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This homemade Old Bay seasoning substitute uses 8 everyday spices to make that salty, celery-forward flavor. Whisk it together in 5 minutes!
One of the most beloved of all seasoning blends is Old Bay seasoning! This American seasoning blend has seen a big rise in popularity over the past decade. The flavor has a big savory punch, with an herby finish and a hint of heat.
As as cookbook author, I’m a big fan of Old Bay. I use it in so many of my recipes that I wanted to create a homemade version that works as a substitute in case you can’t find it. Using just a handful of ingredients, it’s very close to the real thing!
What’s Actually in Old Bay?
Old Bay is an American seasoning blend that’s often used to season seafood, most notably in shrimp boils. It was invented in Maryland and is sold by McCormick. You’ll also find it in chowders like potato chowder or clam chowder.
It’s risen to popularity around the country and world lately, so you’ll see it in anything from fries to corn on the cob. The main ingredients in Old Bay are paprika, celery salt, and black pepper. From there, it’s anyone’s guess at this secret seasoning blend!
The 8 Spices You’ll Need For This Old Bay Substitute
Most of the Old Bay seasoning recipes out there have ingredient lists two miles long. Many of them call for crushed bay leaves, an unusual and hard-to-find ingredient. If you can’t find Old Bay at the store, it seems counterproductive to have to seek out crushed bay leaves!
So, I’ve created an easy Old Bay seasoning with just 8 ingredients that are easy to find. Simply mix the following ingredients together in a bowl:
- Paprika: Use sweet, not smoked; though you could use smoked if that’s all you have.
- Celery salt: This is the most important ingredient and what makes it taste like Old Bay. It’s what makes the blend read as Old Bay rather than generic seafood seasoning.
- Celery seed: This adds double the celery flavor!
- Dry mustard: This adds a nice savory depth.
- Black pepper: Adds a bit of peppery bite.
- Nutmeg: This is one of the spices that makes it taste intriguing.
- Cinnamon: Same as nutmeg, this makes you say, “What’s in this?”
- Cayenne: This adds a subtle back-end heat.
Does It Really Taste Like Old Bay?
Yes! In our back to back comparison of this homemade Old Bay versus the real thing, they were very similar. There’s a slight difference, but it’s as close as we’ve ever come to replicating the magic of this seasoning blend. The key ingredient: celery! You’ll notice there’s both celery salt and celery seed to heighten this flavor, which is the calling card of this famous seasoning.
Quick Old Bay Substitutes
If you don’t have time to mix up my Old Bay seasoning substitute, here are a few other good options:
- Seafood seasoning: If you have it, this is a good swap. You can use it 1:1.
- Cajun seasoning or blackened seasoning: You can also use these seasoning blends if you have them on hand; they’re similar but spicier.
- Celery salt plus paprika: You could use 2 tsp paprika and 1 tsp celery salt to get most of the flavor.
- Seasoned salt: If you have this on hand, it’s a decent swap (1:1).
Take Note: This Blend Is Salty
One thing to note about Old Bay seasoning: it has quite a lot of salt in it. As we did extensive taste tests while creating our recipe, we realized just how much salt really is in this seasoning. When you sprinkle it on recipes (like your shrimp boil!), remember that it’s got salt in there, too. Don’t be tempted to throw on a lot of extra salt afterwards.
How to Store Your Spice Blend
You can store your homemade Old Bay seasoning mix in an airtight container for 6 months to 1 year. Of course, it’s best when it’s the freshest. Spices generally last in a cool, dry place for 8 months to 1 year. You can use this spice blend to add new life to spices that you’ve had for a while.
Need spice organization tips? If your spice cabinet is overcrowded (like ours!), go to How to Organize Your Spices…the Minimalist Way.
Ways to Use Your Old Bay Substitute
Several of our recipes use Old Bay seasoning: and then you can use it free form to sprinkle on all sorts of things! Here are a few ideas for where to start:
- Sheet Pan Shrimp Boil: Our top way to use Old Bay: in a shrimp boil! This is a version of the popular seafood meal you can make on a sheet pan.
- Loaded Potato Soup: This potato chowder has a magic ingredient to bring just the right nuance. (Try it in the Instant Pot.)
