For the seasoning:
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup vegan butter, (such as Earth Balance)
For the chex mix:
- 4 cups Chex* or similar cereal, (see notes)
- 2 cups Cheerios or similar cereal
- 2 cup mini pretzels
- ¾ cup roasted almonds
- ¾ cup roasted cashews
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 250F (130C).
- Add all the seasoning ingredients to a small pot and melt over medium heat.
- Add the cereals, pretzels, and nuts to a large bowl. Pour the melted seasoning sauce over the chex mixture while stirring to evenly coat. Spread the mixture onto a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes until the mix has crisped up and become evenly golden. Let cool before serving or storing in an air-tight container.
Notes
Nutrition
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
Diane says
This was really good. My sister shared this recipe with me. Although its flavor is more mild than traditional, I really liked it. It's a great snack. I had to change up a few things because of what I had in the house but I don't think that mattered so much because I used the seasoning mixture as written. I'm not vegan so I wasn't worried about any changes. I used rice and corn chexs, cheerios, sesame sticks, pumpkin seeds, raw cashews and I added a few drops of worcestershire. I think this mix is really wonderful as written but easily subject to changes.
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Thanks for sharing! We're happy your sister shared the recipe with you.
Dayn Riegel says
Your wonderful reminder about Vitamin D3 being - most likely - non-vegan is why I enjoy reading your articles and posts. Sure, the foods are always fun and exciting to eat and make but the little tidbits of info are what make you unique! I tend to try and find only truly vegan/vegetarian suitable supplements but as you've proven here even "quick meals" and snacks can be dangerous to those avoiding animal products. Thank you!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Thanks for your kind words! 🙂
Karlie says
This is now my go-to Chex mix recipe! My family loves it!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
We love to hear it!
Rebekah says
Definitely a much more subtle flavoring than your traditional Chex but still delicious. Instead other than tasting “lighter” most didn’t even realize they were eating vegan style Chex mix.
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Thanks for sharing!
Jen T says
Hi Sam! Looking to make this for a group with nut allergies. What ideas do you have to replace peanuts/tree-nuts? Thanks so much.
Rachel says
I know this is really late but I just saw your comment and wanted to reply even though I'm sure that you already made this.
I would think that a good replacement would be seeds. Sunflower and pumpkin seeds in particular seem like they would go great in this and I'm now planning to add both when I make it. So thanks for the idea!
Ann says
Yum! My grandma used to make “Scrabble” (Chex mix) for the holidays. When I first tried this I was a little disappointed only because it didn’t taste quite like the traditional recipe. But by the third handful I was hooked and I can honestly say I like this better. IMO, Cheerios are a must—but maybe because that’s how Gramma made it!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha, so happy you enjoyed!
Justin says
Barbara's "Original Multigrain Spoonfuls" cereal appears to be vegan with no added vitamin D of any kind and uses cane sugar and molasses instead of refined sugar that isn't vegan. It is a harder brand to locate because it is a health food store cereal brand, but large sized supermarkets usually carry Barbara's brand. Other than that, it is a little on the sweet size when Chex or Crispex is a savory cereal. I think this is helpful? Thanks for the recipe!
Elizabeth Belden Handler says
I just made this with a few substitutes. I used peanuts instead of almonds and cashews and added sesame sticks and another 4 cups of cereal-cascadian farms multigrain squares. Since I’d added more volume, I added 1/2 cup water to my ‘butter’ mixture along with some extra soy sauce sauce. Yum!
Karen Mary says
Looks yummy and will be making tomorrow. Am wondering, though, why the ingredients list calls for roasted almonds and roasted cashews when we're going to be roasting them for an hour ourselves? Will they get overly browned? Thanks!
Arista Schemma says
this sounds amazing - I really want to 'ranch-ify' it with the requisite herbs and some nooch....
any thoughts?
Genez Malebranche says
Hello Sam,
I love your recipes and have made many of them. However,
I have not tried this recipe, as I have been making my own hot and spicy version for many years. I found Kelloggs Crispix is a good substitute for Chex mix in the USA because it's vegan with rice on one side and corn on the other.
