This gluten free Halloween Puppy Chow recipe is the perfect snack mix! It's made with Rice Chex cereal, chocolate, and peanut butter.
I feel like I should post this Halloween Puppy Chow recipe along with a Public Service Announcement: This stuff is ADDICTING! It's one of those snacks that's basically impossible to stop eating.

After making a huge batch of it I'd walk by the bowl and grab a handful, and then another handful, and then another handful...you get the picture.
In an effort to control ourselves I placed the remainder in a heavy-duty plastic bag and stored it in the freezer - Out of sight, out of mind, right? Wrong. Every time we walked by the freezer we'd remove the bag and grab another handful.
It took my husband and I a mere 2 days to take down the entire batch of puppy chow.
It turns out that coating a crispy breakfast cereal in a chocolate peanut butter glaze and then dousing the whole thing in powdered sugar is a downright tasty endeavor. Which makes it the perfect party food. And with Halloween around the corner this stuff is a great addition to the menu.
Jump to:
- Why Is It Called Puppy Chow?
- Melt The Chocolate and Peanut Butter
- Drizzle Chocolate Over Cereal
- Toss The Puppy Chow In Powdered Sugar
- How Much Powdered Sugar Should I Add?
- Can I Use Another Candy In This Recipe?
- How To Store Puppy Chow
- Can I Cut The Recipe In Half If I Don't Need This Much?
- Halloween Puppy Chow (Gluten Free)

Why Is It Called Puppy Chow?
Puppy chow (also known as Muddy Buddies or Reindeer Chow) is called so because it resembles the Dog Chow brand of dog food.
It's true origin is unknown but many think that it originated somewhere in the Midwest. I remember trying Puppy Chow for the first time at a friend's house as a kid and being kind of blown away by it.
The concept of this quintessential party snack is so simple - All that's needed to make it is a box of Rice or Corn Chex cereal, chocolate chips, peanut butter, butter, powdered sugar, and some salt.
Because this is Halloween Puppy Chow I've added some Reese's Pieces for a festive flair but you can customize it to your liking with any variety of candies or leave them out altogether.
- Start by pouring an entire 12 oz. box of Rice Chex cereal (about 12 cups) into a large bowl.

Melt The Chocolate and Peanut Butter
This is the good stuff right here - The melted chocolate and peanut butter that gets drizzled over the cereal. It's the perfect blend of sweet and salty decadence.
I like to use a double boiler to heat stuff like this - It works great for making things like chocolate ganache. You can use the microwave if you don't have a double boiler.
- Add a few cups of water to the double boiler and heat until it reaches a low boil.
- Melt 6 Tbsp. of butter. Add 1 ½ cups of gluten free semi-sweet chocolate chips and ¾ cup of creamy peanut butter to the melted butter. Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula for a minute or two or until completely combined.
- Add 1 tsp. vanilla extract to the mixture and stir until combined.

Drizzle Chocolate Over Cereal
The next step is to drizzle that melted chocolate mixture over the cereal while it's still warm.
The chocolate will start to clump a bit if you wait too long so it's best to do it right away.
- Slowly pour the melted chocolate over the cereal and toss with a wooden spoon. It's important to do this gingerly as Chex cereal is pretty delicate and breaks easily.
- Pour a little at a time, stir, and then continue the process until you have added as much or as little of the chocolate as you like. Make sure all of the cereal is coated, though, or the powdered sugar won't stick.

Toss The Puppy Chow In Powdered Sugar
Once the cereal is all chocolate-y it's time to add the powdered sugar. I found that the best way to do this is to use heavy-duty plastic freezer bags. This is a large amount of puppy chow so it's best to use 2 bags.
- Place half of the chocolate-coated cereal in each freezer bag.
- Pour ½ cup of powdered sugar into each bag, close the plastic zipper, and shake the bag until the cereal is evenly coated in the powdered sugar.

