Leprechaun Bait
This leprechaun bait recipe is a festive St. Patrick’s Day snack mix made with less than 10 ingredients. It’s easy to make, colorful, and perfect for sharing!
When St. Patrick’s Day rolls around, I like to have something fun and festive on hand that’s easy to make and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. This no-bake leprechaun bait hits all the right notes.
It’s crunchy, sweet, a little salty, and perfect for sharing. If you’ve ever had a snack mix that you couldn’t stop eating, you know exactly what I mean!
This recipe takes simple pantry staples like popcorn, cereal, pretzels, and melting wafers and turns them into a fun, colorful treat. And let’s be honest, the best part is picking out those crunchy marshmallows!
Looking for more fun snack mix recipes? Try our 4th of July snack mix, Christmas Chex Mix, and Halloween snack mix.
Tips and Variations
One of the best things about our leprechaun bait recipe is how flexible it is. Here are a few ways to change things up:
- Mix-ins: Swap out the M&Ms for Reese’s Pieces, Sixlets, or even pastel candies for a different holiday theme.
- Chocolate options: Vanilla melting wafers are my pick, but milk or dark melting wafers will also work.
- Extra crunch: Add chopped nuts or crushed cookies for more texture.
- Minty option: A handful of crushed mint chocolate cookies or Andes mints makes for a fun flavor variation.
What can I use if I can’t find Lucky Charms marshmallows?
If you can’t find a bag of Lucky Charms marshmallows, you have a couple of options. You can pick them out of a regular box of Lucky Charms cereal or use dehydrated marshmallows instead (which is what I did!). They have the same texture and work just as well in the mix.
Can I use a different type of cereal?
Yes! Rice Chex, Crispix, or Cheerios all work well, but you could also try Cinnamon Toast Crunch or even Golden Grahams for a different flavor. Of course, Lucky Charms cereal is classic choice and has those colorful marshmallows that everyone loves.
What can I use if I don’t have vanilla melting wafers?
If you can’t find vanilla melting wafers, you can use white chocolate chips instead. Just add about ½ teaspoon of coconut oil or vegetable shortening to help them melt smoothly. Almond bark and white candy melts are other great options!
Storing Leftover Leprechaun Bait
If you somehow have leftovers (which doesn’t happen often in my house), storing this snack mix is easy:
- Room Temperature: Keep it in an airtight container for up to a week.
- Fridge: If your kitchen runs warm, you can refrigerate it to keep the coating from getting too soft.
More St. Patrick’s Day Recipes
Ingredients
- 3 cups popped popcorn, lightly salted, plain
- 2 cups Rice Chex
- 1 cup Cheerios
- 1 cup mini pretzels
- 1 cup dehydrated marshmallows, divided
- 1 cup green M&Ms, divided
- 8 ounces vanilla melting wafers, about 1 ⅓ cups
- 2 tablespoons festive sprinkles, optional
Instructions
- Prep: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix: In a large bowl, combine popcorn, cereal, pretzels, ½ cup of marshmallows, and ½ cup of M&Ms.3 cups popped popcorn2 cups Rice Chex1 cup Cheerios1 cup mini pretzels
- Melt Vanilla: Melt the vanilla melting wafers in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second increments, stirring between each, until smooth.8 ounces vanilla melting wafers
- Coat: Drizzle the melted wafers over the snack mix and gently toss to coat everything evenly.
- Decorate: Spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Add the remaining ½ cup each of marshmallows and M&Ms and the sprinkles.2 tablespoons festive sprinkles
- Set and Break: Let the snack mix set until firm (about 20-30 minutes). Once hardened, break into clusters and enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe makes about 8–10 servings, depending on portion size. A typical serving is around ½ to ¾ cup of snack mix.
- Normally, I’d use Lucky Charms Magical Marshmallows for this recipe, but I couldn’t find them anywhere. If you run into the same issue, small dehydrated marshmallows are a great substitute, or you can pick the marshmallows out of a box of Lucky Charms cereal.
- Feel free to substitute any of the cereal with the same amount of Lucky Charms cereal.
- Vanilla melting wafers are Ghirardelli White Melting Wafers. I love those for the ease of use and flavor.
- To help the melting wafers “set” faster, pop the snack mix into the fridge for a few minutes.
- If your store carries Itty Bitty Mini Pretzels, those are the ones I’d use. Their size is perfect for this mix. If not, mini pretzel twists will also work.