- Best Roasted Vegetables:Â The very best roasted vegetables use Old Bay!
- Easy Sheet Pan Dinner: This quick and easy weeknight dinner capitalizes on this tasty spice blend.
- Cajun Shrimp and Grits: This “famous” shrimp and grits uses Old Bay among its ingredients.
- Grilled Shrimp, Baked Shrimp, or Sauteed Shrimp: Sprinkle it on shrimp for the best flavor.
- Baked Salmon or Easy Cedar Plank Salmon: It’s fantastic on salmon too.
- Grilled Vegetables: Try sprinkling on Grilled Broccoli, Grilled Peppers, or Grilled Mushrooms.
- Perfect Grilled Corn or Oven Roasted Corn: Corn is more perfect with this seasoning.
- Baked Potatoes, Baked Sweet Potato, or Baked Fries: Add new life to potatoes.
Dietary Notes
This Old Bay seasoning substitute is vegetarian, gluten free, vegan, plant based, dairy free, naturally sweet, refined sugar free, low carb, and keto.
Frequently Asked Questions
See my “Quick Old Bay Substitutes” section above. The closest swap is a seafood seasoning blend as a 1:1 swap. Cajun or blackened seasoning also works, but it’s spicier. You can also do 2 parts paprika and 1 part celery salt to get close.
Celery. Paprika gives the color and body and there’s a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg, but the flavor people identify as Old Bay comes from celery salt and celery seed.
Grind celery seed with fine salt in a 1:2 ratio, or make a batch of homemade celery salt.
McCormick’s ingredient list actually doesn’t call out bay leaf: the name refers to the Old Bay Line ship route, not the herb.
No. Lawry’s Seasoned Salt has salt, garlic, and onion; Old Bay has celery and paprika flavor notes.
Old Bay Seasoning Substitute
This homemade Old Bay seasoning substitute uses 8 everyday spices to make that salty, celery-forward flavor. Whisk it together in 5 minutes!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 tablespoons 1x
- Category: Seasoning
- Method: Mixed
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon celery salt
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 pinch cayenne
Instructions
- Whisk the ingredients together in a small bowl. Transfer to an airtight container or jar. Store for 6 months to 1 year in a cool, dry place.
More seasoning blends
Making DIY seasoning mixes at home is so easy! They taste incredible—much better than storebought—and are fun gifts, too. Try all our seasoning blends (listed by style):
- Mexican: Fajita Seasoning, Taco Seasoning
- Mediterranean: Greek Seasoning, Italian Seasoning, Herbes de Provence
- Cajun: Cajun Seasoning, Blackened Seasoning
- American:Â Chili Seasoning, Everything Bagel Seasoning, Ranch Seasoning
- All Purpose: Seasoned Salt, Seafood Seasoning, Salmon Seasoning
Hello, I have your cookbook and I love your emails! As to this recipe, what proportion of each spice to use? Is it equal amounts of each?
Hi! Click “jump to recipe” at the top of any page for the full instructions. Here’s a link for this one: https://www.acouplecooks.com/old-bay-seasoning/#tasty-recipes-64351-jump-target
As with blackening or Cajun seeasoning, you can leave the sale out! With Chesapeake Bay Seasoning (the generic name for Old Bay), just add extra celery seed (which must be crushed for the best flavor) & leave out the salt!
This Old Bay recipe is very close…others commenters have listed all the ingredients that wasn’t in there like 18 of them….Mace, cassia cinnamon, etc….Who keeps all that in stock???? Might as well buy Old Bay seasoning in the store, all those ingredients would be very expensive to buy individually….
This was perfectly fine. Thank you. I had some Chinese Five Spice powder as a substitute for the nutmeg/cinammon…it has three other ‘things’. Really enjoyed using it!
According to several other sites Old Bay has 18 different herbs and spices where you only have 8. I’ll let you know the final results.
Haha! Yes, ours is a little simplified but still has that magic. Let us know what you think!
I was drawn to your recipe because it’s called a Substitute for Old Bay.
I am allergic to spices in the Laurel family…Bay being the worst for me. I have even had to avoid Cinnamon for periods of time.
Looking forward to trying your recipe.