Easy Homemade Nuts and Bolts Recipe

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This Nuts and Bolts Recipe is a flavorsome and crunchy snack that’s excellent for parties or a snack by the handful when you feel like something savory.

This party favorite is super easy to make. You’ll be so impressed with this recipe that combines mixed nuts, pretzels, and breakfast cereal with simple seasonings to create an irresistible snack.

Nuts and Bolts in a white square ceramic bowl with fingers picking up some. — Salty, savory, crispy, and totally irresistible!

I love making this homemade Nuts and Bolts Recipe as part of a party appetizer featuring Bruschetta with Mozzarella, my Garlic, and Herb Cheese Spread, and my Roasted Garlic Butter to enjoy with crusty bread. The only problem is that you’ll never be able to stop at one handful of this delicious snack!

While it is the perfect easy recipe for entertaining, I also love gifting bagfuls to my family and friends over the festive season. Your friends and family will love how tasty this crunchy party snack is; I’m sure they’ll be requesting more!

Why you’ll love this recipe

Flavor – this recipe is absolutely loaded with flavor. Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and onion powder add a deliciously savory note to this party snack.
Crunch – you’ll love the addictive textures in this tasty snack. Between the crispy cereal, crunchy nuts, and crackly pretzels, you’ll never be able to stop at one scoopful.
Simple to make – my Nuts and Bolts recipe comes together quickly and with only a handful of ingredients. You’ll love how easy it is to make this delicious, savory treat.
Gifting – This makes a delicious gift for your friends and family over the holiday season. Pile some into a jar, seal, and decorate with a red ribbon for a special festive touch!

For complete ingredient quantities and full instructions, please scroll to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.

Ingredients

Cheerios – I like the original Cheerios cereal for this recipe, but you can use Honey Nut Cheerios if you prefer.
Crispix – or Chex cereal is perfect for capturing the seasonings in this recipe. Use whichever variety you enjoy – rice Chex, wheat Chex, original Crispix. I used Honey Crispix for a bit of sweetness, like a sweet and salty Chex mix.
Salted Mixed nuts – I love almonds, cashews, and peanuts, but you can use any mix of your favorites.
Pretzel sticks and twists – nothing fancy here, whatever you usually buy.
Unsalted butter – this is one recipe that definitely requires that you choose unsalted butter because there’s enough salt in the seasoning.
Worcestershire Sauce – this savory, tasty sauce adds a real kick.
Seasoning salt – instead of regular all purpose salt, seasoning salt has more taste and isn’t as salty. The one I use has paprika, garlic, and onion as well as other spices like celery seed, cumin, and coriander.
Garlic and onion powder – dehydrated powder adds so much flavor and savoriness to this recipe.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 250ºF (120ºC) and have a large baking pan ready.

Brown sauce in a glass bowl being scooped up with a spoon.

Melt the butter, then thoroughly stir in the remaining sauce ingredients.

Mixed varieties of cereal, nuts and pretzels combined in a baking pan.

Combine the cereals, nuts, and pretzels in a large baking pan.

Brown sauce being poured over a mixture of cereal, nuts and pretzels.

Mix thoroughly with the butter mixture over the combined cereals, nuts, and pretzels.

Mixture of cereal, nuts and pretzels being stirred with red spatula.

Bake in preheated oven, stirring regularly for 1 hour.

Allow the mixture to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Hint: Combine the sauce ingredients thoroughly to ensure the flavorings are evenly distributed throughout the nut and cereal mixture.

Substitutions

Cereal – substitute one of your favorite cereals in this recipe. Some great substitutions are Shreddies or Nutrigrain.
Flavorsome – instead of seasoning salt, use a dry soup mix (like French onion).

Variations

Spicy – why not add some red pepper flakes or a hot sauce like sriracha to add spiciness to this recipe?
Crackers – you could add some tasty cheesy crackers like Ritz, cheez-its, or goldfish.
Warming spices – a sprinkle of paprika or cumin would add a lovely warming flavor to this Nuts and Bolts recipe.
Curry – add a few teaspoons of Indian curry powder to this recipe for a delicious variation.

Equipment

You don’t need fancy kitchen equipment to make this Nuts and Bots recipe, just a large baking pan.

Storage

Once the mixture has cooled, store it in an airtight container. It can last up to 2 weeks or even longer. If it becomes stale, refresh in a hot oven.

Top tips

Overhead view of cereal and nut snack mix in a square dish.

Be sure to bake the mixture uncovered in the oven so it becomes perfectly roasted and toasted.
Don’t forget to stir regularly during cooking so it doesn’t burn.
Before storing in an airtight container, be sure the nuts, cereal, and pretzels have cooled completely.

FAQ

What is another name for party mix?

Party mixes are also known as TV mix, snack mix, Chex mix.

What do you use for Nuts and Bolts?

You can use an array of snack items to make this recipe. I have used a mix of nuts, cereal, pretzel bites, and seasonings. There are so many variations, and you can easily substitute snack items of your choice.

Serving Suggestions

Mixture of cereals, nuts and pretzels spilling out of overturned jar.

This Nuts and Bolts recipe, just like my Minestrone and Tortellini alla Panna is so nostalgic, taking us back to childhood. Serve a generous bowl alongside a festive cocktail for the perfect Italian apertivito. It’s comforting, crunchy and tasty!

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