Banana Trail Mix — Golden, Salty-Sweet & Packed with Peanut Butter

Banana trail mix is a no-bake snack of crispy banana chips, roasted almonds, salted peanuts, peanut butter chips and milk chocolate chips, tossed together in 5 minutes.

This trail mix with banana chips keeps for 4 weeks in a jar, with no fridge needed. I first made it after a family hike, when a squashed fresh banana came home at the bottom of my backpack.

Now a jar lives in our pantry all year. Unlike my no-bake banana energy balls, which need the fridge, this mix goes straight into a backpack, a lunchbox or the glove box.

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Why You’ll Love This Banana Trail Mix

Every September, I make a big batch the first week of school, and it’s gone by Friday. Here’s why this one stuck.

• Five ingredients, five minutes. One bowl, one spatula and no oven.
• Sweet and salty in every handful. Salted peanuts balance the milk chocolate and the golden, naturally sweet banana chips.
• A dried fruit trail mix that stays crunchy. Crispy banana chips add crunch instead of the chewy texture of raisins.
• It travels anywhere. Backpacks, desk drawers and road trips, with no ice pack.
• Real energy. About 13 g of protein and 6 g of fiber in every ½ cup.

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What You Need for Trail Mix with Banana Chips

Each of the five ingredients has a job. The nuts bring crunch and protein, the banana chips bring sweetness, and the two kinds of chips bring that peanut butter cup flavor. Here’s what I buy and what you can swap.

The Crunch: Almonds, Peanuts and Banana Chips

Whole roasted almonds. Use 2 cups (286 g), lightly salted or raw. They’re the base of the mix, so buy a fresh bag, because stale almonds taste flat.

Salted roasted peanuts. Use 1 cup (146 g). I like big Virginia peanuts for their crunch. Keep them salted, because that salt makes the sweet bits taste sweeter. For a peanut-free mix, use cashews or pecans.

Crispy banana chips. Use 1 cup (72 g). This is where all the banana flavor comes from. Most store-bought chips are fried in coconut oil and lightly sweetened, which makes them golden and very crisp. For a lighter trail mix, banana chips can be homemade: try my homemade baked banana chips, and make sure they’re fully dry and snap before you mix them in.

The Sweet Bits: Peanut Butter Chips and Chocolate Chips

Peanut butter chips. Use ⅔ cup (113 g). This is the secret of the mix. They taste like peanut butter without being sticky or wet, so everything stays loose in the jar. Reese’s are my usual pick. When you want real, creamy peanut butter with fresh fruit, make these fresh peanut butter banana bites instead.

Milk chocolate chips. Use ⅔ cup (113 g). My kids always vote for milk chocolate. Semi-sweet or 70% dark chips make a less sweet trail mix with chocolate chips. If it’s hot outside, see my tips below first.

Flaky sea salt (optional). Add a pinch only if your nuts are unsalted.

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How to Make Banana Trail Mix

There’s no cooking here. The only skill you need is a gentle hand, so the banana chips stay whole.

1. Grab a large bowl. Use a wide bowl that holds at least 3 quarts (3 L), so you have room to toss.
2. Add the nuts. Pour in the almonds and the peanuts first. They’re the heaviest, so they make a stable base.

Step 1: almonds and salted peanuts go in first.

3. Add the sweet bits. Scatter the banana chips, peanut butter chips and chocolate chips on top. Break any banana chip wider than 1½ inches (4 cm) in half with your fingers.

Step 2: banana chips and both kinds of chips on top, not mixed yet.

4. Toss gently. With a large silicone spatula, fold from the bottom up 8 to 10 times, until everything is evenly mixed. Don’t stir hard, or the banana chips snap into crumbs.
5. Portion and store. Spoon the mix into airtight Mason jars, or into ½-cup (73 g) snack bags for grab-and-go days.

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Lily’s Tips for Crunchy Banana Trail Mix

I’ve packed this mix for hikes, school trips and one 9-hour drive to my mom’s. These are the small things I learned along the way.

