Puppy Chow Recipe

Whether you call it Puppy Chow or Muddy Buddies, you’ll love this recipe! It’s so easy to make and includes Chex cereal, powdered sugar, & yummy melted peanut butter and chocolate chips!!

Snack mixes are one of the best party foods. Especially for game nights with friends, we love to make White Trash, Caramel Marshmallow Popcorn, or these Muddy Buddies!

Puppy chow aka Muddy Buddies in white bowl.

Aka Muddy Buddies

This recipe is loved by many, but there’s a little bit of controversy surrounding the name of it.

Some people call it “Puppy Chow”, while others call it “Muddy Buddies” or “Muddy Munch”. I’ve always called it Puppy Chow, but which side of the fence are you on?!

Regardless of what you call it, I think we can all agree that it’s one of the easiest, tastiest, and most addicting treats to ever exist! I wanted to share our version of it with you today because it’s just one of those snacks that is perfect for ANY get together, party, or holiday!

Chex cereal in bowl for homemade puppy chow recipe.

How to Make Puppy Chow

You can break the process down into three easy steps. This really takes less than 10 minutes to make, and that’s including gathering and measuring all of the ingredients!

CEREAL. Measure your cereal into a large bowl and set aside.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER. In 1 quart sauce pan, heat semisweet chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter over low heat stirring frequently with a spatula until melted. Remove from heat and stir in a teaspoon vanilla. Pour chocolate mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated.

POWDERED SUGAR. Pour into two gallon resealable plastic bags. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag and shake until well coated. Spread over waxed or parchment paper to cool.

Recipe notes:

  • It may be tempting to add more cereal to the peanut butter sauce, but don’t. You want each piece of chex to have an ample amount of chocolaty peanut butter sauce for the sugar to stick to. If you like your mix extra saucy try reducing the Chex amount to only 7-8 cups. 
  • This recipe is for the basic puppy chow and can be mixed with so many yummy treats like marshmallows, peanuts, almonds, pretzels, M&M’s, or Reeses pieces. You can also customize it to whatever holiday candy is being sold at the time. 

Recipe Tips & Storage

While typically Puppy Chow is made with either Rice or Corn Chex cereal there are so many varieties to choose from. Wheat, Cinnamon, Chocolate, Peanut Butter, and Honey Nut Chex would all be great choices. All of the General Mills Chex cereals listed are gluten free with the exception of Wheat Chex.

This can also be made dairy free by using the right chocolate and a butter substitute like margarine. If you’re allergic to peanut butter you can use a different nut butter. 

Sunbutter, soybutter, almond butter, and cashew Butter are great substitutes for peanut butter in this recipe. You can even use Nutella instead for extra chocolatey Puppy Chow.

How to Store

STORE puppy chow in an airtight container. It can stay at room temperature for up to 10 days, or kept in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. However, at my house it never lasts that long!

You can also FREEZE it for up to 3 months. Allow it to thaw before eating.

Make sure you don’t skip spreading out your Puppy Chow to cool after you have coated it. This will allow it to set and dry.  If you seal it up in a container right away the heat from the chocolate/peanut butter can cause the puppy chow to get soggy.

Homemade Puppy Chow recipe in bowl close up image.

Full disclosure: This little snack mix is ADDICTING! Once you start eating it, you can’t stop!! I also have to mention—be sure to tell your children it’s not actually for puppies. 😉

If you love Puppy Chow Chex Mix, check out:

Puppy Chow Recipe

5 from 100 votes
Whether you call it Puppy Chow or Muddy Buddies, you'll love this recipe! It's so easy to make and includes Chex cereal, powdered sugar, & yummy melted peanut butter and chocolate chips!!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 20
Calories 279 kcal
Author Lil’ Luna

Ingredients

  • 9 cups Chex mix rice or corn
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • ½ cup creamy peanut butter
  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • cups powdered sugar

Instructions
 

  • Place cereal in a large bowl and set aside.
  • In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter and cook, stirring frequently, until melted. Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla.
  • Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated.
  • Pour into a 2-gallon resealable plastic bag. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag and shake until well coated.
  • Spread out on a piece of waxed paper to cool, then serve immediately or transfer to an airtight container to store.

Video

Notes

Make Ahead: Place in an airtight container and store on the counter for 1–2 weeks.
Variations: You can add a variety of ingredients to this classic treat to make it even better! o S’mores: Prepare puppy chow as directed, then mix in 4 cups Golden Grahams and 2 cups mini marshmallows.
o Cookies and Cream: Add about 8 crushed Oreos to the bag along with the powdered sugar.
o Holiday: Add 1 cup holiday M&M’s or other holiday-colored candies to the mix.

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About Kristyn

My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

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Comments:

  1. 5 stars
    I have made this recipe several times, not just at Christmas, but all years. Young and old love the taste. Never lasts long.

  2. 5 stars
    Puppie chow was always a favorite treat of mine when I was a child, now I enjoy making it with my own kids.

  3. 5 stars
    I have always loved puppy chow and this recipe is amazing! if you need like a snack for sports or dance, this is a great choice!

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