Protein Puppy Chow

This Healthy Protein Puppy Chow is full of peanut butter and chocolatey flavors! Great for a snack and of course more protein than your average muddy buddy recipe. It’s also one of our favorite treats to serve at holiday parties! 

If you have never made muddy buddies before you may be wondering what the heck this recipe even is! 

So puppy chow or muddy buddies is when you use rice or corn Chex to make a sweet party mix. 

It’s a quick and easy dessert, appetizer, or snack but offers added nutrition with healthier ingredients when compared to other traditional recipes. Our secret ingredient here is the chocolate protein powder! Next time I am going to try a different flavor and see how it turns out. 

One good thing I love about Chex mix recipes is that you can make them sweet or savory and they are both totally delicious! 

If you are a savory fan you should try my Air Fryer Chex Mix, you can make it in the oven too if you don’t have an air fryer! It’s the perfect snack and so easy to make.

Ingredients Needed 

Cereal – grab some rice or corn Chex mix, this is the base for puppy chow 

Dark Chocolate Chips – I highly recommend you go with Lily’s Dark Chocolate! It’s the best. Much healthier and less processed than other chocolate brands. 

Peanut Butter – I’m using the all-natural kind. My favorite is Trader’s Joes just because it’s the perfect combo between the salt and nutty taste. 

Powdered Sugar – Thrive Market offers tons of organic options.

Coconut Oil – this is to help us melt down the chocolate so it is smooth and creamy.

Protein Powder – So I really want you to try Orgain’s Peanut Butter Chocolate protein powder, it is ah-mazing!

If you don’t have this kind you can always use vanilla or any other flavor you enjoy!

How to Make Homemade Puppy Chow

Add the dry cereal to a large mixing bowl and set side. 

To a ziplock bag, pour the in the protein powder and powdered sugar.

Over medium low heat, combine the peanut butter, chocolate chips and oil in a small pot. Stir until melted and smooth. 

Pour the melted peanut butter mixture over the rice cereal and toss to coat using a rubber spatula. 

Add the coated cereal to the powdered sugar and protein powder and shake. 

Spread the puppy chow onto a parchment lined baking sheet to cool. 

Substitutions and Variations 

Nut butters: replace the creamy peanut butter with almond butter, cashew butter, or any of your other favorite nut butters. 

Gluten free: most of the varieties of corn and rice Chex cereal are gluten free. If you need gluten free puppy chow, avoid using the Wheat Chex. 

Reindeer chow: use white chocolate chips instead of regular. Add red and green M&Ms or sprinkles.

Protein powder: Feel free to switch up the protein flavors to make muddy buddies all different ways! 

Classic puppy chow: omit the protein powder. 

What’s Your Favorite Protein to Use in Puppy Chow? 

My favorite protein powder is Orgain. It’s a vegan pea protein and has 21g of protein in each serving.

Unlike most powders, this one is actually good and smells divine. It’s perfect for protein shakes, baking, and adding it to your oatmeal.
Orgain comes in several flavors and they often release seasonal flavors too.

If you need a quick on the go protein shake, Orgain also offers premixed chocolate and vanilla shakes that are really good and uses the same high-quality ingredients!

You can get them from Amazon, or we often buy ours when we make our Costco hauls. You can also try my Coffee Banana Smoothie for an on-the-go breakfast!

Tips for Making 

• If you don’t want to use the stovetop, add the peanut butter, chocolate chips and coconut oil to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second increments and stir in between. 
• Don’t forget to let them cool completely before storing them. If you don’t they will become a soggy mess! 
• If you are making these for a snack, divide them ahead of time into containers or bags to make on the go snacking more convenient! They will go fast, so we recommend making a double batch. 

How to Store

Keep leftover protein muddy buddies in a gallon zip-lock bag or airtight container. You can store them at room temperature or my favorite way is in the refrigerator so they stay fresh and crunchy. 

We are making this for the Super Bowl, so join in!

After you make puppy chow, tag me on Instagram! Let me know if you use a different protein flavor! 

Common FAQs

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More Snacks to Chow Down On: 

• Healthy Greek Yogurt French Onion Dip
• Edible Vegan Cookie Dough Balls
• Healthy & Easy Five Minute Tzatziki
• Healthy Cottage Cheese Buffalo Chicken Dip
• Teriyaki Chickpeas

Protein Puppy Chow

Protein puppy chow is a delicious treat that will satisfy that sweet tooth made with melted chocolate, peanut butter, chocolate protein powder and Chex cereal. The whole family love this protein-packed snack.

4.77 from 13 votes

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Ingredients

  

• 6 cups Rice or Corn Chex
• 2/3 cup dark chocolate chips dairy-free if needed*
• 1/3 cup natural peanut butter*
• 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
• ⅔ cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter chocolate protein powder OR vanilla protein powder

Instructions

 

• Measure cereal and place in a large bowl, set aside.
• Pour powdered sugar and protein powder into a 2-gallon resealable zip-lock bag.
• In a saucepan over low-medium heat add peanut butter, chocolate chips and coconut oil. Stir continuously until chocolate chips have melted and the mixture is smooth.
• Pour chocolate mixture over cereal and toss until evenly coated.
• Carefully pour coated cereal mixture into the bag with the powdered sugar and protein powder. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on parchment paper to cool completely. Make sure you let it cool for a while before putting it in a container, otherwise your mix will get soggy.
• Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Keeping it in the fridge will keep it fresh and crunchy!

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!