Salty-Sweet Furikake Chex Mix: The Best Hawaii Party Snack
Japanese furikake is one of my all-time favorite ingredients (I’ve been known to eat it by the spoonful! 😋). At my house, we use this deeply flavorful seasoning on everything—from Spam Musubi to Furikake Salmon—but this craveable party mix might just be my favorite. The ultimate salty-sweet snack with a Hawaii-style twist!
Like many local Hawaii favorites, Furikake Chex Mix is a perfect example of the islands’ diverse food culture. Japanese furikake—traditionally sprinkled over rice—pairs with classic American party mix ingredients, creating a uniquely Hawaii-style treat, perfect for poolside snacking, potlucks, and holiday parties!
This recipe comes from my Auntie Allyson, who always makes a big batch to share around the holidays. It’s one of her go-to treats for gifting and gatherings—crispy, buttery, and impossible to resist!
Furikake Chex mix is everything you love about a classic party mix—but better. The crisp cereal gets coated in a garlicky sesame-nori punch of furikake and a buttery shoyu glaze.
After lots of tasting and testing, I realized one of the best parts of this recipe is that it uses almost double the glaze compared to most versions. That means every piece gets an extra-generous coating that caramelizes in the oven, turning golden, toasty, and ridiculously good.
And the best part? The oven does the heavy lifting. Just mix, bake, and snack away. (And good luck stopping after just one handful!)
A Taste of Hawaii at Home
18+ cherished family recipes, from my ‘ohana to yours.
Key Ingredients
🚫 Prefer a nut-free mix? ⇢ Swap the peanuts and cashews for whatever crunchy add-ins you have on hand! Rice crackers, wasabi peas, or Bugles are all great alternatives.
How to Make Furikake Chex Mix
Once you’ve gathered your ingredients, assembling this mix is super simple! Just 20 minutes of prep, then the oven takes over—slowly toasting everything until it’s golden, crunchy, and impossible to resist.
I can’t wait for you to try this Salty-Sweet Furikake Chex Mix! It adds a bold umami kick to classic party mix—a next-level party treat everyone will love.
If you give it a try, be sure to let us know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo and tag @playswellwithbutter on Instagram. We LOVE seeing your PWWB creations! ♡ Happy cooking!
Print
Salty-Sweet Furikake Chex Mix
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 24 cups 1x
- Category: Snacks & Appetizers
- Method: Baked, Oven
- Cuisine: Japanese-Inspired, Hawaii
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Give classic party mix a local Hawai’i twist with my Auntie Allyson’s Salty-Sweet Furikake Chex Mix! 🤙🏼
A buttery shoyu (soy sauce) glaze caramelizes over crispy cereal and crunchy nuts, while furikake—a Japanese seasoning made with seaweed and sesame—adds nutty, toasty umami.
Perfect for holiday gatherings, movie nights, and festive gifting, this furikake Chex Mix recipe is guaranteed to keep everyone coming back for more!
Ingredients
snack mix dry ingredients:
- 12 ounces Corn/Rice Chex or Crispix cereal (approx. 8 cups)
- 8 ounces thin pretzel sticks (approx. 6 cups)
- 6 cups add-ins of choice (e.g. Bugles corn chips, rice crackers, honey roasted peanuts, honey roasted cashews, wasabi peas, etc.)
- one 1.7-ounce bottle nori furikake (see Recipe Notes)
for the salty-sweet glaze:
- ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar (can substitute light brown sugar)
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- ½ cup neutral vegetable oil of choice
- ½ cup pure maple syrup (can substitute honey, light corn syrup, or brown rice syrup)
- 3 tablespoons shoyu (can substitute low-sodium soy sauce)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F, ensuring a rack is positioned in the center. Line an XL rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Alternatively, a deep 9×13-inch foil roasting pan works well too.
- Prepare the dry ingredients: Add the cereal, pretzels, and add-ins of choice to your largest mixing bowl. Toss to mix well. Set aside.
- Prepare the glaze: Add all listed glaze ingredients to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter is melted and the sugar is completely dissolved, simmer 4-5 minutes, stirring often, until thickened slightly.
- Mix the furikake Chex mix: Drizzle the glaze evenly over the dry ingredients. Gently stir with a silicone spatula to mix well. Sprinkle a bottle of furikake over the bowl. Use your clean hands to toss and combine well—it’s helpful to spritz a little cooking spray on your hands to prevent sticking. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet/roasting pan.
- Bake the Chex mix: Transfer the Chex mix to the oven. Toast for one hour, removing every 20 minutes to stir, until golden and crispy. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely. Enjoy!
Notes
Jess’ Tips and Tricks:
- Furikake is a Japanese rice seasoning made of sesame seeds, nori seaweed, salt, and sugar. It’s a total umami bomb and it’s the star ingredient of furikake snack mix! Furikake has grown increasingly popular in recent years, so you can often find it in the “international” aisle at most conventional grocery stores near other Asian ingredients or order it online.
- Add-ins: My family loves the heartiness of adding peanuts and cashews to furikake Chex mix, but if you prefer a nut-free snack mix, swap the nuts for 6 cups of your add-ins of choice—wasabi peas, Bugles corn chips, rice crackers, etc.
Storage:
- Furikake Chex mix will keep, stored in an airtight container at room temperature, for 2-3 weeks.
Follow along with Plays Well With Butter on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and Pinterest for more unfussy recipes that pack a big punch of flavor!
