This 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!
You may think Old Bay Seasoning is only suited to recipes like Shrimp Boil, Clam Chowder, or Crab Cakes, but this blend of seasoning is good for so much more. It adds delicious flavor to corn on the cob, oven-roasted potatoes, and is even great as a rub for Baked Chicken.
What is Old Bay?
Old Bay is a popular spice blend that is known to compliment seafood. It is a unique, top-secret combination of dried herbs that produces a complex blend that is savory, spicy, and a little bit sweet.
As it has gained popularity, it can also be QUITE difficult to find in stock.
With this 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!
How to Make Old Bay Seasoning at Home
In order to replicate the flavor that Old Bay is famous for, this spice blend does call for quite a few dried herbs. 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.
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.
Storing Homemade Spice Blends
Spice blends are best stored in an airtight container in a dark, cool pantry for 6 months.
The longer the spice blend sits, the more it will lose its potency, so I don't recommend storing it for longer than 6 months. And be sure to use fresh spices when preparing for the best flavor.
How to Use Old Bay Seasoning
Obviously, Old Bay is known for pairing well with seafood, but it is also great to use in a variety of different recipes.
- Instant Pot Shrimp Boil: Old Bay seasoning is a MUST for this shrimp boil recipe--and the Instant Pot makes this recipe SO simple!
- Roasted Vegetables: Use 1 teaspoon of this seasoning mix to add some pizazz to your vegetables.
- Grilled Shrimp: Instead of the Honey Lime Marinade, season the shrimp with 1 to 2 teaspoons of the Old Bay Seasoning.
- Baked Salmon: Sprinkle salmon with old bay before baking to perfection.
- Tuna Cakes: Add 1 teaspoon of Old Bay to the Tuna Cakes for a bit more flavor than the classic recipe.
- Corn: Season Grilled Corn or Instant Pot Corn on the Cob with Old Bay after it's been cooked.
- Potatoes: Sprinkle Oven Fries, Red Potatoes, Baked Potatoes, or Baked Sweet Potatoes with Old Bay for a punch of flavor.
If you tried out this Copycat Old Bay 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 all the spices and mix until well combined. Store in an airtight container for 6 months up to 1 year.
katerina @ diethood.com
Spot on!
Andrea Thueson
Yay! I have been looking for a recipe to make this from scratch, and this was the perfect blend of spices!
Allyson Reed Zea
I use this on pretty much everything, THANKS!
John Zimmer
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! 😃
Kristen Chidsey
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.