Chex Mix is a beloved snack mix made up of Chex cereal pieces and a variety of other ingredients like pretzels, nuts, and spices. You can buy pre-made Chex Mix from the grocery store, or you can make your own homemade version. But which is the more cost-effective option?
Buying Pre-Made Chex Mix
The main advantage of buying pre-made Chex Mix is convenience. It’s ready to eat straight out of the bag, so there’s no prep work required on your part. You can pick up a bag on your next trip to the grocery store without needing any additional ingredients.
Chex Mix comes in a few different varieties, but let’s compare the prices for the most popular Original flavor:
- Chex Original Party Mix, 9 oz bag: $3.49
- Chex Original Party Mix, 15 oz family size bag: $5.49
So if you buy the smaller 9 oz bag, you’re paying about $0.39 per ounce. The larger 15 oz bag brings it down slightly to $0.37 per ounce. Buying in bulk usually saves a bit of money.
One thing to note is that pre-made Chex Mix often goes on sale, so you can sometimes snag it for less. Let’s say you catch it at a 25% discount:
- 9 oz bag at 25% off: $2.62 ($0.29/oz)
- 15 oz bag at 25% off: $4.12 ($0.27/oz)
When it’s on sale like that, buying pre-made Chex Mix becomes more affordable. But you’re still limited to buying only the flavors being sold and the ingredients might not be quite as fresh.
Making Homemade Chex Mix
Rather than buying the pre-packaged stuff, you can make your own Chex Mix at home. This allows you to customize the ingredients to your taste and ensure freshness. Here’s a typical homemade Chex Mix recipe:
| Ingredient | Amount | Estimated Price |
|---|---|---|
| Rice Chex cereal | 6 cups | $1.50 |
| Wheat Chex cereal | 2 cups | $0.60 |
| Mini pretzels | 2 cups | $0.75 |
| Nuts (peanuts, cashews, etc) | 1 cup | $2.00 |
| Worcestershire sauce | 1/4 cup | $0.05 |
| Seasoning (Garlic powder, onion powder, seasoning salt) | 2 tbsp each | $0.30 |
| Olive oil | 3 tbsp | $0.15 |
| Butter, melted | 3 tbsp | $0.15 |
| Total: | $5.50 |
For about $5.50 worth of ingredients, you can make a large homemade batch of Chex Mix. The exact amount will depend on how much of each ingredient you use. But let’s assume the recipe above makes 10 cups of mix.
If a 9 oz bag of pre-made mix costs $3.49, then a 10 cup homemade batch costing $5.50 is a better deal at $0.55 per cup versus $0.39 per ounce. Even when buying pre-made on sale for $2.62 per 9 oz bag, homemade comes out cheaper at $0.55 per cup vs. $0.29 per ounce for the store-bought version.
Cost Per Serving
To get an even better idea of the cost difference, let’s break it down by suggested serving size:
| Chex Mix Type | Serving Size | Price Per Package | Total Servings | Price Per Serving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original Party Mix 9 oz | 1.5 oz (about 1/2 cup) | $3.49 | 6 | $0.58 |
| Original Party Mix 15 oz | 1.5 oz (about 1/2 cup) | $5.49 | 10 | $0.55 |
| Homemade Chex Mix | 1.5 oz (about 1/2 cup) | $5.50 (for 10 cups) | 20 | $0.28 |
Looking at it this way, the homemade version is clearly the better deal at just $0.28 per serving compared to $0.55-$0.58 for the pre-made options. Even when buying the Chex Mix at 25% off, the per serving cost only drops to $0.44-$0.49 which is still higher than homemade.
Time Commitment
The tradeoff for the cost savings with homemade Chex Mix is that you have to spend time making it. Following the recipe above takes about 20-30 minutes of active prep time. Then it needs to bake in the oven for 50 minutes, plus cooling time.
So total time spent is around 1.5 hours. That may fit easily into your schedule or it may feel like too much effort compared to just grabbing a bag off the shelf.
Ways to reduce active time when making homemade Chex Mix:
- Measure ingredients ahead of time
- Use already pre-chopped nuts
- Make a double batch and save half for later
You can also look for shortcuts like microwave Chex Mix that cuts down on the baking time. But it may not have quite as robust flavor as the oven-baked version.
Taste Comparison
In addition to cost savings, another advantage of homemade Chex Mix is taste.
With the pre-packaged mixes, you’re limited to the flavors they produce. The original Chex Mix has a nice spice blend, but it can sometimes be overly salty or include questionable ingredients.
By making it yourself, you control the ingredients and seasonings to create your perfect blend. You can add more nuts for extra crunch or use alternative seasonings like curry powder or cajun seasoning for a flavor twist.
The homemade version also tends to taste fresher. The cereal and other pieces have crisper texture that isn’t muted sitting pre-bagged on a shelf.
Conclusion
So in summary, is it cheaper to buy Chex Mix or make your own?
Buying pre-made Chex Mix is certainly faster and more convenient. But you’ll pay roughly twice as much per serving compared to making a homemade batch. Sales can bring the store-bought price down, but it’s still likely to be more expensive than homemade.
If you have time to spare, making your own Chex Mix is the clear value winner. You’ll get a large fresh batch for half the price of pre-made mix. And you can customize flavors to your liking rather than being stuck with only available options.
For an occasional quick snack, buying Chex Mix makes sense. But if you’re feeding a crowd or want something tailored to your tastes, put in the effort to create your own Chex Mix at home. The cost savings and flavor control make it worthwhile.