Long before anyone else was up, I'd stumble down the stairs to the basement, scan the room, then proceed to inhale whatever was left in the bottom of the bowls before my brother got up to give me any kind of competition. The salt & vinegar chips, along with the nuts & bolts, or any kind of party snack mix for that matter, were my faves!
Sometimes I like the combination of sweet and salty and sometimes it just does not jive. And when it comes to my snack mixes, I just need plain salty. It's hard to find a Christmas snack mix that looks festive, but is simply savory. This Holiday Chex mix is just that.

There are a lot of Chex Mix flavors out there, but I couldn't find one that was a festive party mix, with both red and green colors that did not contain candy or sweets. So, I set out to create my own savory Red & Green Chex mix cereal recipe and this is the delicious result! You won't believe how the dill makes this nuts and bolts recipe shine. I think it's the best Chex mix recipe!
Jump to:
🥘 Ingredients
This savory Christmas Chex Mix recipe is perfect for your Christmas celebrations, with festive red tortilla chips, green pistachios and dill sprinkles added to the mix. It also makes a great edible gift, although it's perfect for any time of the year!
- butter
- Worcestershire sauce
- dry ranch dressing
- cheerios
- rice Chex cereal
- Life whole grain cereal
- pretzel sticks
- shelled pistachios
- cheese nips (affiliate link)
- bugles (affiliate link)
- cheese bits (affiliate link)
- red tortilla chips (I buy a bag of red and white and use the red)
- lemon pepper
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- dill

I have really great memories of my parent's Christmas parties when I was a kid. It's not that I was actually at them because I was upstairs, fast asleep, for the majority of the party. But it was just so comforting to drift off to the joyous laughter of those festive gatherings. And I have to admit that it was the morning after that I loved the most because I knew there would be leftover snacks!
💭How do you make Holiday Chex Mix!
Holiday Chex mix is simply a bunch of stuff like bugles, cereal mixes, pretzels, nuts and cheese crackers mixed together with butter and spices, then baked.
I added red tortilla chips and pistachios, as well as dill for the festive red and green colors! Although this makes a great Christmas snack mix, you could eat this mix any time of the year! It also makes a great edible gift!

🌶️Make SPICY Chex Mix!
- Add ½ teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon cayenne and ½ teaspoon chili powder
- Whisk it in when you are whisking in the dry ranch dressing
🍽 Equipment
You'll need a very large mixing bowl (affiliate link) for this recipe, as well as a large roasting pan (affiliate link); the same type you'd use to roast a turkey. If you don't have one, you can use a 9X13 pan (lasagna type) or baking sheets.
👪 Serving size
This Ranch Chex Mix recipe makes A LOT - 36 cups! And that's another reason it's a great edible gift. However, you can reduce the servings by clicking on the number of servings (in blue) in the recipe card, selecting the number of servings you'd like and the ingredient amounts will adjust accordingly.
🌡️Storage
- This mix can be stored, in a sealed container, at room temperature, for up to a week.
- This recipe freezes well for up to 4 months. I always make it in advance and freeze it!
It's been a long time since I have eaten cereal snack mix out of the bottom of the bowl on a weekend morning, but if I was to do it again, it would definitely be this holiday chex mix. I love the zing of the dry ranch dressing, mixed with lemon pepper, dill and the other spices. But I especially love that it's festive and purely savory.
So, if you are looking for a savory holiday snack mix, this one has it all and no sweet stuff!
Try some of my other snack food recipes!
Savory Shortcut Harvest Popcorn
Vegan & Gluten-free Parsnip Chips
Happy Holiday munching!
⭐ Reviews
Did you make this recipe? Please RATE THE RECIPE below!
Please SUBSCRIBE (get my FREE E-cookbook) and be sure to FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST!
📋 Holiday Chex Mix Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups butter
- 3 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 3 tablespoon +3 teaspoon Dry ranch salad dressing/seasoning mix * I use Hidden Valley
- 4 cups “Cheerios” cereal
- 4 cups Rice Chex cereal
- 4 cups Life whole grain cereal
- 1 170g -bag roasted and salted shelled pistachios
- 1 213 g -bag “bugles”
- 1 200g -box cheese nips (crackers)
- 1 200g -box cheese bits crackers
- 2 cups red tortilla chips, broken up * I buy a 300 g bag of red and white and use the red - it's the perfect amount
- 2 teaspoon Lemon pepper
- 1 ½ tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon dill
Instructions
- Spray a large roasting pan with non-stick cooking spray
- Heat oven to 250 F.
- Melt butter in microwave then whisk in 3 tablespoon dry ranch dressing and worschestershire sauce.
- Mix Cheerios, Life cereal, Chex cereal, pretzels, Bugles, pistachios, cheese nips, cheese bits and red tortilla chips together.
- Pour butter mixture over the dry mix, stir well, coating evenly. Then add garlic powder, onion powder, dill, lemon pepper and remaining 3 teaspoon of dry ranch dressing and mix well.
- Bake for 1 ½ hours. Stir every ½ hour. Sprinkle on some additional dill to garnish, if desired.
Notes
- Lighter - use light butter or margarine instead
- Spicier - add more Tabasco sauce and/or chili pepper flakes
- This mix can be stored, in a sealed container, at room temperature, for up to a week.
- This recipe freezes well for up to 4 months. I always make it in advance and freeze it!
Vanessa | Zest & Simmer
Snack mixes like this are my weakness, they are so hard to stop eating but SO delicious! Love that yours includes the red tortilla chips and pistachios!
Terri Gilson
Thanks, Vanessa!
Jo Vanderwolf
Yaaas! Love me some Chex Mix. The addition of the red and green bits is super genius for the holidays! I'll have to give your version a try this year!
Terri Gilson
Hi Jo - thanks - hope you enjoy it!
Leanne | Crumb Top Baking
I have the same memories from my childhood and the holiday parties my parents would host! And the leftover snacks the next day were definitely a nice treat. I really like what you've done with this snack mix Terri. It's festive, with so much variety!
Terri Gilson
Thank you, Leanne!
Colleen
I guess we all must have similar memories of parent's parties. I haven't had a Chex Mix in so long, now I can't wait to make it. I love the festive look of this one, and the ranch dressing addition.
Terri Gilson
Hi Colleen- thanks! I hope you enjoy it!
Denise from Urbnspice
I am also definitely a savoury snacker too, Terri. The ideas for making your Chex mix more festive are so awesome! Thanks so much for sharing. I am pinning to try. ??
Terri Gilson
Thanks, Denise!
Kristen Kaethler
I love this, what a perfect snack to have out during the holidays.
Terri Gilson
Thanks, Kristen!
Liz
What are cheese “bits”?
Terri Gilson
Hi Liz,
They are cheese favored crackers in the shape of a little stick- like goldfish crackers in stick form. Christie makes them and you can get them at Walmart and most grocery stores. Hope that helps!
Terri