Though the name might be a touch misleading, make no mistake: Texas Trash is solid gold when it comes to snack time. Homemade snack mixes make every occasion feel more special. My husband makes this mix every Christmas and everyone who comes to our home during the holidays, loves it so much that I had no choice but to add the recipe to the blog!
Crunchy, salty, with big bold flavor and the perfect level of spice, this is the traditional mix with a few upgrades. You can easily double this purely addictive recipe, making it perfect for Christmas snacking and gift-giving.
Like it spicy? Try our spicy-sweet rosemary candied pecans!
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Why This Recipe Works
Texas Trash comes together with ease and takes less than 10 minutes to assemble! Just melt the butter, combine ingredients, stir, and bake! Use it as an easy party appetizer for feeding a crowd.
It gets its spice from a savory butter sauce, featuring Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and cayenne-rich ingredients like Creole seasoning and hot sauce. Once the mix is coated in the butter sauce, it's baked at a low temperature until toasty and extra crunchy.
Just like our sweet and salty reindeer chow (a.k.a the most festive Christmas snack mix around), this homemade Chex Mix recipe is easily adjustable to suit your own personal taste, heat preference, and even gluten allergies.
In fact, peanuts are a very common addition to Texas Trash, but since our daughter has a nut allergy, I typically leave all nut products out if it's something she's going to eat, and she loves this Texas Trash recipe!
I'm telling you: kids and grown-ups go nuts (pun intended) for this homemade spicy Chex Mix.
Ingredients for Spicy Chex Mix
Texas Trash is a salty, obsessively delicious spicy Chex Mix. While the three different types of Chex are standard, you'll find the other ingredients vary from one recipe to another. After years of experimenting, we've found this particular combo to be the most popular amongst family and guests:
- Corn Chex
- Rice Chex
- Wheat Chex
- Pretzel Sticks
- Bugels
- Bagel Chips
- Rye Chips
Other Mix-Ins to Try
- Nuts | Peanuts, cashews, walnuts, peanuts, or almonds.
- Chocolate Candies | M&Ms (although you don't want to bake those).
- Cheesy Crackers | Cheez Its, Goldfish, and Cheerios are popular additions.
This tasty mix will level up any board, like our simple charcuterie board, Southern charcuterie board, or meat and cheese tray.
Texas Trash Butter Sauce
This butter sauce is what makes for a spicy Chex Mix. If you want to pull the reigns back on the heat, cut back on the Creole seasoning and leave out the hot sauce altogether.
Once you have your snack mix decided on and ready to rock, it's time to move on to that savory, spicy butter sauce! The ingredients are as follows:
- Unsalted Butter
- Worcestershire
- Creole Seasoning Mix
- Seasoned Salt
- Garlic Powder
- Hot Sauce (optional)
Customizing the Spice
You can add cayenne to make to make it extra spicy or you can also add more hot sauce. Refrain from adding more Creole seasoning to increase spice level, though. This often has salt in the mix and could make your Texas Trash overly salty.
How to Make Texas Trash
Make the Chex Mix | Combine the three types of Chex cereals, Bugels, rye chips, bagel chips, and pretzels in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
Microwave the Butter Sauce | Add the butter, Worcestershire sauce, Tony's Creole Seasoning, seasoned salt, freshly chopped garlic, and hot sauce (if using) to a microwave-safe bowl or pitcher. Cover with plastic wrap to avoid any messes. Microwave the mix at 30-second intervals, just until the butter has melted.
Combine Sauce with Chex Mix | Stir the mix to make sure the ingredients are evenly incorporated and drizzle it evenly over the ingredients in the large mixing bowl. Use your hands and gently toss the butter sauce with the cereal and continue doing so until the mix is evenly coated in it.
Bake | Transfer the mix to a rimmed baking sheet. You want the mix to be no higher than 1" thick on the pan, and you may need two baking sheets. Bake for 30 minutes at 275°F and then remove the pan/pans from the oven, stir the mix and return to bake for another 15 minutes.
How to Store Chex Mix
Store | Keep Texas Trash for up to 3-4 weeks in an airtight container.
Freeze | Texas Trash freezes extremely well. You can freeze it in either a freezer-safe, airtight container or in freezer-safe gallon-sized zip-top bags for up to 3 months. Looking for more delicious Texas recipes? These are perfect for you!
5 More Snacky Recipes You'll Love
- Mini Pigs in a Blanket
- Bacon-Wrapped Armadillo Eggs
- Homemade Tortilla Chips
- Ranch Oyster Crackers
- Cream Cheese Sausage Balls
Texas Trash | Spicy Chex Mix
Ingredients
- 2 cups Corn Chex
- 2 cups Rice Chex
- 2 cups Wheat Chex
- 1 ½ cup Bugels
- 1 ½ cup bagel chips
- 1 ½ cup rye chips
- 1 ½ cup pretzel sticks
- 1 cup unsalted butter cut into tablespoon-sized pieces
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning
- 2 teaspoons seasoned salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce (optional for extra spicy mix)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275°F and have ready one to two large rimmed baking sheets.
- Add the Corn, Rice, and Wheat Chex to a large mixing bowl, along with the Bugels, bagel chips, rye chips, and pretzels. Use your hands to toss until evenly combined.
- Add the butter, Worcestershire sauce, Tony's Creole Seasoning, seasoned salt, and garlic powder to a microwave-safe bowl. If you want the mix to be extra spicy, add the hot sauce as well. Heat at 30-second intervals, until melted.
- Drizzle the melted butter evenly mixture across bowl cereal mix and use your hands to gently toss until everything is evenly coated. Be sure to wash your hands well.
- Add the mix to the rimmed baking sheet in a layer no thicker than one inch thick. Use a second baking sheet if necessary.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Then, stir up/toss the mixture using a spatula, return to the oven, and bake for 15 minutes more. Allow to cool and serve, or store in an airtight container for up to four weeks.
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Nutrition
Cary says
Very Good mix! Will go great with your Watermelon Margarita's! (which I think I will go make). Looked like you used Dots as your pretzel choice. Highly recommend using. They are awesome
Kelly Anthony says
Thank you, Cary!
Olga says
Can this be microwaved
also?
Christa says
Some of my pieces came out chewy...can you tell me what I did wrong?
Kelly Anthony says
That's so strange...I've never had that happen 🙁 Could have been two things: Were your ingredients fresh to begin with? And did you make sure your mix wasn't piled too high on the baking sheet? It's really best if you can get everything in as close to a single layer as possible, and if you can't do that on one baking sheet, you'd want to use two. That helps every piece to get nice and toasty!
Miranda says
After 10 years of marriage, I have finally found THE recipe for Texas Trash! My husband is so happy! Thank you!!!
Kelly Anthony says
Thank you so much, Miranda! I'm so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Shannon A says
What brand of hot sauce do you like to use? The flavor of 1 T could really vary depending on what kind you’re using!
Kelly Anthony says
We either use Louisana or Chalulah hot sauce!
Geri Gilham says
This is the only mix I will use. Everyone loved it.
Sarah says
I used Chex Mix but in equal quantities to everything you have listed. I did not include the seasoning salt for this reason... But I feel like it needs more hot sauce. It's SO GOOD as it is, btw. Could I add hot sauce to this after it's already been baked? And then rebake it?
Philip Anthony says
This worked exactly as written, thanks!