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Homemade Old Bay Seasoning Recipe is the perfect substitute for McCormick's famous blend. Made with a unique blend of spices, Old Bay Seasoning is perfect for seafood, roasted vegetables, and so much more!
Use this Copycat Old Bay Seasoning to add flavor to Southern Shrimp Boil, Crab Cakes, Air Fryer Shrimp, and Baked Cod.
Copycat Old Bay Seasoning
Old Bay Seasoning (and some would argue tartar sauce as well) go hand-in-hand with all things seafood! This popular spice blend is a unique, top-secret combination of dried herbs that produces a complex blend that is savory, spicy, and a little bit sweet and complements seafood perfectly.
As it has gained popularity, it can also be QUITE difficult to find in stock or a little bit on the pricey side. Thankfully with this easy copycat Old Bay Seasoning recipe, you can forget having to track down the famous blend in the store and make your own. The flavor is pretty close to the original and is downright delicious!
Spices in Old Bay Seasoning
In order to replicate the flavor that Old Bay is famous for, this spice blend does call for quite a few dried herbs. Much more than my recipe for Chili Seasoning and Seasoned Salt call for, but they are more than likely spices you already have in your spice cabinet and will replicate the flavor Old Bay Seasoning is known for perfectly.
This blend calls for celery seed, paprika, salt, dry mustard, pepper, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. The cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves may surprise you, but they add a warming quality to the overall flavor.
∗ important to remember ∗
For optimum flavor, be sure you use dried herbs that are no more than 6 months old. As spices sit in the pantry, they begin to lose their flavor.
How to Store Homemade Old Bay
Once combined, store the Old Bay Seasoning in an airtight container in a dark, cool pantry for up to 6 months.
How to Use Old Bay Seasoning
You may think Old Bay Seasoning is only suited to seafood recipes, but it delicious for so much more!
- Seafood: Use Old Bay Seasoning to add flavor to crab cakes, tuna cakes, grilled shrimp, baked salmon, baked cod, and pan-seared tilapia. And of course, Old Bay is a must when making Instant Pot shrimp boil or a classic southern shrimp boil.
- Roasted Vegetables: Use 1 teaspoon of this seasoning mix to add some pizazz to your vegetables.
- Chicken: Sprinkle split chicken breasts with Old Bay before baking. It is also delicious used to season Instant Pot whole chicken or air fryer chicken breast.
- Corn: Season grilled corn or Instant Pot corn on the cob with Old Bay after it's been cooked and slathered with butter.
- Potatoes: Sprinkle oven fries, roasted red potatoes, or roasted fingerling potatoes, with Old Bay Seasoning before roasting for a unique punch of flavor.
More Homemade Spice Blends
If you tried out this Copycat Old Bay Seasoning Recipe, please be sure to leave a review below!
Homemade Old Bay Seasoning
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons celery seed
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons ground dry mustard
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
- Combine 2 tablespoons celery seed, 2 tablespoons paprika, 2 teaspoons salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper, 2 teaspoons ground dry mustard, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, and ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves. Mix until evenly distributed.
- Transfer to an airtight container and store for 6 months up to 1 year in a cool, dark pantry.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Spot on!
Yay! I have been looking for a recipe to make this from scratch, and this was the perfect blend of spices!
I use this on pretty much everything, THANKS!
Thank you, good to know! I love Old Bay Seasoning! Would you also have/share one for Greek Seasoning, that's my second favorite seasoning mix? THANKS! 😃
Hi John! I don't have a Greek Seasoning (But now adding to my list to perfect for you!) However, I do have a recipe for Dill Seasoning which we love in a lot of Greek-inspired recipes.