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Home » Recipes » Parties & Potlucks

Buffalo Ranch Chex Mix

Modified: Feb 6, 2025 · Published: Dec 21, 2017 by Heather · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 817 words. · About 5 minutes to read this article.

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Buffalo ranch chex mix is a crunchy, flavorful snack mix that mimics the flavors of classic buffalo chicken wings and ranch dressing. It's the perfect hot and tangy snack mix for your next party!

Overhead view of a bowl filled with buffalo ranch chex mix.

Recipe summary

Flavor: Warm buffalo flavor mixed with your favorite ranch dressing herbs and spices!

Made with: Chex cereal, pretzel twists, cheese crackers, and peanuts.

Easy to customize. The mix-ins are easy to customize with your favorite cereals, crackers, and nuts.

Great for parties. It's the perfect crunchy, salty snack for football games, family parties, or movie night at home.

Similar to: Spicy Garlic Chex Mix and Sweet Chex Mix

Jump to:
  • Recipe summary
  • Ingredients and substitutions
  • How to make chex mix
  • Variations
  • Storage
  • Frequently asked questions
  • Recommended
  • 📖 Recipe
  • Comments

Ingredients and substitutions

Ingredients on a counter top.
  • Chex cereal - Corn or rice chex are my two preferred options when making chex mix. Feel free to use your favorite variety.
  • Cheese crackers - Small cheese crackers like Cheez-it brand or goldfish crackers work well in this recipe.
  • Pretzels - Pretzel twists, snaps, or sticks are all great choices.
  • Peanuts - Lightly salted or unsalted peanuts work well in this recipe. For nut allergies, omit the peanuts and add another cup of chex cereal, pretzels, or cheese crackers.
  • Butter - I recommend unsalted butter since the crunchy ingredients are already salted.
  • Buffalo sauce - Use your favorite brand of buffalo sauce for this recipe.
  • Ranch seasoning - I used homemade ranch seasoning, but a packet of store bought ranch seasoning also works great.

How to make chex mix

Making buffalo ranch chex mix on a sheet pan.
  1. While your oven preheats, combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
  2. Melt butter and combine with the buffalo sauce and ranch seasoning.
  3. Pour the buffalo sauce mixture over the dry ingredients and toss until evenly coated.
  4. Spread onto a lined baking sheet and bake until crispy and lightly browned, tossing once halfway through.

Variations

Extra spicy: Add ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper (or a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce) along with the ranch seasoning.

Other mix-ins: Bugles, wheat or rice chex, goldfish crackers, cheerios cereal, pistachios, cashews, and bagel chips make great options. Substitute with the same measurements for best results.

Nut-free: Substitute the peanuts with your favorite mix-ins like more chex cereal or cheese crackers.

Gluten-free: Corn chex cereal, rice chex cereal, and salted nuts are gluten-free as is. Gluten-free pretzels and cheese crackers can be found at your local grocer. Popcorn also makes a great mix-in option!

Storage

Homemade chex mix will keep for about 1 to 2 weeks in a tightly sealed airtight container at room temperature.

A white bowl filled with buffalo ranch chex mix.

Frequently asked questions

What is ranch?

Ranch dressing is a popular savory salad dressing in the US and Canada that's made with buttermilk and herbs. The key flavors of ranch are dill, chives, and parsley. For this recipe, we're using ranch seasoning, which is a dry seasoning blend made with those herbs and spices you'd find in ranch dressing.

Can I make this ahead of time?

Yes, this can be prepared several days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container until ready to serve.

Can I use ranch dressing instead of ranch seasoning?

No, ranch dressing does not work in this recipe. Ranch seasoning works because it's dry and has a concentrated ranch flavor. This adds adequate seasoning to the chex mix without the extra moisture.

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📖 Recipe

Overhead view of a bowl filled with buffalo ranch chex mix.
Pin Print Rate
4.34 from 9 reviews

Buffalo Ranch Chex Snack Mix

Buffalo ranch chex mix is a crunchy, flavorful snack mix that mimics the flavors of classic buffalo chicken wings and ranch dressing. It's the perfect hot and tangy snack mix for your next party!
Prep Time10 minutes minutes
Cook Time45 minutes minutes
Total Time55 minutes minutes
Servings: 24 servings
Calories: 241kcal
Author: Heather

Ingredients

Chex Mix

  • 8 cups chex cereal, any variety
  • 2 cups cheese crackers, like cheez-its
  • 2 cups small twist pretzels
  • 1 cup lightly salted peanuts
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
  • ½ cup buffalo sauce
  • 3 tablespoons ranch seasoning
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Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 250℉. Line a large baking sheet (or two smaller baking sheets) with parchment paper and set aside. 
  • In a large bowl, combine chex cereal, cheese crackers, pretzels, and peanuts. Set aside. 
  • In a small bowl, combine melted butter, buffalo sauce, and ranch seasoning.
  • Pour buffalo sauce mixture over chex mixture and toss until evenly coated. 
  • Spread chex mix evenly over baking sheet(s) in an even layer.  Bake for about 45 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy, stirring once halfway through. If using multiple baking sheets, rotate sheets between racks halfway through as well. 
  • Remove from oven and allow to cool completely, then store in an airtight container.

Equipment Recommendations

  • Pyrex Glass Mixing Bowls
  • Nordic Ware Half Baking Sheet
  • Reynolds Parchment Paper
  • Pyrex Liquid Measuring Cups

Notes

  • Bowl not big enough?: If you don't have a bowl big enough to accommodate all of your chex mix, prepare half at a time. Measure half of each dry ingredient into your largest bowl, mix the sauce as directed above, then pour half the sauce over your dry ingredients, tossing to coat. Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients. 
  • Ranch: Dry ranch seasoning can be homemade or store bought.
  • Storage: Homemade chex mix will keep for about 1-2 weeks in an airtight container at room temperature.

Nutrition Estimate

Serving: 0.5heaping cup | Calories: 241kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 635mg | Potassium: 133mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 295IU | Vitamin C: 2.9mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 6.9mg
Course: Snack
Cuisine: American

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Heather of The Toasty Kitchen

Hi, I'm Heather!

I love cooking with simple, everyday ingredients and want to help you make homemade meals with ease.

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