This Christmas Muddy Buddy Recipe is quick, easy, and no bake. It makes a sweet snack mix in just a few minutes, which is ideal during the busy holiday season. It’s the perfect treat for your next holiday party and makes great gifts for family, especially kids.

A clear bowl filled with lightly dusted in white powdered sugar, chocolate-coated rice cereal squares and red and green holiday peanut candies.

This post may contain affiliate links. This means, if you click a link and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at NO extra cost to you. Thank you! 🎄

This easy recipe is the Christmas version of a muddy buddies recipe.

The sweet treat is so incredibly easy and quick to make that it may be the perfect holiday treat.

If you’re sick of baking or just so busy this Christmas season that you have no idea how you’re going to make a festive holiday treat to bring to that Christmas party, this Christmas muddy buddies recipe is for you.

Simple Ingredients

This recipe includes the main ingredients of most puppy chow Chex mix recipes - Chex cereal, peanut butter, chocolate, and powdered sugar.

It also has vanilla extract, unsalted butter, and holiday m&m candies.

Reindeer chow muddy buddies with green and red peanut m&m candies on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.

Chex Mix Cereal

I like to use Rice Chex cereal in this Christmas puppy chow recipe.

It is the best to balance and absorb the different flavors of the other ingredients while still providing a satisfying crunch.

For more cereal treats, check out:
- Cocoa Puff Cereal Bars Recipe
- Fruit Loops Bars Recipe
- Fruity Pebbles Bar Recipe - Easy, Fun, & Unique
- Fruity Pebbles Cookie Recipe - Soft, Chewy, & Fun

Peanut Butter

Creamy peanut butter is best to use in this recipe.

Crunch is already being added with the cereal and holiday m&ms.

Chocolate

The first step in this recipe is to melt chocolate chips with the peanut butter and butter.

This is then used (after adding vanilla extract) to coat the Rice Chex for that delicious chocolate-coated cereal that is the star in muddy buddy recipes and can be enjoyed any time of year.

This recipe calls for semi-sweet chocolate chips. They balance the sweetness of the powdered sugar well.

If you would prefer milk chocolate or dark chocolate, you can definitely use that instead.

If you want to add white chocolate to this easy treat, I recommend just added white chocolate chips to the mix later. Not melting them down and using them to coat the cereal.

To me, melted white chocolate with the melted peanut butter tastes weird.

Powdered Sugar

This recipe calls for a little bit less powdered sugar than a traditional muddy buddies recipe.

But, it is still enough to cover each piece of coated cereal.

A gallon zip loc bag is opened to show white powdered sugar on top of the cereal mixture in this Christmas Buddy Muddy Recipe.

I recommend waiting to add any red and green m&m candies or red, white, and green sprinkles until after you toss the cereal, peanut butter, and chocolate mixture in the powdered sugar.

Adding them later ensures that the colors say vibrant, which makes this delicious snack visually pleasing for holiday parties.

A stainless steel measuring cup full of red and green holiday peanut m&ms is scattered on top of brown chocolate-coated rice chex cereal laid in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Reindeer Chow Muddy Buddies

The best part of this easy Christmas recipe is how customizable it is.

In the recipe card below, I include the most simple version of this Christmas Chex Mix.

As written, this Christmas Muddy Buddy Recipe is a tasty treat for Christmas parties. You definitely do not need to add any additional candy or food. But, the recipe is simple enough to act as a base for more, if desired.

A bowl filled with Christmas Muddy Buddy - light brown rice cereal squares that are coated with a melted chocolate, peanut butter, and butter mixture then topped with a light dusting of white powdered sugar, mixed with lots of brightly colored red and green oval, peanut, holiday m&ms.

Kids LOVE when I call this mix, “Reindeer Munch” or “Reindeer Puppy Chow”.

When I play up the Reindeer aspect to this muddy munch, I like to add pretzels and peanuts.

And switch the peanut holiday m&m candies to regular holiday milk chocolate m&ms.

Bright red, white, and green sprinkles - like these Noel Mix Sprinkles or this fun mix of Christmas sprinkles with white stars, red candy canes, and green Christmas trees - are another fun addition to this perfect Christmas snack.

A great thing about this recipe is that you can have fun with it! Just remember the flavors.

One time, I tried to add peppermint extract and mint holiday m&m candies to this Christmas treat.

The flavor of mint did NOT go well with the melted peanut butter mixture.

Light brown coated cereal square with red and green oval m&m candies on a baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper.

How to Store

Store the Christmas muddy buddies in an airtight container or a ziploc bag, like one of these Ziploc Gallon Food Storage Bags, at room temperature.

They should last 1-2 weeks.

For more favorite holiday recipes, check out:
- Easy Christmas Fudge
- Christmas Pretzel Rods Recipe
- Easy Grinch Cake Mix Cookies
- Homemade Peppermint Syrup

A glass bowl of holiday muddy buddies made with rice chex cereal that is coated in a brown mixture of melted chocolate, peanut butter, and butter then dusted with white powdered sugar. Red and white oval m&m candies are in between the cereal pieces to make the perfect festive treat.

If you made this Christmas Muddy Buddy Recipe, I would love to hear what you think! Please leave a comment and/or rating below. Did you add anything else to your Christmas Muddy Buddies? If so, let me know what you added in the comments below!

Christmas Muddy Buddies with light brown, chocolate coated cereal squares and red and green round peanut holiday m&m candies on a parchment sheet that is lined with a sheet of white parchment paper.

Print Recipe

5 from 28 votes

Christmas Muddy Buddy Recipe

This Holiday Muddy Buddies Recipe is incredibly easy, quick, and makes the perfect no bake snack mix for Christmas time. Feel free to add some of your favorites - different types of m&m candies, pretzels, festive sprinkles, chocolate chips - to this simple, base recipe for the perfect holiday treat.

Prep Time7

Cook Time3

Total Time10

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: ½ cup Servings

Ingredients

4 cups Rice Chex Cereal
½ cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
¼ cup Peanut Butter creamy
2 tablespoon Butter unsalted
½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
½ cup Powdered Sugar
1 cup Christmas Peanut M&Ms*

Instructions

Melt chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. This can also be done in the microwave by heating the ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl in 10-15 second intervals. Mixing after each one.
Once the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter are completely melted, combined, and smooth, remove from heat.
Mix in the vanilla extract.
Add the Chex cereal and stir until it is evenly coated with the melted chocolate, butter, and peanut butter mixture.
Pour mixture into a plastic bag. I like to use a gallon ziploc bag.
Add the powdered sugar to the bag, on top of the cereal mixture. Seal the bag at the top.
Shake, shake, shake until the mixture is evenly coated in powdered sugar.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Pour the reindeer puppy chow onto the baking sheet. Spread it out into a single layer with clean hands.
Add holiday m&m candies and any other toppings to the Christmas mix.
Enjoy! Or store in an airtight container to serve later.

Notes

*I use Peanut M&Ms to compliment the peanut butter in the recipe. Regular Holiday Milk Chocolate M&Ms are also a great choice. Peanut Butter M&Ms would work too!

Simple Christmas Muddy Buddy Recipe {Reindeer Chow}