Valentines Chex Mix (Gluten-Free!)

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.

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 a low-key, easy recipe 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 Valentine’s day treat to enjoy!

It doesn’t get much easier than our gluten-free Valentine’s Day chex mix recipe! Made with just a few simple ingredients, this sweet and salty snack mix can be made in about 15 minutes! You don’t even have to turn on the oven! It makes for a fun snack or perfect treat for a Valentine’s Day party.

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

Here’s What You Need To Make This Easy Treat

This sweet treat is a valentines spin on our popular Christmas Chex mix recipe, so if you’ve made that one, you’ll notice a familiar cast of characters! Let’s take a look:

• 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 Valentine’s Day 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 or vanilla candy coating (easiest to work with!), white chocolate candy melts (that come in wafers) or some white chocolate chips (like Ghirardelli or Guittard).
• Valentines Sprinkles. Always a fun addition! 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 LARGE Bowl! You’ll need a BIG bowl–your biggest mixing bowl–to stir all this goodness together. The bigger the better!

How To Make Valentines Chex Mix, 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 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 on top of the cereal mixture and quickly stir to combine. (You want to coat everything well with the creamy 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 into an even layer on 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 (the best part!), set it out in a large serving bowl, 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

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!

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 ribbon, red 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 candies, ChocoNoNo’s or Little Secrets, this Valentine snack mix recipe CAN be dairy-free!