Dulcie says
This snack mix was delicious. My son said it tasted just like the kind you buy in the store (that should be taken as a compliment). I live in the tropics, so running the oven for one hour this time of year was highly undesirable. I followed the Chex mix method and cooked it in the microwave, stirring every two minutes. It took me eight minutes total to cook until it was crispy. Thank you for the recipe.
Sam Turnbull says
That's wonderful, Dulcie! Thrilled you enjoyed it so much, and the microwave method sounds great!
Julie says
Hey there! So I CAN get vegan Worcestershire and would love to know what would be replaced in the one you've given us?
It's amazing and confusing that between the Canada and US, the same foods can be made with different ingredients, i.e. the Chex cereal.
THANK YOU!
Sam Turnbull says
Hmmm, I haven't tried it with vegan Worcestershire so I'm not sure of the flavour change, perhaps replace the soy sauce and reduce some of the spices. I'm sure it will be delicious either way!
jacquie says
oh i was so psyched when i saw this but then saw the part about chex not being vegan in the US and now i am totally bumming. in case i do find a suitable replacement or move to Canada 🙂 did you by any chance try making this with coconut oil instead of the vegan butter. Do you think that would work>
Sam Turnbull says
Yeah, but I'm sure almost any crispy cereals that would work well in this recipe, so it doesn't have to be Chex. I haven't tried coconut oil. I am sure it would work ok, but I think the buttery tastes is pretty crucial to this recipe. 🙂
Stephie says
Ahhh I have to stop looking at your site before lunch... so hongray now! I've ordered vegan worcestershire online in the past, but I expect the noochiness of this version will make it even yummier than the traditional recipe!
Also I just noticed you're at Veg Food Fest, hoping I have time to check it out after work on Sunday 🙂 Are you doing a cooking demo, and if so any chance you'll post a video of it? So exciting, break a leg!
Sam Turnbull says
Hahaha! Thanks so much 🙂 Yes, I am doing a cooking demo at 4pm on Sunday! I won't be filming it, but hopefully, someone will take a picture or two so that I can talk about it on my blog. I look forward to maybe meeting you 🙂
Bethery says
You lucky Canadians. We always have tainted food in the US. You're like a drug dealer, Sam, luring us with all this kid food. Mmmm
Sam Turnbull says
Hahaha! I'm sure there are similar cereals that are good to go. And it's true. I have a huge bag of this stuff in my cupboard now, and it takes everything in me not to eat it all in one sitting!
betty hatfield says
Hi Sam, Just wanted to let you know I called General Mills to see if Chex cereals are vegan. The customer service person said they are not because they contain D3 which is an animal derivative. I 'm planning to contact them about removing D3 or replacing it with D2.
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Betty!
Oh no, that's so annoying. I just had a look at my box and the ingredients and nutrition info doesn't include any vitamin D (of any kind) but looked online and the ingredients in the US do contain D3 as you said. So if you are in Canada you should be safe. You can see the nutrition info for Chex in Canada here. I've added a note to the recipe for anyone in the US or other countries to use a similar but vegan-friendly cereal. Thanks for pointing that out!
betty hatfield says
I might have to move to Canada! Lol I've heard some foods have different ingredients outside the US. It's great you're able to use Chex. 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Hahaha, yeah a lot of name brand stuff has a completely different recipe depending on the country. Sometimes they even look different!
Ivy says
LOVE Chex Mix. Growing up, my mom would make batches and batches of it to give out to family and coworkers during Christmas. She used Worcestershire, but also added soy sauce, the secret ingredient that turned that stuff into crack. It was so delicious, we'd eat ourselves sick. After I went vegan I thought Chex Mix was a thing of the past. Then I found that the Ralph's store brand Kroger makes an accidentally vegan Worcestershire. Hooray! Excited to try your version too!
Sam Turnbull says
Aww what a lovely memory! I hope you enjoy this version if you try it 🙂