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How To Build a Healthy Trail Mix

April 19, 2023

Not all trail mixes are created equal! With this tutorial on how to build a healthy trail mix, you’ll get the low-down on what to include, what not to include and how to customize your homemade trail mix recipe to your needs and wants!

Not all trail mixes are created equal! With this tutorial on how to build a healthy trail mix, you'll get the low-down on what to include, what not to include and how to customize your trail mix to your needs and wants!

I will forever associate homemade trail mix with my hiking adventures or long road trips. I pretty much exclusively munch on trail mix when I’m out hiking or driving to a point where it also starts to infiltrate all of my meals. It just packs a serious nutrition bang for its buck.

In September, I’ll be hiking in Yosemite and being the planner that I am, I am already prepping every detail, including this healthy trail mix! I mean I needed to make sure it tasted good at least 7 times before we actually leave…right?!

I have my go-to trail mix, which I’ll share with you today, but I’ve also created a customizable recipe so that you can sub in and sub out your favorite ingredients.

Benefits of Trail Mix

If all trail mix was built like this recipe, you could rest assured that it would be of the utmost quality; however, few store-bought trail mixes are this simple.

God only know where they’re sourcing their ingredients from, and typically their dried fruit is coated in sugar, nuts and seeds roasted in hydrogenated oils and then the entire mix is coated in bad-quality salt and jacked up in price. I think you’re getting where I’m going with this…

Good quality homemade trail mix, in moderation is 100% part of a healthy diet. Especially in those circumstances of high physical activity where you need energy, fast.

This trail mix includes healthy fats and antioxidants from nuts and seeds, quality dried fruit for energy and the fun stuff because health doesn’t need to mean sacrificing on fun. The flavor is also spot on!

So let me convince you to ditch the store-bought trail mix in favor of this homemade trail mix recipe. Trust me it will quickly become your go-to snack mix.

Not all trail mixes are created equal! With this tutorial on how to build a healthy trail mix, you'll get the low-down on what to include, what not to include and how to customize your trail mix to your needs and wants!

Ingredients in Trail Mix

1. NutsFeel free to use any kind of nut here! Ideally, purchase raw nuts that haven’t been coated and roasted in hydrogenated or soybean oils and salt. You’re welcome to dry roast them at home for an added toastiness, but if you’re a nut purist, just keep them raw. Options include almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, hazelnuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts etc…

2. SeedsDon’t forget about seeds! Often overlooked for the health benefits of nuts, seeds actually pack a serious nutritional punch including protein, iron, magnesium and an array of vitamins and minerals including Omega-3 + 6 Fatty Acids. Again, look for raw, unsalted seeds. Options include pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds.

3. Dried Fruit Because of the high sugar content in dried fruit, they’re a great snack to help boost your low blood sugar after a high dose of physical activity. Be careful when picking dried fruit! Do your best to find sun dried fruit that isn’t coated in sugar and is ideally unsulfured. It’s more expensive, but it’s worth it. Options include good old raisins, dried mangos, apricots, blueberries, coconut flakes, dried bananas (or banana chips), strawberries and cranberries.

4. Fun Stuff!Just because it’s healthy doesn’t mean you can’t throw in a little fun! I’m all about balance, so feel free to add in a handful of your favourite decadent or healthified decadent treat (kids love it too!). Dark chocolate and popcorn are my favs so those are my go-tos but feel free to get a little crazy with some pretzels, candy (hello m&m), peanut butter chips, white chocolate chips, cereal (cheerios or chex are great!) or other sweet treat.

5. Spicesthis is my secret ingredient in trail mix. Add a pinch of salt (or skip if watching sodium), some cinnamon and a little nutmeg. You can also add some cayenne pepper if you like a little kick!

Now let’s learn how to build your own healthy trail mix!

My Go-To Trail Mix Ratio

  • 1 1/2 cups raw nuts – almonds, pecans, cashews, peanuts etc..
  • 1 cup raw seeds – sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds etc…
  • 1 cup dried fruit – ideally unsweetened, unsulphured dried fruit
  • Fun stuff – amounts vary – see below
  • Spices- 1/4 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, pinch of nutmeg (optional)

How to Make Trail Mix

The instructions for how to make this trail mix couldn’t be any easier. Just combine all your ingredients in a large bowl and then store in a ziplock bag or large mason jar. I’ve included the basic amounts and my go-to recipe below.

