Blueberry Maple Walnut Trail Mix

This homemade vegan trail mix recipe is full of healthy ingredients. With oats, nuts, seeds and freeze-dried blueberries, it makes great fuel for a weekend hike, bike or jog.

Have you ever wanted to make your own gourmet trail mix at home? It’s incredibly easy and more affordable than buying store bought trail mix.

Not to mention that it’s much healthier. There are no hidden M&M’s in this trail mix! But there is a secret ingredient in here that adds crunch and sweetness–freeze dried blueberries. Whip up a batch of this flavorful trail mix in 20-minutes and enjoy it before a run or a hike.

Is trail mix healthy?

Trail mix is surely delicious, but it’s not always the healthiest snack. After all, most store bought trail mixes are full of added sugar. They usually combine nuts, seeds, dried fruit and sometimes chocolate or other candies.

This trail mix is different because it also contains oats and omits the candy and dried fruit. Although there is nothing wrong with dried fruit, I wanted to change things up a bit and use a freeze dried blueberry in this recpie.

The process of freeze drying and regular drying is a bit different. Freeze drying is a low temperature dehydration process that involves freezing the food, lowering the pressure and then removing the ice. The end result is a crispy piece of fruit with no added sugar.

Drying, on the other hand, is also known as dehydrating the fruit. Dried fruit is made by putting the fruit under low heat for a long period of time, which sucks out all the moisture. The end result is a chewy piece of fruit.

In terms of nutrition, freeze dried fruit isn’t any better or worse than dried fruit. It’s just a different texture.

Ingredients to make Blueberry Maple Walnut Trail Mix

This recipe is great because it requires a few simple ingredients. You can also double the recipe if you wanted to make a bigger batch. If you’re anything like me, you’ll find yourself snacking on this trail mix quite often, so making extra is always a great idea!

To make this trail mix, you’ll need:

• 2 cups oats
• 1 cup walnuts
• 2 tablespoons seeds flax, chia or hemp
• 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup grape seed oil (any neutral oil will work)
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 cup freeze-dried blueberries

How to make healthy vegan trail mix with blueberries

I whip up a batch of this trail mix the night before a hike because it’s so simple to make. Here are the simple steps to make a homemade gourmet trail mix in 20-minutes or less.

1. Gather all the ingredients, two large bowls, a baking sheet and parchment paper. And preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients– oats, nuts, seeds, cinnamon and a dash of salt. In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients– oil and maple syrup– and whisk together. Pour the maple syrup mixture on the oats and stir to combine. Then lay out on a parchment lined baking sheet.

3. Bake the oat and nut mixture for 15 minutes, then let it cool. Add the freeze dried blueberries to the mix and enjoy!

Ingredient Swaps & Substitutions

The great thing about trail mix is that you can really mix and match the ingredients depending on what you have on hand. It’s incredibly versatile and delicious no matter what you use. Ideas of swaps for this recipe are:

• Freeze-dried blueberries: Fresh or frozen blueberries will work just as well if that’s all you have.
• Maple syrup: You can swap with honey or agave
• Walnuts: If you’re not a fan of walnuts or just don’t have any, you could swap with any kind of nut (almonds, pecans, cashews). It may change the flavor slightly, but it will give you a similar texture.

Serving Suggestions

I personally love to snack on trail mix right out of the bag, but there are so many delicious ways to serve it as a healthy snack or meal.

• Serve with greek yogurt
• Add to homemade popcorn
• Eat it as a breakfast cereal with dairy or plant-based milk
• Use as a smoothie topping
• Serve with a platter of fruit