27+ Homemade Trail Mix Recipes for Hiking and Backpacking (2024)

Trail mix is one of the best snacks for any outdoor adventure. It’s the perfect choice as a healthy snack for every day and a great snack for hiking and backpacking. By making it at home, you can control what ingredients go into it, because many store-bought trail mixes have added sugar or sodium. Trail mix recipes should (but don’t have to) include a source of:

• protein
• sugar
• sodium
• carbohydrates
• healthy fats

What Should You Put in Trail Mix

You can make your trail mix by mixing any ingredients you want. Five ingredients is usually a good mix, but you can mix whatever ingredients you want to. Besides, what I like you may not. My son always picks out the raisins from any trail mix, but he loves cashews and M & M’s. So that is one of the reasons why we make our trail mixes. Besides, if you have kids, let them help make these healthy snacks.

I have included a basic homemade trail mix recipe at the bottom with a recipe card for 4 Ingredient Gorp Trail Mix, but you can swap out any ingredients you don’t like. Most ingredients can be found at any grocery store.I usually will make one or two batches a month, especially because we camp, hike and backpack from May 1st through October 31st. If you make it ahead of time, be sure to store your trail mix in an airtight container. Because the ingredients are dry, you can usually store them at room temperature for 2-3 months.

Trail mix is one of my favorite healthy snack recipes. It is perfect for a long hike, any outdoor adventure, and even camping trips. I like to mix together about five ingredients, but you can add more or less. That’s the great thing about homemade trail mix. I love creating a delicious trail mix that all of my family can enjoy. Trail Mix usually consists of:

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• Grains
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Dried Fruit
• Sweets

And since I started the Mediterranean diet, a nut and fruit-based trail mix has become my daily snack. All I really do is through together the biggest bag of mixed dried fruit and the biggest bag of nuts I can find, and presto I have a healthy trail mix.

25+ Trail Mix Recipes

I like to have a good mix of sweet, salty, and protein. Again, it’s up to you what you like. Try to get inventive with your own combinations. If there are any favorite ingredients you love, be sure to drop a comment below. It’s pretty easy to make trail mix, just mix all of your favorite ingredients in a bowl. It’s the easiest snack ever. Here are just a few of our favorite combos so you can make your own homemade trail mix:

1. Tropical Fruit Trail Mix

• 1 cup banana chips
• 1 cup dried mango
• 1 cup dried pineapple
• 1 cup cashews
• 1 cup macadamia nuts

2. Seed Lovers Trail Mix

• 1 cup pumpkin Seeds
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup walnuts
• 1 cup chocolate chips

3. Gorp Trail Mix

• 2 cups cheerios
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup M&M’s or chocolate candies
• 1 cup peanuts

4. Nuts and Seeds Trail Mix

• 1 cup almonds
• 1 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1 cup dried apricots
• 1 cup walnuts
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup carob chips or dark chocolate chips or dark chocolate chunks

5. Chocolate Peanut Butter Trail Mix

• 1/2 cup peanut butter chips
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup salted peanuts
• 1 cup almonds
• 1 cup honey roasted peanuts

6. Wasabi Trail Mix

• 1 cup wasabi peas
• 1 cup cheese crackers
• 2 cups sesame snacks
• 1 cup peanuts
• 1 cup chow meain noodles

7. Fruity Trail Mix (featured in my “5 Ingredient Camping Cookbook”)

• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup dried pineapple
• 1 cup banana chips
• 1 cup dried apricots
• 1 cup dried pineapple

8. Chocolate Coconut Trail Mix

• 1 cup coconut
• 1 cup coconut flakes
• 1 cup almonds
• 2 cups puffed rice

9. Salty Trail Mix

• 1 cup pretzels
• 1 cup cheese nips
• 1 cup popcorn
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup rye chips

10. Raisin and Seed Trail Mix

• 1 cup brown raisins
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1 cup peanuts

11. Nutty Raisin Trail Mix

• 1 cup brown raisins
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 1 cup peanuts
• 1 cup cashews
• 1 cup walnuts

12. Berry Lovers Trail Mix

• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup dried cherries
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 1 cup dried blueberries
• 1 cup dried cranberries

13. Fruit Lovers Trail Mix

• 1 cup dried apricots
• 1 cup dried watermelon
• 1 cup dried apples
• 1 cup dried pineapple
• 1 cup dried pineapple
• 1 cup raisins

14. Kids Trail Mix 1

• 1 cup goldfish
• 1 cup chocolate candies
• 1 cup pretzels
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup peanuts

15. Kids Trail Mix 2

• 1 cup cheerios
• 1 cup dried apples
• 1 cup cinnamon cereal
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup rice Chex cereal

16. Sweet Treat Trail Mix

• 1 cup rye chips
• 1 cup pretzels
• 1 cup bugles corn chips
• 1 cup Swedish fish
• 1 cup red or black liquorice
• 1 cup chocolate candies
• 1 cup mini cookies

17. Nut Lovers Trail Mix

• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup almonds
• 1 cup walnuts
• 1 cup peanuts
• 1 cup hazelnuts
• 1 cup macadamia nuts

18. Raspberry Medley Trail Mix

• 1 cup freeze-dried raspberries
• 1 cup popcorn
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or cocoa nibs
• 1 cup almonds
• 1 cup pecans

19. White Chocolate Lovers Trail Mix

• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup yogurt covered pretzels
• 2 cups peanuts

20. Mediterranean Trail Mix

• 1 cup dried dates
• 1 cup dried figs
• 1 cup banana chips
• 1 cup pecans
• 1 cup almonds
• 1 cup carob chips

21. Strawberry Banana Trail Mix

• 1 cup freeze dried strawberries
• 1 cup banana chips
• 2 cups mixed nuts
• 1 cup chocolate chips

22. Granola Lovers Trail Mix

• 2 cups granola
• 1 cup cashews
• 1 cup chocolate chips or cocaoa nibs
• 1 cup banana chips
• 1 cup coconut flakes

23. Smore’s Trail Mix

• 2 cups cinnamon cereal
• 1 cup dehydrated or freeze-dried marshmallows
• 1 cup chocolate chips or chocolate pieces
• 1 cup cheerios (optional)

24. Costco Trail Mix (Copycat)

• 1 cup peanuts
• 1 cup cashews
• 1 cup almonds
• 1 cup chocolate candies
• 1 cup raisins

25. Mocha Trail Mix

• 3 cups cocoa dusted almonds
• 1 cup dehydrated marshmallows
• 1 cup chocolate pieces

26. Bird Food Trail Mix

• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup plain corn nuts
• 1 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1 cup dried cherries
• 1 cup dried blueberries

27. Beef Jerky Trail Mix

• 1 cup beef jerky
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 2 cups peanuts

28. Almond Joy Trail Mix

• 2 cups cocoa dusted almonds
• 1 cup coconut chips

Storage Containers for Trail Mix

In case you need a few ideas on what to store your trail mix in, here are a few of my favorite containers.

• Silicone storage bags
• Glass jars
• Glass storage containers
• Containers with locking lids

I hope that you have found some trail mix recipe ideas. Trail mix is a great after-school snack or even a tasty homemade gift. Be sure to leave a comment below with any favorite ingredients that you like in your trail mix. And as always, be outside with no limits.