Make this Hawaiian favorite—Furikake Chex Mix—for a holiday gift exchange, movie/game night, or potluck. It’s such a fun, irresistible treat that will keep everyone snacking!
I’ve received countless requests for a Furikake Chex Mix recipe, and I always wondered what it tastes like. This is not a snack we eat in Japan but rather a Japanese-inspired American snack that is popular in Hawaii.
A couple of years ago, my neighbor gifted us a batch of her special Holiday Chex Mix. While I’ve tried bags of store-bought Chex Mix many times, this was a delicious combination of cereals, bagel chips, salty pretzels, and mixed nuts. It was super addicting!
When my local boba shop started selling bags of house-made Furikake Chex Mix earlier this year, I knew I had to try it right away. While it was a bit too sweet for my liking, I loved the concept of a seaweed-forward snack!
Long story short, I decided to try making it on my own at home.
What is Furikake Chex Mix?
Chex Mix is one of those classic American snacks made of various crispy cereals and chips. It can be sweet, salty, or both, but always crunchy. Since it makes the ultimate DIY snack, people in Hawaii decided to make their own riff by incorporating soy sauce into the rich butter syrup, and a generous amount of furikake rice seasoning into the mix. Sound yummy? It sure is!
Since I’ve never tried this iconic snack in Hawaii, my source for the recipe is the Furikake Chex Mix bag I’ve purchased from the San Francisco’s Boba Guys and the following websites:
- Onolicious Hawaii
- Keeping It Relle
- Food52
- Delicious Not Gorgeous
- Food.com
- Raising Veggie Lovers
- My Lilikoi Kitchen
- Feeding My Ohana
I created an excel sheet to compare everyone’s ingredients. Soon I realized that everyone uses the exact same ingredients for the seasoning (with a slight difference in amount).
Everyone’s Glaze:
- Butter
- Corn syrup
- Sugar
- Cooking oil
- Soy sauce
- Furikake (Nori Komi Furikake–see below)
I also learned that most of the recipes use very similar cereals and chips.
Everyone’s Party Mix:
- Corn Chex
- Rice Chex
- Wheat Chex
- Honeycomb cereal
- Bugles
- Pretzels
Some did include a few other additions to create their own twist.
Popular Adds On:
- Crispix cereal
- Kix
- Goldfish
- Cheez-Its
- Fritos
- Peanuts
- Salted almonds
Just like any homemade Chex mix, this Japanese-Hawaiian rendition is also flexible and forgiving. After finalizing my ingredient choices, I compared and tested the seasoning combinations. Now, let me share what I’ve decided!
How to Make Furikake Chex Mix
Ingredients You’ll Need
Party Mix
- Corn Chec
- Wheat Chex
- Honeycomb cereal
- Bugles
- Pretzels
- Japanese green pea snack
My take: I tried out a few different things, but I wanted to keep it simple and straightforward so you can always experiment with your own preference. So here, I added roasted green peas.
You know, the Japanese party mix often includes those crunchy green peas. I also thought it would add a pop of color in an otherwise mostly brown snack.
A side story: When I saw a bag of Bugles, I was shocked! For the past 20 years of living in the US, I actually did not know Americans also eat Tongari Corn (とんがりコーン) – the Japanese name for this snack. I did not want to buy overpriced imported Tongari Corn at a Japanese market. Who knew I could just grab a bag of Bugles!
Glaze
- Butter
Corn syrupBrown rice syrup- Sugar
- Cooking oil
- Soy sauce
- Furikake (Nori Komi Furikake)
- Shichimi togarashi
My take: I have never bought corn syrup before making this recipe. I thought you would ask me for an alternative option, so I went ahead and tested with agave, honey, maple syrup, and brown rice syrup. For the best result in terms of texture and flavor, brown rice syrup won!
It’s a healthier alternative (although this snack does include a stick of butter!). You can buy brown rice syrup at your local grocery stores or get rice syrup from Korean grocery stores.
The Furikake Chex Mix from Boba Guys had a little spicy kick and my family loved that. So I included shichimi togarashi in my recipe.
Overview: Cooking Steps
- Make the glaze in the sauce pan and let cool.
- Combine all the ingredients for the party mix.
- Pour the glaze over and sprinkle furikake.
- Bake in the oven for 1 hour.
- Let cool and store in airtight containers/jars.
