The 8 Healthiest Store-Bought Trail Mixes You Can Buy

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Trail mix is one of those foods that seem healthy but aren't as nutritious as you might think. And I'm not just talking about the ones filled with M&M's — which I love, but reserve for long hiking days when I could use quick energy. Aside from chocolate, trail mix can sneak up on you with the added sugar present in dried fruits like cranberries and pineapple, as well as that in yogurt-covered raisins. Mainstream products often hide 10 grams or more of added sugar per ¼-cup serving. 

As a certified nutrition coach, I know to be more intentional about limiting the added sugar in my everyday trail mix. That could mean swapping out M&Ms for a slightly healthier choice, like Unreal's Dark Chocolate Quinoa Gems in homemade trail mix. When shopping, I love finding pre-made mixes with a wide variety of nuts and unsweetened dried fruits.

For this article, I've gathered several of the healthiest trail mixes on the market. I considered factors like how much added sugar, fiber, protein, sodium, and healthy fats each serving contains. I gave extra consideration to organic products, and I vetoed those made with sulfur dioxide, a preservative. Some on this list include roasted nuts, even if roasting has been shown to result in the formation of free radicals, while also reducing both antioxidant and nutrient levels.

It's no wonder those following a keto diet are so drawn to trail mix. As long as a product is filled with nuts and contains minimal carbohydrates from ingredients like dried fruits and chocolate, it's likely to be keto-approved.

Second Nature Keto Crunch Smart Mix is filled with roasted pecans, roasted almonds, raw walnuts, and roasted pepitas, which provide 5 grams of protein and 16 grams of fat per 1-ounce serving. Because there are no dried fruits, the carbohydrate content is low, at only 6 grams. Don't be confused by the dark chocolate drops; they are sugar-free and made with dextrin, erythritol, and stevia. I typically avoid consuming high amounts of sugar substitutes like erythritol, but such ingredients are generally considered safe in small quantities. Finally, this trail mix is an excellent source of vitamin E, as well as a good source of iron.

Several other products from Second Nature are worthy of your consideration, too. Though now discontinued, a fellow writer once ranked the Immunity Defense flavor as one of the absolute best packaged trail mixes. Or, if you're looking to include more fiber in your diet, try the Fiber Boost Smart Mix.

Whenever I stop at a gas station mid-road trip and want to act like a paying guest in order to use the restroom, I often buy a sleeve of Kar's trail mix. More often than not, it's the Sweet & Salty mix that's available, which contains a fair amount of added sugar. Kar's Original Trail Mix, however, is a different story. It contains roasted peanuts and sunflower kernels, along with almonds and raisins. That's it.

Thanks to this product's high nut density, there are 19 grams of fat, 10 grams of protein, and 4 grams of fiber per 2-ounce sleeve. This isn't a sugar-free trail mix, though; there are 13 grams of natural sugars per portion, mostly from the raisins. If you'd rather do without the sweetness, try another one of this brand's healthier choices, like the Peanut Almond Cashew variety, which contains only 2 grams of sugar per 1.75-ounce serving.

It's important to note that this product's serving size is substantially larger than most of its competitors. Each single-serving sleeve is just about 2 ounces, which is twice the serving of many other brands. It's essential to keep that in mind when comparing the nutrition labels of multiple products. If you can't finish a whole portion, I recommend sprinkling the rest atop a bowl of yogurt or oatmeal the next morning or on a salad at lunchtime.

If you're up for some heat and want to totally bypass the tartness of dried fruits, spring for a bag of Wild Fox Sweet Carb Smart Mix. This savory option stars almonds, cashews, pecans, and a blend of spices. Smoked paprika, garlic, onion, and vinegar infuse each handful, all of which are balanced by the subtle sweetness of honey, coconut sugar, and monk fruit extract. However, there's still very little sugar in each serving. This keto-friendly trail mix only contains 5 grams of net carbs per ¼-cup serving.

Rather than standard canola oil or sunflower seed oil, this product is made with avocado oil. Though it's tough to determine how much of it is used, the inclusion of avocado oil is still reassuring. This ingredient is celebrated for being rich in healthy fats and antioxidants, and it has a high smoke point, too. You don't need to worry about avocado oil lending a strange flavor to the trail mix, either.

As far as healthier trail mixes go, don't stop at Wild Fox's Sweet Heat Carb Smart Mix. If you'd like something sweeter, try the Dark Chocolate Cherry Antioxidant Mix, which contains almonds, cashews, dark cocoa drops, dried cherries, and dried cranberries.

Rather than distributing chocolate chips or gems throughout its Go-Go Keto Mix, Orchard Valley Harvest opted to enrobe a portion of each bag's almonds in dark chocolate and almond butter. But this isn't a dessert trail mix; plenty of plain almonds, walnuts, peanuts, pecans, and pepitas join the party. This trail mix packs plenty of healthy fats while only containing 4 grams of net carbs per ¼-cup serving.

A ¼-cup serving contains 17 grams of fat, 3 grams of which is saturated fat. Still, there are plenty of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, both of which help lower LDL cholesterol and are essential for various cellular processes. Plus, walnuts are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, further benefitting heart health. An impressive 7 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber are likewise present in each serving, as well as a generous 10% of your daily recommended iron intake.

