5-Minute Tropical Fruit Trail Mix with Coconut

10/01/24

(Updated 11/23/24)

Craving a taste of the tropics? Take your taste buds on a mini vacation with this homemade trail mix. It's a perfect grab-and-go snack for hiking, road trips, study, or work breaks. Vegetarian friendly, and only five minutes needed to prep a big batch!

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I’m all for a themed snack, with this nutritious DIY trail mix (or scroggin, as we Kiwis like to call it), bringing total tropical vibes🌴. Like any good trail mix, each handful offers a vibrant mix of textures and flavours—sweet and tangy dried island fruit, roasted tropical nuts, crispy coconut chips, and a hint of creamy white chocolate.

It’s quick and easy to make, simply mix everything together and dig in. A batch will last for ages too, thanks to its shelf-stable ingredients—so you’ll always have a wholesome snack ready when hunger strikes.

As a Registered Nutritionist, I love homemade trail mixes. Making your own gives you the freedom to choose ingredients you enjoy, while also giving you flexibility to tailor the mix to your preferences—like reducing sweetness, saltiness, going lower-carb, whatever it may be!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Nuts. For tropical vibes, I like cashews and macadamias. Roasted salted varieties add amazing savoury flavour and crunch, and the little bit of salt will enhance the other flavours too (think of it like seasoning your trail mix!).
Dried unsweetened mango and pineapple. Chewy dried tropical fruit adds natural sweetness, tropical flavours and a quick energy boost. Opt for unsweetened varieties to avoid excess sugar—on the label look out for 100% fruit and nothing else.
Dried banana chips. For natural sweetness and a fun crisp. Unlike fresh bananas, they have a long shelf life, making them a convenient addition here. You can keep them whole or break them up for smaller bites.
Coconut chips. It’s a tropical trail mix, after all! These larger, wider pieces of coconut are ideal for trail mix, unlike desiccated or shredded coconut, which can be too iddy biddy to easily pick up.
White chocolate chips. For a creamy, vanilla-like pop of flavour that complements the other ingredients perfectly. Hot tip: choose baking chocolate chips, as they hold shape better in warm conditions (like a summer hike!). For the best taste, go for high-quality chocolate.

Unsweetened vs sweetened dried fruit? I’m team unsweetened. Added sugars can mask the natural taste of the fruit, whereas with unsweetened versions, you get more of fruit’s true flavour. This means dried pineapple pieces that are actually a little tangy and mango that are naturally quite sweet!

Let’s Make: Tropical Trail Mix

Add all the ingredients into a large bowl or container.

Toss together using a spatula, spoon, or just your hands, until evenly mixed.

Kitchen Tips

Keen to give this trail mix a go? Here are my tried-and-tested tips:

Chop the fruit bite-sized. If it didn’t come that way already (as mine did!), cut your mango and pineapple a similar size as the banana chips—so you’re not stuck gnawing on a giant piece of dried mango. Check out my ingredient shot above for the ideal size.
Don’t be afraid to customise. Can’t find salted nuts? No problem, go natural. Dairy free? Swap the white chocolate with dark chocolate, or skip altogether (I promise it’ll still taste great!). Trail mixes are the ultimate customisable snack.
Check out the bulk bins. They can save you money since you’re only buying what you need, without paying extra for fancy packaging or marketing.

Serving & Storage

A perk of trail mix—it’s the snack that keeps on giving! This recipes makes a total of 4 cups. A typical serving size is ¼ to ⅓ cup, though you might prefer more or less depending on your energy needs and what you’re doing, e.g. if you’re hiking snack you might need to pack more.

Store your scroggin in an airtight container to keep it crunchy and fresh. A jar or sealed container works well, kept in a cool, dry place like a pantry. Properly stored, it should stay fresh for several months.

Thanks for reading! Are you looking for more speedy snack ideas featuring fruit? Try my 5-minute banana, peanut butter and coconut snack boat🍌.