Pro Tip: Store in individual ziplock bags or reusable stasher bags for easy snacking on the go.

Not all trail mixes are created equal! With this tutorial on how to build a healthy trail mix, you'll get the low-down on what to include, what not to include and how to customize your trail mix to your needs and wants!
Not all trail mixes are created equal! With this tutorial on how to build a healthy trail mix, you'll get the low-down on what to include, what not to include and how to customize your trail mix to your needs and wants!

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How To Build a Healthy Trail Mix

Not all trail mixes are created equal! With this tutorial on how to build a healthy trail mix, you’ll get the low-down on what to include, what not to include and how to customize your homemade trail mix to your needs and wants!

  • Author: Davida Lederle
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 45 cups 1x
  • Category: Snack
  • Method: Raw
  • Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale

For the customizable version:

  • 1 1/2 cups raw nuts i.e. almonds, pecans, cashews, peanuts etc..
  • 1 cup raw seeds i.e. sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds etc…
  • 1 cup unsweetened, unsulphured dried fruit
  • Fun stuff (amounts vary) i.e. 1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate, 1 cup popped popcorn, 1 cup pretzels etc..
  • Spices e.g. 1/4 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, pinch of nutmeg (optional)

My Go-To Trail Mix Recipe:

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
  2. Store in a ziploc bag or mason jar.
  3. Will keep for up to 1 month.

Optional: If you really need the extra sweetness, you can coat the mix with 2 tbsp maple syrup, spread it out on a baking sheet and allow it to dry before bagging.

Keywords: trail mix

Not all trail mixes are created equal! With this tutorial on how to build a healthy trail mix, you'll get the low-down on what to include, what not to include and how to customize your trail mix to your needs and wants!

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  • Reply
    Gabe
    February 23, 2021 at 11:15 am

    Love it! Thanks for all your yummy recipes and thoughts here.

  • Reply
    Winolo
    February 8, 2021 at 12:31 pm

    Good and full description, thanks for such extensive material. It will definitely come in handy and I will share it with my friends, thanks

  • Reply
    Winolo
    February 8, 2021 at 12:04 pm

    Good and full description, thanks for such extensive material. It will definitely be useful

  • Reply
    Long
    January 13, 2021 at 9:44 pm

    Great post! It is easy and detailed to follow. Thanks!

  • Reply
    Sharon Verghese
    December 24, 2020 at 4:34 am

    This looks so yummy and healthy

  • Reply
    Richard Tunner
    December 10, 2020 at 4:10 am

    We loved this healthy trail mix! Thank you for the recipe.

  • Reply
    Helena
    October 15, 2020 at 5:59 pm

    A great guide to build a healthy trail, you shared very wonderful article with us. Thank you for sharing it. Really love this reading.

  • Reply
    Oren Shemmer
    October 2, 2020 at 10:46 am

    Thank you for another great healthy recipe.
    This mix is super healthy and a great way to start your day!

  • Reply
    5 Advantages of Raisins That Make Them a Surprisingly Good Pre-Exercise Snack - Newstvglobal
    September 10, 2020 at 3:50 am

    […] 1. Wholesome path combine […]

  • Reply
    r6nationals
    August 26, 2020 at 9:16 am

    Such a great guide for making trail-Mix at home. the dried RASPBERRIES, Chocolate + popcorn combo was crazy.

  • Reply
    Emily Stimpson
    August 26, 2020 at 5:08 am

    Yummy!!!!

    • Reply
      Davida Lederle
      August 26, 2020 at 2:17 pm

      So happy to hear that, Emily!

  • Reply
    Kathi
    July 13, 2020 at 8:10 pm

    Love the recipe! If you are looking for unsweetened or unsulphured dried fruit, try a bird store. I buy mine for my bird & myself at a local bird store. Always fresh.

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