Helpful Tips on Making Furikake Chex Mix
- Use aluminum prep containers with tall edges; one large container (half sheet pan size) or two containers (quarter sheet pan size) that can fit in the oven. They have tall edges and are perfect for tossing the mixture without spilling.
- Evenly distribute the syrup. Be sure to drizzle syrup all over the mixture (instead of just one area) so it is easier to distribute and tossing evenly.
- Use plastic gloves or two utensils (silicone spatulas are great!) for tossing and coating with syrup, and once baked, loosen up the party mix that sticks to each other into big chunks.
- Tossing the cereal mixture at least 3 times during baking and 3 times during cooling.
- Let the Chex mix cools completely after baking. If you pack even slightly warm snack in containers, the steam (moisture) will end up making it less crunchy.
The Ultimate Party Snack
This is definitely an all-star party snack—perfect for any occasion and holiday entertaining. My son brought it to school to share with his friends, and they have been asking for the recipe. Thank you to those who requested the recipe! I’m so glad that you asked, and now it will be a regular item on our holiday menu.
Hope you give it a try!
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Furikake Chex Mix
Video
Ingredients
For the Party Mix
- 4 cups Corn Chex
- 4 cups Wheat Chex
- 4 cups Honeycomb cereal
- 4 cups Bugles
- 2 cups pretzels
- 1 bag Japanese roasted green pea snack
For the Syrup
- ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup neutral oil
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- ½ cup brown rice syrup (while the classic Furikake Chex Mix recipe calls for Karo Syrup/corn syrup, I chose brown rice syrup for a healthier alternative as the flavor and texture are closest to corn syrup; you can use honey or maple syrup, but the flavor is quite strong)
For the Seasoning
- 1 jar Nori Komi Furikake
- 2 tsp shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250ºF (120ºC). Gather all the ingredients. This recipe is very flexible and forgiving. Use approximately the same amount of party mix of your choice.
- In a medium saucepan, melt ½ cup unsalted butter over medium heat. Once melted, add ½ cup brown rice syrup, ½ cup sugar, ¼ cup neutral oil, and 2 Tbsp soy sauce.
- Stir to mix until the sugar is completely dissolved. Lower the heat to avoid boiling. Remove from heat to cool slightly while you prepare the party mix blend.
- To a large baking pan, add 4 cups Corn Chex, 4 cups Wheat Chex, 4 cups Honeycomb cereal, 4 cups Bugles, 2 cups pretzels, and 1 bag Japanese roasted green pea snack.
- Whisk the syrup one more time to make sure it‘s not separated. Then, evenly distribute the syrup over the party mix. Using two silicone spatulas, toss the party mix well until evenly coated.
- Evenly distribute 1 jar Nori Komi Furikake over the party mix. Toss well until evenly coated. If you like it spicy, sprinkle with 2 tsp shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice), to your liking.
- Bake at 250ºF (120ºC) for 1 hour. Take the pan out every 15 minutes (3 times total) to toss it all together.
- Remove from the oven and let it cool completely. Toss the party mix every 15 minutes (at least 3 times) to loosen it up as it cools. If you skip this step, the party mix will stick to each other while it cools. If that happens, put the pan back in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. The syrup will melt again and become loose. Make sure to toss the party mix every 15 minutes this time!
- Serve and enjoy! If you don‘t eat it right away, divide the party mix into airtight bags/containers.
To Store
- You can keep in an airtight container or mason jars and store it in a dark, cool place for up to 2–3 weeks or in the freezer for 2–3 months.
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on November 26, 2021. It’s been republished with a video on December 8, 2023.
Sooo good! Had everything but the shichimi togarashi… on a hunch, I tried a bit of chili oil (just a tsp, but could have done more I think) and it gave it a nice little kick without overpowering. Was thinking the little chili arare would also be a good addition. Will let you know if I try it ♥️
Hi Ginger! Thank you so much for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your experience with us.
Yes! Please let us know how it goes with Chili Arare! Sounds delicious!
Delicious recipe!! The only thing I might try next time would be possibly adding the wasabi peas at the end? I feel like they totally lost their kick after the syrup and cooking process!
Hello there, Michelle. Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
Nami didn’t use the wasabi kind, but yes! If you want to add it to the recipe and enjoy the flaming flavor, adding it toward the end is a wonderful idea.🤗
This is delicious and easy! It’s a nice twist on traditional Chex mix. The hardest part was finding all the ingredients. For some reason my grocery stores were sold out of Bugles and Japanese roasted peas. I couldn’t find brown rice syrup so I used corn syrup and it still was good. Two batches later and I’m still thinking about fun add-ins. Thank you for sharing!
