Master the Basics and Make it YOUR Own
Watch our base recipe video to learn the basic skills, and discover how you can customize trail mix to your taste!
This is one of the base recipes as seen in our Whole Life Meal Plan. This trail mix base recipe is one of our go-to recommendations for an easy, delicious, and energizing healthy snack. It’s easy to pack for a day on the trails, at the office, on the run, or even to just enjoy at home! We provide you with the perfect ratios and suggest ingredients for a delicious and nutritious on the go snack.
Must-Know Cooking Skills to Level Up your Kitchen Game
To make this recipe even easier, check out these videos to master the basics:
Plus, we’ve got an awesome Knife Skills 101 course to help you slice and dice like a pro (for other recipes)!
Culinary Tips for Making this Easy Trail Mix Recipe
Trail mix doesn’t need a lot of ingredients and requires just one simple step, so it’s a great recipe to practice customizing to your taste!
Feel free to leave your measuring tools in the cabinet for this recipe! There is no need for precise measurements. Our ingredient quantities are just suggestions based on purchased bag weights.
Trail mix is a great recipe for kids to help make. They love stirring, mixing, and shaking the ingredients together!
Ingredient Swaps & Substitutions
- Nuts: Go nuts—literally! Use any single nut or mix it up with a combo. For the best flavor, opt for lightly salted roasted nuts or toast them yourself for extra crunch. Great options include almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, peanuts, pecans, pistachios, and walnuts.
- Dried Fruit: Sweeten the mix with any dried fruit (or a mix!). Look for unsulfured and sugar-free varieties when possible. Some tangy fruits like cherries and cranberries often have added sugar—that’s totally fine! Just steer clear of artificially sweetened versions. Apples, apricots, blueberries, cherries, cranberries, dates, figs, mangoes, prunes, and raisins are all delicious! Don’t use the freeze-dried fruits, they won’t stay crisp when stored.
- Seeds: Add a little crunch with pumpkin seeds (pepitas) or sunflower seeds. They bring extra texture and a nutrient boost to your mix!
Recipe Variations: Make it Your Own!
Remember that this is a base recipe, so the goal is for you to customize it to your taste! Add the suggested mix-ins—dark chocolate chips, seeds, and coconut—for an impressively delicious mix. Just be on the lookout for little children that like to pick out the chocolate pieces!
Want to make trail mix without nuts? Replace the nuts with the same volume of other add-ins, such as granola, seeds, or popcorn.
Want some trail mix recipe inspiration?
Use these recipe variations for inspiration, then have fun exploring other flavors, ingredients, and textures!
Equipment Recommendations: The Essentials
You just need a few basic tools for this recipe. Here’s your shopping list:
- Kitchen scale – a must have tool for an aspiring chef! Always more precise than volume.
- Measuring cups – precision makes a difference
- Nested mixing bowls – great for mixing, great for storing!
- Storage container – to keep the mix fresh!
Want to level up your kitchen game? Check out our Essential Equipment Guide for all the must-have tools!
Is Trail Mix Healthy?
It all comes down to the ingredients! Some store-bought options are packed with candy-coated chocolate and refined grain crunchies, making them less than ideal. But if you stick to nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and even dark chocolate, you’ve got yourself a nutritious mix!
Nuts & Seeds
Nuts and seeds aren’t just delicious—they’re packed with plant-based protein, fiber, and healthy fats to keep you feeling full and energized. Want to give your mix an extra brain and heart boost? Add some walnuts for a dose of plant-based omega-3s!
Dried Fruit
Dried fruit isn’t just a tasty addition—it’s loaded with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to keep you feeling your best. For the healthiest pick, go for varieties with no added sugar, like raisins, dates, or figs. Sweet, chewy, and full of goodness!
Dive into our ingredient guide to discover the freshest, tastiest picks for all your recipes—because great ingredients make all the difference! 🌟🍎
Dark Chocolate
Cocoa is rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. The darker, the better. Dark chocolate chips are usually at least 60%, but look for versions with higher cocoa solid percentages (ideally >70%) for even more nutrition! Ghiradelli is our personal favorite; the large flat shape is so superior to a standard chip. Flat out delicious!
What can you do with trail mix?
Eat trail mix on its own, use it to top yogurt for a balanced breakfast, or sprinkle over a yogurt parfait. Depending on the ingredients you use, trail mix could even be a tasty addition to a green salad or grain-based salad.
Learn how to build a healthy balanced meal with our Whole Life Plate, meal plan, and book!
What is a serving of trail mix?
One serving of trail mix is about ¼ cup or 2 ounces. If you need help with portion control, divide the trail mix into small, reusable containers in 2-ounce portions.
Trail Mix Base Recipe Storage Suggestions
Store trail mix in an airtight container or reusable zip top bag in the pantry.
How long does homemade trail mix last? We recommend storing trail mix for about one month. Nuts might start to go rancid after that point. You don’t know how long they have sat in the grocery store!
Want more healthy snack ideas? We got you covered!
Check out our other favorite snack recipes:
Apple Cinnamon Granola Clusters
Baked Oatmeal Cups Base Recipe
Share the Love – Leave us a Review!
Unlike many other recipe blogs, we actually encourage you to tweak our recipes. Not because they’re in need of change, haha, but because we believe one of the secrets to success in the kitchen is cooking to YOUR taste. Make the recipe, leave us a review, and tell us if you made any changes! We love hearing how you’ve made it your own.
Trail Mix Base Recipe
Ingredients
Base Recipe
- 1 ½ pounds (~5 cups) roasted, lightly-salted nuts
- 1 pound (~3 cups) dried fruit
Mix-ins to YOUR taste
- 12 ounces (~2 cups) dark chocolate chips
- 4 - 8 ounces (~½ - 1 ½ cups) toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds
- 2 ounces (~1 cup) unsweetened coconut flakes or smiles
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a large bag or container and stir or shake to mix. Enjoy!
Notes
This Post Has 4 Comments
I like to make this with peanuts, cashews, almonds, sunflower seeds, dried cherries, golden berries, and pistachios. Yummy!
Sounds delicious!
I make mine with cherries, pistachios, peanuts, almonds, cashews, and sunflower seeds. Then I use a wooden salad bowl and tongs for good mixing!
Good method to ensure everything is mixed well!