Homemade Trail Mix Recipe

This easy Trail Mix recipe makes an irresistible and satisfying snack. It has a great roasted nut flavour, is slightly sweet and spiced with warming, aromatic cinnamon. Make some, you’ll love it!

What is trail mix anyway?

It occurred to me when I sat down to write this recipe that although I knew what trail mix was, a wonderful little snack that you can pick away at. I wasn’t so sure where the name came from or anything else about it. But Wikipedia had the answer, of course (Trail Mix definition)

Why you’re going to love this Trail Mix recipe

This easy trail mix recipe makes a perfect protein-rich snack to get you from breakfast to lunchtime and will get you contentedly through your next Netflix binge session. 

• This is an easy-to-make at-home recipe. Plus, because it’s a homemade trail mix recipe, you have complete control over what is in the mix.  If you or your family don’t like a particular ingredient, it’s easy to substitute another.
• This trail mix is quick and easy to make.
• Uses maple syrup, therefore it’s refined sugar-free.
• Maple syrup brings out the flavour of the seeds and nuts. Making this a delicious snack.
• A perfect ‘nibble’ to put out if friends come visiting.
• It is very easy to carry around. Package the trail mix up into little pots – or paper bags. Makes the perfect snack to take on your next hike, picnic, or to take to work with you.
• Pop a handful into lunchboxes.
• Meet the children out of school with little bags of trail mix, so much healthier and satisfying than other potential snacks.
• Nuts, particularly if you include walnuts or pecans in your mix, contain healthy fats, and all nuts contain loads of protein, which helps to keep you feeling full for longer.
• They’re going to be a real hit for family and friends.
• Presented in a lovely container, they could make a nice gift for someone as a thank-you.

Ingredients for the best trail mix

This trail mix recipe suits all kinds of nuts; pecans, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, peanuts, whatever your favourites are or whatever you currently have to hand. 

• nuts – choose your favourite kinds. You can include seeds too, such as sunflower, pumpkin seeds, which add more vitamins and minerals, turning this into a healthy trail mix. These need to be raw nuts (not previously roasted) and definitely unsalted.
• ground cinnamon – a warming aromatic spice that complements the roasted nuttiness beautifully.
• maple syrup- present to sweeten the mix and to enhance the flavours.
• raisins – add a little sweetness and a little fibre.
• Salt – just a teensy little pinch to enhance the flavours. I like to use Maldon salt flakes that give little pops of saltiness as you eat the nuts. If you don’t have this, then use ordinary salt, just add the tiniest pinch.

An overview of making the MapleTrail Mix

• For the best flavour, roast the nuts in a warm oven and stir regularly so that they roast evenly and don’t scorch.
• Add the nuts and maple syrup to a bowl. Stir carefully to ensure that everything is covered in syrup. It will seem quite wet to start with, but this disappears as part of the cooking process.
• Spread the nutty mix out on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. This makes washing up a little bit easier – I’m not a fan of washing up, so anything that cuts down the amount of it is a favourite with me. 
• Bake in the oven for 5 minutes, remove the tray, stir, and return to the oven for a further five minutes. You want the nuts to take on a little colour, but you want to avoid scorching them.
• At the end of this time, remove the tray from the oven and sprinkle over the salt (flakes or table salt). Allow the nuts to cool, and then add them to a mixing bowl and stir in the raisins. Mix well.

Allow the trail mix to cool completely before storing it in an airtight container.

Variations to the basic recipe – making it your own

• Use only one type of nut or several kinds of nuts as long as they’re raw (not roasted) and unsalted, it will be fine.
• You can make it sweeter by increasing the amount of maple syrup. 
• Use ordinary salt if you don’t have salt flakes, but the salt does really make all the other flavours blossom, so it is the best kind to use in this recipe.
• Try different dried fruits; dried apricots or tangy dried cranberries are lovely.
• Add some toasted coconut flakes – toasting them really brings out the flavour.

Storing Trail Mix

This trail mix is quite the nutty nibble, and it stores really well in an airtight tin or container for up to a week. After that, the flavours aren’t quite so bright and cheery.

Eat and Enjoy

As always, I really hope you enjoy making this easy Trail Mix recipe, and if you do try it, let me know how it worked for you.

Did you eat them all?

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Other snack recipes you may like;

• Hazelnut and Chocolate Biss Balls
• 4-ingredient chocolate fudge
• Chocolate Hazelnut Energy Balls
• Healthy Chocolate Truffles
• Cheese Straws

Why not pin Maple Roasted Trail Mix recipe for later?