Bursting with sweet and tangy ingredients, this Dried Fruit Trail Mix is paired with just the right amount of crunch to keep every handful interesting. This was so hard for us to stop snacking!
If you’ve been following this blog for long, you already know that Olivia and I are pretty serious about trail mix! We test all the different combinations we can think of, to find the perfect ratio of ingredients. That’s why we’re happy to add this recipe to the list with this dark chocolate trail mix and all the others.
Trail Mix with Dried Fruit – Olivia’s Notes
I am rating this a 9 out of 10. I really liked the texture, and the only thing that I wasn’t super sure about was the raisins. But, I really like pistachios, and so I’m glad that we got to include them in one of our trail mixes. I also thought that the granola was an extra added touch.
I don’t really like banana chips by themselves, but in this trail mix the flavor works. It’s kind of like when you put mayonnaise on a sandwich. By itself it’s really gross. But, it makes some things better.
One of the things I wanted to try in this recipe was white chocolate chips. But, we didn’t have any that weren’t mixed with peppermint bark. And, peppermint was no good with this. So, I also learned that we need to keep more ingredients around to experiment with.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Dried Fruit – Olivia and I chose to use dried banana chips, raisins, and craisins as the star of this mix.
Nuts – We preferred pistachios for this trail mix, because of their softer texture and subtle flavor. Roasted almonds and peanuts tied for second.
Crunchy Bits – We included pretzel pieces and love crunch granola to add some more texture to this recipe.
Sweet Stuff – We used dark chocolate chips. Semi-sweet will also work.
How to Make Dried Fruit Trail Mix
Prepping the Ingredients: We break the banana chips and the pretzels into smaller pieces.
Combining the Ingredients: We prefer to use our kitchen scale when measuring the ingredients into a big bowl. This saves us the trouble of washing the measuring cups.
Mixing and Serving: We give the ingredients a toss, then transfer to a serving bowl or airtight storage container.
Dad’s Tip
Just like with our other recipes, the key to a great trail mix is balance. With dried fruit, granola, and chocolate all in one bowl, the sugars can pile up fast. We kept the sweetness from becoming overwhelming by pairing it with bitter dark chocolate and salty pretzels and nuts.
Salt Check – If this combination tastes flat, you’ll want to add a little more salt into the balance. A few extra pretzel pieces or pistachios should do the trick nicely.
Match Sizes – Try to keep all the ingredients close to the same size, so that nothing falls to the bottom of the bowl.
Taste First – You’re going to want to sample the ingredient ratios with a test bite before measuring them into the bowl. If anything is not exactly how you want it, adapt the ingredients to taste.
Make Ahead & Storage
Make Ahead: Absolutely. Trail mix is essentially made for meal prep. It’s perfect for mixing ahead of time, so that it’s ready to snack when you are.
Storing: Be sure to store this in an airtight container, so that nothing dries out or loses its desired texture. We have never had leftovers last longer than a week, but it keeps that long, at least.
More Trail Mix Recipes
Frequently Asked Questions
No. You wouldn’t be the first person to leave them behind. But, they do add a lot of crunchy texture that other dried fruits don’t have.
Yes. When swapping ingredients, you’ll need to focus on the role that ingredient plays. Then, just swap in something with a similar texture and flavor profile.
No. But, you should give it a try! The slight bitterness prevents this sweet mix from becoming cloying.
Dried Fruit Trail Mix
Ingredients
Method
- Break the pretzels and banana chips into smaller pieces that are roughly the same size as the other ingredients.
- Measure the ingredients into a large bowl and mix well. Enjoy!
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