Name: Totally Tropical Trail Mix Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Trail Mix
Ingredients: 1 cup roasted almonds; 1 cup roasted and salted shelled pistachios; 1 cup roasted and salted macadamia nuts; 1 cup chopped dried pineapple; 1 cup chopped dried mango; ½ cup flaked or shredded unsweetened coconut (the largest pieces you can find); ⅓ cup cacao nibs or chocolate chips

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Tropical trail mix makes the perfect snack for a day of hiking or sitting in the car. It’s salty and sweet with the perfect amount of crunch and chew.

I love creating new trail mix combinations and try to deviate as far as I can from traditional GORP — not that there’s anything wrong with raisins and peanuts, but fun pairings of different fruits and nuts are always welcome.

This delightful tropical trail mix provides instant energy, and while the ingredients are a little more exotic than what you might have in your cabinet, most supermarkets carry them.

Quick Overview: Totally Tropical Trail Mix

This tropical trail mix is like a road-trip superfood, based loosely on a few of my favorite treats – dried mango, pistachios, and chocolate. These three magical ingredients would be pretty fabulous on their own, but I thought I’d experiment and create a little tropical trail mix masterpiece.

The trail mix recipe below is as near to perfect as a trail mix can be.

Dried mango for tropical trail mix. — Adding the dried mango, yum!

It’s the perfect mix of salty and sweet, and the flavor is totally indulgent without being heavy. I experimented with cacao nibs for the first time ever, mainly because our summer has been so hot and humid, and I didn’t want chocolate melting all over our fingers and my car.

Here’s the thing about cacao nibs — they’re crunchy and a little bitter, and not so awesome on their own (in my humble opinion). But when mixed with dried fruit and nuts, they take on the sweet and salty flavors of their neighbors and share their intense chocolate yumminess with the whole bag.

If you’re not worried about hot summer days ruining your bag of tropical trail mix, use chocolate chips instead.

clear bags full of tropical trail mix. — Bags of trail mix – road trip ready!

I also added a bit of shredded coconut at the last minute, and while the minuscule pieces I had on hand tasted great, I would totally recommend buying the biggest pieces you can find so they don’t all end up at the bottom of your trail mix bag.

Ready to give this totally tropical trail mix recipe a shot?

This is one of our favorite road trip snacks, and it’s the easiest thing to make in the world. It tastes so much better than most grocery trail mixes, and I’m guessing that after you make it, you’ll never want to buy trail mix again. You can thank me later.

6 cups

Totally Tropical Trail Mix Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup roasted almonds
1 cup roasted and salted shelled pistachios
1 cup roasted and salted macadamia nuts
1 cup chopped dried pineapple
1 cup chopped dried mango
½ cup flaked or shredded unsweetened coconut (the largest pieces you can find)
⅓ cup cacao nibs or chocolate chips

Notes

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour into plastic bags or other travel containers. Makes 2 quart-sized bags. Double if you have teenagers.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 227Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 80mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 4gSugar: 17gProtein: 4g

Tara Schatz is a freelance writer and travel blogger with a passion for outdoor adventures. She is the co-author of AMC’s Best Day Hikes in Vermont and currently blogs at Back Road Ramblers and Vermont Explored, where she shares travel tips, adventure destinations, and vacation ideas for the wanderer in everyone.