Lemon Puppy Chow
If there’s one thing I’ll never stop doing, it’s turning nostalgic treats into something just a little extra. And lemon puppy chow is the perfect summer upgrade to this classic snack mix! We’re swapping peanut butter and chocolate for lemon zest, white chocolate, lemon cookie pieces, and lemon pudding mix. Yes, pudding mix! It’s swapped for powdered sugar to inject even more lemon flavor into this sweet snack mix. Once you realize you can make any flavor puppy chow you want, the possibilities are endless.
Why You’ll Love This Lemon Puppy Chow
- Bright fresh lemon flavor in every bite
- Crunchy, sweet, and buttery with a soft melt-in-your-mouth coating
- Super easy no-bake recipe
- Perfect for spring, Easter, baby showers, or summer parties
- Easily customizable with different cookies, candies, or cereal mix-ins
Ingredient Notes
Chex Cereal – Rice Chex works best because it stays crisp and light! It’s also the cereal of choice for classic puppy chow.
White Chocolate – Use good-quality white chocolate chips (I love Ghirardelli for this recipe) as they melt smooth. Just be careful when melting because if you heat it too much, it can seize up. And if you’re not a fan of white chocolate, don’t worry! You can’t taste it as it’s overpowered by all the delicious lemon flavor in this sweet snack mix.
Coconut Oil – This helps thin out the white chocolate so it’s easy to coat the cereal. You can also use vegetable oil, but if you use refined coconut oil the flavor goes completely undetected!
Lemon Zest – Fresh lemon zest is what gives this puppy chow its bright flavor. Skip lemon juice here. The zest carries the best citrus oils and keeps the coating from seizing.
Lemon Cookies – To add a little extra texture and crunch, crushed lemon cookies are added to the powder coating. I love Tate’s Bakeshop lemon cookies because they’re super crunchy and flavorful, but use any crispy lemon cookie you like!
Lemon Pudding Mix – This is the show-stopper ingredient. Instead of powdered sugar, lemon pudding mix is shaken for the coating. It’s fine and sweet just like powdered sugar, but contains extra lemon flavor.
Lemon Puppy Chow FAQs:
I don’t recommend this as the acidic lemon juice combined with white chocolate can cause the chocolate to seize and thicken into a paste. This then makes it impossible to coat the cereal.
Yes! Just swap the lemon cookies with any gluten-free variety. Simple Mills Lemon Sweet Thins are a great option – use about a cup of the crushed cookies.
I personally don’t like the flavor of sugar-free pudding mixes so I wouldn’t suggest it, but if you don’t mind the flavor then go for it!
If you use refined coconut oil, you cannot taste it! Otherwise, vegetable or canola oil can also be used. Don’t use butter as this will cause the white chocolate to seize.
You can, the lemon flavor just won’t be as strong! Use 1 cup (110g) of powdered sugar.
Absolutely! For the freshest bites, make it just a day ahead and store in a container or ziplock bag at room temperature. It will stay crispy and fresh for about 3 days.
You can, but the texture is best fresh or within a few days of making.
For more no bake recipes, check out my:
- Easter Bunny Chow
- Double Chocolate Popcorn Puppy Chow
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Marshmallow Treats
- Key Lime Cookie Pie
- Classic Tiramisu
- Sweet Almond Coconut Chex Mix
- Cookie Butter Marshmallow Treats
Make sure to tag me @butternutbakery on Instagram and leave a review below if you make this Lemon Puppy Chow. To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, the buttons above or below this post, or on any of the photos above. Happy baking!
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Lemon Puppy Chow
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 8 cups
Description
This lemon puppy chow is bright, sweet, and impossible to stop snacking on. Crispy cereal is coated in creamy white chocolate and fresh lemon zest, then tossed with crushed lemon cookies and dry lemon pudding mix for the ultimate sweet summer snack mix. It tastes like lemon cookies and muddy buddies combined into one easy no-bake treat.
Ingredients
Lemon Puppy Chow
- 6 cups (190g) Rice Chex cereal
- 11 oz bag white chocolate chips (I use Ghirardelli)
- 2 tbsp refined coconut oil
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 10 Tate’s Bake Shop lemon cookies (they also make a gluten free version!)
- 3.5oz box instant lemon pudding mix
Instructions
Lemon Puppy Chow
- Add the cereal to a large bowl, preferably one with a lid (otherwise you can stir the puppy chow instead of shake).
- In a heat-safe bowl (I use a 2 cup measuring glass) heat the white chocolate chips and coconut oil in the microwave in 30 seconds intervals, stirring between each one, until melted. This shouldn’t take more than 90 seconds total – be careful not to overheat otherwise the white chocolate can seize.
- Pour over the cereal and top with the lemon zest. Use a rubber spatula to stir to coat.
- In a large ziplock bag, crush the cookies and shake in the lemon pudding mix. Pour over the cereal and shake or stir to coat. Now dig in!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: American
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Meet Jenna
I’m the creator, baker, and photographer behind Butternut Bakery. Here I share desserts for every diet because I believe everyone should have a chance to indulge!
