Master Trail Mix Recipe for Kids

Learn how to assemble a personalized trail mix for kids with foods that the kids like to eat and that are good for them. Find tips for what to include, freshness tricks, foods you may want to avoid, and favorite products to pack the mix in.

My kids love to take snack mixes when we go on trips or hiking, and lately, they’ve been so into helping to assemble their own trail mix recipes. I love this because it’s a nice opportunity to serve up a range of textures and nutrients and the ingredients are easy to keep on hand in the pantry.

This healthy snack includes complex carbohydrates and fruit for quick energy and fat and protein for longer-lasting fuel. It includes some of the classic staples of trail mix, but a few other items to make it kid-friendly and toddler-safe.

No toddler choking hazards here!

This is an easy preschool snack, a snack for a plane or road trip, or one that the kids can make to enjoy at home.

(You may also like my No-Bake Granola Bars, Bliss Balls, and Coconut Chia Pudding as other nutritious kids snacks.)

Ingredients You Need

To make this trail mix for kids recipe, you need to have the following ingredients on hand and ready to go.

• Carbohydrates: Such as dry cereal for kids and baby puffs.
• Fruit: Such as dried fruit or freeze-dried fruit.
• Healthy fats and Protein Foods: Such as slivered nuts, small seeds, coconut chips, yogurt melts or diced soft protein bars such as Larabars or my Fruit and Nut Bars.

TIP: This mix doesn’t have to be perfect; just consider offering a few different textures and flavors for the kids to mix up.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Here’s a look at the very simple process involved in assembling a trail mix for kids. Scroll down to the bottom of this post for the specifics.

1. Pick 2 or more foods from the 3 categories above. It’s really up to you as to how simple or complicated the mix is.
2. Add a small amount of each to your container or snack bag and mix gently. You can adjust the ratios of how much of each food you include based on what the foods are and what else your child has eaten that day. (They may need more fruits and fats than carbs or vice versa!)
3. Take it on the go or serve it at home!

TIP: A serving size for this sort of a snack mix would be ¼-½ cup depending on the age of the kid. And older kids could eat up to 1 cup, especially if there’s more of the whole grains by proportion.

Cereals and Carbohydrates to Try

I love to use dry cereal for trail mix for toddlers and little kids, though you could do other foods including pretzels, crackers, and veggie chips as well. Try some of these ideas:

• Kix
• Cheerios (or similar O cereal)
• Shredded wheat squares
• Rice Krispies (or similar crispy rice cereal)
• Puffins
• Kashi Honey Toasted Oat
• Nature’s Path Mesa Sunrise cereal
• Whole-Grain Pretzels
• Pop Chips
• Mini Rice Cakes
• Puffs

Fruits to Add

Dried fruits, dehydrated fruits, and chips made from produce are great options since you don’t have to worry about them going bad. Try:

• Dried fruits (like raisins or cut up apples, peaches, mango, or cherries)
• Dehydrated/freeze-dried fruits such as blueberries, apple slices, mango, and berries
• Banana chips (age 3+ if very crunchy)
• Apple chips
• Veggie chips
• Snap Pea Crisps

Fats and Proteins to Add

This category is where you’d typically find whole nuts in trail mix recipes for adults, so for kids, we need to make some adjustments. Here are some ideas that are safe for kids.

• Raw walnut halves or pieces
• Raw cashew halves or pieces
• Diced snack bar such as RXBar Minis, Larabar or GoMacro
• Coconut chips

TIP: Be sure the nut pieces are small so they are easy to chew. Find more tips on serving nuts to little kids here.

Foods to Avoid in a Trail Mix for Kids

The worst thing that can happen with a snack mix is that it won’t hold up when you take it on the go. Here’s what to avoid to keep things edible and appetizing!

• Foods that melt like chocolate chips
• Foods that could be choking hazards like whole nuts (including almonds and peanuts), hard fruit chips like some types of banana chips, mini marshmallows, or hard round candies like M&M candies.

Recommended Snack Containers

I have a few favorite snack containers for kids that make taking trail mix for kids on the go easy or to use to serve as an after-school snack or movie night food.

• Bumkins Reusable Snack Bags: These are wipe-clean, machine washable, and endlessly reusable. And the patterns are so darn cute! These are pictured at the top fo this post.
• Re-Play Recycled Snack Stacker: We’ve had one of these for years and I find them to be so great for taking snacks on the go—and for keeping said snacks from getting smushed in a bag.
• Stasher Silicone Bags: Reusable, they come in a few sizes, and they’re easy to rinse clean and reuse.

Best Tips for Success

• Use equal amounts of foods from each category, but change up the portion as needed.
• You can adjust the ratios of how much of each food you include based on what the foods are and what else your child has eaten that day. (They may need more fruits and fats than carbs or vice versa!)
• Let the kids help assemble their own mixes.
• Pack in an airtight storage container for up to 5 days.
• Pack in a reusable bag and eat on the same day. (The ingredients can get stale quickly in a reusable bag.)
• You may also like my Homemade Granola Bars and 3-Ingredient Cereal Bars.

Related Recipes

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

3-Ingredient Biscuits

Pumpkin Protein Balls

Oatmeal Banana Bread

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I’d love to hear what elements your kids love in a snack mix so please chime in below in the comments!

This post was first published May 2019.