Valentines Chex Mix (Gluten-Free!)

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This crispy, crunchy Gluten-Free Valentines Chex Mix recipe is an easy Valentine’s treat to share with friends! Don’t miss our tips for making it extra pretty below.

Gluten-free Valentines Chex Mix with red, white, and pink m&ms in a white bowl

It’s T-minus TWO weeks till Valentine’s Day!

I LOVE holidays big and small, and I really admire people who go all out with decorations, treats, and menus. Aaaaand I’m also busy, so I love low-key, easy ways to celebrate with my kids. In this season, I just don’t have the space to go all out for everything!

Low-key Valentine’s Day might just be picking up Valentine’s paper plates or making a pink mocktail to go with dinner. Or, it might be something like making an easy Valentines treat to enjoy!

It doesn’t get much easier than this gluten-free Valentine’s chex mix recipe! Made with just a few simple ingredients, the whole thing can be made in about 15 minutes! You don’t even have to turn on the oven!

Here’s what you need to make this easy Valentines snack mix…

Ingredients for gluten-free Valentines Chex Mix

Here’s What You Need To Make This Easy Treat

  • 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 Valentines 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. 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!)
  • Valentines M&Ms. Now for some cute holiday color! Red, Pink & White M&Ms add a fun, festive touch to this Valentines snack mix and give it it’s signature heart day look!
  • 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).
  • Valentines 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! (We used a mix of these mini hearts and these Valentines nonpareils. 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!

How To Make Valentines Chex Mix, Step By Step:

  1. Prep Your Station. Spread out a few sheets of parchment paper (I like to put mine on a baking sheet for stability, but feel free to spread the parchment out on your counter).
  2. Combine The Valentines Chex Mix Ingredients. Set aside half of the M&Ms to decorate with at the end. In your largest large mixing bowl, combine rice Chex, corn Chex, Cheerios, gluten-free pretzels, half of the m&ms, and the peanuts (if using).
  3. 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)
  4. Drizzle & Stir. Pour the melted white 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.)
  5. Spread Out, Sprinkle & Cool. Transfer the coated cereal onto your prepared sheets of parchment, and immediately sprinkle on the second half of the Valentines 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.
  6. 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 Valentines Snack 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 Valentines 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 ribbonred polka dot ribbon, or red velvet ribbon for a pretty Valentines Day 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 candiesChocoNoNo’s or Little Secrets, this Valentine 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, though that tends to run a bit sweet for my taste. You can also substitute 2 cup of the Chex for plain popped popcorn!

3 Tricks For The Prettiest Valentines 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, pink, and white pop more!
  • Second, add a few 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!)
Spreading Valentines snack mix on a baking sheet

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Gluten-free Valentines Chex Mix with red, white, and pink m&ms in a white bowl

Valentines Chex Mix (Gluten-Free!)


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  • Author: Emily Dixon, Sweets & Thank You
  • Total Time: 15
  • Yield: 910 Cups 1x
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Description

This crispy, crunchy Gluten-Free Valentines Chex Mix recipe is an easy Valentine’s treat to share with friends. Don’t miss our tips for making it extra pretty below!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 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, pink, and white Valentines M&Ms candies* (I use milk chocolate, or peanut butter m&ms)
  • 16 oz. Vanilla Almond Bark, White Candy Melts, or White Chocolate Chips

Instructions

  1. Prep Your Station. Spread out a few sheets of parchment paper (I like to put mine on a baking sheet for stability, but feel free to spread the parchment out on your counter).
  2. Combine The Valentines Chex Mix Ingredients. Set aside half of the M&Ms to decorate with at the end. In your largest large bowl, combine rice Chex, corn Chex, Cheerios, gluten-free pretzels, half of the m&ms, and the peanuts (if using).
  3. Melt The White Chocolate Coating. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt vanilla almond bark in 20-30 second intervals, 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)
  4. Drizzle & Stir. Pour the melted vanilla bark/candy melts 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.)
  5. Spread Out, Sprinkle & Cool. Transfer the coated cereal onto your prepared sheets of parchment, and immediately sprinkle on the second half of the Valentines 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.
  6. 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.

Notes

*3 Tricks For Prettier Presentation:

  1. First, consider holding back a handful or two of the m&m candies and adding 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. Since we want people to know we’re making this Chex mix with m&ms, it makes the red, pink, and white pop more!
  2. Second, add a few sprinkles. Just a little sprinkle of some nonpareil sprinkles or jimmies sprinkles adds a fun, festive touch! 100% unnecessary flavor-wise, but 100% cute looks-wise!
  3. 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!)

**If you use chocolate chips instead of candy melts/almond bark, you may want to add 1 teaspoon of oil or coconut oil to help it melt more smoothly. 

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

  1. This was the perfect easy no-bake treat to go with our Super Bowl snacks! I even found cute heart-shaped Cheerios.