This Hot Honey Mustard Snack Mix is the sweet, spicy, and crunchy snack you will make once and then want every single week. Rice Chex, crunchy bagel chips, mini pretzel twists, and roasted peanuts are coated in a buttery hot honey mustard sauce and baked in the oven until they are perfectly golden and crispy.
The hot honey adds a sweet heat that makes this completely different from a classic honey mustard snack mix and absolutely impossible to stop eating. It is perfect for game day, parties, movie night, or gifting during the holidays! Looking for another fun snack mix? Try this Buffalo Snack Mix.
sheet pan
easy cleanup
Quick Look: hot honey mustard snack mix
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 👩🍳 Cook Time: 40 minutes
- 🕖 Total Time: 50 minutes
- 🍯 Servings: 12 servings
- ⚡️ Calories: 336 calories per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- 🔥 Cooking Method: Make the sauce on the stove and then bake the mix in the oven
- 🛒 Main Ingredients: Rice Chex, Bagel Chips, Pretzel Twists, Unsalted Peanuts
- ⭐️ Difficulty: A super easy make-ahead snack!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Unique twist with hot honey – If you love a classic honey mustard snack mix but want to spice it up a bit, this recipe is for you! The hot honey adds a unique element that makes it hard to put this snack down.
- Easy to customize – You can change up the crunchy snacks to your preference. Feel free to omit nuts, add in goldfish crackers, double the pretzels, or do whatever else you are craving!
- Great for making ahead – It is a perfect snack to make ahead of a party or holiday celebration. It will stay good in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
For a sweeter snack mix option, try this Maple Cinnamon Snack Mix.
What is hot honey?
Hot honey is honey that has been infused with chili peppers for a sweet and spicy flavor. It has become widely popular and can be found at most grocery stores now near the regular honey or in the specialty foods section. Mike’s Hot Honey is one of the most popular brands. You can also make your own by warming honey with red pepper flakes. If you want less heat, use regular honey and add a pinch of cayenne instead to control the spice level.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s a quick look at the ingredients you need to make this delicious Hot Honey Mustard Snack Mix.
- Bagel Chips, Rice Chex, Pretzels – some of the core components of this snack mix; feel free to change out for your other favorite crunchy snacks
- Peanuts – I recommend using roasted and unsalted. If you can’t have nuts, you can omit and double one of the other ingredients.
- Sugar – adds the right amount of sweentess
- Onion Powder and Garlic Powder – adds a nice punch of flavor to the mix
- Yellow Mustard – part of the hot honey mustard sauce
- Hot Honey – adds gentle heat to this recipe. For less heat, use regular honey.
- Unsalted Butter – helps bring the hot honey mustard sauce together
Curious what else you can use hot honey in? Try my Hot Honey Grilled Corn Pasta.
How to make This Hot Honey Mustard Snack Mix
Step 1: Pour rice chex, bagel chips, pretzels and peanuts into a large mixing bowl and toss to combine. In a separate small bowl mix together the sugar, onion powder and garlic powder and set aside.
Step 2: Add butter, yellow mustard and hot honey to a small sauce pan. Once all of the butter is melted and a smooth mixture remains, remove from heat.
Step 3: Pour liquid honey mustard mixture over the dry ingredients in the large bowl and toss to combine immediately. Add sugar, garlic, and onion powder.
Step 4: Pour the mixture onto 2 lined baking sheets in even layers and bake at 250*. Bake for 40 minutes – tossing twice.
This snack mix must be cooled completely on the pan before storing.
*Baking at a lower temperature (around 250-300F) for a longer time is what makes the coating crispy without burning. High heat will burn the honey and mustard coating before the mix has a chance to dry out and crisp up properly. Stir the mix every 15-20 minutes while baking for even coating and color.
Mad’s Expert Tips for the Best Hot Honey Mustard Snack mix 🍯
- Bake low and slow. A lower oven temperature is the key to a crispy snack mix without burning the sweet coating. Stir every 15-20 minutes for even color all the way through.
- Let it cool completely before storing. The mix will still feel slightly soft when it first comes out of the oven. Give it a full 30 minutes to cool on the pan before transferring to a container. It crisps up completely as it cools.
- Do not overcrowd the pan. Spread the mix in an even single layer across one or two large baking sheets. Crowding it will cause it to steam instead of crisp up.
- Adjust the heat to your preference. This recipe has a gentle heat from the hot honey. For more spice, add a pinch of cayenne to the butter sauce. For less heat, use regular honey.
Craving honey mustard in general? Try my Creamy Homemade Honey Mustard. You could use hot honey in that recipe, as well!
Recipe FAQs
What is hot honey?
Hot honey is regular honey that has been infused with chili peppers for a sweet and spicy flavor. It can be found at most grocery stores near the regular honey. Mike’s Hot Honey is the most popular brand. You can also make your own by warming honey with red pepper flakes.
Can I make this snack mix without nuts?
Yes! Just leave out the peanuts and replace them with an equal amount of extra pretzels, bagel chips, or another crunchy mix-in like corn nuts or Goldfish crackers.
How long does homemade snack mix last?
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Make sure it is completely cooled before sealing the container or the steam will make it soggy.
Can I make this snack mix ahead of time?
Yes! This is a great make-ahead snack and actually gets better after a day as the flavors deepen. It is perfect for making a few days before a party or holiday gathering.
Storage
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Make sure it is completely cooled before sealing the container or the steam will make it soggy.
Other delicious Snack Mixes
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
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Recipe
Hot Honey Mustard Snack Mix (Oven Baked, Addictive)
Ingredients
- 3 cups rice chex
- 3 cups bagel chips – broken into pieces if very large
- 3 cups mini pretzel twists
- 2 cups roasted unsalted peanuts
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ cup yellow mustard
- ¼ cup hot honey – can use regular honey if you don’t like spice OR add hot sauce to regular honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Pour rice chex, bagel chips, pretzels and peanuts into a large mixing bowl and toss to combine. In a separate small bowl mix together the sugar, onion powder and garlic powder and set aside.
- Add butter, yellow mustard and hot honey to a small sauce pan and heat over medium-low heat. As the butter melts, mix it evenly into the mustard and honey mixture. Once all of the butter is melted and a smooth mixture remains, remove from heat.
- Pour liquid honey mustard mixture over the dry ingredients in the large bowl and toss to combine immediately. Mix until all of the dry ingredients are covered in the liquid mixture.
- Pour the sugar, garlic and onion powder mixture into the bowl and toss again.
- Pour the mixture onto 2 lined baking sheets in even layers. Place in the oven to bake at 250F for 40 minutes. After 20 minutes, toss the mixtures on the baking sheets and rearrange them so that whichever sheet was on the lower oven rack is now on the top rack.
- After 40 minutes total, remove from the over and allow to cool completely before pouring into a bowl to serve.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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