Game-day snack mix for 16: corn, rice and wheat cereal squares, pretzels, mixed nuts and bagel chips tossed in seasoned butter and baked low until crisp. Make it up to 2 weeks ahead. It needs no ice and no grill, so it's the easiest bowl on the tailgate table.
Feeds: 16 (about 16 cups) · Hands-on: about 15 min · Total: about 1 hour 45 min, including cooling
Home gear: 2 rimmed sheet pans, a very large bowl or roasting pan
Pack for the lot
- Snack mix, in sealed bags or a lidded tub
- Serving bowl or a stack of paper cups for single portions
- Scoop or a large spoon
- Napkins
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.