Hello, Mari! Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe!
We’re glad you enjoyed Nami’s Chex Mix recipe as much as we do. Next time you see Bugles and peas, make sure to stock up! 😁
Have a wonderful holiday season! 🤗
I’ve made this twice this week, given a good chunk to friends and all of them have said this is the best chex mix they’ve ever had. The only change I made was using corn syrup instead of brown rice syrup due to cost (could only find $15 jars). This is super tasty and will definitely become a holiday staple now.
Hi Lynn, Aww.🥰 We are so happy to hear everyone enjoyed Nami’s recipe!
Thank you so much for trying her recipe and sharing your experience with us. Happy Holiday!
This is the first time I have ever made Chex Mix. I would usually buy the store bought mixes but they’re usually way too salty for me. The Furikake Chex Mix on the other hand is amazing! It’s sweet, well balanced and slight zing from the wasabi peas. This is my absolute favorite Chex Mix. I’m also giving out some jars of it as gifts too. That way I can share this amazing snack mix and recipe.
Hi Jeremy! Thank you so much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback!
We are so happy to hear this become your favorite Chex Mix!🤗
This is so yummy! I doubled the recipe and added a cup of extra bugles and another cup of honey comb cereal. I took half the mixture and added sichimi toragashi to one half of the mixture for the adults. Then filled 12-32oz mason jars to give as Christmas gifts to my neighbors. I can’t wait for them to try it!
Hello, Kristine! Wow! Your gift jar is adorable.😍
Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your delight with your neighbors. We can’t wait to find out what they think of Furikake Chex Mix! I hope they enjoy it as much as we do!😁
Loved the Furikake party mix. Making it a second time today. 😊. The wasabi peas are a great addition!
Hi Amy! Thank you so much for trying Nami’s recipe!
We are glad to hear the wasabi peas are a great addition! 😍
If I only wanted to make half the recipe, is the cook time and temperature the same? Thank you!
Hello, Amanda! Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe!
The temperature stays the same, but the cooking time will be slightly reduced. We recommend keeping an eye on your oven during the last 20% of cooking time.
We hope this was helpful!
Hi! I can’t wait to try this recipe! I’m curious during your testing phase for this recipe did you try it without any syrup? I’ve made this other sweet and salty Chex mix and the glaze ingredients are basically the same without the corn/rice syrup and Furikake mix. Does the syrup just change the texture?
Hello, Cindy! Thank you so much for taking the time to read Nami’s post!
Nami did not test without syrup and is unsure of the outcome. However, the syrup will not only add texture but also flavor.
We hope this was helpful!
Hello, for a sesame seed allergy do you think I could just shred some seaweed instead of the furikake?
Hello, Lisa. Thank you for experimenting with Nami’s recipe!
You may use only seaweed or another type of furikake if you like.
Just so you know, most Furikake mixes contain sugar and salt, so if you use only seaweed, you may want to adjust the flavor to your liking.
We hope this was helpful!
I was wondering with this exact recipe how many of those mason jars can you fill?
Hello, Shawna. Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe.
The 8-serving recipe fills 5 32-oz mason jars or 4 treat bags (6′′ x 11′′) to the top.
We hope this helps!
I love this! Will be making it this xmas. Can you share where you got the jar covers? Thank you so much!!
Hi Jamie! Thank you for reading Nami’s post and for your kind feedback!
Here are the links for the product that Nami used. We hope this helps! Happy Holiday!🤗
Fabric: https://amzn.to/3VbdfNY
Pinecone: https://amzn.to/3HPjjZn
I am excited to try this version of snack mix! I have very fond memories of living in Hawaii and eating a similar–but plainer– version. One Christmas, one of my favorite patients, Lorraine Ho, brought a large container of it to the hospital unit I worked on. It was a busy day and we were all starving. I can still remember how delicious it tasted! My oldest child, Chad, who is an adult, loves the snack mix so much that he makes it for himself a few times a year. I love the excuse to buy a bottle of furikake and to have another use for shichimi togarashi. Thank you again, Nami.
Hi Danni! Thank you so much for taking the time to read Nami’s post and sharing your story.☺️
We hope you and your family enjoy Nami’s Furikake Chex Mix recipe as much as we do.
Happy holiday!😊