Dilly Ranch and Cheese Chex Mix.

Kind of like classic Chex Mix, but with a whole new flavor. Made with real dill pickles, cheese crackers, Chex cereal, homemade ranch seasoning, and jumbo size mixed cocktail nuts. This mix is oh so GOOD! Every bite is perfectly seasoned, crunchy, cheesy, and a little dilly. It’s seriously better than the original, and I’m warning you now, highly addicting. The dill pickles give it the BEST flavor.

Every fall, when football starts back up again, I get so excited for game day food. Being in New York right now, I love seeing how many people are watching the Saturday and Sunday games. It reminds me so much of growing up in Ohio, where football starts with the high schools on Friday night, college games on Saturday, and of course, the NFL on Sunday.

My favorite is always the Sunday night game. And I love that Carrie Underwood is still singing the opening theme for NBC’s Sunday Night Football. I swear I love it more every year.

Coming from Ohio, fall and football are just a big deal. And I love making game day snacks. I might love them even more than a good holiday appetizer, though I am very excited about some new holiday appetizers coming this year too!

Some kind of party snack mix is at every tailgate, local bar, or game night gathering. It’s quick to make, easy to set out, and everyone keeps going back for another handful.

For mine, I try to use a few less processed ingredients where I can, while still keeping it fun. I love Annie’s cheese crackers, which are honestly pretty great. Then instead of a ranch seasoning packet, I make my own with dried herbs and spices. It’s simple, tastes so much better, and you probably have most of it in your pantry already.

And then there are the dill pickles. They really make this mix. Just make sure you are chopping them up really well.

The whole thing comes together in minutes and is flat-out easy. Even when you’re tired or feel too busy, you can make this. Just mix everything together, bake until toasted and crunchy, and enjoy!

These are the details

Ingredients

• cheddar cheese crackers
• Rice Chex cereal
• mixed almonds and cashews
• pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
• salted butter
• Worcestershire sauce
• dill pickles
• dried parsley
• dried chives
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• dried dill
• black pepper

The Steps

Step 1: Mix everything up

I know I say this often, but this really is easy. Add the cheese crackers, Chex, cashews, and pepitas to your biggest mixing bowl. I love using jumbo cashews here. My brother Red LOVES snacks, really anything he can grab by the handful, so this mix is very much his kind of food.

Pour over the melted butter and Worcestershire, then add the chopped dill pickles.

Tip: Chop the pickles pretty finely. You want little bits of pickle throughout the mix, not big chunks. And don’t skip them! The real dill pickles are what make this so good.

Fun fact, which I’ve told you all before, but a dill pickle was actually my first solid food as a baby. Which honestly explains a lot.

Step 2: Add all the ranch seasonings

Now add the dried parsley, chives, garlic powder, onion powder, dill, salt, and pepper. Toss everything really, really well. You want that buttery ranch seasoning getting into every little Chex square and coating all the crackers and cashews.

I make my own ranch seasoning because it’s so easy, and I love being able to control exactly what goes into it. Plus, you can always add a little extra dill, which I usually do.

My sister Asher is OBSESSED with anything dill pickle, so she loves this mix. If you’re a pickle person like her, I would absolutely be a little generous with the dill.

Step 3: Bake

Spread everything out over a baking sheet. Try to keep it in a pretty even layer so the mix can actually toast instead of steam.

Bake until everything smells amazing and the mix feels dry and toasty. Give it a toss once or twice while it’s baking so all those cheesy crackers and little Chex pieces get evenly crisp.

You will want to eat it straight off the pan. In my family, we always do.

Step 4: Serve it

Technically, you should let the mix cool completely. It gets crunchier as it sits, so this really does make it even better.

But warm Chex Mix straight from the baking sheet is also VERY good.

Once cooled, put it in a big bowl and set it out for everyone to snack on. This disappears so fast in our house. Between Red being a huge snacker and Asher loving anything dill pickle, there really isn’t much left to store.

If you do have leftovers, keep them in an airtight container. It’s such a good make-ahead snack for game day, a fall weekend, or honestly, just to have sitting around the kitchen for everyone to grab.