Easy Sweet and Spicy Nut Mix with Sriracha and Honey

This sweet and spicy nut mix is made with sriracha sauce and honey for a slightly spiced, lightly sweet snack with healty fats and protein. It’s easy to vary with what you have, and takes just minutes to make. Perfect for game day watch parties, road trips, hikes, camping, or any day you’d like a healthy snack that’s a step above plain, salted nuts.

I love snack mixes (in moderation, of course…) but I always find that most of the recipes call for a lot of carb-y ingredients like cereals and pretzels. While they may be fun to eat, they end up not being very filling – or very healthy for my weight maintaining goals of less, but higher nutrient-dense foods.

If you’ve read my weight loss story, you know that nuts are my go-to every day snack since I can eat just a few of them and be satisfied until the next meal (usually eaten along with tea – drinking fills you up too!).

So when I wanted to make a slightly more fun, but still healthy snack to have while watching our favorite football teams – both the NFL and our alma mater Oregon Ducks – I started with good old nuts. But then I added our favorite spicy Sriracha sauce, and made my family happy with a little carb in the form of Trader Joe’s sesame sticks.

You all may know that we like things a bit spicy in our house, so Sriracha is a part of our hot sauce selection and finds its way in many of our recipes, like this super simple grilled chicken marinade or these healthy beef and vegetable bowls. So adding it to a nut mix was a no-brainer for me.

Recipe Ingredients & Substitutions

• Nuts: this will take up the bulk of the mix and you can use anything you like! For the batch pictured, I used raw pecans and roasted, salted mixed nuts which included almonds, cashews, and peanuts.
• Optional: Sesame sticks – I love the crunch they provide that make snack mixes fun and I like that the Trader Joe’s brand I used have just a few normal ingredients (and sesame seeds have a lot going for them, nutrition-wise). You can also use pretzel sticks, small rice crackers, or cereal.
• Butter: Used for the flavor, but you can use olive oil to make it dairy free.
• Honey: Again the flavor is great with the sriracha, but you can use maple syrup or another syrup if you can’t do honey.
• Sriracha sauce: This really isn’t as spicy as you’d think and keeping the amount to the lowest (1 tablespoon) is very mild. As a comparison, I use more than 3 tablespoons because we like to taste a little spice. That said, if you have another hot sauce you like you can try it here.
• Seasonings: Chili powder (seasoning, not pure chiles), onion and garlic powder, and salt and pepper. You can adjust these as you’d like or use a favorite seasoning instead of chili powder like a cajun seasoning or taco seasoning.

Want a nut only mix? You can definitely use all nuts (you’ll need a total of 8 cups). I like this spicy-sweet coating just as well on just nuts, too, so it’s up to you!

Make Sweet and Spicy Nut Mix with Sriracha and Honey

Here are the super-simple steps to make this 5-minute prep snack:

1. Get your oven heating and add all your nuts and any other mix ingredient you’re using to a large bowl.
2. Add the butter/oil, sriracha, and seasonings to a microwave-safe bowl or a small saucepan. Heat a few minutes until everything is combined and butter is melted (if using).
3. Pour the sauce over the nut mix and toss with a spoon until everything is coated.
4. Spread the mixture on a lined cookie sheet and bake 25-30 minutes, stirring at the 15 minute mark.
5. Let cool and serve!

I’m not gonna lie here – the only problem with this nut mix is that it’s so good it’s hard to stop eating! Not so good for the moderation thing, right?

Which is why it’s a good idea to have small containers, either little bowls or simple paper cones like I made that can just be recycled. Then, store this away out of sight if you have leftovers or want to save it for trips, hikes, and camping.

Everyone who’s tried this Sriracha honey nut mix has LOVED it – and most can’t stop eating it, either, so make sure to have those small containers for serving!

I hope you – and everyone you serve them to, enjoys this sweet and spicy nut mix as much as we do – if you make it, please leave a review and rating to let me know!

More Easy Healthy Snacks

• 19+ Healthy Snacks and Desserts
• Easy Homemade Granola Bar Recipe in 30 Minutes
• Easy & Healthy Spiced Nuts Recipe (No Sugar)

For even more healthy ideas, check out the Quick Healthy Recipes page.