Snack mixes have always been one of our guilty pleasures. They’re crunchy, they satisfy cravings, and there are an endless number of flavor combinations. This Ranch Snack Mix combines standard pantry snacks like Cheez-Its, pretzels, oyster crackers, and Chex, with melted butter and our homemade chipotle ranch seasoning. It blends our love for spicy food with our childhood appreciation for all snacks ranch flavored.

After a little time baking at a low temperature, every piece is golden, toasty, and bursting with flavor. It’s the ultimate easy snack: quick to throw together, fun to customize, and guaranteed to disappear faster than you’d like to admit.

Why You’ll Love This Snack Mix

Snack upgrade – this ranch snack mix takes familiar store-bought snacks and transforms them into something more flavorful.
Homemade ranch seasoning – by making the seasoning from scratch, we avoid any mystery ingredients or unwanted additives. Just pantry spices you can adjust to your taste.
It’s sharable – although it’s tempting to eat the whole batch alone (no judgement), this recipe makes a big batch that’s ideal for parties, game days, road trips, or lunchboxes throughout the week.
Just the right amount of seasoning – baking these snacks low and slow ensures nice, even toastiness with a light coating of seasoning. You get big flavor in every bite, not just flavored dust at the bottom of the bag.
Easy but impressive – once you mix up the seasoning and toss everything together, your oven does the rest of the work. Then you get to tell your friends that you made them yourself!

Top down view of a green bowl full of Ranch Snack Mix including an assortment of Cheez-its, pretzels, Chex, and oyster crackers.

What Makes a Great Ranch Dressing & Seasoning

Ranch dressing is an American staple and it seems like everyone here has their preferred store bought brand. Controversial, but neither one of us is actually too fond of Hidden Valley Ranch (we think it’s too sweet), but others rank it highly. We tend to like our ranch dressing and ranch seasonings heavier on the savory and herby notes instead. Check out our Homemade Herby Ranch for our take on this classic dressing.

Whatever your preferred style of ranch is, this ranch snack mix seasoning hits all the right notes: tangy buttermilk, savory onion and garlic, an earthy blend of dried dill, parsley, and chives, and a subtle sweetness that isn’t overpowering. We take it a step further with this seasoning blend and add chipotle chili powder for a touch of smoky heat.

Snack Mix Fun Facts & Tips

Homemade seasonings means more control – store-bought ranch packets can be high in additives and mystery ingredients, and when you’re already using Cheez-Its, pretzels, and other pre-made items, it’s nice to be able to reduce the amount of additional stuff in the snack mix. Making your own seasoning lets you customize it to your liking too. You can cut the salt, swap in different dried herbs, or bump up the tang with extra buttermilk powder.
The “slow & low” secret – baking at a lower temp gives the butter and seasoning time to cling without burning, so you end up with a toasty, evenly flavored mix instead of scorched bits. (Funny story: we once tried to toast regular Cheez-Its in the oven when we were kids, and we turned the heat up too high, then broiled them. They literally caught on fire. So…low and slow is the best method here!)
Mix-and-match flexibility – the base combo here is classic, but you can add Goldfish, bagel chips, popcorn, or Ritz Bitz. The ranch seasoning is versatile and clings to almost anything.
DIY snack bar vibe – having a homemade party mix on hand feels a little nostalgic like the classic Chex Mix your family might’ve made. The ranch twist makes it even better, in our opinions (have we mentioned we’re obsessed with ranch flavored snacks?).

Ingredients in this Snack Mix

Top view of six bowls, each full of individual snacks to be combined into the snack mix. Bows include Cheez-Its, Chex, pretzels, oyster crackers, melted butter, and ranch seasoning.

Snacky mix-ins – for this recipe, you’ll need Cheez-Its, pretzel twists, corn Chex cereal, and oyster crackers.
Buttermilk powder – this is used in the ranch seasoning for tangy, ranch-like flavor and richness. It also helps bind the spices to the snacks.
Spices – to complete the seasoning, you’ll need a mix of dried herbs (dill, chives, parsley), onion and garlic powder, salt, cracked black pepper, and chipotle chili powder.
Butter – mixing the snacks with melted butter helps the seasoning mix cling to and coat them.

Close of of small glass bowl full of ranch seasoning. Seasoning includes dried herbs, salt and pepper, chipotle powder, onion and garlic powders.

How to Make These Ranchy Snacks

Preheat the oven to 250°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easier cleanup.
In a small bowl, mix the dry seasoning ingredients (everything but the butter) and set aside.
Add Cheez-Its, pretzels, oyster crackers, and Chex cereal to a bowl. Gently mix in half of the melted butter and half of the ranch seasoning mix, then repeat with the rest of the butter and dry seasoning until all of the snack mix is well-coated.
Spread the seasoned snack mix on the baking sheet in an even layer. If your baking sheet is too small, you can use a 2nd one lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and toss well.
Bake for another 15 minutes, then toss again, and bake for a final 15 minutes. The snack mix should be just slightly toasted and the seasoning should stick on the snacks.
Let the ranch snack mix cool before eating (they will crisp up as they cool).

Side view close up of a green bowl full of Ranch Snack Mix including an assortment of Cheez-its, pretzels, Chex, and oyster crackers.

Ranch Snack Mix Variations

Make it spicier by adding in more chipotle powder or a dash of cayenne.
Turn it into cheesy ranch snack mix by sprinkling a little grated parmesan into the mix.
Make it gluten free by swapping out the mix-ins for gluten-free options.

Serving Ideas & Storage Suggestions

Put a bowl out for your next movie night.
Pack some up for your next road trip.
Make a batch on Sunday and pack up portions in lunchboxes throughout the week.
Store any leftover snack mix in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.
The snack mix will last in an airtight container for about a week (assuming you don’t eat it all before then).

Ingredients

Ranch Seasoning

¼ cup buttermilk powder
½ tbsp dried dill
½ tbsp dried chives
½ tbsp dried parsley
½ tbsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
¾ tsp pepper
¼ to ½ tsp chipotle pepper powder depending on how spicy you want it
½ tsp salt
¼ cup melted butter ½ stick

Mix-ins

3 cups corn Chex cereal
1 cup pretzel twists
2 cups Cheez-Its crackers original
1 cup oyster crackers

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 250°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, mix the dry ranch seasoning ingredients (everything but the butter) and set aside.
¼ cup buttermilk powder, ½ tbsp dried dill, ½ tbsp dried chives, ½ tbsp dried parsley, ½ tbsp onion powder, ½ tsp garlic powder, ¾ tsp pepper, ¼ to ½ tsp chipotle pepper powder, ½ tsp salt
Add Cheez-Its, pretzels, oyster crackers, and Chex cereal to a bowl. Gently mix in half of the melted butter and half of the ranch seasoning mix, then repeat with the rest of the butter and dry seasoning until all of the snack mix is well-coated.
3 cups corn Chex cereal, 1 cup pretzel twists, 2 cups Cheez-Its crackers, 1 cup oyster crackers, ¼ cup melted butter
Spread the seasoned snack mix on the baking sheet in an even layer. If your baking sheet is too small, you can use a 2nd one lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and toss well.
Bake for another 15 minutes, then toss again, and bake for a final 15 minutes. The snack mix should be just slightly toasted and the seasoning should stick on the snacks.
Let the ranch snack mix cool before eating (they will crisp up as they cool).