This Merry Mix is an easy Christmas snack mix made with crunchy pretzels, popcorn and plenty of chocolate. It's a homemade alternative to M&S Very Merry Munch, with all those delicious sweet and salty flavours, and it takes just 5 minutes to put together.
Perfect for Christmas movie nights, parties and homemade gifts, this festive snack mix is really easy to adapt with your favourite treats. No baking, no melting chocolate and hardly any washing up!
As soon as our Christmas tree goes up, we are making a big batch of this and it sits in the kitchen next to our hot chocolate station.
Recipe update: This recipe was originally published on 28 November 2023 and was fully retested in November 2026 to check ingredient quantities. The original recipe still worked well, but I've expanded the instructions, tips and FAQs.
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Why You'll Love It
- Ready in 5 minutes - Just add everything to a bowl, give it a mix and it's ready to eat. No cooking required.
- Sweet and salty - The combination of crunchy salted pretzels, popcorn and chocolate makes this a delicious festive treat.
- Easy to customise - Make your own version of M&S Very Merry Munch, or use whatever chocolates, nuts and other treats you already have.
- Great for gifting - Divide it between jars or festive bags for easy homemade Christmas gifts.
Recipe Overview
- Prep time: 5 minutes, with no cooking or baking required.
- Makes: Approximately 540g of Christmas snack mix, enough for 20 small portions.
- Equipment: A large mixing bowl and an airtight jar, tin or container.
- Make ahead: Best made the day before serving, although it will stay at its crunchiest for 2-3 days when stored correctly.
Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Pretzels - These form the savoury base of our Christmas snack mix. Mini pretzels, pretzel sticks or Christmas-shaped pretzels all work well. They're also an inexpensive way to bulk out the mix.
- Chocolate pretzels - We used Flipz for an extra layer of chocolate and crunch. Any chocolate-covered pretzels will work, including milk, dark or white chocolate varieties.
- Popcorn - Salted popcorn balances all the sweetness from the chocolate. Ready-popped popcorn makes this really quick to prepare, but you can pop your own and leave it to cool first.
- Maltesers - These add a lovely light, crunchy texture. You could swap them for chocolate-covered nuts if you prefer.
- Milky Way Stars - I love adding these because they make the mix look Christmassy. Chocolate buttons or other small chocolates will work too.
- Smarties - These add some much-needed colour to all the brown chocolate! You could use festive red and green M&Ms instead, or a combination of the two.
How to Make Merry Mix (Christmas Snack Mix)
- Put all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl.
- Gently mix everything together until the chocolates, popcorn and pretzels are evenly distributed. Transfer to a large jar, bowl or individual gift bags.
That's it! Your homemade Christmas snack mix is ready.
Homemade M&S Very Merry Munch
If you've tried the popular M&S Very Merry Munch, you'll know how delicious that combination of chocolate, popcorn, pretzels and nuts is.
This Merry Mix is our own version of that sweet and salty Christmas treat. The best thing about making it yourself is choosing exactly what goes into it. You can add more of your favourite chocolate, leave out ingredients you don't like or make a big batch for sharing.
Our version uses Maltesers, Smarties and chocolate stars, so it isn't an exact copy of the M&S mix.
To make it more like M&S Very Merry Munch, swap the plain popcorn for chocolate-coated popcorn and replace some of the chocolates with chocolate-coated peanuts and caramel almonds. You can also use dark chocolate pretzels for a closer match.
It's an easy way to make your own munch mix without having to buy the festive tin, and you can change the quantities to suit your budget.
Christmas Snack Mix Variations
The beauty of a Christmas trail mix like this is that almost anything goes. We make it slightly differently each time, depending on what we have in the cupboard and which chocolates the children want to add.
Here are some of our favourite additions:
- Nuts - Salted peanuts, pecans, pistachios, walnuts and almonds all work well. Honey-roasted nuts or chocolate-covered peanuts are especially good if you want that M&S-inspired flavour.
- Dried fruit - Dried cranberries, cherries, raisins or chopped dried apricots add a little chewiness and some extra festive colour.
- Cereal - Cheerios, Shreddies or another crunchy cereal are budget-friendly ways to make the mix go further. Cinnamon Grahams are particularly good if you want an extra Christmas flavour.
- Marshmallows - Mini marshmallows are a fun addition. My kids thought these were missing from our original version, so they're definitely worth trying.
- Extra chocolate - Chocolate buttons, chocolate chips, fudge pieces, Rolos or chopped chocolate bars are all delicious. Red and green sweets give it an especially festive look.
You don't need to add everything! Try to keep a good balance of salty, crunchy ingredients and sweeter chocolates, rather than making the whole mix too sweet.
Serving Suggestions
This Christmas snack mix is perfect served in a big bowl for everyone to help themselves. We love it for Christmas film nights, and it makes a great addition to our Christmas movie snack board.
You can also use the mix as a topping for ice cream, cupcakes or chocolate desserts. Try sprinkling some over our Christmas chocolate bark before it sets.
If you're putting together a Christmas sweet table, this goes really well with our cinnamon biscuits, Christmas tree brownies and gingerbread cupcakes.
Storage
Store: Keep the Merry Mix in an airtight jar, tin or container in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight. It's best eaten within 2-3 days, when the popcorn and pretzels are at their crunchiest, although it should keep for up to 5 days if all the ingredients are fresh when you make it.
