The Best 5-Ingredient Nut-Free Trail Mix

December 1, 2018

Fuel a long hike or after-school munchies with this school safe Nut-Free Trail Mix, made with sweet and savory flavors and soft and crunchy textures, 100% food allergy friendly! But be sure to pre-package individual servings, because I’m warning you, it can be addictive!

Nut Free, Gluten Free, Grain Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Egg Free

I am 100% the type of person who eats all day long. My co-workers think I’m a weirdo and my grad school friends know I’m never in class without a snack.

But here’s the thing…I don’t eat too much at once. I follow a largely vegetarian diet with many plant-based meals, so I tend to fill up on volume (read: veggies), which means I get hungry about every 2-3 hours. Plus, I try to stay pretty active and I’m always walking around the great big city that I live in, so I need to replenish my fuel stores!

My go-to? Nut-free trail mix!

Trail mix isn’t only great for hitting the trails! It can be a great snack when you’re busy running errands or after an insanely great workout, an after-school treat, or even to sprinkle on yogurt for breakfast on the run!

Unfortunately, many store-bought trail mixes…

a) Have nuts
b) Are loaded with excess salt and sugar
c) Make my grocery bill skyrocket

Fortunately, I’ve created a nutritionally-balanced mix of seeds, dried fruit, and chocolate (oooh yes, chocolate!) with spicy and sweet flavors to appeal to the masses. You need to whip up a batch of this nut-free trail mix pronto!

When looking for a trail mix to sustain energy levels, make sure it contains…

Protein
Fiber
Some healthy fats

The seeds here provide both protein and healthy fats. The dark chocolate is a good source of healthy fats. Dried fruit contains some fiber. Plus, using chili-rubbed pepitas boosts your metabolism from the capsaicin.

Whether you’re in the mood for something savory or sweet, you can find it here!

Originally I thought this “recipe” was just too easy to post, but when I saw an article, “The Breakfasts Food Bloggers Eat But Are Too Simple For Their Blogs,” I figured sometimes simplicity is underrated. Like now.

This nut-free trail mix may seem like it involves more work because you have to first make the chili-rubbed pepitas, but it takes minimal time and the recipe is extremely similar to my seed crackers, which means it’s oil-free too.

You’re going to combine raw pepitas (I use Trader Joe’s), chia seeds (helps everything stick together), and spices with some water. Yes, water! You will be forming a paste-like mixture…weird, I know. The final recipe only calls for 2 tablespoons of water because I would rather you have to add more water than add too much at first. We do NOT want this mixture to be soggy!

Then you will spread the seed mixture out on a baking sheet, and feel free to add more chili powder or even dried cayenne pepper. And simply bake! Keep an eye on them to be sure your seeds do not burn!

Once cooled, you’ll combine the chili-rubbed pepitas with sunflower seeds, dried fruit (pick your favorites!), and chocolate chips. If you want, improvise with unsweetened shredded coconut, maybe a few white chocolate chips, hemp seeds, or even granola if you have some lying around. Anything that you enjoy can be thrown in here!

Now get noshin’…