The Very Best Homemade Trail Mix Recipe (Made 3 Ways!)

Is there any more perfect on the go snack then a homemade trail mix recipe for busy kids (and parents too!) These three trail mix recipes all have a serving of fruit, healthy grains and flavors that kids love. Perfect for a party, a trip to the park or just to stash in your bag, these three trail mix ideas are school safe, free from nuts, and taste delicious.

Homemade Trail Mix Recipe (Made Three Different Ways!)

*This post is sponsored by Sunmaid, but all opinions are my own.

 

We’ve been on the go a lot over here after moving across the country from Ohio to Phoenix. Nothing like a cross country road trip to make you up your snack game more than a little as a parent.

Somewhere along the trip, my daughter got her first taste of sour gummy candies and she absolutely loved them. I’ve been looking for something to substitute into our snack rotation that gives her that sweet and tangy taste to satisfy that craving in a little more natural way. These raisins are also a great alternative to gummies which many kids go bananas for.

When tried these Sun-Maid® Sour Raisin Snacks which we picked up at Walmart. I was pretty happy when she was over the moon for these raisins. These Sour Raisin Snacks are a delicious whole food with a sour punch of flavor but without artificial dyes, synthetic colors or added sugar. They are also non-GMO and gluten-free.

The more I ate them, the more I wanted to snack on these sour raisins too. We will be throwing packs in her lunchbox as an easy swap for gummies. I love when I flip over the package, the ingredients list is short and understandable. It makes me feel good about giving them to my kid.

Together we got to work making some homemade trail mix recipes that included our new Sun-Maid® Sour Raisin Snacks. We came up with three totally crave-able healthy snack mixes.

Most trail mix recipes include nuts. Since we have some friends who can’t have nuts we’ve added some other goodies to make these yummy trail mix ideas totally shareable for a party! These would be perfect to take into a school classroom for a snack.

Is Trail Mix Good For You?

Everything in moderation, trail mix can be really good for you in helping kids get nutrients that are sometimes harder to get. Trail mix can be a lot of calories and sugar depending on what’s in it. I like to stick to one or sweet items to help keep everything balanced. These Sun-Maid® Sour Raisin Snacks do a great job of adding a punch of flavor to trail mix or all on their own!

Why Do They Call It Trail Mix?

Trail mix is a snack mix that can be eaten out of the hand easily, which makes it perfect for kids! As a kid we made “GORP” which we would call “good ol’ raisins and peanuts” (and it was always a hit when we were camping or hiking, though we mixed in all kinds of stuff.) For these trail mix ideas, we’ve mixed in the sour raisins and mixed up the flavors for the rest!

What Makes A Good Trail Mix Recipe?

So here’s the basics of how our homemade trail mix recipes are going to go, ready?

• 1/2 cup Sun-Maid® Sour Raisin Snacks (that’s about three packs)
• 2 cups of a munchable grain
• ¼ cup of something else sweet
• ⅓ cup of a seed or similar snack
  

I like to have at least one item, either the grain or the seeds have light salt on them. It offsets the Sun-Maid® Sour Raisin Snacks and is DELICIOUS.

My Kid’s Favorite Healthy Trail Mix Recipe Mix

Very Berry Chocolate

• 1/2 cup Sun-Maid® Berry Sour Raisin Snacks
• 3 cups of pretzels
• ¼  chocolate drops
• ⅓ cup sunflower seeds

The Tropical One!

• 1/2 cup Sun-Maid® Watermelon Sour Raisin Snacks (that’s about three packs)
• 3 cups of popcorn
• ¼  dried pineapple 
• ⅓ cup of green pumpkin seeds.

Yogurt Covered Strawberry

• 1/2 cup Sun-Maid® Strawberry Sour Raisin Snacks
• 3 cups of puffed rice
• ¼  dried yogurt chips
• ⅓ cup coconut chips

How To Build A Healthy Trail Mix Recipe

• 1/2 cup Sun-Maid® Sour Raisin Snacks (that’s about three packs)
• 3 cups of a light munchable grain
• ¼ cup of something else sweet
• ⅓ cup of a seed or similar snack

Healthy Grain Ideas

• Puffed Rice
• Whole Grain Cereal
• Popcorn
• Granola
• Puffed Wheat
• Pretzels

Add Something Sweet

• Sun-Maid® Sour Raisin Snacks- Sweet and sour!
• Mini Chocolate Chips
• Yogurt Chips
• Chocolate Drop Candies
• Dried Pineapple
• Dried Mango

Try Adding Seed Or Similar Snack

• Pumpkin Seeds
• Sunflower Seeds
• Roasted Chick Peas
• Roasted Edamame 
• Dried Coconut

Nuts To Add

If you choose to add nuts because everyone can have them, I’d add half a cup to this mix of your favorite kind. Here are a few ideas:

• Peanuts
• Cashews
• Pecans
• Walnuts
• Sliced Almonds (these tend to work better than whole almonds for smaller kids and kids losing teeth!)

Did you make this homemade trail mix recipe? Make sure to give it a star rating, and leave a comment too! Have other great ideas to mix in? Tell us what you like to add to your trail mix in the comments.