6 Snack Mixes, Ranked Worst To Best

Why have one when you can have it all? It's a query that I ponder when it comes to a lot of things — dogs, cute coffee mugs, and most recently, snack mixes. 

These snack mixes are basically comprised of an assortment of ingredients — whether it be chips, crackers, nuts, or seeds — in the same container. It's important to note that snack mix (or pub mix, as it's otherwise called) is not the same thing as trail mix, which is comprised mostly of nuts and seeds. While you might want to use your trail mix as a power-up when you're out on a hike, I'd like to think that snack mix is made for couch potato-ing. It's salty, it's savory, and it will send your hand back into the container for "just another handful." 

For this review, I tasted some of the most popular snack mixes out there and ranked them based on several factors. Since snack mixes are comprised of individual components (which, on their own, may be hits or misses), I tasted each component individually before I scooped up a handful and ate a medley of the components all at once. I looked for brands with a balanced flavor and consistency, meaning they're not too salty, as well as ones that had some novelty. The best snack mix, in my opinion, is one that you can scour for your favorite pieces or eat as a whole, cohesive bite.

I will be the first to admit that spicy is not a flavor commonly in my wheelhouse. I would much rather opt for something savory or something sweet, so this spicy snack mix from Stop & Shop was going to be far, far out of my wheelhouse. 

When I first read the ingredient description, one word came to mind: hodgepodge. You have Cajun-seasoned rice crackers, roasted peanuts, sesame sticks, toasted corn snacks, and wasabi peas — all of which seem like strange bedfellows. I went for the rice crackers first. I expected something spicier, but I was instead met with that awkward rice cracker taste. I couldn't decipher the Cajun seasoning until this cracker was halfway down my throat — and boy, did it burn all the way down. The sesame sticks were more enjoyable and not at all spicy; I thought the fatty flavor helped subdue the rest of the residual heat from the rice crackers. The roasted peanuts had the same effect. 

The toasted corn snacks had more flavor than the rice crackers in terms of spice, but it wasn't a fresh, bright heat. It was like a stale warmth. And last, we have the wasabi peas. Do I dare ask why Stop & Shop needed to include them? They're spicy, but not in the right place, and they're seemingly covered in a corn coating, so they take you by spicy surprise. 

When taken together as an entire bite, this snack mix is just confusing. While a snack mix is supposed to be diverse, there needs to be a little more direction here for it to be successful. If it was on someone's coffee table, I wouldn't even be tempted to grab a handful. 

The biggest concern I had going into this race with the Annie's snack mix was that it was going to taste sanitary, as "health foods" tend to do. And what do you know ... Annie's proved me right. 

The only award Annie's was going to get in this competition was the one for cutest snack mix. All hope was lost when I opened the bag and discovered a crumbly seasoning that coated all of the pieces. It was a residue that not even several napkins could get off. I shouldn't have to eat my snack mix with a fork and knife to prevent it from covering my fingers, clothes, and every single surface in my house. 

Each of the ingredients in this snack mix was oddly buttery. The pretzels were the only thing crunchy about it — and even those rings and squares weren't crisp enough for my liking. It felt like I was eating butter crackers with every other component, from the cheddar bunnies to the "healthy" Cheez-Its. There was no textural diversity in this mix, which made for a sad bite for each individual component of the mix, as well as a bite altogether. 

I was also a bit dismayed that none of the components stuck out of this snack mix as being especially flavorful and punchy. Sure, you could feed it to a five-year-old to pacify them on a long road trip, but it's not a mix really refined enough for the adult palate. 

Gardetto's snack mix is, in short, trying to live up to the expectations set by the cheddar Chex Mix. And can you ever really shine when you're living in someone else's shadow? Probably not. 

This mix has a very rustic feel to it; the rye chips are a little rough-around-the-edges and the knockoff Cheez-Its are missing that signature snap that makes them authentic. It's certainly not the prettiest of store-bought snack mixes, but is it, in fact, the most effective and tasty of them all? 

No. The flavor of this snack mix was oddly stale and not entirely "aged cheddar." There was a peculiar flavor to it that tasted oddly of something salty, almost seaweed-like, that covered every item in the mix — especially the rye chips. The rye chips are certainly done well; they're crispy and snappy, but this soy sauce-like profile really distracts from whatever is supposed to be cheesy about the snack mix. Moreover, the tiny florescent orange breadsticks are average at best; they're just as mealy as the ones in the Chex Mix. The one thing I will give Gardetto's credit for is the crispiness of its pretzels. Chex Mix should listen up, because Gardetto's clearly has it figured out when it comes to this signature snap. 

