This reindeer food recipe is a festive Christmas treat! This reindeer chow is made with cereal and pretzels coated in chocolate, peanut butter and powdered sugar, then loaded with red and green M&M’s and mini peanut butter cups.

My love for Puppy Chow (or Muddy Buddies as some call it) runs deep. I perfected the technique and ratios to make the best puppy chow ever, and I added a Christmas flair to make this reindeer food recipe!

Also called reindeer chow, this Christmas puppy chow is easy to make with 7 ingredients and is one of our favorite holiday treats. Serve it at Christmas parties or package it with my free printable gift tags for an easy homemade Christmas gift for friends and neighbors along with this homemade kettle corn and cinnamon sugar pecans!

Why You’ll Love this Reindeer Food Recipe

• Easy to make. No oven or baking required.
• Only 7 ingredients. This reindeer chow is made with 7 ingredients including festive red and green M&Ms!
• Every bite is coated. I use my tried-and-true puppy chow method so every piece of cereal is generously coated in chocolate and peanut butter. Lots of clumps!
• Perfect for gifting. Package this Christmas reindeer food in cellophane bags or festive containers and add my free printable gift tag for an easy homemade gift.
• Easy to make ahead. It stays fresh for up to a week and freezes beautifully, so you can make it before the Christmas rush.

What is Reindeer Food?

There are a few different things commonly called “reindeer food.” This recipe is an edible Christmas treat, also known as reindeer chow or Christmas puppy chow. It’s made with cereal, pretzels, chocolate, peanut butter, powdered sugar and Christmas candy.

It’s different from the “magic reindeer food” kids sprinkle outside on Christmas Eve, which is typically made with oats and sprinkles. This reindeer food is made for people to eat and is perfect for Christmas parties and gifting!

Reindeer Food Ingredients

This reindeer food recipe is made with 7 ingredients. We’ll discuss them briefly here, and you can find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card.

• Semisweet chocolate. I recommend using dark or semi-sweet chocolate.  In my opinion, milk chocolate makes it too sweet. The form doesn’t matter because it’s melted – chips, bars, discs, etc.
• Creamy peanut butter. Any nut or seed butter works well. Cashew, almond, sunflower seed butter, etc. 
• Rice Chex Cereal. Rice Chex is my favorite cereal for making reindeer food because it’s light and crunchy and holds onto the chocolate peanut butter coating beautifully. A generic brand rice square cereal or Crispex also works well.
• Mini Pretzels. Mini pretzels or sticks are the best choices. I don’t recommend thick rods or other large varieties.
• Powdered Sugar. I don’t recommend making substitutes for the powdered sugar in this Christmas puppy chow recipe.
• Christmas Candy: Red and green M&M’s and mini peanut butter cups make this reindeer chow extra festive (and delicious). You can substitute your favorite Christmas candy if you prefer.

How to Make Reindeer Food

This reindeer chow recipe is easy to make, but there are a few important steps that make it the best, especially chilling the mixture before adding the powdered sugar. We’ll walk through the process step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video.

Combine the Cereal & Pretzels

Begin by combining the rice Chex cereal and pretzel pieces in a large bowl, then set the mixture aside. It’s important to break the pretzels into smaller pieces so there’s a salty crunch in every bite!

Melt the Chocolate & Peanut Butter

Next, melt the peanut butter and chocolate together, either on the stovetop over low heat, or in the microwave. Then, stir the mixture until it’s smooth.

Coat & Chill

Pour the melted peanut butter chocolate mixture over cereal/pretzel mixture and stir until evenly distributed. Make sure to scrape the melted chocolate off the sides of the bowl to incorporate it into the cereal mixture. 

Next, chill the reindeer food in the refrigerator until the mixture just barely begins to set up (about 30 minutes). You can also set it outside on a cold December day.

This step is absolutely critical to ensure your reindeer chow isn’t too sweet. By chilling the mixture, you will use less powdered sugar overall because it will not absorb as quickly into the chilled mixture as it would into a warm mixture. 

Add the Powdered Sugar, Chill Again, Add More

Remove the Christmas puppy chow from the refrigerator when it is slightly hardened (but still able to be stirred).

Put some powdered sugar on the bottom of a separate, large bowl. Add half of the chilled mixture, then add more powdered sugar over the cereal and the remaining chocolate/cereal mixture. Using a fresh bowl will keep the powdered sugar from sticking to the chocolate on the sides.  Gently stir until the powdered sugar is evenly distributed, tossing to coat the cereal with powdered sugar.

Chill the reindeer food again in the refrigerator until it’s set (another 30-60 minutes). 

After it is chilled completely, add more powdered sugar, ¼ cup at a time until the cereal/pretzel mixture is coated.

Add the Christmas Candy

Once the reindeer chow is coated in powdered sugar to your liking, add the M&Ms and peanut butter cups and stir to combine, then transfer to a serving dish.

Reindeer Food Variations

• Nut-Free Reindeer Food: Use sunflower seed butter and choose nut-free Christmas candy.
• Gluten-Free Reindeer Food: Use gluten-free pretzels and make sure the cereal, chocolate and candy you choose are certified gluten-free.
• Different Christmas Candy: Try Christmas sprinkles, holiday-shaped chocolates or your favorite red and green candy.
• White Chocolate Reindeer Chow: This changes the flavor considerably, but you could use melted white chocolate in place of semisweet chocolate for an extra-sweet variation.

Serve

Reserve a few pieces of candy to dress up the top of the serving bowl if you will be putting it out for guests and not packaging it up in bags as gifts. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled, with more of our favorite Christmas treats:

• The ultimate list of my favorite Christmas cookie recipes
• Make my traditional puppy chow recipe that’s easy and delicious
• Cinnamon sugar pecans and candied almonds also make great gifts.
• Try my favorite peanut butter balls – also no bake and so good.

Reindeer Food Gift Idea + Free Printable

This reindeer food is one of my favorite easy homemade Christmas gifts! Portion the reindeer chow into cellophane bags, jars or festive containers, then tie them with ribbon and add my free printable reindeer food gift tag.

It’s a fun gift for teachers, neighbors, friends and coworkers—and it’s easy to make a large batch and package into individual servings. Click the button below to print many smaller tags, or click on the photo below for one larger tag you can scale how you need!

How to Store Reindeer Food

Store this Christmas puppy chow in an airtight container (or bag) for up to 1 week at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

How to Freeze Reindeer Food

This recipe freezes really well. Store it in an airtight container for 1 month in the freezer. Let it thaw slowly to room temperature overnight – do not microwave.

Reindeer Chow Recipe FAQs

If you make and love my recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so I can see your creations!

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Oreo Balls (Oreo Truffles)

Puppy Chow Recipe (Muddy Buddies)