• Keep the salt. Without salted peanuts, the mix tastes flat and too sweet. If all your nuts are unsalted, add a pinch of flaky salt.
• Make every handful complete. Break the big banana chips in half, so each handful has all five ingredients.
• Watch the heat. Above 77°F (25°C), chocolate and peanut butter chips start to melt. For summer hikes, swap them for candy-coated chocolates or cacao nibs.
• Use dry chips only. Any moisture softens the nuts and turns the chocolate dull and gray. Homemade banana chips should snap, not bend. “The riper your bananas, the less sugar you’ll need — nature does the sweetening for you.” That’s why I use dark chocolate when I bake my own chips from spotty bananas.
• Remember what’s in a chip. One ripe banana contains about 12g of natural sugar and 3g of fiber. Drying takes out the water but keeps the sugar, which is why banana chips taste so much sweeter than fresh fruit.

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More Dried Fruit Trail Mix Variations

Once you have the base, you can swap the fruit, the chips or the nuts. Keep roughly the same ratio: 3 parts nuts, 1 part dried fruit and 1⅓ parts sweet bits.

Banana Split Trail Mix

Add ½ cup (10 g) of freeze-dried strawberries, ¼ cup (40 g) of dried cherries and ½ cup (25 g) of mini marshmallows. Swap the peanut butter chips for white chocolate chips if you like. It tastes like the sundae, in a jar. Freeze-dried fruit pulls in moisture, so eat this one within 2 weeks.

Tropical Fruit Trail Mix

For a tropical fruit and nut trail mix, swap the peanuts for cashews. Then add ½ cup (80 g) of chopped dried mango, ¼ cup (40 g) of dried pineapple and ½ cup (25 g) of toasted coconut chips. Skip the peanut butter chips and keep the milk or white chocolate. A trail mix with dried mango and pineapple tastes like a beach day, and the banana chips fit right in.

Salted Caramel Trail Mix (Peanut-Free)

Replace the peanuts with pecans or cashews, and the peanut butter chips with salted caramel chips. This caramel trail mix is softer and more buttery. If it’s for school, check every label for “may contain peanuts.”

Pretzel & Cereal Crunch Trail Mix

Add 1 cup (30 g) of mini pretzels and 1 cup (30 g) of a crunchy cereal, like rice squares or toasted oat rings. This cereal trail mix is lighter and airier, with fewer calories per handful. Cereal goes stale faster, though, so eat it within 2 weeks.

High-Protein Seed Boost

Add ¼ cup (35 g) of pepitas and ¼ cup (35 g) of sunflower seeds. It adds about 2 g of protein per serving, and a nice green color.

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How to Store Banana Trail Mix

Keep this mix dry, dark and cool, and it stays crunchy for weeks.

Counter: Up to 4 weeks in an airtight jar in a cool, dark cupboard, below 75°F (24°C). Nuts and banana chips are dry, so nothing spoils quickly. Heat and light are what melt the chocolate and make the nuts stale.

Fridge: Up to 2 months in an airtight container. It’s useful in hot summers to keep the chocolate firm. Let the jar sit 10 minutes before opening, so no condensation forms inside.

Freezer: Up to 3 months in a freezer bag with the air pressed out. Thaw it for 20 minutes on the counter, still sealed, so the banana chips stay crisp.

Meal prep tip: On Sunday afternoon, I fill 10 snack bags for the week. When the kids want something softer, I bake a tray of chewy banana granola bars at the same time.

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Banana Trail Mix FAQ

Here are the questions I get most often, with the short answer first.

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From My Pantry to Your Backpack

There’s no wrong way to make this mix. Start with what’s in your cupboard, keep the salt, and let your kids choose the chocolate. Then close the jar, grab your shoes and head outside.

If you love this, try our soft peanut butter banana cookies or a creamy peanut butter banana smoothie next!

Love, Lily 🍌