Make this Hawaiian favorite—Furikake Chex Mix—for a holiday gift exchange, movie/game night, or potluck. It’s such a fun irresistible snack that will keep everyone munching!
I’ve received countless requests for a Furikake Chex Mix recipe and I always wondered what it tastes like. This is not a snack we eat in Japan, but a Japanese-inspired American snack that is popular in Hawaii.
Then a couple of years ago, my neighbor gifted us a batch of her special Holiday Chex Mix. I’ve tried bags of the store-bought Chex Mix many times, but this was a delicious mixture of cereals, bagel chips, salty pretzels, and mixed nuts. It was super addicting!
When my local boba shop started selling bags of house-made Furikake Chex Mix early this year, I knew I had to try it right away. It was a bit too sweet to my liking, but I love the concept of a seaweed-forward snack!
So long story short, I decided to try making it on my own at home.
What is Furikake Chex Mix?
Chex Mix is one of those classic American snacks made of various crispy cereals and chips. It can be sweet, salty, or both, but always crunchy. Since it makes the ultimate DIY snack, people in Hawaii decided to make their own riff by incorporating soy sauce into the rich butter syrup, and a generous amount of furikake rice seasoning into the mix. Sound yummy? It sure is!
Since I’ve never tried this iconic snack in Hawaii, my source for the recipe is the Furikake Chex Mix bag I’ve purchased from the San Francisco’s Boba Guys and the following websites:
I created an excel sheet to compare everyone’s ingredients. Soon I realized that everyone uses the exact same ingredients for the seasoning (with a slight difference in amount).
Everyone’s Glaze:
- Butter
- Corn syrup
- Sugar
- Cooking oil
- Soy sauce
- Furikake (Nori Komi Furikake–see below)
I also learned that most of the recipes use very similar cereals and chips.
Everyone’s Party Mix:
- Corn Chex
- Rice Chex
- Wheat Chex
- Honeycomb cereal
- Bugles
- Pretzels
Some did include a few other additions to create their own twist.
Popular Adds On:
- Crispix cereal
- Kix
- Goldfish
- Cheez-Its
- Fritos
- Peanuts
- Salted almonds
Just like any homemade Chex mix, this Japanese-Hawaiian rendition is also flexible and forgiving. After finalizing my ingredient choices, I compared and tested the combination for seasonings. Now let me share what I’ve decided!
How to Make Furikake Chex Mix
Ingredients You’ll Need
Party Mix
- Corn Chec
- Wheat Chex
- Honeycomb cereal
- Bugles
- Pretzels
- Japanese green pea snack
My take: I tried out a few different things, but I wanted to keep it simple and straightforward so you can always experiment with your own preference. So here, I added roasted green peas.
You know, the Japanese party mix often includes those crunchy green peas. I also thought it would add a pop of color in an otherwise mostly brown snack.
A side story: When I saw a bag of Bugles, I was shocked! For the past 20 years of living in the US, I actually did not know Americans also eat Tongari Corn (とんがりコーン) – the Japanese name for this snack. I did not want to buy overpriced imported Tongari Corn at a Japanese market. Who knew I could just grab a bag of Bugles!
Glaze
- Butter
Corn syrupBrown rice syrup- Sugar
- Cooking oil
- Soy sauce
- Furikake (Nori Komi Furikake)
- Shichimi togarashi
My take: I have never bought corn syrup before making this recipe. I thought you would ask me for an alternative option, so I went ahead and tested with agave, honey, maple syrup, and brown rice syrup. For the best result in terms of texture and flavor, brown rice syrup won!
It’s a healthier alternative (although this snack does include a stick of butter!). You can buy brown rice syrup at your local grocery stores or get rice syrup from Korean grocery stores.
The Furikake Chex Mix from Boba Guys had a little spicy kick and my family loved that. So I included shichimi togarashi in my recipe.
Overview: Cooking Steps
- Make the glaze in the sauce pan and let cool.
- Combine all the ingredients for the party mix.
- Pour the glaze over and sprinkle furikake.
- Bake in the oven for 1 hour.
- Let cool and store in airtight containers/jars.
Helpful Tips on Making Furikake Chex Mix
- Use aluminum prep containers with tall edges; one large container (half sheet pan size) or two containers (quarter sheet pan size) that can fit in the oven. They have tall edges and are perfect for tossing the mixture without spilling.
- Evenly distribute the syrup. Be sure to drizzle syrup all over the mixture (instead of just one area) so it is easier to distribute and tossing evenly.
- Use plastic gloves or two utensils (silicone spatulas are great!) for tossing and coating with syrup, and once baked, loosen up the party mix that sticks to each other into big chunks.
- Tossing the cereal mixture at least 3 times during baking and 3 times during cooling.
- Let the Chex mix cools completely after baking. If you pack even slightly warm snack in containers, the steam (moisture) will end up making it less crunchy.
The Ultimate Party Snack
This is definitely an all-star party snack—perfect for any occasion and holiday entertaining. My son brought it to school to share with his friends and they have been asking for the recipe. Thank you to those who requested the recipe! I’m so glad that you asked and now it will on a regular on our holiday menu.
Hope you give it a try!
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Furikake Chex Mix
Make this Hawaiian favorite—Furikake Chex Mix—for a holiday gift exchange, movie/game night, or potluck. It’s such a fun irresistible snack that will keep everyone munching!
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 250 ºF (120 ºC) and gather all the ingredients. This recipe is very flexible and forgiving. Use approximately the same amount of party mix of your choice.
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Stir to mix until sugar is completely dissolved. Lower the heat to avoid boiling. Remove from heat to cool slightly while you prepare the party mix blend.
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Evenly divide the Corn Chex, Wheat Chex, Honeycomb cereal, Bugles, Pretzels, and Japanese green pea snack into the two large pans.
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Whisk the syrup one more time and make sure it’s not separated. Then evenly distribute the syrup over the two pans of the party mix. Using two silicone spatulas, toss the party mix well until evenly coated.
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Bake at 250 ºF (120 ºC) for 1 hour. Take the pans out every 15 minutes (3 times total) to toss it all together.
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Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Toss the party mix every 15 minutes (at least 3 times) to loosen up. If you don’t, the party mix will stick to each other while it cools. If that happens, put the pans back in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. The syrup will melt again and become loose. Make sure to toss the party mix every 15 minutes this time!
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Serve and enjoy! If you don’t eat it right away, divide the party mix into airtight bags/containers.
Nutrition
Calories: 643 kcal · Carbohydrates: 116 g · Protein: 11 g · Fat: 21 g · Saturated Fat: 9 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 6 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 5 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 31 mg · Sodium: 983 mg · Potassium: 424 mg · Fiber: 13 g · Sugar: 38 g · Vitamin A: 2368 IU · Vitamin C: 10 mg · Calcium: 164 mg · Iron: 26 mg
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on November 26, 2021. It’s been republished on December 14, 2021.
