I am always on the lookout for healthy snacks to nibble between meals. Sweet, savory, whatever. (I’m one of those unfortunate people who gets cravings for both!) When I say “healthy”, the main things I’m looking out for are low or no sugar (5g or less, and preferably only fruit sugar), whole-food ingredients, and as little processing as possible (with occasional deviations for the sake of indulgence). Added vitamins and nutrients are a plus, too!
Enter my new obsession with making my own trail mix. It checks all or most of these boxes, depending on the ingredients. And sure, I won’t knock a good can of Planter’s mixed nuts. But there are so many more ingredients out there to experiment with! I like to get one-pound bags of single bulk ingredients, mostly from Nuts.com, empty all of them onto plates, and then mix them back into the bags a spoonful at a time. This keeps them fairly evenly-mixed and ensures everything has a resealable container to fit back into perfectly. Plus, it’s fun mixing your own!
Here are some of my favorite new recipes. I tried to incorporate some things I don’t often see in the easier-to-find Planter’s mixes. (Also, if you’re inspired by anything here and want to get started making your own, click here for $20 off your first $39+ order at Nuts.com!)
Please note: This post contains affiliate links to items you can purchase from Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you.
Diamond Thanksgiving
When I was a kid, every year at Thanksgiving we would get bags of Diamond Mixed Nuts and use a nutcracker like this to crack them all open. My basis for most of these recipes is the Diamond mix (walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, and Brazil nuts–minus the Brazil nuts, because I don’t really like those). Then I’ve modified as desired. So my title for this one is in honor of the mix and those fond Thanksgiving memories.
- Walnuts
- Sprouted almonds (You can go with the regular kind, too, but apparently this variety is better for digestion.)
- Hazelnuts
- Pecans
- Pumpkin seeds
- Cranberries (They unfortunately don’t sell these without some added sugar. But the juice-infused or dark-chocolate-covered ones actually have the least sugar of all the other varieties on Nuts.com!)
- Dates
Pumpkin seeds for pumpkin pie, cranberries for cranberry sauce, and dates because of a long-lost memory I recently recovered of a school recipe for “Pilgrim date bars” circa 2nd grade.
Pilgrim Date Crunch
Speaking of those Pilgrim date bars…this is a sweeter, more indulgent version of the previous recipe with the equivalent of candy in a few places.
- Walnuts
- Praline almonds (Our Thanksgivings were always spent outside of Atlanta, so I selected pralines as a nod to Georgia.)
- Hazelnuts
- Pumpkin-spice pecans
- Pumpkin seeds
- Diced dates (or chopped)
Holiday Roast
Still on the Thanksgiving theme, this one can represent Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. This one is all savory.
- Red walnuts (I like the more savory appearance of the red variety here.)
- Dry-roasted almonds, salted
- Dry roasted hazelnuts, salted
- Dry roasted pecans, salted
- Double-roasted squash seeds, salted
- Toasted corn
Homeland Harvest
This mix is inspired by items you can forage in Virginia (my “homeland”). The overall bouquet has a mildly sweet and buttery flavor with hints of PB&J.
- Black walnuts
- Hazelnuts (raw or dry-roasted)
- Pecans (raw or dry-roasted)
- Roasted super jumbo Virginia peanuts, unsalted (Alternatively, you could try honey-roasted Virginia peanuts for a sweeter hint of the honeysuckle I grew up snacking on.)
- Toasted corn, pumpkin seeds, or watermelon seeds
- Mulberries (Black, white, or mixed if you can find them or want to mix your own. I grew up eating both.)
- Chokeberries (a.k.a. aronia berries)
Brit-berry Crunch
Speaking of the “homeland”, this one goes farther back to where many of my ancestors came from. This is inspired by foods you can forage in the U.K.
- Walnuts
- Sprouted almonds
- Hazelnuts
- Roasted chestnuts
- Honey oat granola
- Blackberries
- Strawberries
- Bilberries (If you want to try something a little more unique but a lot more expensive!)
Mitten Munch
While I was thinking up homeland mixes, I came up with this one for Boyfriend, who hails from “the Fish and Mitten”.
- Walnuts
- Hazelnuts
- Pecans
- Roasted chestnuts
- Roasted squash seeds (unsalted)
- Maple granola
- Blueberries
- Cherries
Nutterlands Forage
Finishing out my homeland-inspired mixes is another for Boyfriend, whose family comes from the Netherlands.
- Walnuts
- Sprouted almonds
- Hazelnuts
- Dark-chocolate-covered peanuts (or super-jumbo blanched peanuts if you’re avoiding the extra sugar)
- Roasted chestnuts
- Toasted corn
- Cherries
Nutcracker Sweets
This mix is inspired by–you guessed it–the holiday season. In case you needed one more sweet treat for that time of year! Or a slightly healthier substitute. These might make cute gifts if you buy some little Mason jars to put them in.
- English walnuts (raw, unsalted)
- Dry-roasted almonds (unsalted)
- Cinnamon pecans
- Dry-roasted cashews (unsalted)
- Roasted chestnuts
- Cranberries (either juice-infused or dark chocolate)
- Dark chocolate-covered orange peel
- Spice drops
Cupid Crunch
A healthy Valentine’s-inspired treat.
- Walnuts
- Sprouted almonds
- Hazelnuts
- Pistachios or Turkish pistachios
- Your choice of tiger nuts or pumpkin seeds
- Ruby chocolate chips (These are only sold in large packages, so you can try your favorite chocolate-chip cookies recipe with some of the leftovers!)
- Organic dried strawberries
- Diced figs or dates
Pina Colada Bites
This one really is not healthy at all (most of the fruit has added sugar, unless you can find good replacements without it), but it’s an ode to one of my favorite frozen drinks.
- Sprouted almonds
- Pecans
- Banana chips
- Diced coconut
- Organic pineapple chunks
- Dried kiwi
- Cherries
Summer BBQ
Another one that really isn’t healthy, but is inspired by crops that are in season in the summer and the flavors of a barbecue. Keeping in mind that almost any nut with flavor added to it has sugar, several of these items are literally candy, but you could swap some of them out for healthier alternatives.
- Hickory-smoked almonds
- Dill pickle cashews
- Dry-roasted macadamias (salted)
- Memphis BBQ peanuts
- Watermelon seeds
- Toasted corn
- Roasted fava beans (unsalted)
Pool Party
Here is a sweeter, but ironically healthier, summer-inspired mix.
- Sprouted almonds
- Cashews
- Macadamias
- Super-jumbo blanched peanuts
- Organic dried strawberries
- Organic Turkish apricots
- Cherries
Spirit Snacks
This Japanese-themed mix was inspired by that delicious-looking feast scene–you know the one–from Spirited Away. We won’t pretend there’s much healthy about this one, either. But it is tasty.
- Walnuts
- Seaweed peanuts
- Wasabi peas
- Sesame teriyaki almonds and cashews (Or those crunchy sesame sticks–or both!)
- Roasted soybeans (unsalted, whole)
- Natural rice crackers
Getting Creative
Of course, you can mix up and eliminate any of the ingredients you see here as you choose. Maybe after browsing, you’ll get ideas for some new mixes of your own! Remember to use my link for $20 off your first order. Let me know what you come up with!
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