Gluten-Free Leprechaun Bait

Let’s make gluten-free leprechaun bait! This easy St. Patricks Day snack mix is sweet, salty, crispy, crunchy, and delicious!

St. Patrick’s Day might not be as big as Valentine’s Day or Easter here in the United States, but you KNOW I love a chance to celebrate any special occasion with fun treats!

And, like a rainbow fruit plate or Lucky Charms Treats, there’s nothing I love for St. Patrick’s day more than this gluten-free Leprechain Bait snack mix recipe. Like several of our other holiday snack mix recipes, it’s full of crispy, crunchy, sweet, and salty mix-ins that make every bite delicious.

It’s a great snack for tucking into a leprechaun trap for littles, a fun movie night dessert, or a delicious treat to add to a dessert plate with a pot of gold (a bowl of Rolos!) at the end. But no matter how you serve it, I think you’ll love that this simple recipe is easy to make, no-bake, and adorable, to boot.

Plus, it starts with just a few simple ingredients…

Simple Ingredients To Get Started

If you’ve made some of our other Chex Mix recipes, like our gluten-free Bunny Bait or Christmas Chex Mix, you will notice some familiar ingredients here, with just a few St. Patrick’s Day swaps. Let’s take a look:

• Corn Chex. This crispy cereal provides a great neutral backdrop for this St. Patrick’s Day snack mix. You can use rice Chex, if you prefer, but I like the flavor of corn chex cereal here.
• Lucky Charms. Our first fun flourish! Swapping out Cheerios or rice chex for Lucky Charms instantly gives this gluten-free Leprechaun Bait a fun St. Patrick’s Day twist. (Regular Lucky Charms cereal is now gluten-free in the U.S.!)
• Gluten-Free Pretzels. Regular pretzels are NOT gluten-free, so be sure to buy gluten-free pretzels to keep this snack mix safe for Celiac disease. We recommend Snyders gluten-free pretzels for taste and texture, though you can use gluten-free pretzel sticks, if you like.
• Extra Lucky Charms Marshmallows. Adding a few extra Lucky Charm marshmallows at the end adds a fun pop of color to this fun snack.
• Vanilla Candy Melts or White Chocolate Melts. I find candy melts like white almond bark or these White Chocolate melts from Ghirardelli super easy to work with. They add sweetness and bind the snack mix together into little delicious clusters.
• Green M&Ms. Another fun addition! I use gloves or a spoon to separate just the green M&Ms from a bag of milk chocolate M&Ms or dark chocolate M&Ms. We’re not using mint M&Ms or other seasonal packages. See which kinds of M&Ms are gluten-free here.
• Sprinkles. Finishing this yummy treat with some rainbow sprinkles is so fun! I like nonpareils or jimmies sprinkles, but you can try other types of sprinkles, if you like.
• Flaky Sea Salt. Leprechaun Bait runs fairly sweet, so I love adding a little sprinkle of salt at the end for a sweet & salty flavor. It really won’t make this salty. Just balance the flavors a bit better.

How To Make Gluten-Free Leprechaun Bait, Step By Step

As always, you can find the full recipe, with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.

1. Prep. Before you start, have all ingredients measured and ready to go. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set close by. The melted chocolate sets up quickly, so you’ll need to be ready to move quickly once its melted. 
2. Combine. Set aside half of the M&M candy for the end. In a large bowl, combine corn Chex, Lucky Charms cereal, gluten-free pretzels and 1/3 cup of green M&M candy. 
3. Melt the candy melts in a microwave safe bowl in 15-20 second intervals, stirring between each interval, until the white chocolate mixture is smooth and glossy. Keep in mind the chocolate will continue to melt after you remove it from the microwave. 
4. Pour white chocolate over the cereal mixture and stir to coat evenly. Sprinkle in the 1/2 cup Lucky Charms marshmallows and stir to combine. 
5. Spread the coated cereal mixture out into a single layer on your prepared pan and quickly sprinkle with reserved 1/3 cup M&Ms, the sprinkles, and the flaky sea salt. Let the chocolate set completely. 
6. Serve & Store. When the chocolate is set, gently break the mixture into small clusters. Enjoy right away or store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week. 