Unlike many other keto products, this trail mix doesn't contain sugar alcohols or sugar substitutes. This will please folks who face digestive discomfort from artificial sweeteners. Instead, the chocolate component is made with real sugar, but in such small amounts that only 2 grams of added sugar are present per serving.

You could spend the next few months trying different flavors of Power Up trail mix; each one has its own distinct flavors and health benefits, and for the most part, they contain small amounts of added sugar. If you're really trying to limit sugar, though, start with the Power Up Protein Mix. It contains 0 grams of added sugar and consists of four main ingredients: pumpkin seeds, raisins, roasted almonds, and roasted cashews.

That all adds up to 7 grams of protein per ¼-cup serving, along with 15 grams of fat and 2 grams of fiber. What's more, each serving contains 10% of the recommended daily iron intake and 6% of the recommended daily potassium intake.

Many of the trail mixes on this list are already seasoned with salt, but not this one. There are exactly 0 milligrams of sodium in each handful, which is excellent news if you're limiting your intake. If, however, you're relying on this trail mix as a post-workout snack when you've been sweating, you may want to sprinkle a bit of salt into the bag and give it a good shake before digging in.

Because of this product's simplicity, it's a top contender for being added to other recipes. For instance, you might chop this trail mix and add it to a cheese log for a decorative and flavorful effect.

When I'm not tossing together a batch of homemade trail mix, I like buying products that marry otherwise difficult-to-source ingredients. The baru nuts and dried goldenberries in Shār's Savory Trail Mix are prime examples. They shine alongside pistachios and plantain chips, which are similarly rare in the trail mix world. Cashews, pecans, almonds, dried tart cherries, dried cranberries, and a signature spice mix round off each handful. All the nuts in this mix are roasted, but it's actually essential to roast baru nuts before consumption to placate anti-nutrients like phytic acid.

One ¼-cup serving contains 9 grams of fat, a low amount compared to several other products on this list. Meanwhile, there are 3 grams of fiber, 3 grams of protein, 4 grams of added sugar, and 10% of your recommended daily iron intake in each portion. The cranberries are sweetened with sugar, which is perhaps a blessing in disguise; unsweetened cranberries are hard to find because they're extremely tart. This isn't a sweet trail mix, though, as spices like chili powder, cumin, coriander, ginger, and thyme permeate your palate.

Beyond being healthy for you, this trail mix is kind towards the planet. No plastic is included in any of the packaging, the bags are biodegradable, and you can restock in bulk if desired. All the ingredients are organic and transparently sourced from family farms.

There aren't any dried fruits in Back to Nature's Cashew Almond Pistachio Trail Mix. What you read is what you get, with the sole addition of sea salt. Its ingredients, which include some of the healthiest nuts in the world, are dry-roasted, so you don't even have to worry about additional fats from sunflower oil.

As it stands, there are 16 grams of fat in each ¼-cup serving of this trail mix. Out of that, there are an impressive 10 grams of monounsaturated fats. Meanwhile, 6 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber, and 0 grams of added sugar are present. Like other trail mixes, this one is a good source of iron.

Pistachios are excellent sources of vitamin B6 and potassium, as well as antioxidants and protein. From blood sugar regulation to gut health, they're worth including in your diet more regularly, and this product removes the hassle of shelling them.

There's beauty in this product's simplicity, which lends itself well to creativity. With cashews, almonds, and pistachios taking center stage, you could add this trail mix to savory dishes like stir fries. Other ways to personalize this trail mix include sprinkling in a spoonful of your favorite spice mix or tossing in dried fruits of your choice.

Finally, a trail mix without any added sugar in its dried fruits. Bella Viva Orchards Organic Protein Trail Mix contains dried blueberries, raisins, cherries, and strawberries, lending this product a wide array of subtly sweet and tart flavors. Pumpkin seeds and almonds make appearances as well, though not in such large proportions as other products in this review. That means the fat content of this trail mix is substantially lower, too, measuring in at only 5 grams of fat per ⅓-cup serving. Trail mix is one of the best uses for pumpkin seeds and importantly, their crunchiness contrasts spectacularly with the chewy dried fruits.

The carbohydrate levels in this trail mix are, of course, a bit higher, with 24 grams per serving. That's accompanied by a healthy 4 grams of dietary fiber and 4 grams of protein, which will help with blood sugar regulation. This trail mix also happens to be a good source of iron and potassium.

All the ingredients in this product are organic, which is the case for many, but not all, of Bella Viva Orchards' trail mixes. Another variety you might try is the Organic Tropical Trail Mix, which stars fruits and nuts less ubiquitous in the continental U.S. (such as macadamia nuts and papaya).

For the purposes of this round-up, I defined trail mix as any combination of nuts, seeds, dried fruits, and/or chocolate, but avoided including snack mixes with ingredients like pretzels and crackers. I featured one trail mix per brand, though it's often true that several products from the same company are worth buying. Each of the products I recommended is backed up by positive customer reviews regarding flavors and textures.

Generally, the less added sugar in a product, the better. I only chose trail mixes with minimal to no added sugar, ensuring that other nutrients like fiber, protein, sodium, and fats were present in reasonable amounts. Several of these brands are organic, and they received extra points in my book. Any trail mixes that relied on sulfur dioxide as a preservative, though, were out of the running.