🎃🥜🧡 Pumpkin Spice Crock-Pot Chex Mix is LOADED with pumpkin spice flavor and it’s crunchy, chewy, salty-and-sweet! It’s so easy to make and can easily be adapted to suit the ingredients you have on hand. Perfect for Halloween parties, tailgating, or set it out for fall entertaining and holidays!
Crock-Pot Pumpkin Spice Chex Mix
- I’ve always had a thing for Chex Mix. All the textures and flavors make it such a great snack. I decided to put a fall spin on it with this blend.
- The maple flavor really shines, and I used one tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice, but if you want to boost the pumpkin flavor, use two tablespoons or more. I know it sounds like a lot, but you’re flavoring a lot of ingredients!
- The nuts and pretzels provide crunch, and there’s a salty-and-sweet component that I can’t resist.
- The texture of the cereal is more chewy than crunchy. If you’re looking for the traditional, very dry, crunchy Chex mix, this isn’t it.
- This pumpkin spice Chex Mix recipe sounds like it makes a ton, but actually, it doesn’t – trust me, this stuff disappears fast too! This would also be a great Halloween Chex Mix to hand out to trick-or-treaters or serve at a Halloween party! It’s so irresistible and will be your new favorite snack.
- Check out my Pina Colada Chex Mix that’s truly sooo good if you’re looking for sweet-and-salty all in one!
Recipe Ingredients and Notes
- Chex cereal – I used two types of Chex because I refuse to buy multiple boxes of cereal and open them for just a cup or two. But if you want to add in Cheerios, Golden Grahams, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, or similar, they’d all be great
- Dried fruit – I used dried cherries and dried cranberries because I just made my Cinnamon Sugar Candied Nuts Trail Mix with them, but golden or regular raisins would be lovely. If you’re not a fan of dried fruit, omit
- Nuts – I used honey-roasted cashews and honey-roasted peanuts because I had them on hand and open, but if you want to use almonds, walnuts, or omit the nuts
- Pretzels – I recommend mini twists or rods
- Graham crackers – I had a package open, chopped them up, and tossed them in. They don’t hold up as well as Chex, but they’re still tasty
- Unsalted butter – I’ve only ever made this Crock-Pot Chex Mix with butter, but you could try using vegetable oil or canola oil and see how it turns out
- Maple syrup, light brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, salt, vanilla extract
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Chex Mix
- To make this homemade Chex Mix, you’ll first need to add the cereal, dried fruit, nuts, pretzels, and graham crackers to a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker.
- Melt the butter and stir the remaining ingredients into it.
- Evenly pour the butter mixture over the cereal mixture in the Crock-Pot. Gently stir with a spatula to combine, being careful not to break up the cereal.
- Cook covered on high power for about 2 hours, stirring well every 15 to 20 minutes. You need to cook the Crock-Pot Chex Mix until there’s no more liquid pooled on the bottom. Note that the homemade Chex Mix will not be “dry,” but instead will be more on the sticky and tacky side even when done.
- Turn the sweet Chex Mix out onto a baking tray and allow to dry for at least 2 hours (overnight is better!).
Maple Pumpkin Spice Crock-Pot Chex Mix
Equipment
- 1 Microwave-Safe Bowl
Ingredients
- 6 cups Chex cereal, (I used 3 cups each Rice Chex and a storebrand honey-nut Chex; try Cheerios, Golden Grahams, etc.)
- 2 cups dried fruit, (I used 1 cup each dried cranberries and dried cherries; try golden raisins, etc.)
- 1 ½ to 2 cups nuts, (I used 3/4 cup each honey-roasted cashews and honey-roasted peanuts)
- 1 ½ to 2 cups pretzels
- 1 ½ chopped graham crackers, diced in large 1-inch pieces (about 5 full-size graham crackers)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup maple syrup, I used sugar-free pancake syrup
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 to 2 + tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- salt, optional and to taste
Instructions
- To a 6-quart Crock-Pot (or similar size), add cereal, dried fruit, nuts, pretzels, and graham crackers. Recipe is very flexible. If you don’t have something, don’t like something, etc. use something you do have on hand or omit.
- In a microwave-safe measuring cup or bowl, melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.
- Add the maple syrup, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice (I used 1 tablespoon but recommend at least 2 tablespoons if you want a more pronounced pumpkin flavor), vanilla, optional salt, and whisk to combine.
- Slowly and evenly drizzle wet mixture over the dry ingredients in Crock-Pot and stir very well to combine. I use a silicon-tipped spatula so I don’t break the cereal.
- Cook covered on high power for about 2 hours, stirring well every 15 to 20 minutes. Start keeping a more careful eye on mix at about 1 1/2 hours to make sure pieces on bottom don’t start burning. All slow cookers and ingredients vary, and cooking times will vary. Slow Cooking Tips – Cook until there’s no visible liquid pooling and pieces have dried out. They will not be ‘dry’ and will be more on the sticky and tacky side even when done, but do dry out more as they cool.
- Turn mixture out onto baking tray and allow to dry for at least 2 hours, overnight is better. Mix will keep airtight for up to 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Recipe FAQs
I haven’t tested it myself, but you could probably bake this pumpkin spice Chex Mix in a 250ºF oven with the mixture divided between two baking trays. Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl, and stir in the spice mixture. Then, add all the ingredients to a large microwavable bowl, and pour butter on top. Spread the pumpkin spice snack mix evenly over a baking sheet or cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or wax paper, and bake. Keep a very watchful eye on it and toss every 15 minutes until it’s done (will likely take about an hour).
This recipe is super forgiving. So, feel free to use whatever you have on hand. Candy corn, candy pumpkins, white chocolate chips, fall sprinkles, or Reese’s pieces make fun additions to stir in at the very end. I’ve also included Bugles for extra curnch.
More Easy Snack Recipes:
5-Minute Pumpkin Spice Chex Mix — This mix comes together in the microwave in 3 minutes. There’s some flexibility in the recipe depending on what you have on hand and enjoy.
Skinny 100-Calorie Chocolate Peanut Butter Snack Mix — This skinny version of ‘puppy chow’ is vegan, gluten-free, there’s no butter or oil added, and it’s ready in less than 5 minutes.
Sweet with Heat Cinnamon Sugar Candied Nuts – Make shopping mall-style candied nuts any time you want! Just 30 minutes and these crunchy and very addictive nuts are all yours! Makes a great gift!
5-Minute Dill Pickle Chex Mix — We’re big pickle fanatics and loved this Chex mix that’s loaded with bold dill flavor.
Pumpkin Spice Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Granola (vegan, GF) – Make your own granola that’s full of rich flavors for a fraction of the cost of store-bought.
Piña Colada Chex Mix – An EASY and addictively AMAZING salty-sweet snack! It’s crunchy, chewy, and between the pineapple, coconut, banana, and lime, you’ll feel like you’re on a tropical vacation!
Reindeer Chow – A holiday twist on classic Muddy Buddies that’s EASY, ready in 15 minutes, and perfect for hostess gifts or cookie exchanges!
This post is brought to you by Crock-Pot. Recipe, text, images, and opinions expressed are my own.
Oh. My. Goodness. This recipe turned out amazing! i absolutely adore all things pumpkin any time of year. I did switch it up a little because i wanted a little more of that scrumptious pumpkin flavor so i decided to actually add a bit of canned pumpkin puree top the mix. i found that if i warmed the puree and creamed it with the syrup,butter, and sugar i was able to mix it right in and got a pretty even coating with very little clumping.
However, i did run into trouble with the silicone spoon. It just didn’t have enough fortitude to get the job done so i ended up switching to a wooden spoon halfway through. Had a little breaking of the chex but nothing that was too noticeable.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Glad to know you were able to add pumpkin puree, too!
Is there a substitute for the maple syrup? My family loves pumpkin but not maple syrup.
I haven’t tried honey but that would probably work, or agave. No personal experience but just a hunch those would both work.
Is there any way to make this dairy free. Would other oils work or would you have to use butter? I would like to make this for someone who is dairy/gluten free.
I haven’t tried doing it without butter but you could try canola/veg oil and see what happens!
Great idea, but after cooling mine seems a bit limp, not crispy. Maybe it will be good as cereal…
I mentioned in the post, “The texture of the cereal is more chewy than crunchy. If you’re looking for the traditional, very dry, crunchy Chex mix, this isn’t it.” So it’s not going to be super crispy and is definitely more chewy but I wouldn’t call that limp. Maybe yours needed a bit longer in the slow cooker since they all vary in their power and intensity and that would have dried it out a bit more. Thanks for trying the recipe.
This was a big hit when I made it for a fall bridal shower recently. I cooked it while decorating so the whole place smelled of awesome pumpkin spice. I have made it 2 times now and it has turned out crispy like traditional Chex mix. I forgot to add the brown sugar to the butter syrup mix so I sprinkled it on half way through the cooking process and stirred it in well. It was done in 1.5 hours (maybe my crock pot runs hot or maybe because it was more dry?). Amazing. Thanks so much for the delicious recipe. Soon to become a fall tradition at my house.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Crockpots vary SO much in their heat intensity so yours just maybe runs a bit hotter than mine. Glad it’s a fall staple for you!
How long would you recommend in the oven at 250? One hour?
Okay, I just made the Maple Pumpkin Pie Spice Chex Mix. Oh, my!! It is so AWESOME! I forgot the pretzels because my mother-in-law was talking my ear off while I was trying to mix this up, but it doesn’t matter! It’s still great! I made mine in the oven, stirring every 15 minutes, like traditional Chex Mix. It worked beautifully!! Will definitely be making it again and other of your snack mix creations! Thanks so much!
I forgot the pretzels because my mother-in-law was talking my ear off <--- LOL, it happens :) But regardless, glad you loved this and that it came out great for you! If you try any other recipes, keep me posted how things go!
I did this in the oven at 250 for 1 hour and stirred every 15 minutes (as suggested.. also how I make my regular chex mix) and it turned out WONDERFUL! Every piece is crispy and has a candy coating. My husband LOVES IT. Thank you so much :)
Glad it came out wonderfully you and that you and your husband are loving it!! That’s awesome!
Crock pot cover on or off!!!!?????
I kept it covered.
I am in the process of making the chex mix without the graham crackers. How do I store this? Can I enclose it in a metal tin, glas jar, plastic bowl to stay fresh? Does it matter which one? I want to use this for a Halloween party Saturday evening :)
Not really, no. A gallon-sized Ziplock is easy and disposable. Keep it exposed to air for 2 to 12 hours if you want after making as it will firm up slightly more. Enjoy!
Mine’s almost done..I think mine came out too soggy~ Does it matter what kind of chex cereal I use? I used the wheat chex. And I could not find pumpkin spice so I used apple spice instead. Smells good though~
I mentioned this in the post, but this is not the really crispy and crunchy traditional Chex mix. It’s chewy. I wouldn’t call it soggy per se but it’s not your traditional mix that’s crunchy because with the maple syrup and the butter, there’s no way it would come out crispy and crunchy no matter how you make it. But if you’d like to pop it in the oven at 300F on baking sheets, it may help it firm up, although I just let mine sit out overnight exposed to air. Thanks for trying the recipe.
Thank you so much! Our friends loved it! It did firm up after letting it sit out for a bit. Will be making it again! =D
That’s wonderful to hear! Glad it worked out well and you’ll make it again!
Thanks for your super fast response! I cannot wait to make this. (come on, 5:00!)