Altogether, this snack mix certainly offers a savory, wholesome bite that pulls me in more than the Cheez-It mix, but its components are really not as well-thought-out as the latter. While it was a very tight race between these two varieties, I admit that the poor execution of the generic Cheez-Its pushed this snack mix back in my ranking. 

I am a big, big fan of Cheez-Its. But its classic-flavored snack mix? I was a little less enthused. 

This snack mix contains a balanced ratio of its components: classic Cheez-It crackers, tiny pretzel twists, "cheese-flavored rice balls," and bread slices. Every bite was unique and balanced, which is what I wanted from a cheesy snack mix like this one. I also appreciate that all of the components are pretty delicious on their own. The Cheez-Its are on par (I would have preferred the toasty variety, but that's neither here nor there), and the pretzels are crunchier than the ones in the Chex Mix bag, which made that part enjoyable. The bread sticks inside of this mix are also superior to the ones in the Chex Mix by a long shot; they're buttery, yet crispy, without any mealiness in sight. 

The cheese-flavored rice balls, however, were a bit of an oddball addition to this snack mix. They have the consistency of Pirate's Booty, but with less cheesy flavor (so at that point, I have to ask, "Why bother?"). The texture is a bit disruptive compared to the other components of this snack mix. I would have appreciated a rye chip or something more textured in this mix (or, at the least, a different pretzel shape — as long as it had the same crunchiness). 

I also noticed that this snack mix has an odd powdered buttermilk flavor that made it border on the edge of ranch. It felt weird and out of place, given that Cheez-Its are cheddar crackers. This isn't a bad snack mix, per se, but I would just rather get a box of Cheez-Its instead.

The Utz Party Mix is like the snack mix that you buy when you're really trying to save up and avoid the more expensive name brands. And honestly, after trying it again after so many years, I can absolutely say that this is one product that is both tasty and thrifty. 

Granted, the main issue I have with the Utz snack mix is that all of the ingredients alone are not high-quality. The pretzels, which come in both round and basket-woven shapes, might be the only exception — but I would have liked them to be a little smaller in size. The knockoff cheese Doritos aren't going to be confused with the superior crunch of a real, authentic nacho cheese Dorito, and the crispy imposter Cheetos are just missing that flavor component that makes them, well, Cheetos. While I will agree that the small pieces of knockoff barbecue Fritos are a good addition to this mix, because they bring a hint of sweetness, I don't think that they have enough crunch to reach their fullest potential. 

But, when I grabbed a handful of every piece of this mix and ate it as a single bite, I found that it did have a slightly better flavor and profile because I didn't have to focus on what was slightly off about all of its individual components. The bite, as a whole, had me coming back for more — which is not something I could say about other brands on this list. While it can't hold a candle to my top-ranked brand, it's still a tasty option — just don't spend too much time thinking about any of its singular parts. 

There is no snack mix more iconic than Chex Mix. If there was a salty snack that I needed to pick up from the grocery store, it would be a bag of this stuff — specifically the original flavor (keep your cheese out of it). The primary components of the original-flavored Chex Mix are cereal pieces, pretzels, mini breadsticks, and crispy rye chips. Now, I could probably go on and on about the best component of this cereal (it's a toss-up between the rye chips and the heavily seasoned nuggets of salty cereal hidden in the bag ... duh). The sheer amount of debacle about the best component of Chex Mix is a testament to how good this snack mix really is. 

In all my life, I've never eaten a bag of Chex Mix that wasn't sublime. I found that each of the pieces in the iconic blue bag was perfectly seasoned; some bites are a little saltier than others, which gives you a little diversity from handful to handful. Although I think the breadsticks are a little out of place, since they're slightly softer and more mealy than the other components, I can appreciate that Chex Mix wanted to spice things up with each handful. 

Moreover, I think that one of the clear (and most understated) pulls when it comes to Chex Mix is the fact that all of its components are bite-sized. You won't have to unhinge your jaw to get your mouth around a pretzel wheel, nor will you feel the sharp stab of a knockoff Doritos chip on the roof of your mouth. Plus, this snack mix gets you hooked in the best way possible. Keep up the good work, Chex Mix — whatever you're doing is working. 

For this review, I purchased and sampled several snack mixes that were available in grocery stores near my home in Southern Rhode Island. I tried to purchase products that were widely available at grocery stores nationwide and selected across a range of flavors, including spicy, cheesy, and savory, to get a good representation of the different products out there. 

The first factor I looked for in this ranking was the flavor of each of the individual components. I then tasted each snack mix as a handful, with a random assortment of pieces, to get a better idea of how the different components worked together to create a flavorful and cohesive bite. My dream snack mix was one that was crunchy, satisfying, balanced in flavor, and had me coming back for more.