Christmas Crack Chex Mix is seriously addictive and takes just 5 ingredients and about 25 minutes. For just $10.57 per batch, or $0.88 per serving, this sweet and salty no-bake treat is a mix of Chex, Cheerios, pretzels, and holiday M&Ms coated in white chocolate — perfect for parties and homemade gifts.
We have been making Christmas desserts for decades, and this one is always on our list. It’s a no-bake treat you can stir together in 10 minutes, and it makes enough to fill several gift bags.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
- Sweet and Salty Flavor. Chex cereal, Cheerios, M&M’s, and pretzels are coated in creamy white chocolate for a combination everyone loves.
- Only 5 Ingredients. No corn syrup or extra ingredients needed. Just simple ingredients mixed together for an easy holiday treat.
- Great for Parties and Gifts. One batch makes about 8 cups, enough to fill a party bowl and a few small gift bags.
- Budget Friendly. The entire batch costs just $10.57, making it an affordable treat to share during the holidays.
After years of making holiday treats for my family, I have learned that the easiest recipes are often the biggest hits. I love how quickly this Chex mix comes together with simple pantry ingredients. My kids especially enjoy helping stir everything together and breaking it into pieces once the chocolate has set.
You may also like to try Christmas Bark Recipe and 12 Days of Christmas Cookies.
Building a holiday snack table? Add a bowl of Chocoalte Chip Booty Dip with graham crackers.
Ingredients
- Pretzels – Any type of pretzels will work in this recipe. Try using mini pretzel twists, snaps, or sticks. Some people also like bugles added to the pretzels.
- Cheerios – Plain or multigrain tastes delicious.
- Chex – Rice Chex or corn Chex cereal works best. You can use one or the other. I have even mixed them both together.
- Christmas M&M’s -Regular size or mini are great in this recipe.
- White chocolate – Melting wafers melt smoother than chips, which have stabilizers that help them hold their shape. If your chocolate looks thick, stir in 1 teaspoon of coconut oil or shortening so it coats the cereal in a thin layer.
Find the complete list of ingredients at the bottom of the page and print recipe.
How To Make Christmas Crack Chex Mix
Step 1. First, get out a large mixing bowl. You will need plenty of room to mix all of the ingredients.
Step 2. In the large bowl, combine the Chex cereal, Cheerios, pretzels, and M&Ms.
Step 3. Next, you will need a microwave-safe bowl to melt the white chocolate in. Microwave at 50% power for 1 minute, then stir. Then stir and melt in 30-second increments until fully melted. It is important that you stir in between each interval so the chocolate does not burn or overcook.
Step 4. Once melted, pour the chocolate over the cereal mixture in the bowl. Stir everything together making sure it is coated really well in chocolate.
Step 5. Spread the mixture in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with wax or parchment paper. Let it set for about 15 minutes until the chocolate is firm, then break it into clusters.
Pro Tips
- Double the recipe. This snack mix is super easy to double if you plan to host a crowd or hand this out to friends. Just make sure you have a really large bowl.
- Allow to cool. Ensure the cereal mix has properly cooled before storing it in containers.
- Break into pieces. Once the mixture hardens, break into easy to eat pieces.
- Perfect for gifts. Place inside a mason jar or cellophane bag for holiday gifts.
- Add M&Ms last. Let the melted chocolate cool for a minute before pouring it over, so the M&Ms don’t melt and bleed color.
Budget Gift Bags: One Batch, Six Gifts
One batch makes about 8 cups, enough for 6 generous gift bags of about 1¼ cups each. At roughly $10.57 for the whole batch, that’s about $1.76 per gift. Tie the bags with ribbon and a tag, and you have teacher, neighbor, and coworker gifts done in under 30 minutes. Double the recipe for a bigger list.
Building a holiday dessert table? Add our Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cheesecake as the showstopper.
Storage
- Room Temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Keep it somewhere cool and out of the sun so the white chocolate doesn’t soften.
- Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Let it come to room temperature in the closed container before opening so moisture doesn’t form on the chocolate.
Variations
- Nuts– If you like nuts, add a cup of salted peanuts, almonds or whatever you prefer to the mix.
- Sprinkles – Once you pour the mixture on the wax paper, add Christmas sprinkles to the top. It will look even more festive.
- M&Ms – Try using other varieties including peanut butter, hazelnut spread or peanut. Likewise, you can make this year-round by using plain M&M’s instead of Christmas. We also make it for Halloween, Easter, Valentine’s Day, and more by substituting the M&M’s. You might also like our regular White Chocolate Chex Mix.
- Cereal – Any type of similar cereal will work. Some ideas include Golden graham cereal, Life cereal, and Lucky Charms. If you prefer traditional Chex cereal, any variety will work including rice, corn, and wheat.
- Marshmallows. Mini marshmallows make a great addition to this treat.
FAQ
The recipe makes about 8 cups, so each of the 12 servings is about ⅔ cup.
It’s a nickname for how hard it is to stop eating once you start. The sweet and salty combination is that addictive
Any plain cereal works. Use extra Cheerios, Golden Grahams, or Life cereal.
More Chex Mix Recipes
Get the holidays started and make this tasty Christmas Chex Mix recipe. Don’t forget to leave a comment once you make it. I love hearing from you.
Christmas Crack Chex Mix
Ingredients
- 2 cups pretzels
- 2 cups plain Cheerios
- 3 cups Chex rice or corn
- 1 cup Christmas M&M’s
- 10 ounces white chocolate I used Ghirardelli wafers
See how we calculate recipe costs.
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the Chex, Cheerios, pretzels and M&M’s.
- Place the white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl.
- Microwave at 50% power for 1 minute, then stir. Stir and then melt in 30 second increments. Make sure you stir in between.
- Be careful not to overcook.
- Pour the melted chocolate over the chex mix and stir until well coated.
- Then pour the chex onto a piece of wax or parchment paper and allow to set until hardened (at least 15 minutes).
- Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
What can I use instead of Chex ?
Any plain cereal like cheerios.
The recipe says it yields 12 servings. Can you tell me roughly how much is a serving? Thank you!
We are not certain. We just divide it into 12 equal servings.
I bet Cinnamon Toast Crunch would be a good replacement for the Chex cereal.