FAQ + Tricks For The Best Leprechaun Bait Snack Mix

Make It Pretty! Dip some pretzels first. If you really want to go all out, you can lightly dip 1/2 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!)

Can I Use White Chocolate Chips Instead? I like using Ghirardelli White Chocolate Vanilla flavored candy melts or vanilla almond bark, since they’re so easy to work with and aren’t as likely to burn, separate, or seize. If you prefer to use white chocolate chips, you’ll want to melt them with 1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil to help them melt smoothly enough to stir into the chocolate.

Our Favorite Way To Package Chex Mix For Gifting. If you want to package this Leprechaun bait snack mix up for a St. Patrick’s Day party or for gifting, I like to scoop it into these large cellophane bags and tie it with a cute ribbon. Green ribbon looks extra cute!

Extras. Feel free to add 1/2 cup salted peanuts for extra crunch, or use peanut butter M&Ms for a yummy twist! Or, add some gluten-free peanut butter pretzel nuggets at the end for an extra layer of salty crunch.

More Gluten-Free Snack Mix Recipes To Try

Gluten-Free Chex Party Mix

Gluten-Free Cookies & Cream Muddy Buddies

Gluten-Free Sweet Chex Mix (Coconut + Almond)

Recipe Card

Gluten-Free Leprechaun Bait

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5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Emily Dixon, Sweets & Thank You
• Total Time: 17 minutes
• Yield: 9 cups 1x
• Diet: Gluten Free

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Description

This easy St. Patrick’s Day snack mix is full of sweet, salty, crispy, crunchy mix-ins in every bite! 

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 cups corn Chex cereal
• 2 cups Lucky Charms cereal
• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free pretzels
• 12 ounces white candy melts or almond bark*
• 1/2 cup additional Lucky Charms marshmallows
• 2/3 cup green M&Ms candy*
• 1 teaspoon rainbow sprinkles (nonpareils or jimmies)
• pinch flaky sea salt

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Instructions

1. Prep. Before you start, have all ingredients measured and ready to go. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set close by. The white chocolate sets up quickly, so you’ll need to be ready to move quickly once its melted.
2. Combine. Set aside 1/3 cup M&Ms candy for the end. In a large bowl, combine corn Chex, Lucky Charms cereal, gluten-free pretzels and 1/3 cup of green M&M candy.
3. Melt the candy melts in a microwave safe bowl in 15-20 second intervals, stirring between each interval, until the white chocolate mixture is smooth and glossy. Keep in mind the chocolate will continue to melt after you remove it from the microwave.
4. Pour white chocolate over the cereal mixture and stir to coat evenly. Sprinkle in the 1/2 cup Lucky Charms marshmallows and stir to combine.
5. Spread the coated cereal mixture out into a single layer on your prepared pan and quickly sprinkle with reserved 1/3 cup M&Ms, the sprinkles, and the flaky sea salt. Let the chocolate set completely.
6. Serve & Store. When the chocolate is set, gently break the mixture into small clusters. Enjoy right away or store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

Notes

• Pretzels. Regular pretzels are NOT gluten-free, so be sure to buy gluten-free pretzels. We recommend Snyders gluten-free pretzels for taste and texture.
• White Chocolate. I like using Ghirardelli White Chocolate Vanilla flavored candy melts or vanilla almond bark, since they’re so easy to work with and aren’t as likely to burn, separate, or seize. If you prefer to use white chocolate chips, you’ll want to melt them with 1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil to help them melt smoothly enough to stir into the chocolate.
• M&Ms. Use gloves or a spoon to sort the green M&Ms out of a regular package of milk chocolate M&Ms or dark chocolate M&Ms. We’re not using mint M&Ms or other seasonal packages.
• Extras. Feel free to add 1/2 cup salted peanuts for extra crunch, or use peanut butter M&Ms for a yummy twist!

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 2 minutes
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Microwave
• Cuisine: American

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