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.
Can I sub the butter with Miyoko’s vegan butter and the oil with a light coconut oil? Thanks! =)
Hi Susan! Thank you for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe!
We’ve never tried this with vegan butter before, so we’re not sure what to expect.
The flavor will be different, but it should go well with the butter and light coconut oil.
If you give it a try, please let us know how it goes!
Will do!
I tried it with vegan butter and neutral oil (avocado oil) and it came out really good!!
PERFECT alternative/complement to all the holiday cookies. Thank you and Merry Christmas to you, your family and all the JOC extended family.
Hi, Karen! Thank you for your thoughtful feedback!
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season! ❤️
Hi! I noticed that the recipe uses vegetable oil and butter. Can we omit one or the other?
Hi, Hazel! Thank you for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe!
The butter enhances the flavor of the Chex Mix and plays an important role in this recipe. The vegetable oil balances out the syrup’s thickness, and we don’t think it would work without it.
Perhaps start with a small portion and see how it goes? 😉
how much of the furikake jar should be used? The whole jar?
Hi Hazel! Yes! Please use a whole jar of Nori Komi Furikake. (1.7 oz)
We hope this helps!
The recipe says 1 jar of Nori Komi Furikake. What is the quantity in 1 jar? 1.7 oz? Thanks!
Hi Estelle! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
Yes! 1 jar of Nori Komi Furikake is 1.7 oz.🙂
We hope this helps!
新年あけましておめでとうございます。
I’ve never tried or heard of Furikake Chex Mix but I gave it a try anyways.
This is so addictive.
I even added extra Aonori. Yummy.
I have a quick question, Nami-san.
I would like to make some Chestnut shibukawani “栗の渋皮煮”.
Maybe it’s too late for this year but do you recommend any shop to get good sized chestnuts?
Thank you.
Hi Junko-san! 明けまして、おめでとうございます。
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback! We are glad to hear you enjoyed Furikake Chex Mix.
Chestnuts around here are mostly imported from Italy. They are not as big as we wish them to be. And unfortunately, we do not have a shop that we can recommend at this time.😔
I followed all the measurements but used golden corn syrup instead of brown rice syrup but after 4 x 15 min bakes & mixing, my mixture was still rather “wet” and not dry and crispy like in your video. Any tips? Should I have continued baking till all was dry or maybe increase the temperature?
Hi Angela! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
During your baking and after baking, Did you toss it all together every 15 minutes (3 times total)? Steps 7 and 8.
It should become dry and crispy after it cools off completely.
We hope this helps!
Can Japanese style rice crackers be used in this recipe? Made it with mostly Chex. Very good!
Hi Christine! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe!
If you do use unsalted rice crackers, it might work. But we recommend adjusting the balance of saltiness in the recipe depending on the type of rice cracker.
We hope this helps!
Made the furikake mix and wondered if anyone’s mix was oily after everything was cooled. I did not have rice bran syrup so subbed w/ corn syrup. Flavor is nice, my finish is very glossy.
Hi Gail! Thank you for trying my recipe! I’m actually eating this snack as I type… do you mean the final product being oily? I look at my hands after I hold them, and oil doesn’t leave on my hands. I look at the snack, and it has the glaze, so I rub my fingers and I don’t still get “oil.” I have tried making this recipe with corn syrup too (I had to compare my options for this recipe), but I’m 100% sure that’s nothing to do with it. I’m wondering, was your mixture (glaze) separated before you poured the snacks? Maybe you may not remember this stage, but maybe syrup/oil/butter separated and you pour the glaze over snacks… then maybe one part gets just oil? Do you think that can be it?
I have made this snack for many years. I use Rice Chex, Crispix, Goldfish pretzels, Bugles, Marcona almonds, white and black sesame seeds, furikake. I don’t like Honeycomb cereal, you can use any combination of cereals to make up the quantity needed for the recipe. I like using the rice cereals because it is closer in taste to senbei.
Hi Elizabeth! Amazing! Thank you very much for sharing your version! It sounds very yummy!😋
Very addictive! This recipe makes enough sauce to add a bit of extra dry ingredients, if you wish. I used 3 cups Bugles, 2 cups Rice Chex, 2 cups Wheat Chex. 2 cups Nabisco shredded wheat & bran, 1.5 cups Snyders butter snaps pretzels, 1.5 cups Cascadian Farms Multigrain Squares. I used Lundberg Brown Rice Syrup, available at natural food stores. Used 1 teaspoon S&B Nanami Togarashi instead of 2 teaspoons sichimi togarashi. Followed the directions otherwise, distributing the ingredients into two separate pans and separating the furikake into two parts by weight for even distribution in each pan. Separated the sauce by volume into two even parts to be distributed into each pan. This snack will not last long – it’s amazing!!
Hi Robin! It sounds delicious!🤩 Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post and sharing your cooking experience with us!
I would love to make this but I’m not a big fan of Pea snacks or Honeycomb. Are there any other options anyone can think of that would taste good with this flavor? 🙂
Hi Kayla! The pea snack is totally my own add on and it’s not necessary. You can skip Honeycomb too! I love a crunchy snack, so I’d be totally fine with more Chex and Bugles!
Where do you purchase GloryBee organic brown rice syrup? Amazon has it but it’s a $15 shipping fee!
Hi Karen! I got it at our local American grocery store. You can get rice syrup at a Korean grocery store if you live nearby.
Hi Karen – I found it today at Sprouts Market (where the honey and syrups are located). The jar was $5.99 plus tax.
I’m excited to give this a try. My co-worker’s wife once made something similar with the bugles only and I’ve been wanting to know how it was made. Hopefully it’ll turn out just as delicious.
Hi Chong! Do let us know! As I mentioned in the blog post, everyone seems to make the same way… 🙂
Finally had the time to make this and it came out so good. I made a huge batch to gift to family for Christmas. It was an easy recipe to follow but I didn’t anticipate it would take me a long time hehehe with all of the mixing in between 😅 nonetheless it was worth it.
Hi Chong! Thank you very much for your update!!!
We are glad to hear it came out well and you enjoyed it. Happy Baking!😊
What are your thoughts of using Wasabi peas instead of just dried peas?
Hi Andy! Oh that sounds excellent! I don’t like wasabi (unless it’s freshly grated wasabi)… so I didn’t use them. 🙂
This sounds delicious! Can I eliminate the sugar? I prefer a savory snack.
Hi Sue! I think you can. I haven’t tried omitting sugar, so I am not sure how it would turn out. With syrup, it should be slightly sweet though.