Make this Christmas reindeer chow in just 15 minutes with Chex, peanut butter, chocolate, powdered sugar, pretzels and holiday M&M’s! A must-make holiday snack.

Reindeer chow is what you’d get if you combined muddy buddies and Christmas Chex mix and added in pretzels and mini peanut butter cups.

Christmas Reindeer chow in a bowl.

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Reindeer Chow Muddy Buddies

Call it Christmas reindeer chow, Reindeer Mix or Christmas muddies buddies if you’d like, but whatever you call it, it all amounts to the same thing…the best holiday snack around!

It’s as addicting as Christmas crack, my puppy chow recipe and saltine cracker toffee and utterly delicious. 

Why I Love This Recipe

  • It’s irresistible. Christmas reindeer chow has all the good stuff that you love in the best of holiday desserts. It’s has sweet, salty, chocolatey, crunchy, and gooey taste!
  • Easy for the holidays. Ready in just 15 minutes, it’s perfect for gifting to friends and leaving out for Santa. Magic reindeer food is another great way to feed his friends!

Recipe Ingredients

Reindeer chow ingredients.

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

  • The basics: For most puppy chow recipes (also another name for muddy buddies or reindeer chow) you need Chex cereal, chocolate chips, creamy peanut butter, and powdered sugar.
  • Salted butter & vanilla extract: We’re adding these for extra flavor! 
  • Tasty add-ins: Mini pretzels, Reese’s minis, Red and Green Christmas M&M’s. This Chex reindeer chow is very flexible.

Variations

Add in all the extras you’d like. You can swap the M&M’s for peanut butter M&M’s, or add in some chocolate chips, chopped Oreos, chopped candy bars (Heath is great!), salty nuts, or mini marshmallows. The sky’s the limit!

How to Make Reindeer Chow

Showing how to make reindeer chow in a 2 step collage.
  1. Melt the coating. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt together the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter for 1 minute. Stir until melted. If needed, microwave for an additional 15 seconds. Stir in the vanilla.
  2. Combine everything. In a separate large bowl, add the Chex cereal then pour the chocolate mixture overtop. Stir until well-coated. Transfer to a Ziploc bag and add the powdered sugar. Shake until coated then add in all your delicious add-ins and even more powdered sugar, if desired.
  3. Spread and cool. Spread on a large baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper and allow your Christmas reindeer chow to cool at room temperature before serving. Enjoy!
Showing how to make reindeer chow.

Recipe Tips

  • Do not overheat the chocolate. Prevent seizing so only heat it for 1 minute and then 15-second intervals after that (but you shouldn’t need any more than that). You can also melt it in a double boiler, ready my tips on how to melt chocolate.
  • Stick with regular peanut butter. Any natural peanut butter tends to separate and be too runny. 
  • Cut in half or double. Easily adjust the recipe to what you need. It stores well, so I’d say go with doubling! Just make sure you have a Ziploc bag large enough (2 gallons perhaps) to shake everything all at once.
  • Be gentle when mixing. Once you’ve given everything a shake, be careful not to overmix or shake it too hard. You don’t want to crush any of the candy or cereal.
Reindeer chow in a glass bowl.

More themed reindeer recipes for Christmas include reindeer pancakes, gingerbread reindeer cookies, and Rolo pretzel reindeer next!

More Holiday Treat Recipes

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See all
Reindeer chow in glass bowl.

Reindeer Chow

5 from 74 votes
Recipe by: Jamielyn Nye
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 10
Make this Christmas reindeer chow in just 15 minutes with Chex, peanut butter, chocolate, powdered sugar, pretzels and holiday M&M's! A must-make holiday snack.
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Video

Ingredients 

  • 4-5 cups Rice Chex cereal
  • ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
  • 2 Tablespoons salted butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup powdered sugar , plus more if desired
  • 1 cup mini pretzels , plus more if desired
  • 1/2-1 cup Reese's Minis , plus more if desired
  • ½ cup Christmas M&M's , plus more if desired

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, add 4-5 cups Chex cereal.
  • In a microwave-safe bowl, combine 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter, and 2 Tablespoons butter. Microwave 1 minute. Stir until melted. Microwave an additional 15 seconds, if needed. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla.
  • Pour chocolate mixture over the cereal. Stir until well coated. Transfer to a zip-top bag.
  • Add 3/4 cup powdered sugar and shake until well coated. Pour in 1 cup mini pretzels, 1/2 – 1 cup Reese's Minis, and 1/2 cup M&M's. Add more powdered sugar, if desired. Spread onto a piece of wax paper to cool before serving.

Last step: Please leave a comment and rating after you make the recipe.

Notes

Double Boiler: You can just as easily melt the chocolate mixture in a double boiler instead of the microwave. 
Variation: Feel free to add in any extras, like different M&M’s (we love peanut butter M&M’s), chocolate chips, chopped oreos, chopped candy bars (like Heath). nuts, or mini marshmallows. 
Storage: Store in airtight container or zip-top bag up to 1 week. Store in the freezer up to 3 months. 

Nutrition

Calories: 401kcal, Carbohydrates: 57g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 9mg, Sodium: 354mg, Potassium: 259mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 29g, Vitamin A: 370IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 89mg, Iron: 9mg

Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.

Recipe FAQs

Is this Christmas reindeer chow recipe gluten-free?

Since we’re using rice Chex cereal, the base of the snack is gluten-free. It’s the add-ins you want to watch out for. Skip the pretzels and check the labels for certification of whatever you do decide to add.

Can I make Christmas reindeer chow nut free?

Sure! Swap the peanut butter for melting candy wafers (chocolate melts) and coat the cereal in that. Of course, you’ll want to stay away from any peanut butter M&M’s or mini peanut butter cups but there are plenty of tasty additions to use instead!

How to store Christmas reindeer chow?

It doesn’t need to be refrigerated, but it does need to be covered! Keep it in an airtight container, Ziploc bag, or mason jar for up to 1 week. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months.

Wrap it in cellophane or put a ribbon on a jar and give it to a friend or neighbor as a delicious edible gift!