Trail Mix Recipe – Make Your Own for Cheaper

Birthday month is upon us! In August, all three of our sons have birthdays two days apart from each other. Last year, we celebrated with a trip to Florida, and this year we have planned a road trip. I won’t share too much now but stay tuned for a fun blog with all of our birthday-week adventures coming soon! In addition to our fun, we needed a Trail Mix Recipe to aid in our travels.

Trail Mix Recipe in large bowl

Disclosure
Published August 16, 2022
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Customize your Trail Mix Recipe

Make your own to save money! Trail Mix is so much fun to make because you can literally make it however you want. More chocolate? Sure! Sweet or Salty? You pick! With this fun Trail Mix Recipe, you get to be the architects and chef in picking the recipe.

While grocery shopping this week, we planned to have a Trail Mix while on our vacation as it is going to start with a thirteen-hour drive. And, as I am allergic to almond, buying a pre-packaged mix is completely out of the question. As a result, making our own is a fun way to add a little bit of what everyone wants. Each kid got to pick out two items they absolutely wanted in the recipe. Elliana and Levi are SO excited for the Trail Mix!

Levi and Elliana excited for Trail Mix Recipe

Cost breakdown

Simply put, the cost of buying a Trail Mix that is already packaged will never come close to making my own and the knowledge of having it be 100% almond free. Choosing our own ingredients helps to not only keep me healthy, but also to ensure that the family will not have to use my EpiPen anytime soon. That alone is worth the added cost of making our own Trail Mix.

That being said, below is a cost breakdown of each item we put in the Trail Mix Recipe. These costs are from ALDI on August 2, 2022.
Pistachios X2 $9.50
Pretzels $0.99
Yogurt Bites X2 $3.70
M&M’s $3.98
Raisins $0.80
Golden Raisins $0.80
Honey Roasted Peanuts $0.97
Dried Pineapple $2.35
Dried Apricots $2.85

The total cost to make this Trail Mix Recipe was $25.94.
This entire bag weighs in at 4.2 pounds (66 ounces), making this cost come in at $0.39 per ounce. In comparison, a 4-pound bag from COSTCO costs $24.98.

Recipe

Ingredients for Trail Mix

Pistachios
Pretzels
Yogurt Bites
M&M’s
Raisins
Golden Raisins
Honey Roasted Peanuts
Dried Pineapple
Dried Apricots

all the ingredients for Trail Mix Recipe

Directions for Trail Mix

1. Firstly, place a large bowl on the countertop. The best part of making your own Trail Mix, is that there is no baking, cooking or food prep!

large bowl on countertop

2. Into the bowl, add each ingredient beginning with Pretzel Sticks. We like sticks more than the twist, but feel free to use whichever you want.

pretzel sticks in large bowl

Dry honey roasted peanuts are next! Thank God I am not allergic to peanuts, just almonds.

add honey roasted peanuts to trail mix recipe

Lately, we have absolutely LOVED pistachios. Shell-on are cheaper, however no one wants to shell a pistachio in the car so shelled it is!

pistachios added to large bowl

Do you like yogurt bites?! We sure do! Freeze-Dried yogurt bites are just delicious and add a great flavor to this Trail Mix without any mess.

freeze-dried yogurt bites added to large bowl

A Trail Mix Recipe would not be complete without raisins.

raisins added to trail mix recipe

Dried Pineapple is a wonderfully sweet addition, and Samuel’s pick for the recipe.

dried tropical pineapple added to large bowl

Matthew chose Dried Apricots to add to the Trail Mix Recipe.

dried apricots added to trail mix recipe

Golden Raisins are always a fun touch to Trail Mix.

golden raisins added to large bowl for trail mix recipe

No Trail Mix would be complete without the necessary chocolate. Bring on the M&M’s! Sharing size it says, and then this momma dumps the whole bag in.

M&M's added to trail mix in large bowl

3. Then stir the Trail Mix well with a spoon.

Stir Trail Mix recipe with a wood spoon

4. Using a measuring cup, scoop and then add the Trail Mix into a plastic bag or container.

Finally, serve and enjoy!
~Monica

Trail Mix Recipe in a gallon-sized bag

Trail Mix Recipe

Trail Mix Recipe – Make Your Own for Cheaper

How to make your own trail mix. This is a completely customizable recipe where you can add or take away any item you wish.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Appetizer, Snack
Servings 2 gallons

Equipment

  • Extra Large Bowl
  • Spatula
  • 2 Gallon Bag

Ingredients
  

  • Pistachios
  • Pretzel Sticks
  • Yogurt Bites
  • M&M's
  • Raisins
  • Golden Raisins
  • Honey Roasted Peanuts
  • Dried Pineapple
  • Dried Mangoes

Instructions
 

  • Place an extra-large bowl on the countertop.
  • Add each ingredient into the extra-large bowl.
  • Add the Pistachios, Pretzels, Yogurt Bites, M&M's, Raisins, Golden Raisins, Honey Roasted Peanuts, Dried Pineapple and Dried Mangoes.
  • Then stir the Trail Mix well with a spoon.
  • Using a measuring cup, scoop out and then add the Trail Mix into a plastic bag or container.
Keyword Appetizer, Chex Mix, DIY, DIY Check Mix, Snack

Copyright: All content and photos on Monica’s Scratch Kitchen are copyright protected. Please do not use them without written permission. Thank you.

Published by Monica's Scratch Kitchen

I have not always had the skills to cook and bake from scratch. As a young wife, I bought every meal frozen or boxed and presented it to my husband with a flourish, believing myself a decadent cook. As our budget shrunk, and our family grew, I looked for ways to stretch our money to nourish our kids with the best for their hungry appetites. Hoping to find recipes and meals that they would love to eat. Through the last 5 years, I have learned so many cooking and baking lessons, and experienced many wins and failures. Come along with me on this journey as I share my recipes that work, how to make them on the cheap, and my tips and tricks to get my kids to eat homemade deliciousness! I will also share updates to our house that we have done in the last year since our move. With one income, we do most of the work ourselves and with amazing family and friends to help out, cutting costs but keeping style and money in the bank! I am a wife and mother of 3 boys and 1 princess. When I was a kid, I remember being asked what I wanted to be or do when I grew up. My response was, "a mom", and I am proud to grow up and be a mom to 4 amazing kids! Samuel is 11, Matthew is 8, Levi is 4, and Elliana is almost 2. We have been blessed to have kids who love to explore foods, to try new recipes, and enjoy helping us around the house. With 4 kids, you better believe they help clean! My husband Tyler and I have been married almost 13 years. We love our kids, we love outdoors, camping, canoeing, grilling, watching movies, and just hanging out making memories. A few years ago I gifted Tyler with his own "menu" book, where we write meals and foods we have loved to eat. Weekly our family decides what our meals will be and I make up a grocery list with what we need. It literally is my favorite chore! I love to shop, so shopping for food on a budget is my biggest win! Thank you for taking the time and visiting my site, Subscribe so you do not miss a post! Keep coming back to hear about new recipes, updates on our home, fun times with our kids, and how to make homemade deliciousness! ~Monica

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