Caramel Apple Trail Mix
Sweet, salty, crunchy and caramel-y, this caramel apple trail mix checks all the boxes for a satisfying snack mix! It features a variety of nuts, pretzels, popcorn, apples and caramel-y things!
I have a new favorite fall snack.
My girls started at preschool a few weeks ago. Their new preschool provides all of the meals and snacks (which is INCREDIBLE because it takes the burden of packing lunches off of me) buuuut I was slightly worried that my picky 4-year-old might starve. In fact, they actually do not allow any outside food in the school so even if I wanted to send lunch, I’m not allowed to. I get it though- 1) because they are an allergen-free zone and 2) when all the kids are eating the same thing it discourages jealousy and pickiness.
The preschool has their own private chef who makes everything from scratch and when I read the menu I thought, whoa I want to eat here! The menu had things like “lentil and sausage stew”, “chicken pesto skillet”, “baked mac and cheese”, etc. which all sound GREAT to me but I was like errrr, is Lia going to eat this? But guess what? Both my girls are so excited about lunch and eat it all up every day! Of course, they’ll eat it if someone other than mom makes it…😒🙃
The point to the story is… that I figured they would both be hangry after school and I wanted to have a fun snack to give them at pick-up. And that’s how this caramel apple trail mix was born! I wanted a snack mix with fall vibes, but not pumpkin, so the next best thing is a caramel apple right?
Why I love this recipe:
- It’s nourishing from the variety of heart-healthy nuts and fiber-full popcorn but feels like a treat from the caramel, chocolate and apples!
- Super easy to throw together and you can find all of the simple ingredients needed at your local grocery store.
- It hits all the textural vibes from crunchy to chewy to soft to buttery.
- Convenient, satisfying, filling and oh so TASTY! Gourmet apple in trail mix form 😋
What you’ll need to make caramel apple trail mix:
Almonds: I recommend getting roasted almonds. You can buy them already roasted or roast them yourself by placing raw almonds on a sheet pan and baking at 300 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
Pecans: I used slightly candied pecans but you could use regular roasted pecans as well. I like the Santé candied pecans or the kind from Trader Joe’s because both are subtly sweet and not overly candied.
Peanuts: I recommend roasted, salted peanuts which you can find in the nuts/snacks aisle of the grocery store.
Apple chips: dehydrated apple chips provide a sweet crunch and are the apple component of our caramel apple trail mix. I like the bare snacks dehydrated apple slices.
Caramel morsels: caramel chips look like chocolate chips but are caramel-flavored and can be found in the baking aisle. A follower on Instagram mentioned that Trader Joe’s has ‘caramel sea salt baking chips’ which sound amazing! You could also use butterscotch chips.
Pretzels: okay if you can find them, Dot’s cinnamon sugar pretzel twists are SO GOOD in this mix. If not, you can use any variety of pretzel you enjoy.
Popcorn: I recommend a sweet variety of popcorn like kettle corn or caramel corn to reinforce the caramel-y vibes, but a mild-flavored plain popcorn will work as well.
Caramel M&Ms: chocolate candies with a caramel center, yum! Find these in the candy aisle, they’re in a dark blue bag.
How to make caramel apple trail mix:
Place nuts, caramel bits, pretzels, apples, popcorn and M&Ms in a large bowl and toss gently to combine. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
This is the perfect treat to serve at a Halloween party, for a football game or as an after school snack. You could also use it as a thoughtful gift as part of a care package to big kids off to college or a newly post-partum mama.
Variation ideas:
- Add white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips or peanut butter chips.
- Switch up the tree nuts per your preference! Use walnuts, cashews, macadamia nuts or seeds like pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds.
- For even more buttery caramel flavor, use caramel popcorn OR actual squares of caramel.
- If you roast your own nuts, add a mixture of brown sugar or maple syrup and apple pie spices for more fall flavor.
- Add chex cereal to make caramel apple chex mix.
FAQs
Either omit the pretzels or use your favorite gluten-free pretzels.
Store at room temperature in a gallon Ziploc bag or quality airtight container to avoid it getting stale. It stays fresh for two weeks. You can also keep it in the freezer for up to 4 months and take out a little at a time for snacking!
Use plain pretzels instead of cinnamon sugar pretzels, plain pecans instead of candied pecans and reduce the amount of caramel chips and M&Ms.
Absolutely! Use any mixture of nuts and/or seeds you love or have on hand.
Need more snack ideas? Check out my other apple recipes!
If you try and like this recipe please don’t forget to leave a comment and star rating down below! If you love more lifestyle, behind the scenes and ‘eating in real life’ type of content come find me over on Instagram, @itsaflavorfullife, I love connecting with you all there!
Lovers or candy apples and buttery caramel are in for a treat with this sweet snack mix! I hope it goes on your shortlist to make asap!
Print
Caramel Apple Trail Mix
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: N/A
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 8 cups 1x
- Category: Snack
- Method: Mix
- Cuisine: American
Description
Full of fun textures and autumn-inspired flavors, this caramel apple trail mix is a fabulous snack for all ages.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup roasted almonds
- 3/4 cup candied pecans
- 1/2 cup roasted peanuts
- 1 cup apple chips
- 2/3 cup caramel chips/morsels
- 1 cup cinnamon sugar pretzel twists
- 2 cups popcorn or kettle corn
- 2/3 cup caramel M&Ms
Instructions
Place all ingredients in a large bowl and toss gently to combine. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks- if it lasts that long!!
Notes
- See above blog post for variation ideas, substitution recommendations and answers to frequently asked questions!
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: scant 1/2 cup
- Calories: 185
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 49.7 mg
- Fat: 11.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 19.2 g
- Fiber: 2.9 g
- Protein: 4.2 g
- Cholesterol: 0.7 mg
Trail mix is my FAVORITE snack!!! It ticks all the boxes: salty/sweet, crunchy/chewy- and can be as healthy or unhealthy as you want it. This trail mix is AMAZING!!! It’s unique from usual mix, and delicious!!