COOK: Smoky Old Bay Chex Mix

• Smoky Old Bay Chex Mix Ingredients
• Kitchen Equipment Needed
• How to Make Smoky Old Bay Chex Mix
• Storage & Serving Ideas
• Smoky Old Bay Chex Mix

Homemade smoky Old Bay Chex mix is so much better than the plain ho-hum store-bought stuff. It’s fresh and crunchy, has a rich, buttery flavor, and you can customize it with your favorite seasonings and snacks! The original recipe for this classic snack uses plain seasoned salt, which is okay, but a bit bland. We can do so much better than that!

I love Old Bay, so much that I usually buy it in bulk (even though we’re just a household of two). This seasoning mix has a blend of celery salt, paprika, and spices, and is often used on seafood, poultry, vegetables, and snacks like popcorn and fries. And it just happens to be the perfect accent to this crunchy, buttery, umami-laden smoky Old Bay Chex mix recipe.

I make a bigger batch than the original, which is perfect for families, holidays, parties, game night, or keeping a whole scout troop going for at least an afternoon. I add Louisiana-style hot sauce which adds more zip than heat, a bit of acidity to balance the salty seasonings and buttery goodness, but if you want a mild mix, we’ve got you covered… check the ingredient section below for substitutions!

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Smoky Old Bay Chex Mix Ingredients

Chex cereal:

I like to use equal parts of corn, rice, and whole wheat Chex cereal in my homemade Chex mix. You can customize the blend if you like, but make sure you use at least two kinds of Chex.

Some people like to use plain Cheerios… you can substitute some for one or part of the Chex, just keep the total volume the same. If you want to make a gluten-free Chex mix, you should replace the wheat Chex with more corn and/or rice cereal, and use gluten-free pretzels and snack crackers.

Pretzels:

You can use pretzel twists, rods, nuggets, or pretzel chips, or even better, a combination of several of these. I like to add a lot of different textures to my snack mixes for variety and visual interest, but use what you have or what you prefer!

Crackers:

The rye bagel crackers in commercial snack mixes are my favorite part. Sadly, I didn’t have any of them on hand when I made this batch. I briefly considered baking a batch of pumpernickel bagels, then cutting those into bagel chips, toasting them, and THEN making this Chex mix, but my partner and a friend of mine talked me down off that particular bit of folly (TBF I’m still going to do that, just… not today, lol).

If you’re also in that situation, or if you just don’t love the rye chips, you can use regular or garlic bagel chips, oyster crackers, cheese crackers, goldfish crackers, or just more pretzels or cereal. Just keep the total volume the same and you can use what you like!

Nuts:

I used one cup of roasted, salted jumbo peanuts, along with two cups of mixed nuts. For this batch, I used an even mix (about 1/2 cup each) of shelled walnuts, sliced almonds, pecan pieces, and cashews.

You can use your own favorite nuts, buy a pre-made mix, or even substitute pumpkin or sunflower seeds to make this Old Bay snack mix more allergen-friendly!

Butter:

I use a bit of extra butter in this mix, to make sure that all of the components are fully coated with flavor. You’ll want about six ounces of melted butter (12 tablespoons or one and a half sticks). Use unsalted butter to lower the sodium, or salted butter for an extra-bold mix.

Seasonings:

Here’s where we really improve on the original Chex mix recipe. Instead of seasoning salt, we’re using Old Bay, plus smoky sweet smoked paprika, garlic powder (not salt), Worcestershire, and tangy hot sauce. The Old Bay adds spice without adding heat… just a delicious blend of celery and spice flavors.

As long as you use a mild, Louisiana style hot sauce (not Tabasco or other hotter hot sauce) this will mostly add zip but not too much heat. Or, if you like it hot, feel free to substitute a hotter hot sauce for all or part of the Louisiana or Crystal hot sauce.

Can’t take the heat, or making this for a mixed group who might not? Substitute lemon or lime juice and additional Worcestershire for all or part of the hot sauce.

Kitchen Equipment Needed

large mixing container:

I use a jumbo mixing bowl to make the seasoned mix, but you can use any large food-safe container (like a large pot) or split the mix between two smaller bowls if you need to.

You can also use a jumbo zip-seal bag, turkey roasting bag, or a clean paper grocery bag to shake and coat the cereal, nuts, and cracker mix with the melted seasoned butter.

small pot or microwave container:

You need a one-quart saucepan, skillet, or a heat-proof microwave container (a Pyrex glass measuring cup is perfect for this) to melt the butter, and mix in the other seasonings.

half-sheet rimmed baking pans:

You’ll need two half-sheet pans or several smaller pans (make sure they will all fit in your oven). The pans need to have a shallow lip to keep the snack mix from falling off in the oven.

How to Make Smoky Old Bay Chex Mix

mise en place (prep)

• Preheat the oven to 250℉ (121℃).
• Get out your baking pans, a large mixing bowl or bag (see below), and all of your ingredients.

combine dry ingredients

• Measure out and mix all of the dry ingredients together in a very large mixing bowl or pot.
  • If you don’t have a bowl large enough, you can use a jumbo 1½ gallon zip seal bag or clean paper grocery bag.
  • If you use a paper bag, the butter will soak through, so be careful not to put it down on a surface that can stain.

make seasoned butter

• Melt the butter carefully on the stove, or in a heat-proof microwave safe container.
• Add the Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and dry seasonings to the melted butter and whisk or mix until well combined and there are no lumps.

mix and season snack mix

• Drizzle half of the seasoned butter mixture over the bowl of cereal, nuts, and pretzels.
• Using a large spoon or clean hands, toss the mixture and gently stir to distribute the butter, adding more as you stir.
• Fold the mixture carefully, bringing up the cereal and crackers from the bottom of the bowl as you drizzle in more of the mixture until you have incorporated it all.
  • If you used a bag instead of a bowl, seal or fold it over and carefully shake until the cereal mix is coated, adding the butter in several additions, shaking between each addition.

bake snack mix

• Split the seasoned Chex mix between two half-sheet baking pans or other large shallow baking pans, spread the mix out in an even layer, and place the pans in the preheated oven.
• Bake the snack mix for about one hour total, rotating and stirring the pans at least 4 times (about every 15 minutes).
• If you have smaller or deeper pans, it may take longer to fully crisp up the snack mix.

cool & serve

• Remove the baked Old Bay Chex mix from the oven and let it cool on the baking trays.
• If some of the Chex or crackers are still soft, you can return the trays to the oven for a bit longer, or turn off the oven and let the snack mix cool on the trays in the oven to dry out some more… just keep an eye it to make sure that it doesn’t burn!

Storage & Serving Ideas

Once your Smoky Old Bay Chex mix has cooled, you can serve it right away, or pack it in air-tight bags or containers. You can portion it into convenient snack-size bags or containers, or a larger bulk size container. You’ll need one four quart or larger container, or several smaller containers.

Individual portion bags or containers are perfect for easy to pack lunches or grab-and-go snacks… perfect for busy folks and families on the go!

Or, fill up a large serving bowl and add this to your snack buffet for a Super Bowl snack party, holiday munchies, or kid’s party snacks (just make sure there are no allergy concerns, and use a mild hot sauce or the substitution if you’re serving this to little ones!).

Pack this in tins, mason jars, or upcycled glass jars, tie off with a ribbon, and this makes a great homemade gift by itself, or as part of a gift basket with homemade preserves, salsas, mustard, and other snacks.