Smoked Ranch Chex Mix
Bursting with flavour, easily adaptable and made in 5 simple steps, this Smoked Ranch Chex Mix will become a regular on your list of savoury snacks!
I am always looking for creative ways to use my smoker- my Traeger Ironwood 885 has become one of my favourite cooking tools! Fire up your pellet grill and whip up a batch of this smokey Chex mix today.
Tips and Tricks
What are the BEST ingredients for Chex mix- or any party mix?
Well that depends on your audience! This mix is so adaptable- use a mixture of half empty bags of crackers, cereal, and pretzels. Omit the nuts if you have allergies, switch to gluten free options… it’s up to your discretion. Keep the amount of dry ingredients consistent as well as your butter mixture and you will have a pretty fool-proof recipe.
Don’t Rush!
Great things take time- roast it low and slow to optimize flavour and texture.
Do I need a smoker to make this party mix?
No! I like the smokey flavour that clings to the crackers and cereal when I use my smoker but your oven will work great as an alternative. Follow the same cooking instructions outlined below.
Key Ingredients:
Powdered Ranch Mix: I love to use Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing and Seasoning Mix.
Chex Cereal: Chex is the ideal cereal for this mixture because of its crunchy texture and ribbed exterior. The seasoning will settle into all of the ridges and indentation. Feel free to switch the cereal up and use something like Life, Shreddies, Cheerios, etc…
Cheesy Crackers: Gold Fish are always a big hit- You can switch it up and use something like Cheez Its or your favourite crackers.
Bugles: People who say they don’t pick through the mix looking for Bugles are lying! They add such a great texture to this mix.
Equipment
Smoker: Part of what makes this recipe so unique is its smokey flavour. I use my Traeger Ironwood 885 for all of my smoking endeavours. It is an amazing machine!! If you don’t have a smoker, you can use your oven and follow the cooking instructions as normal.
How to Make Smoked Ranch Chex Mix:
Step 1. Preheat your smoker to 250°F. While the smoker is preheating, prepare two large baking sheets by lining them with parchment.
Step 2. Melt 3/4 cup of butter in a microwave safe bowl or a small sauce pan. Once the butter is melted, add in one of the ranch packages and mix well.
Step 3. Combine the dry ingredients including the remaining ranch packet in a large bowl. Toss well and divide the mixture among the two baking sheets. Drizzle the melted butter mixture evenly over each sheet. It helps to continue to whisk the butter and ranch so that you don’t have a sludgy mess at the bottom of the bowl. Stir the mixture until it is evenly coated in ranchy goodness.
Step 4. Place the baking sheets in your smoker. If you have room for both sheets you can cook them at the same time, alternating their positions about halfway through the bake. Stir your mixture every 15 minutes for a total of 45 minutes in the smoker.
Step 5. Allow it to cool 10 minutes before enjoying or packaging up!
Batch and Storage:
How long does Ranch Chex Mix last?
This mix will keep for two weeks on the counter in an airtight container.
Can I freeze this Chex Mix recipe?
Yes! Place the mix in an airtight container and freeze for up to six weeks.
The recipe yields about 15 cups– great for gifting, serving to guests, or hoarding for yourself- no judgement here!
Variations
I love a classic ranch mix but there are also a ton of different flavours that you can use to make this smokey treat.
- Turn up the heat!- Add 1 tsp cayenne pepper to your recipe to add a little kick to your smokey chex mix.
- Boost the Dill- Add 1-2 TBSP of dried dill to your dry mixture.
- Mixed Herb-Sub out the ranch mix for a mixed herb dressing mix.
- Onion-Using a dry soup-dip onion mixture works really well and has awesome flavour. This Lipton mixture comes in 2oz bags. You will use 1 pack for this variation.
- Dill- Sub out the ranch mix for a creamy dill dressing mix.
- Sriracha- Check out Ally at Crave The Good’s Sriracha Caramel Chex recipe.
Printable Recipe Card
Smoked Ranch Chex Mix
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup melted butter or margarine 1 1/2 sticks
- 2- 1 oz packages powdered ranch mix
- 3 cups Rice Chex Cereal
- 3 cups Wheat Chex Cereal Shreddies will also work
- 2 cups Small Pretzles
- 2 cups Bugles
- 2 cups plain Cheerios
- 2 cups Goldfish or other cheesy cracker
- 1 cup peanuts or other nut *optional
- 1 tablespoon dried dill *optional- add in with dry ingredients
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper *optional- add in with dry ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat your smoker OR oven to 250°F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the butter or margarine in a microwave safe bowl and microwave until it is fully melted. Stir in one of the ranch packets.
- Combine remaining ranch packet and the rest of the dry ingredients in a large bowl, mix and divide them over your baking sheets. Evenly drizzle the buttery ranch mixture overtop of the mix. It helps to continue to whisk the butter and ranch as you pour so that you don't have a sludgy mess at the bottom of the bowl. Toss the mix until it is evenly coated.
- Place the sheets in your smoker (one at a time if needed) for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
- Once done, allow the mixture to cool for 10 minutes. Enjoy!
Love the added Smokey flavour! Nice elevation from classic treat!
What a great idea to add the spice. I need to fire up the traeger ASAP.
Loved how I could really taste the smoke. Was a hit in my house!
So good! My crew raved about this recipe. I actually omitted the goldfish and used cheez its, and skipped the bugels – they’re not my fav, but I added extra chex and cheerios to make up the volume.
Hey Beth,
I am so glad that you were able to sub out a few ingredients to make it your own and that your crew loved it!