This Buttery Ranch Snack Mix is the perfect savory snack for a party or to bag up for a fun food gift.
I made this for my 2025 student Christmas gifts and everyone’s eyes got really big when they saw the savory treat.
Better yet it’s a snack option with no Chex or nuts required!
To me, this is a true snack mix.
Chex, nuts, and sweet-and-salty combos all have their place with the right kind of mix, but I love that this one is all about the salty, savory, munchie side of things.
It also uses a few items you don’t always see in other snack mixes, like Munchos, Veggie Straws, Bugles, and plain bagel chips.
I’ve tried mixes that use Goldfish crackers, different pretzel shapes, Cheetos, and more, but this is by far my favorite combination.
You’re going to need a giant bowl (and I mean giant). Most traditional “large” household bowls won’t cut it. It’s kind of hard to get perspective in the photo, but mine is a 13-quart bowl and it was filled to the brim.
You could also use two large bowls and eyeball how much of the buttery topping you add to each.
Because I love Cheez-It crackers, I use the family-size box, but if your bowl size is smaller, you could opt for a regular-size box.
Gently warming the buttery topping mixture helps the ranch seasoning dissolve.
Short on time—or not crazy about adding extra fat and salt to snacks?
While the topping mix is real tasty, this mix is good even without it! Skip the buttery topping and toasting and just enjoy a fun, crunch snack mix.
Toasting snack mixes like this isn’t about baking, but about giving the liquid coating time to absorb and dry out. A little toastiness is nice but not the goal.
I do mine on 225°F for 90 minutes, but you could even bump it up to 250°F if you want it to get a little more toasty—just keep an eye on it.
Rotate your pans and give everything a gentle toss every 30 minutes.
If you’re bagging it up, be sure to let it cool completely first (20-30 minutes).
I think a 4-5 oz bag is a nice size. This batch made 15 bags (less if you snack on some yourself! LOL).
I bought a 100 pack of these Music Notes Cellophane Treat Bags on Amazon last year when I made caramel corn.
They’re a really nice size for snack gifts like this!
Who wouldn’t enjoy receiving a savory snack like this?!
Buttery Ranch Snack Mix
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Place 3 racks equal distance apart in your oven and preheat to 225° F.
- Pour half the contents of each snack bag/box into an oversize bowl. Mix gently with a large spoon or clean hands. Add half of what remains in each box and mix well. Repeat. (This just makes it easier to mix thoroughly little by little.)
- In a small saucepan, warm oil and ranch seasoning sachet over low heat. Whisk until mixed well and gently warmed, 2-3 minutes.
- Pour 1/3 of the mixture over the snacks and mix gently, turning the bowl a quarter turn as you stir. Give the butter mixture a quick whisk again and pour half of what remains over snacks. Repeat. (Again, this just makes it easier to coat gently and thoroughly).
- Spread evenly between 3 cookie sheets.
- Place in the oven and cook on 225° F for 90 minutes, rotating the sheet pans from high to low and gently tossing every 30 minutes. (Tossing is optional)
- If bagging, cool fully 20-30 minutes.
- Bag up and enjoy!
