Name: 4th of July Chex Mix (Red White & Blue!)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 2 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cups Rice Chex Cereal; 2 cups Corn Chex Cereal; 1 1/2 cups Cheerios Cereal; 2 1/2 cups Gluten-Free Pretzels, like Snyder’s Gluten-Free* (I prefer twists over sticks); 1 cup Salted Peanuts (just salted, not seasoned peanuts); 1 cup red, white & blue M&Ms candies* (I use milk chocolate, or peanut butter m&ms); 16 ounces Vanilla Almond Bark, White Candy Melts, or White Chocolate Chips**

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This crispy, crunchy Gluten-Free 4th of July Chex Mix recipe is an easy red, white, and blue treat for summer! Try it for summer BBQs, game or movie nights, pool parties & more!

red white and blue chex mix in white bowls

Summer is officially here!

We’ve already got our first pool day in the books this season, and with temperatures soaring, we’re ready for ice-cold glasses of lemonade, summer barbecues, ice cream, and a whole lot of NOT turning on the oven!

With Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day on the way, I thought it’d be the perfect time to share this easy 4th of July dessert recipe. It doesn’t get much easier than this gluten-free 4th of July chex mix! Made with just a few simple ingredients, the whole thing can be made in about 15 minutes and it’s a huge hit with a kids & grown-ups alike!

And you don’t even have to turn on the oven.

This red, white, and blue snack mix is perfect for summer movie nights, 4th of July picnics, and game nights. It always goes fast in a crowd!

Here’s what you need to make this easy Patriotic party mix…

Simple Ingredients

Rice Chex & Corn Chex. Since we’re making a gluten-free chex mix recipe, I use a mix of gluten-free cereals. I like mixing Rice Chex & Corn Chex for the combination of colors and flavors, though you can absolutely do all of one flavor or the other!
Cheerios. Next up is plain Cheerios. They add a nice crunch and subtle shape. Sometimes choose the multigrain Cheerios for a bit more color. Use whichever you like!
Gluten-Free Pretzels. Now for a little SALTY! I like the Snyder’s gluten-free pretzels for this, but Glutino gluten-free pretzels are another good choice. Some 4th of July Chex Mix recipes use pretzel sticks, but I like regular pretzel twists so the shapes are a bit more uniform and easier to snack on.
Salted Peanuts. I love sweet and salty snacks! Make sure you pick up salted peanuts that are made with just peanuts, oil and salt (or dry roasted peanuts with just peanuts & salt). Some salty peanuts also have other seasonings like garlic or onion that will MAJORLY throw off the flavor. (Bleh!)
Red, White & Blue M&Ms. Now for some cute holiday color! Red, White and Blue M&Ms add a fun touch of patriotic colors to this festive 4th of July snack mix and give it it’s signature Independence day look! If you can’t find red, white, and blue m&ms, you can just use the red and blue m&ms from a regular bag.
White Chocolate Melts Or Vanilla Almond Bark. Lastly, to bind all the snack mix ingredients together, you’ll use a bit of vanilla almond bark (easiest to work with!), white chocolate candy melts (that come in wafers) or some white chocolate chips (like Ghirardelli or Guittard).
Red, White, and Blue Sprinkles. For a cute look at the end, you can use a few shakes of sprinkles. We love nonpareils or jimmies for this job, but check out our Sprinkles 101 post to find other shapes that can work! (Get 10% off your order at Sweetapolita with my link!)
A BIG Bowl! You’ll need your biggest mixing bowl to stir all this goodness together. The bigger the better!

Ingredient Check: Is It Gluten-Free?

