Game-day snack mix has been the bowl on the coffee table in every corner of the country for generations: cereal squares, pretzels, nuts and bagel chips baked in seasoned butter. At a tailgate it's the one thing that needs no ice, no grill and no plate, so it rides in the truck and frees up the cooler.
At the lot: Pour it into a bowl or paper cups and refill it all day. Homegating: Bake it a few days ahead and keep a bowl full from kickoff to the final whistle.
Home gear: 2 rimmed sheet pans, a very large bowl or roasting pan
1 HR 45 MIN
At home, mostly baking and cooling
5 MIN
At the lot
16
Serves
Ingredients
Mix
- 3 cups corn cereal squares
- 3 cups rice cereal squares
- 3 cups wheat cereal squares
- 2 cups mini pretzel twists
- 2 cups mixed nuts, salted
- 2 cups bagel chips, broken into bite-size pieces
- 1 cup cheese crackers
Seasoning
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp seasoned salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ¾ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
Steps
At home
- Heat the oven to 250°F.
- Combine the cereals, pretzels, nuts, bagel chips and cheese crackers in the biggest bowl you have, or a large roasting pan.
- Melt the butter, then stir in the Worcestershire, seasoned salt, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika and cayenne.
- Pour the butter mixture over the mix a little at a time, stirring gently with a big spoon after each pour, until every piece is coated.
- Spread it across the 2 sheet pans in a single layer. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes and swapping the pans between racks halfway through.
- Spread it on paper towels or clean pans to cool completely, about 30 minutes. It crisps as it cools.
- Pack it in airtight containers or zip-top bags. It keeps up to 2 weeks at room temperature.
At the lot
- Pour it into a bowl with a scoop, or portion it into paper cups so nobody's hands go in the bowl.
- Keep the bag sealed and out of the sun between refills.
Pack for the lot
Lot notes
- No ice needed: it's shelf-stable, so it rides in the truck, not the cooler. Save the cooler space for food that needs it.
- Keep it crisp: humidity softens it. Keep the bag sealed and refill the bowl in small amounts.
- Allergies: it has nuts, wheat and dairy. Leave the nuts out and add another 2 cups of pretzels for a nut-free batch, and label the bowl either way.
- Cleanup: it's crumbs and a bag. Shake out the bowl and take the trash with you.
Can you make snack mix ahead?
Yes. It's best made 1 to 3 days ahead and keeps up to 2 weeks in an airtight container at room temperature.
Does snack mix need to stay cold at a tailgate?
No. Once it's baked and cooled, it's shelf-stable. Keep it sealed, dry and out of direct sun so it stays crisp.
How do you keep snack mix from getting soggy?
Bake it the full hour at 250°F, stirring every 15 minutes, and let it cool completely before you seal it. Packing it warm traps steam and softens it.
How much snack mix for 20 people?
Plan on about 1 cup each, so 20 cups. Multiply everything by 1¼: about 3¾ cups of each cereal, 2½ cups each of pretzels, nuts and bagel chips, 1¼ cups of cheese crackers and 10 tbsp of butter. Bake it on 3 sheet pans or in 2 rounds.
Gear for this cook
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