Old Bay is one of those magic spice mixes – a complex combination of many flavors that comes out on the other side as something singularly delicious. It’s simple enough to pick up Old Bay at any store (and we highly recommend keeping a bulk amount around as we do). But if you’re the type that loves to concoct in the kitchen, making your own homemade Old Bay seasoning is simple and fun too. It contains many spice rack staples, along with a few exotic flavors, and this recipe gets you pretty close to the flavor of the real deal.
🌶️ Quick recipe snapshot
| Flavor profile | Celery salt and paprika up front, then a long warm back half — bay, mustard, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, clove, cardamom, mace and cinnamon |
| Primary heat source | Paprika, crushed red pepper and black pepper, the same three the tin leans on |
| Heat level | Mild. This is a seasoning blend rather than a hot one, and so is the original |
| Texture | A fine powder once the bay leaves and the pepper flakes are ground down |
| Best uses | Shellfish and seafood, potatoes, popcorn, corn on the cob, and around the rim of a Bloody Mary |
| Customization ideas | Less celery salt for lower sodium, more crushed red pepper for heat, or leave the cinnamon out |
Flavor notes
Ten bay leaves is the first thing on the list and the last thing most people would guess. Bay normally goes into a pot whole and comes back out again. Here it gets ground to powder and stays in, and it does a lot of the work that makes the finished blend smell like Old Bay rather than like celery salt with spices in it. It is also why step one is a mortar and pestle. You cannot stir a whole bay leaf into a spice mix.
After that it is celery salt carrying the thing. That is the right call, and you can check it against the tin: the label reads celery salt, then spices, then paprika, in that order, and ingredient lists run heaviest first. Two tablespoons of celery salt against one of paprika puts this blend in the same shape as the original. Our breakdown of what is in Old Bay goes through the rest.
The heat comes from paprika, crushed red pepper, and black pepper, so control your spiciness by adjusting the amount of these three.
Adaptation ideas
- Take the sodium down: Celery salt is the only salt in here. Cut it to a tablespoon and you get a blend you can season around more freely, which the tin never lets you do.
- Or use celery seed instead: Same celery flavor, no salt at all. Salt the dish separately and you control the two things independently.
- Leave the cinnamon out: Cinnamon is not on the commonly cited list of Old Bay’s spices, so this version runs a touch warmer than the tin. Drop it if you want to sit closer to the original.
- Go smoky: Swap the sweet paprika for smoked. It stops being an Old Bay copy at that point, but it is very good on potatoes and chicken.
- Use a grinder: A spice grinder takes the bay leaves further down than a mortar will, and a finer powder mixes more evenly and clings better.
- No spice rack for this? Our Old Bay substitute guide covers the shortcuts, from celery salt and paprika on up.
Serving ideas
- Shellfish, and seafood generally: What the blend was built for. Boiled Old Bay shrimp, crab, crab cakes, a fish fry.
- Potatoes in any form: Fries, wedges, roasted, or stirred through potato salad.
- Popcorn and corn on the cob: Melted butter first so it has something to stick to.
- Into something creamy: Old Bay aioli or Old Bay tartar sauce, both of which want a blend you made rather than one that has been open a year.
- Round a Bloody Mary rim: Half Old Bay, half coarse salt. Also good on cheddar biscuits before they bake.
Storage notes
Airtight jar, somewhere dark, and not on the shelf above the stove. Ground spices fade with light, heat and air, and this blend is thirteen ground spices at once. It stays safe far longer than it stays good.
Freshness is the whole advantage here, so lean into it. You ground those bay leaves yourself minutes ago, which is more aroma than any jar off a shelf is carrying. The flip side is that it starts fading from that point, so make a small batch and make it often rather than filling a big jar once a year. If you want a sense of how long dried chili holds, our piece on crushed red pepper covers the same ground.
Write the date on the lid. A homemade blend looks identical at three weeks and at three years, and this is the kind of jar that quietly gets pushed to the back.
Like this recipe? You’ll love these too:
- Homemade Sriracha Powder: Turn the rooster sauce into a delicious dry seasoning blend.
- Chili Lime Seasoning: A version of this classic blend. Note – not a Tajin copycat.
- Chipotle Taco Seasoning: The chipotle adds a delicious smokiness to the earthy blend.
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Homemade Old Bay Seasoning
Ingredients
- 10 dried bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons celery salt
- 1 tablespoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard powder
- 1 tablespoon ginger powder
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon mace
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- With a mortar and pestle, crush the bay leaves and crushed red pepper into a powder.
- Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly.