Chex Cereal – All flavors of Chex besides Wheat Chex are gluten-free.
Cheerios – Most Cheerios are certified gluten-free, including plain and multigrain
Pretzels – You must buy certified gluten-free pretzels (we like these ones)
M&Ms – Milk chocolate M&Ms are gluten-free, but you can check our list of gluten-free M&M candies if you want to use another variety!
Sprinkles – Many brands are gluten-free or don’t use wheat/gluten ingredients. Check out our sprinkles 101 post for more info, including brands & where to buy!

making red white and blue chex mix with m&ms

How To Make Red, White & Blue Snack Mix, Step By Step

Prep Your Station. Spread out a few sheets of parchment paper (I like to put mine on a cookie sheet for stability, but feel free to spread the parchment out on your counter).
Combine The Red, White & Blue Chex Mix Ingredients. Set aside half of the red white and blue M&M candy to decorate with at the end. In a very large bowl (your largest large mixing bowl), combine rice Chex, corn Chex, Cheerios, gluten-free pretzels, half of the m&ms, and the peanuts (if using).
Melt The White Chocolate Coating. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt vanilla almond bark in 20-30 second increments, stirring well after each interval until the white chocolate coating is smooth and has no lumps. (You can also do this on the stovetop in a double boiler, if you prefer)
Drizzle & Stir. Pour the melted chocolate over the cereal mixture and quickly stir to combine. (You want to coat everything well with the white chocolate mixture, but work quickly since the candy melts will start to cool and harden.)
Spread Out, Sprinkle & Cool. Transfer the coated cereal into a single layer on your prepared sheets of parchment, and immediately sprinkle on the second half of the m&ms and the sprinkles (if using), and let it cool to set. It will form some clusters as it cools. I like to leave some larger sections and some smaller sections rather than breaking it all up.
Serve & Store. Once the chocolate is all set, enjoy it right away, or transfer to an airtight container and store at room temperature on the counter up to 1 week.

FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The Best 4th of July Chex mix

What Can I Use Instead Of Peanuts? If you’ve got a peanut allergy, feel free to swap them for more cereal, pretzels, or other nuts instead.

Our Favorite Way To Package Chex Mix For Gifting. Whenever we’re packaging up Patriotic Chex Mix for giving to friends or neighbors, I like to scoop it into these large treat bags and tie it with a cute ribbon, like red and white striped ribbon, red polka dot ribbon, or red velvet ribbon for a fun, patriotic look.

Can I Make This Dairy-Free? If you use dairy-free white chocolate/candy coating & swap out the m&m’s for a dairy-free chocolate candy, like Unreal candies, ChocoNoNo’s or Little Secrets, this 4th of July snack mix recipe CAN be dairy-free!

Variations & Substitutions: Feel free to add other mix-ins! Sometimes I’ll swap the milk chocolate m&ms for peanut butter m&ms (so good!) or add a handful or two of gluten-free peanut butter stuffed pretzel nuggets at the end. Some people even like mini marshmallows, or red white & blue candy corn, though that tends to run a bit sweet for my taste. You can also substitute 2 cups of the Chex for plain popped popcorn!

3 Tricks For The Prettiest Red, White & Blue Chex Mix:

First, hold back a handful or two of the m&m candies and add those after you spread the Chex Mix out to dry. Then some of the m&ms will be coated in the white chocolate and some will be easily visible. It makes the red, white & blue pop more!
Second, add a few patriotic sprinkles. Just a little sprinkle of some nonpareil sprinkles or jimmies sprinkles adds a fun, festive touch! 100% unnecessary taste-wise, but 100% cute looks-wise!
Dip some pretzels first. If you really want to go all out, you can lightly dip 1/2-3/4 cup of the pretzels into the melted almond bark, sprinkle them with sprinkles, and set them aside on a piece of parchment paper to dry before pouring the rest of the melted almond bark over the cereal/pretzel/candy mixture. This will give you a few really pretty pretzels that stand out! (But this is 100% cosmetic!) You could even get red candy melts or blue candy melts for the pretzels!

More 4th Of July Recipes To Try

Gluten-Free Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Gluten-Free Strawberry Crisp

Gluten-Free S’mores Bars

WE ♥

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