Parmesan Ranch Party Mix

If you are going to a party and don’t know what to make, this is the perfect thing to bring. These are the cool ranch Doritos of party mixes; everyone shovels it into their mouths like wild animals and it’s easy to make. You basically just toss and stir.

I am a firm believer that anything tastes better with ranch and cheese. When I was a kid that was like 50% of my diet. Who am I kidding, it still is a good portion of my diet. For the longest time I thought that it was called “Chex Mex”. I think because “Chex Mix®” was just too obvious of a name, and I thought it needed some spicing up or maybe I just had “Tex Mex” on my mind from a young age.

Homemade Parmesan Ranch Party Mix

Key Ingredients in This Recipe

• Chex – I use both rice Chex and whole wheat Chex in this homemade mix.
• Bagel – Make your own bagel rounds (my personal favorite part of Chex mix) by cooking them in the oven to crisp them.
• Ranch spices – I love the spice combination that makes up the ranch powder combined with the crisp roasted pumpkin seeds, and the fact that the ranch powder can easily be made at home using spices that you may likely have already. I use a combination of buttermilk powder, parsley, chives, garlic powder, onion powder, dill, salt and pepper.
• Buttermilk powder – This is what gives ranch its signature tang. You can find buttermilk powder in the baking section of most grocery stores. Buttermilk powder is made by dehydrating liquid buttermilk until it becomes a powder.
• Worcestershire – The flavor of Worcestershire comes from a mix of vinegar, molasses, anchovies, garlic, tamarind extract and chili pepper. It both adds a funky flavor and helps to adhere the spice mixture to the Chex.

How to Make Homemade Parmesan Ranch Party Mix

For the ranch seasoning:

• In a small bowl add all of the seasoning ingredients and whisk to thoroughly combine. Set aside.

For the Chex Mix:

1. Bake oven crisps. Preheat oven to 250ºF. Arrange bagel slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and brush the top of the bagels with the olive oil. Bake until crisp, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
2. Toss the bagels, pretzel and Chex. In a large mixing bowl, toss rice chex, wheat chex, pretzels, cashews and bagel crisps to combine. If you do not have a bowl large enough, divide the mixture in half between two large bowls.
3. Mix the seasoning with butter. In a small bowl whisk together the melted butter, Worcestershire and ranch seasonings.
4. Toss to combine. Pour the seasoning mixture over the Chex mix and toss until the seasoning is evenly distributed and all pieces are coated. If you have divided the Chex mixture into two bowls evenly distribute the mix over both.
5. Bake the mixture. Spread the mixture in an even layer onto two baking sheets. Bake at 250ºF until crisp, about 1 hour, taking out the mixture and stirring it every 15 minutes.
6. Let cool and toss with cheese. Remove from oven and let cool. Once the mixture is cool, add to a large mixing bowl and toss in the Parmesan cheese. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Other Recipes to Try

If you enjoy this Chex party mix recipe, I recommend checking out some of these:

• Cheesy Garlic Popcorn
• Roasted Ranch Pumpkin Seeds
• Honey Almond Granola

Homemade Parmesan Ranch Party Mix

Print Pin

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Serves 15 cups

US Customary – Metric

Ingredients:

For the ranch seasoning:

• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1½ teaspoons dried chives
• 1½ teaspoons dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried dill
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dry buttermilk

For the Party Mix:

• 1 bagel, sliced into thin rounds
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 cups Rice Chex
• 3 cups Wheat Chex
• 3 cups mini pretzels
• 1 cup cashew halves
• ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

For the ranch seasoning:

• In a small bowl add all of the seasoning ingredients and whisk to thoroughly combine. Set aside.

For the Chex Mix:

• Preheat oven to 250ºF (130ºC). Arrange bagel slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and brush the top of the bagels with the olive oil. Bake until crisp, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
• In a large mixing bowl, toss rice chex, wheat chex, pretzels, cashews and bagel crisps to combine. If you do not have a bowl large enough, divide the mixture in half between two large bowls.
• In a small bowl whisk together the melted butter, Worcestershire and ranch seasonings.
• Pour the seasoning mixture over the Chex mix and toss until the seasoning is evenly distributed and all pieces are coated. If you have divided the Chex mixture into two bowls evenly distribute the mix over both.
• Spread the mixture in an even layer onto two baking sheets. Bake at 250ºF until crisp, about 1 hour, taking out the mixture and stirring it every 15 minutes.
• Remove from oven and let cool. Once the mixture is cool, add to a large mixing bowl and toss in the Parmesan cheese. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

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