Make ahead: You can prepare this a couple of days before a party, but I prefer to make it the day before so everything stays really crunchy. Keep the container tightly sealed until you're ready to serve.
Freeze: I wouldn't recommend freezing this particular mix. The popcorn can lose its crunch, and moisture forming on the chocolate as it defrosts can affect the texture.
Christmas Snack Mix Gifts
Merry Mix makes a lovely homemade Christmas gift, especially when you have quite a few people to buy for. It's also something the children can help put together, which is always a bonus at this busy time of year.
If you're looking for Christmas snack mix recipes for gifts, this is a great one because there's no cooking involved and you can easily make several jars at once.
You can put it in:
- Small airtight glass jars decorated with festive ribbon.
- Clear food-safe gift bags with Christmas labels.
- Christmas biscuit tins, which can be reused afterwards.
- Homemade food hampers, alongside treats like our easy hot chocolate spoons and christmas star biscuits.
I like to add a little label with the name of the mix, the ingredients and a date for when it is best eaten.
If you're making this for teachers, neighbours or friends, double-check any dietary requirements and allergies first, particularly if you're adding nuts. Package it as close to gifting as possible to keep everything fresh.
Dannii's Top Tips
- Try to use ingredients of a similar size so you get a good mixture of everything in each handful, rather than all the smaller chocolates sinking to the bottom.
- Use a large mixing bowl before transferring everything to a jar. It's much easier to combine the ingredients evenly and stops the popcorn getting crushed.
- You can make a gluten-free or vegan variation by using suitable pretzels, popcorn and chocolates. Check every ingredient label carefully, including any allergy warnings.
- For a more budget-friendly Christmas snack mix, use supermarket own-brand chocolates and add a little more popcorn, pretzels or cereal. There's no need to buy lots of different expensive chocolates.
- If you're making this for a party, serve it in a wide bowl rather than a tall jar, so everyone can get a good mixture without digging around.
- If using freshly popped popcorn, remove any unpopped kernels and allow it to cool completely before mixing with the chocolate.
- For young children - Popcorn and whole nuts are choking hazards for children under 5, so this snack mix isn't suitable for them. Always supervise older children when eating.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can, but I prefer salted popcorn because there is already lots of sweetness from the chocolate. Sweet and salty popcorn would be a good compromise if you prefer something slightly sweeter.
Yes! Our original recipe doesn't include nuts as a main ingredient, so you can leave them out completely. However, many chocolates and pretzels may contain nuts or have cross-contact warnings, so always check every label if you're making this for someone with a nut allergy.
The original recipe makes approximately 540g of Merry Mix, which we divide into 20 small snack portions. You can easily double the recipe for a party or divide it between smaller jars for Christmas gifts. The exact number of portions will depend on how generously you serve it.
More Christmas Treats
If you've tried this Merry Mix recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy and use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Merry Mix (Christmas Snack Mix)
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 100 g (3 ½ oz) of Maltesers
- 100 g (3 ½ oz) of Milky Way Stars
- 100 g (3 ½ oz) of Smarties
- 90 g (3 ¼ oz) of Pretzel Flipz
- 100 g (3 ½ oz) of Pretzels
- 50 g (1 ¾ oz) of Popcorn
Instructions
- Put all of the ingredients into a large jar or bowl.
- Mix it all together to evenly distribute all the ingredients.
Recipe Notes
- Swap the plain popcorn for chocolate-coated popcorn and add chocolate peanuts or caramel almonds for a more M&S-style version.
- Keep the Merry Mix in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Best eaten within 2-3 days.
- Use supermarket own-brand chocolates or add cereal to make a more budget-friendly version.
- Check all ingredient labels if making gluten-free, vegan or allergy-friendly variations.
- The nutritional information will vary depending on the ingredients and brands used.
- Popcorn and whole nuts are choking hazards for children under 5, so this snack mix isn't suitable for them. Always supervise older children when eating.
Nutritional Information
Where nutritional information is provided, it is approximate and calculated using online tools. Values can vary depending on the ingredients and brands used, but we endeavour to be as accurate as possible.
All timings are a guide and may vary depending on the ingredients, equipment and, where relevant, the appliance used. Changing the serving size may also affect the time needed.
Karlie says
This is perfect for holiday get-togethers so that people have something to snack on while sipping a cocktail :)
Chenee says
I love this idea - I think it would make a perfect stocking stuffer!
Gianne says
It's the perfect Christmas snack mix that brings all the festive flavors together. The combination of sweet and salty is amazing, and the colorful candies add a fun touch. It's the ultimate treat to enjoy during the holiday season!
Carrie Robinson says
What a fun snack mix for the holidays! This would make great homemade neighbor/hostess gifts too. :)
Ruth says
I added a box of Cinnamon Grahams to my mix, which gave it a really Christmas flavour. So it was mainly salty popcorn and cereal with jelly sweets, pretzels and chocolates. Loved it. Now assembling one based in the Berry Cheerios for spring.
Ann says
Such a sweet gift idea. But so good I may eat it all first. Thanks!
Dina and Bruce says
This mix is so clever! Made to make up bags for the neighborhood kiddos!!