Old Bay Party Mix

By Ali Slagle

Published Aug. 27, 2024

Old Bay Party Mix
Kerri Brewer for The New York Times. Food Stylist. Cyd Raftus McDowell.
Total Time
55 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
50 minutes
Rating
4(94)
Comments
Read comments

Make this zesty snack mix for your next party, or keep a batch on hand for a pick-me-up. Throughout parts of the Chesapeake Bay, the scent of Old Bay seasoning, a heady combination of paprika, celery, black pepper and other secret herbs and spices, is synonymous with  summer and seafood. But Old Bay can be used on so much more than crabs and shrimp, including baked into snacks for a crispy party mix. The mix-ins featured nod to sides you might find alongside blue crabs or clam chowder — potato chips, corn (in the form of corn nuts) and oyster crackers — but feel free to use 8 cups of whatever cereals, crackers, chips and nuts speak to you.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 cups
  • 2cups rice, corn or wheat Chex or Crispix cereal
  • 2cups potato chips
  • 1cup raw nuts
  • 1cup mini pretzels
  • 1cup oyster crackers
  • 1cup corn nuts
  • 6tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
  • 1teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½teaspoon ground cayenne (or more to taste)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (16 servings)

301 calories; 12 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 42 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 6 grams protein; 264 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, toss together the cereal, chips, nuts, pretzels, crackers and corn nuts. To the melted butter, stir in the Old Bay, garlic powder and cayenne until combined. Pour the butter over the cereal mixture and toss until well coated.

  2. Step 2

    Transfer to a parchment-lined sheet pan and spread into an even layer. Bake, stirring halfway through, until golden and toasted, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely on the sheet pan. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
94 user ratings
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Comments

M.C.

Pretzel goldfish in keeping with the nautical theme

Marc Jacobs

As a Marylander, I'm really inspired by this recipe. I want to take it further, to be honest, substituting freeze-dried corn kernels for the corn nuts, cornbread or garlic bread croutons for the pretzels, shrimp crackers for the cereal, salt-and-vinegar chips for the plain potato chips, and some roasted butter beans for the nuts. The oyster crackers are a keeper. Maybe some kani miso or fish sauce added to the butter? A bit of crystallized lemon?

John

Didn’t have mini pretzels, but did have peanut butter pretzel nuggets, and that honestly made this even better:

liesl g.

I thought it was a bit too salty but everyone at my party enjoyed the twist on party mix. Used a mix of walnut pieces and cashews because those are the raw unsalted nuts I had. Also used quicos (mitica brand from Whole Foods, for corn nuts) which are very salty.

Anne in CT

Made this for a potluck. The under 35 crowd devoured it and all asked for the recipe. Kettle cooked style chips work well, as they are sturdier than basic potato chips. Using Crispix solves the problem of having to purchase two or three different boxes of Chex just to get 2 cups of mix. If you can find it, Old Bay makes a "Low Sodium" blend - sodium level is 30% less than the regular blend. However, it's really hard to find and I'm dreading that Old Bay may have discontinued making it.

Jason P

Recipe is fine but be warned if you have acid reflux because I ate this before taking some medicine and burned my esophagus :(

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