Deck the halls with this festive Reindeer Chow! It’s made with crunchy Chex cereal, pretzels, and peanuts, all coated in a creamy white chocolate and peanut butter coating and tossed in powdered sugar. Made in 30 minutes or less for a festive sweet treat!
Want more fun holiday treats? Try my Peppermint Bark, No Bake White Chocolate Peppermint Oreo Truffles, and No-Bake Christmas Tree Cookies!
Table of Contents
- Why you’ll love this Christmas puppy chow recipe:
- Reindeer Chow recipe ingredients:
- How to make Christmas Chex mix:
- Reindeer Food variations and substitutions:
- How to store this salty holiday treat:
- What type of Chex cereal is best for this recipe?
- More fun Christmas treats you’ll love:
- Reindeer Chow recipe Recipe
Reindeer Chow is a must-make Christmas treat, packed with sweet, salty, and crunchy flavors! You only need a few minimal ingredients like peanut butter, Chex cereal, white chocolate, and small candies to make this festive recipe.
It’s kind of like the Christmas version of Muddy Buddies (aka Puppy Chow), making it the perfect treat to share for the holiday season!
Why you’ll love this Christmas puppy chow recipe:
- It’s customizable: you can swap different ingredients out to get your own personal snack mix.
- Quick and Easy: Prep in just 10 minutes and chill for a simple, hassle-free treat!
- Sweet and Salty: This Christmas Reindeer Chow has the perfect combination of sweet and salty, from the sweet candies to the salty pretzels and peanuts!
Reindeer Chow recipe ingredients:
- Cereal and Crunchy Add-Ins: Crunchy Chex cereal provides the perfect base, while mini pretzels and peanuts add extra crunch and a salty kick. You can swap out the Chex for another hard cereal or use different nuts or pretzel twists if you prefer.
- White chocolate: Creates the sweet coating to coat the cereal. I use chopped white chocolate, but you could also use white chocolate melts! You can use any type of chocolate if you’re not a fan of white chocolate.
- Peanut butter: Adds a nutty flavor to the coating. I recommend using creamy peanut butter and not natural peanut butter, as it won’t melt as smoothly.
- Butter: Salted butter adds richness and flavor and thins out the white chocolate peanut butter mixture so it coats all the ingredients! If you need a dairy-free option, use hard dairy-free margarine.
- Powdered Sugar: This finely ground sugar is super powdered and makes a sweet, snowy coating for this recipe!
- Festive Add-ins: Christmas M&Ms and mini peanut butter cups add a touch of holiday cheer and extra flavor. Feel free to use other types of candy or chocolate pieces based on your preferences or what’s available.
How to make Christmas Chex mix:
This sweet snack mix only takes 10 minutes to make and is a great way to get the kids involved during the holiday season! For the full list of recipe instructions, scroll down to the recipe card.
- Combine Chex cereal, pretzels, and peanuts in a large bowl.
- Melt white chocolate, peanut butter, butter, and salt in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Stir the peanut butter and white chocolate mixture until smooth.
- Pour the melted mixture over the cereal and stir gently to coat.
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar and mix well. Toss in the candies.
- Stir everything to combine.
Reindeer Food variations and substitutions:
- Make the “Muddy Buddy” version by using regular chocolate instead of white chocolate.
- Make a double or triple batch for a Christmas party, or giving out as gifts!
- Add some red and green sprinkles for even more holiday cheer!
- Play around with add-ins like mini marshmallows or popcorn for a different texture.
How to store this salty holiday treat:
This easy Reindeer Chow will last in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. For longer storage, pop it in the fridge for up to 4 weeks or freezer for up to 3 months.
What type of Chex cereal is best for this recipe?
Use any kind you prefer! Both rice Chex and corn Chex will work for this recipe.
More fun Christmas treats you’ll love:
- Peppermint Bark Fudge — if you’ve got some candy canes to use up!
- Cranberry Bliss Bars — one of my favorite treats to bake.
- Christmas Sugar Cookies — for the kids to decorate!
- Christmas M&M Cookies recipe — a classic with a holiday spin.
Reindeer Chow recipe
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 9 cups Chex Cereal (1 regular box – 350 grams or 12oz)
- 1-2 cups mini pretzels
- 1 cup salted peanuts
- 1¼ cups chopped white chocolate (166g)
- 1 cup smooth peanut butter
- ¼ cup salted butter
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup Christmas M&Ms
- 1 cup mini peanut butter cups
Instructions
- Pour Chex cereal, pretzels and peanuts into a large mixing bowl.
- In a medium microwave-safe bowl, melt the white chocolate, peanut butter, butter and salt. Use a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30-second intervals, stirring each time.
- Pour chocolate mixture over the Chex cereal. Stir gently with a spatula to evenly coat the cereal.
- Once the cereal is well coated sprinkle 1 cup powdered sugar on top and stir to mix well. Place in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to firm up somewhat, then add remaining 1 cup powdered sugar and stir to coat.
- If needed, add a little more until the cereal is completely covered.
- Stir in M&Ms and peanut butter cups.
Notes
- Chex: you can swap for another hard cereal, but ideally one without added flavors or sugar.
- Chocolate: you can use any kind of chocolate here
- Butter: you can use hard dairy-free margarine in place of butter to make this dairy-free (also swapping out your chocolate)
- Mix ins: you can swap the pretzels, peanuts, peanut butter cups and M&Ms for other nuts and candies you enjoy, or leave them out.
Nutrition Information
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Sam Moore says
Fun and Tasty
Debra Flores says
Ashley, I have not tried your Reindeer Chow, I’m sorry their are ingredients that are not healthy such as peanut butter cups & m&M’s. I haven’t looked @ the ingredients in the Chex cereals. Just food for thought if you do some research.
Cheryl Cochran says
Our friends, family snd colleagues love this recipe every year at Christmas as it is Candy! Debra, I’m confused to your comment:You gave it a 1 star rating and you have not made it, and then you criticized it for not being healthy. Well, Debra, it is a candy to be enjoyed in moderation. Your comment is like looking at a dog then complaining that it’s not a cat. Also, it’s “they’re not there.” 😊
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Cheryl!
Joyce Hiebert says
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
My grandsons LOVE Reindeer Chow!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Joyce!