A delicious twist on a classic snack, these Lemon Muddy Buddies are a sweet and tangy treat that taste like a fresh burst of summer flavor in your mouth. Be warned though – these innocent-looking, bite-sized snacks are insanely good!

Lemon Puppy Chow Recipe

Muddy buddies are a go-to party or movie night snack around here for a few reasons:

• they take less than 15 minutes to make
• they can be made a few days ahead of time without any flavor or texture change
• gluten-free so they can be enjoyed by all of our family members
• EVERYBODY loves them.. and I mean everybody

While I love the classic melted-chocolate-and-peanut-butter version, we have a lot of fun coming up with simple twists on this classic recipe. It’s a great way to mix things up while knowing that the dessert will still be a hit. So far we’ve done churro-flavored, cookies and cream, peppermint bark, Snickers, Nutella, strawberry.. the list goes on. It was only a matter of time before we made an undeniably summer-inspired version.

This lemon muddy buddy recipe is zesty, sweet and crunchy. Silky smooth yellow candy melts are flavored with lemon juice and zest before being used to coat crunchy Chex cereal, and then tossed in sweet powdered sugar. The result is a light, fresh and summery treat!

I liked using the yellow candy melts for the pop of color, but white chocolate would be a delicious alternative – and if you can find lemon chocolate, even better!

I brought this on a recent beach day and was a bit worried that they would be a melty mess, but they were gobbled up so quickly that I had nothing to worry about! And my friends all demanded that I send them the recipe afterwards because they were all left craving more.

What’s the difference between puppy chow and muddy buddies? Puppy chow and muddy buddies are the exact same thing, the best I can tell is that it’s called puppy chow in the midwest (because of it’s physical resemblance to puppy chow) and muddy buddies everywhere else.

How to store lemon muddy buddies: Muddy buddies can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week (if it doesn’t disappear faster in your house) or can be frozen in an airtight freezer bag or your favorite freezer containers for up to two months. (This set of freezer containers is a crazy bargain.) They will soften overtime so they are best enjoyed within the week.

The below video shows how to make a standard muddy buddy recipe (with melted chocolate chips and peanut butter) but I thought I’d include it in this post just in case:

Lemon Puppy Chow Ingredients

• Chex cereal
• Yellow Candy Melts 
• Lemon
• Powdered Icing Sugar

Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.

Tip: you can use white chocolate chips in place of the yellow candy melts.

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful

• Measuring cups and spoons
• Microwave-safe bowls
• Large ziptop bags
• Cookie Sheet
• Spatula <– I like these spatulas because they are one solid piece and don’t have removable heads for bacteria to get trapped underneath. Plus they are heat-resistant and have a lifetime warranty.

How to Make Lemon Puppy Chow

Place powdered icing sugar in a gallon-sized ziptop bag and set aside.

Measure Chex cereal into a large mixing bowl. Set aside.

Place yellow candy melts in a small microwave-safe bowl and melt for 25 seconds. Stir and reheat as needed.

Add lemon zest to the candy melts and then pour over the Chex cereal and stir to coat.

Sprinkle the lemon juice over the candy-coated Chex mix and stir to coat.

Scoop the Chex cereal into the bag with the powdered icing sugar, then seal and shake to coat the cereal completely with the powdered icing sugar.

Pour the powdered sugar-coated cereal onto a cookie sheet and allow the candy melts to set completely, approximately 30 minutes, before storing or serving.

Pin this Easy Lemon Dessert for your next Summer Movie Night:

Grab your free printable recipe card for our lemon puppy chow recipe:

I hope your family loves this easy lemon muddy buddies recipe as much as mine does!

For more decadent no-bake desserts, check out our full no-bake dessert recipe collection here:

For more decadent desserts, check out our full dessert recipe collection here: