Name: Strawberry lemonade chex mix
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 min
Total time: 46 min
Yield: 7
Ingredients: 1 cup white chocolate chips; 1 teaspoon lemon extract; 4 cups Chex/square cereal; 1 cup freeze-dried strawberries; 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Make a batch of lemonade strawberry Chex mix for an easy and quick treat. The bright colors and flavors of this muddy buddy-inspired recipe and perfect for spring parties like Valentine’s Day and Easter.

2 ramekins of strawberry lemonade Chex mix on a strawberry print tablecloth.

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When I found these freeze-dried strawberries at my local Aldi, I knew I had to use them in a recipe. They’re full of flavor – both sweet and tart at the same time.

We are all about snacks at my house, so I immediately knew I had to make something that my kids could enjoy as a sweet after school snack. This also doubles as an easy party treat. The result is something like muddy buddies.

Measuring cup full of freeze dried strawberries.

If you don’t have an Aldi nearby or they don’t have these freeze-dried strawberries, you can substitute regular dried berries or fruit chips from any grocery store.

The only cooking this recipe calls for is a few minutes in the microwave, so this is a great recipe to try with help from your kids!

Ramekin of strawberry lemonade Chex mix.

How to make strawberry lemonade Chex mix

Ingredients

1 cup white chocolate chips
1 teaspoon lemon extract
4 cups rice Chex cereal (or your favorite variety)
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 cups freeze-dried strawberries

Freeze-dried strawberries, white chocolate chips, lemon extract, powdered sugar, and a box of Chex cereal on a kitchen counter.

Instructions

A little prep goes a long way. First, you’ll need a gallon zip bag and a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment.

1. Melt the chocolate.

Pour the white chocolate chips into a large microwaveable bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds and stir. Heat for another 30 seconds if needed, until the chocolate is just melted.

Caution: The bowl might get hot before the chocolate completely melts. Use a potholder.

2. Add the extract.

Add the lemon extract and stir to with a spatula to combine.

Glass bowl of melted white chocolate and lemon extract.

3. Add the cereal.

Next add the chex cereal to the bowl and stir gently to coat. Try to avoid crunching the cereal pieces, although a few broken ones are okay.

Chex cereal stirred into melted chocolate mixture.

4. Add powdered sugar.

Add the powdered sugar and stir to coat. You may need to break up large pieces so that the sugar coats all of the pieces. A few clusters stuck together are fine, but you don’t want a big glob of the chocolate.

Cereal coated in white chocolate and sugar.

5. Add strawberries.

Finally, add the strawberries and gently fold them in.

Stirring freeze-dried strawberries into the cereal mixture.

For a less-messy alternative, you could pour the powdered sugar into a gallon zip bag. Add the cereal mixture. Zip the bag closed securely and shake/toss/turn to coat.

Dump the mix onto a lined baking sheet and spread it out. Let it cool and dry for about half an hour, then store in an air-tight container.

Strawberry lemonade chex mix spread out on a metal baking sheet.

This strawberry chex mix can be stored at room temperature. Muddy buddies usually stay fresh for up to 2 weeks, assuming you don’t eat it faster than that.

Closeup of Chex mix with strawberries in small ramekins.

If you like this recipe, you could easily make different variations by swapping the extract flavor and freeze-dried fruit. Any flavor combo you like is easy to use here.

vanilla extract + dried raspberries
coconut extract + dried pineapple
orange extract + dried blueberries

A bowl and a tray of strawberry lemonade chex mix.

Printable strawberry lemonade chex mix recipe

Yield: Makes about 7 cups