High Protein Trail Mix Recipe

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This high protein trail mix is easy to mix up at home, with the perfect balance of sweet and salty. Made with simple ingredients like dried fruit, chocolate, and nuts, it’s a satisfying easy snack!

Healthy high protein trail mix is a great snack for the whole family, satisfyingly sweet and salty.

A while back, someone asked how our family gets enough protein given the smaller amount of meat in one of my meal plans. I hadn’t given it a lot of thought, but we do have plenty of protein sources besides meat.

We eat beans at least once a week.
I serve grass-fed cheese at meals and for snacks.
We always include kefir or homemade yogurt in our daily smoothies
Our healthy homemade Lunchables include a dollop of peanut butter with slices of fruits and vegetables.
We often reach for a handful of nuts when we’re seeking some hand-to-mouth food action.

Including nutrient-dense proteins in our food is mostly why I wrote my most popular ebook High Protein, No Powder. We quit using expensive protein powders that tend to contain various (unnecessary and potentially harmful) chemicals. Instead, we started incorporating real food into our smoothie regimens, which purposefully included high-protein ingredients.

HOMEMADE SWEET AND SALTY PROTEIN TRAIL MIX

I like to call this recipe High Protein Sweet and Salty Trail Mix…or just “trail mix” for short. I make several portions at one time so my husband can easily grab a bag as he packs his backpack each morning. The kids snack on it after school, and it’s great for quick snacks on the go and long road trips where healthy, affordable food is hard to come by.

Protein smoothies are part of our morning routine. But to keep ourselves on track with bellies full of nutrient-dense foods, we need delicious protein-filled snacks throughout the day. The best afternoon snack needs to fit these requirements:

Hand-to-mouth action
Quick and easy to make or grab
Sweet
Salty
High in protein

Actually, one serving of this protein trail mix has a similar amount of protein to a 3-ounce portion of chicken! And bonus – it’s also gluten-free!

Bowl of chocolate chips, bowl of dried cranberries, bowl of walnuts, bowl of almonds, bowl of pretzels, bowl of pepitas.

HIGH PROTEIN TRAIL MIX INGREDIENTS

These are our favorite ingredients for the best high protein trail mix recipe:

Almonds: Salted or unsalted almonds work
Cashews: dry roasted have good flavor
Peanuts: an easy-to-find cheap protein
Dried coconut, chopped (this is different from the sweetened shredded coconut you usually find in stores – it’s not sweetened, and the pieces are bigger, making it perfect for trail mix). This kind on Amazon is the same version we buy from Costco.
Sunflower seeds: Aldi sells bags of shelled sunflower seeds near their nuts and trail mixes
Pepitas: aka pumpkin seeds
Cranberries: look for unsweetened at the store, or make your own dehydrated cranberries
Dark chocolate chips: optional, but my kids are a lot more likely to eat trail mix with a bit of chocolate in it, and honestly, I like it too!

There are two ways to make this healthy trail mix recipe:

Option 1: Measure everything into a big container, shake, and serve.

Option 2: Measure everything into individual containers.

Measuring snack mix into small baggies is difficult. Instead, line up several coffee mugs and measure one ingredient into each of the mugs until all ingredients have been measured. Then pour the mug of mix into a Ziplock bag and seal. These containers with lids are also great for single servings of trail mix.

I’m a big fan of #2. It’s probably related to my inner love of lists and ratios (such a nerd, I know), but there’s another reason too. If the family had free reign on a large bowl of trail mix, the kids would take all the chocolate and the husband would take all the cashews and almonds.

Not that I don’t enjoy what’s remaining, but I think we can all agree that the chocolate, almonds, and cashews are the best parts! Those single servings are preventative maintenance.

ADDITIONAL TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL BATCH OF HOMEMADE TRAIL MIX

Omit the chocolate if you’re taking this homemade trail mix on a real trail. The chocolate will melt quickly and make a big mess, not the best for adventures!
I like to get a lot of my nuts from Thrive Market if I can’t find them for a good price at Costco. (Click here to see the Exclusive Offer for Crumbs readers!)
Dried cranberries and/or even Goji berries or dried blueberries can be swapped for raisins or golden raisins, depending on your taste preferences and budget.
You can swap out the nuts if you find a great deal or prefer a different kind. Walnuts and pistachios are sometimes cheaper than cashews and almonds. Pecans and cans of nut mix are often on sale in the winter near the holidays!
Peanuts have the most protein per serving and are the least expensive. If you’re looking to shave a bit off the cost, swap additional peanuts for one of the other two more expensive nuts.
Making your own dried fruit is another frugal option. Dried cherries, apples, strawberries, apricots, mango, and banana chips would all be delicious. Consider this as fruit becomes more and more affordable when it’s in season.
You can add something fun and inexpensive like pretzels, popcorn, or granola clusters to your trail mix as well to help it stretch. Check your ingredients list to avoid unnecessary additives and stick to just a handful of pieces in each serving, since we want to focus on protein in trail mix.
Limit the sweets. The goal is to make a healthy protein snack, so keep any candy and cereal to a small ratio. Peanut butter chips, white chocolate chips, yogurt covered raisins, M&M’s, cheerios, and chex are extra tasty!!

PROTEIN IN TRAIL MIX FAQS

Why is store-bought trail mix so expensive?

Store-bought trail mixes tend to be expensive because of the various nut ingredients and the convenience of buying a ready-made trail mix. But you get a much healthier, cost-effective, and customized trail mix when you make your own. It doesn’t take much effort either, I promise!

How long does homemade trail mix last?

If this recipe for homemade trail mix lasts that long, you can store it in an airtight container for about a month. Nuts will tend to go rancid after a month.

Is trail mix healthy?

Yes, when you use simple healthy ingredients to make your own trail mix without all the additives that are commonly found in expensive store-bought mix, and when you focus on ingredients with protein in trail mix, like nuts and seeds, rather than lots of sugary add-ins.

MORE HIGH PROTEIN SNACKS AND MEALS

There are all kinds of ways to add protein to your diet besides eating a lot of meat. Making tasty snacks and meals from beans and nuts are frugal ways to increase protein and stretch the budget.

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