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 syrup Brown 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
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! Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram. Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on November 26, 2021. It’s been republished with a video on December 8, 2023.
