Easy Christmas Trash Snack Mix: Sweet + Salty Holiday Treat
This easy Christmas trash snack mix is one of my favorite Christmas treats! I love the combination of sweet, salty, and crunchy in this tasty holiday snack! Crazy easy to make–so it’s the perfect Christmas treat to make with your kids.

Updated December 2025
What is Christmas Trash?
When my siblings and I were bratty teenagers we like to call this white chocolate bark candy “White Trash”. But my mom always called it “White Treasure” because she didn’t think white trash was a very nice way to describe it. No matter what you call it–this is a fun, easy, and delicious Christmas treat! I’ve seen some versions that use almonds instead of peanuts and pretzel sticks or different cereals. Basically you can be as creative as you want, but I’m sharing our family’s classic Christmas Trash holiday snack recipe.
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This November and December I’ve been sharing some of my best holiday recipes and this white chocolate-coated Christmas Trash is right up there! The holidays are some of my favorite times to get busy in the kitchen, so many great recipes to enjoy and share together! Here are just a few of the delicious holiday recipes we’ve made together!
- Slow Cooker Holiday Ham
- Tasty + Healthy Gingerbread Smoothie
- Addicting Spicy Pretzel Recipe
- ANDES MINT CHRISTMAS COOKIES
Last Saturday I decided it was time to start baking holiday treats and I got both of my little boys (ages 2 and 3) involved in Christmas baking and this was the perfect recipe for little hands to help with.

My little boys had a great time measuring out the cereal, pretzels, peanuts and most importantly M&Ms!! They were so excited about adding Christmas M&Ms to this recipe! There were quite a few pieces of candy taste tested so we ended up adding about another 1/2 cup of M&Ms to the recipe when it was all said and done.
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Then that evening we made individual snack bags for each of us to snack on as we drove around looking at Christmas lights and through a live nativity. This was the perfect little treat to snack on as we tooled around enjoying the season!

To make this recipe you may need…
- A sweet Christmas apron like this buffalo plaid version! You can even get kids sizes for your little helpers!
- A LARGE mixing bowl! Since this makes 5 quarts of Christmas Trash, you need a BIG bowl. I would say at least 8 quarts and these big metal bowls are perfect!
- Christmas treat goodie bags or a sweet tin for easy sharing of holiday treats!
Christmas Trash Snack Mix Recipe
Christmas Trash
Chex, cheerios, peanuts, pretzels, and M&Ms mix together with white chocolate to make a delicious Christmas treat!
Ingredients
- 10 oz mini pretzels
- 5 cups Cheerios
- 5 cups Chex (Rice or Corn)
- 2 cups salted peanuts
- 1 pound Christmas M&Ms
- 2 12 oz packages white chocolate chips
- 3 T vegetable oil
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine first five ingredients.
- Set aside.
- In a microwave safe bowl, heat chips and oil in microwave for 15 seconds. Stir.
- Continue heating for 15 seconds and stirring until chips are melted and mixture is smooth.
- Pour over cereal mixture and mix well.
- Spread onto three wax paper lined baking sheets. Allow to cool and break apart.
- Store in airtight container. Makes 5 quarts
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 635Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 463mgCarbohydrates: 78gFiber: 4gSugar: 46gProtein: 12g
All recipe nutrition information is approximate.

My #1 Tip! Don’t rush this step!
My #1 tip for this recipe turning out well is to slowly heat your white chocolate. 15 seconds in the microwave. Stir. 15 more seconds. Stir. 15 more. Stir. Keep repeating this process JUST until it is melty. If you overheat the chocolate it doesn’t work well (your snack mix won’t stick together well) and the white chocolate will begin to taste off too. No thanks! Just stay patient. This is literally the hardest part of this recipe.
Why Christmas Trash Makes a Great Holiday Gift
If you’re looking for an easy Christmas edible gift this Christmas trash is perfect for holiday gifting! You can package this up for Christmas gifting in cute mason jars tied up with a festive ribbon or in small gift bags. It’s the perfect Christmas sweet treat to share!

Seasonal Recipe Variations for White Chocolate Trash
You can also mix up your seasonal M&Ms and make this treat during other times of year! Pastels would be really pretty for spring or Easter and red and blue M&Ms would be super festive for the 4th of July!

I hope your family enjoys creating new family traditions around this tasty and easy Christmas trash recipe! Some Christmas baking can be stressful and complicated but this simple recipe is perfect for little hands to help and literally takes minutes to make!
If you like this recipe be sure to pin it to your favorite Christmas recipe board!


I’ve never heard of Christmas Trash but this sounds amazing. I’m going to have to try this.
Super good!! You can add any seasonal m and ms or regular ones to it as well! Valentines Day would be cute!