Classic Chewy Chex Mix is one of my favorite treats. It’s pretty much a staple at my side of the family parties and get-togethers. Somehow my little brother–and by little, I mean my thirty-something brother–has become the pro of the family at making it.
His recipe just always tastes the best and is the absolute perfect consistency and ratio of gooey to crunch.
Over Thanksgiving when we were together, I asked him to give me all his pro-tips so I, too, can become a Classic Chewy Chex Mix Master.
Nothing he told me was mind-blowing. In fact, I was like, “Duh! Why didn’t I think of that?”
Some people like to add nuts and coconut to their Chewy Chex Mix. I like it that way, too…..sometimes, but for the most part, I like my Chewy Chex Mix in its birthday suit with no bells and whistles.
Delicious Snacks for Sharing
- White Chocolate Christmas Chex Mix Recipe
- Best Ever Chewy Chex Mix
- White Chocolate Bugle Pretzel Mix
- Microwave Chex Party Mix
- Caramel Corn Puffs
- Christmas Marshmallow Caramel Popcorn
how to make classic chewy Chex mix
- Pour the corn and rice Chex cereals into a very large bowl.
- In a 2-quart saucepan, melt the butter on medium-high heat. As soon as it is melted, add the sugar and Karo
- syrup.
- Stir constantly and bring mixture to a boil. Boil for exactly one minute, and then pour over the Chex cereal you prepared in the large bowl.
- Stir carefully until all Chex are covered with the gooey mixture.
- Let cool and serve.
- Enjoy!
Josh’s Pro-Tips for making Classic Chewy Chex Mix
Pro-Tip #1: Only use 3/4 cup butter instead of the 1 cup butter our family recipe calls for.
This is where I was like, “DUH!!! Why didn’t I think of that?” Mine always seemed a little too greasy and not quite thick enough to really stick to the Chex pieces as I wanted it to. But who was I to mess with a family recipe? Josh wasn’t’ afraid to break with tradition. Taking away a portion of the butter was pretty genius and makes the gooey stuff thicker and the perfect consistency to stick to the outer part of the Chex.
Pro-Tip #2: Always mix half Rice Chex and half Corn Chex.
Makes sense, keeps the flavor a little more interesting, and also adds a dimension to the color of the snack which really can affect how you perceive the taste. After all, we do eat with our eyes first. (Looking at my pictures, I can agree that it wouldn’t look so pretty if it were all one color.)
Pro-Tip #3: And last, but not least, make sure to get the mixture to a rolling boil and then cook it for exactly 1 minute at a rolling boil.
Okay, got it. I can do that. To clarify, a rolling boil is when the boiling does not stop even when you are stirring constantly.
Like I said, none of this is mind-blowing, but it’s a little different than what I was doing before. I can testify that it makes a big difference. Josh really does make the best Chewy Chex Mix, and now I do, too. And so can you!
My Tips for making Classic Chewy Chex Mix
- Chewy Chex Mix is a fun salty-sweet snack that everyone loves. It’s affordable to make, and it’s a fun gift to give teachers and neighbors this time of year.
- If you do choose to add nuts and coconut, be sure to take out some of the Chex cereal so you will have enough gooey mixture to coat everything. Ex: If you add a cup of nuts and 1/2 cup coconut, take out 1 1/2 cups of Chex.
- Mix in anything you want, but be sure to follow these pro-tips and you can’t go wrong.
chef’s tools:
More sweet and salty snacks
- 21 ounces of Chex Cereal, (half corn Chex, half rice Chex) This is about 18-19 cups of Chex Cereal.
- ¾ cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup Karo Syrup
- Pour the corn and rice Chex cereals into a very large bowl.
- In a 2-quart saucepan, melt the butter on medium-high heat. As soon as it is melted, add the sugar and Karo syrup.
- Stir constantly and bring mixture to a boil. Boil for exactly one minute, and then pour over the Chex cereal you prepared in the large bowl.
- Stir carefully until all Chex are covered with gooey mixture.
- Let cool and serve. (You can eat it warm if you want to. I like to wait for it to cool because it gets chewier.)
- Enjoy!
More Holiday goodies
Instead of rice Chex it tastes yummy with Golden Grahams.
Yes, we like to do half and half sometimes and throw in some M&Ms and coconut. I’m actually making it that way for a party this weekend and I can’t wait to eat it.
I love chewy so this is a recipe I have to make soon! Thank you!
If you love chewy, you will LOVE this recipe! Can’t wait to hear how you like it!
This is the one I was looking for! Thank you! The pro tips were great! The only reason for the 4 stars was that it was a little dry so we made a half-batch of the goo to cover all of the cereal.
So glad you like the recipe and it’s the one you have been looking for!
Used one box each of 12 oz Rice and Corn with a 24 oz Planters Peanuts and about a bag of 20 oz Ghiradelli 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips. Increased recipe to 1 C Butter, and 1 1/4 each sugar and corn syrup(light). AMAZING!
Totally recommend this recipe. Thank you Maria, my step-mom used to make something similar when I was a kid and this hit the spot.
I did add the chocolate about 2-3 minutes after I poured and mixed the caramel mixture.
Yum! Daniel that sounds amazing! I am so glad you liked it!
I used maple syrup and they were delicious
Yum, I’ll have to try that sometime!