Snack Mix (Chex-Style)

A low FODMAP snack mix of gluten-free cereal squares, pretzels, walnuts, and pecans toasted in butter, garlic-infused olive oil, and tamari.

Prep 10 min

Cook 45 min

Serves 10

Gluten-freeVegetarian

Ingredients

• 4 cups (about 120g) rice-based gluten-free cereal squares (Rice Chex style)
• 1 cup (about 30g) corn-based gluten-free cereal squares, optional (about 3g per serving; choose one with no inulin, chicory root, or honey on the label)
• 2 cups (about 100g) gluten-free pretzels (check the label for hidden onion or garlic powder and for chicory root or inulin)
• 1/2 cup (about 50g) walnut halves (Monash caps walnuts at 30g per serving)
• 1/2 cup (about 50g) pecan halves (Monash caps pecans at 30g per serving)
• 1/4 cup (57g) unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons garlic-infused olive oil
• 2 tablespoons gluten-free tamari
• 1 teaspoon cane sugar (or 1 teaspoon maple syrup)
• 1 teaspoon pure smoked paprika (not a seasoning blend with onion or garlic)
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

Combine the dry mix

1. Heat the oven to 250°F (120°C). Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
2. In a large bowl, toss the cereal squares, pretzels, walnuts, and pecans until evenly distributed.

Make the savory coating

1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, or in the microwave in short bursts.
2. Stir in the garlic-infused oil, tamari, sugar, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper until the mixture is smooth.
3. Drizzle the warm coating over the dry mix and toss thoroughly so every piece picks up some of the liquid.

Bake low and slow

1. Spread the mix in a single layer on the lined baking sheet.
2. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes so the pieces toast evenly and the coating dries onto them.
3. Cool the mix completely on the sheet. It firms up and turns crunchy as it cools, so resist tasting for crispness while it is still warm.

Tips & Substitutions

• Skip the Worcestershire. Standard Worcestershire sauce is built on onion and garlic, so the garlic-infused oil plus tamari does the savory job here without the fructans.
• Portion the nuts. Walnuts, pecans, peanuts, and macadamias are low FODMAP in measured amounts. Cashews and pistachios are high FODMAP at a typical handful, so leave them out, and keep almonds to about 16 nuts (20g) per serving.
• Vet your pretzels. Gluten-free pretzel brands differ. Choose one without onion powder, garlic powder, chicory root, or inulin listed on the label.
• Go dairy-free if you need to. Swap the butter for an equal amount of garlic-infused oil or another plain low-FODMAP oil. Butter is very low in lactose, but the oil keeps the recipe fully dairy-free.
• Add heat carefully. A pinch of cayenne or pure ground chile works; check any seasoning blend's label, since Cajun and taco blends usually contain onion and garlic.
• Watch the corn cereal. Corn cereal is fine in a modest amount. If you are sensitive, use all rice squares. Look up any ingredient in the FODMAP Foods app to see how its rating changes with portion size.

Why This Works

• Garlic flavor without the fructans. Garlic's FODMAPs are water-soluble, not oil-soluble, so garlic-infused oil carries the flavor while the fructans stay behind in the discarded solids.
• Tamari replaces the onion-heavy sauce. Gluten-free tamari brings salty umami depth in place of Worcestershire, without the onion and garlic that flavor the bottled version.
• Rice and corn cereals stand in for wheat. Wheat-based Chex and traditional pretzels carry fructans, so gluten-free rice and corn squares and gluten-free pretzels keep the base low in FODMAPs.
• Portioned nuts keep it in range. Walnuts and pecans are low-FODMAP in small servings, and spreading a total of about 100g of nuts across ten portions keeps each serving well under the Monash caps.

Storage

Store the cooled snack mix in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. For longer storage, freeze it in a sealed container for up to 2 months and bring it back to room temperature before serving. If it softens, spread it on a sheet and warm it in a 250°F (120°C) oven for about 10 minutes, then cool to re-crisp. Keep to roughly a 3/4 cup serving so the nut portions stay within tested low-FODMAP amounts.