GORP — good ol’ raisins and peanuts. It’s a classic for a reason but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t switch it up every once in a while. Let me help! These are my top 5 favorite trail mixes.
Before we get into it, I have a question. Is it really trail mix if it doesn’t have nuts in it? I don’t think so. If you take the nuts out, you have a snack mix. Snack mix ≠ trail mix. If you disagree, you’re wrong.
Chocolate peanut butter trail mix
This is my ultimate favorite — no other trail mixes can compete. I’ve experimented with a lot of different ingredients (like peanut butter cups, Reese’s Pieces, chocolate covered pretzels, peanut butter chips, etc.) and so I can confidently tell you that this version is the best chocolate peanut butter trail mix around. The nice thing about using something candy-coated is that it doesn’t melt as bad. Keep this in a sealed container because the pretzels go stale.
- Peanuts
- Cashews
- Peanut butter M&M’s
- Banana chips
- Pretzels
PB&J trail mix
I love this trail mix recipe because it really does taste like peanut butter and jelly. You can use freeze-dried strawberries but dried strawberries are the best because they have a jammy texture. Use the largest peanut butter chips you can find — the small ones will fall to the bottom of the mixture. I like to add walnuts sometimes.
- Peanuts
- Cashews
- Peanut butter chips
- Dried strawberries
Caramel apple trail mix
This combo is fun because these aren’t flavours I typically expect when eating trail mix. The secret here is to break down the apple rounds (just rip them into pieces) so that they are proportionate with the rest of the ingredients. You don’t want to use a nut that has an intense flavour (e.g., peanut) or it will overpower the subtleness of the caramel apple flavour. Don’t skimp on the caramel popcorn.
- Cashews
- Walnuts
- Caramel popcorn
- Dried apple rounds
Mama’s mix
I was shocked when I found out that this wasn’t a family secret passed down through generations, and was instead a recipe that someone just found on the internet. Shout out to DOBBERNATIONLOVES for creating one of my all-time favorite trail mixes — you can find their recipe here.
This is the best Nuts & Bolts recipe ever. A Christmas classic that we have affectionately nicknamed after the woman who makes it each year.
Candy trail mix
Definitely not the healthiest but sometimes you deserve a special treat. I call it trail mix — it is really just a bunch of candy thrown together.
But Danny, this completely contradicts your comment about how it isn’t trail mix if it doesn’t have nuts in it.
Yeah, well, rules are meant to be broken.
There is no recipe for this trail mix because you choose the ingredients with your heart.
Other fun ideas
Looking for more trail mix recipes to throw into your hiking backpack? These next three combinations are from Pinterest and seemed too good not to share!
- Black forest cake – nuts, dark chocolate chips, dried cherries
- S’mores – nuts, chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, graham cracker pieces
- Tropical – nuts, dried pineapple, dried mango, banana chips, coconut flakes
Build-your-own trail mix
- Nuts: Peanuts, cashews, almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, nuts that are glazed or spiced…
- Seeds: Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, hemp hearts…
- Dried fruit: Raisins, dried berries, banana chips, coconut flakes, dried mango, dates…
- Sweet things: Chocolate chips, M&M’s, mini marshmallows, malt balls, chocolate covered coffee beans, Skor bits…
- Crunchy things: Pretzels, cereal, popcorn, cheese puffs, Goldfish crackers, corn nuts…
I hope this has inspired you to make something delicious for your next adventure (or at least gave you the permission you needed to demolish a big bag of candy). If you like this post, subscribe to my newsletter. We’ll trade trail snacks, bad jokes, and reminders to get out of the inside and into the outside!