How Much Powdered Sugar Should I Add?
- Once the cereal has been tossed in the powdered sugar pour both bags out onto a baking sheet (you may need two baking sheets depending on how big they are).
- Sprinkle another ¼ - ½ cup of powdered sugar over the top and sprinkle with ¼ tsp. of kosher salt. Carefully toss together with a wooden spoon.
I like my Puppy Chow with a little less powdered sugar than most recipes call for but you can certainly add more if you like. The amount of powdered sugar added can be customized to your tastes.
I find that the salt helps to balance out the sweetness so I totally recommend adding it.
If Puppy Chow is too chocolate-y feel free to add more powdered sugar.
Love chocolate? Don't miss these recipes!
- Italian Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
- Bailey's Chocolate Glazed Doughnuts
- Chocolate Peppermint Shortbread Cookies
- Peppermint Chocolate Cheesecake
- Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
- Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Blossoms

This is Halloween Gluten Free Puppy Chow so to make it extra festive I added some Reese's Pieces candies. The colors are perfect for fall, it adds even MORE peanut butter flavor, and they're gluten free.
- Pour half of the puppy chow into a large bowl and add ½ cup of Reese's Pieces.
- Repeat with the second half of the cereal and another ½ cup of Reese's. This helps to distribute it evenly.
Can I Use Another Candy In This Recipe?
Sure! This recipe is totally customizable so you can add any candy or other snack-y items you want. If you'd like to keep this recipe gluten free be sure to choose gluten free candies and/or snacks.
It would be great with candy corn, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, pretzels, peanuts or any type of nuts.

How To Store Puppy Chow
Provided you don't eat all of it at once this puppy chow should last up to a week stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
You can also store it in a plastic freezer bag up to 3 months in the freezer. Just make sure it has cooled completely before placing it in the freezer.
If you can manage to make it last that long then you have more willpower than I, my friend.

You can serve it in a big bowl or portion it out in several smaller bowls if it's on a party menu.
Can I Cut The Recipe In Half If I Don't Need This Much?
Absolutely. These are party portions and the recipe can be cut in half if you don't need that much or don't want that kind of temptation in your life.
We may not know who invented Puppy Chow but we're glad it's here. And it probably goes without saying but this recipe is meant for human consumption only. 🙂
If you love addicting snacks be sure to check out these Maple Spiced Roasted Nuts and Smoky Toasted Almonds!
Be sure to check out these Halloween Chocolate Cookies!
Looking For More Halloween Recipes? Don't Miss These!
Black Coconut Macaroons with Chocolate
Halloween Pistachio Witches Finger Cookies

Halloween Puppy Chow (Gluten Free)
Ingredients
- 1 12 oz. box Rice Chex cereal yields 12 cups
- 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ - 1 ½ cups powdered sugar adjust to taste
- ¼ tsp. kosher salt
- 1 cup Reese's Pieces candies
Instructions
- Pour 1 12 oz. box of Rice Chex Cereal (about 12 cups) into a large serving bowl.
Melt Chocolate and Peanut Butter:
- Add a few cups of water to a double boiler and heat to a low boil. Place the top on the double boiler and melt 6 Tbsp. of butter.
- Once the butter is melted add 1 ½ cups of gluten free semi-sweet chocolate chips and ¾ cup gluten free creamy peanut butter. Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon or spatula until melted and completely combined. You can also complete this step by melting these ingredients in the microwave.
- Add 1 tsp. vanilla extract to the chocolate mixture and stir until combined.
- Drizzle the warm chocolate mixture over the Chex cereal a little at a time, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to combine. It's important to be careful as Chex cereal is delicate and breaks easily. Repeat with the remainder of the chocolate.
- Divide the coated cereal in half and place it in two separate heavy-duty plastic Ziploc bags. Pour ½ cup powdered sugar into each bag, close the zipper, and shake until the cereal is coated.
- Pour both bags onto a baking sheet(s) and sprinkle an additional ¼ - ½ cup powdered sugar over the top (depending on how sweet you like it). Sprinkle ¼ tsp. kosher salt over the top. Carefully toss to coat with wooden spoon.
- Pour half of the cereal into a large serving bowl along with ½ cup of Reese's Pieces candies. Repeat with the remainder of the cereal and another ½ cup of candy.
kita
OMG! I haven't had puppy chow in forever - it's so addictive. I love the idea of whipping this up to snack on for halloween!
Christine
It's one of those snacks that's just as delicious as and adult as it was when we were kids! 🙂