Easy Homemade Nuts and Bolts Recipe (2024)

This Nuts and Bolts Recipe is a flavorsome and crunchy snack that’s an excellent snack for parties or simply 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.

I love making this 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, you’ll never be able to stop at one handful of these Nuts and Bolts!

While it is the perfect easy recipe for entertaining, I also love gifting bagfuls of homemade Nuts and Bolts to my nearest and dearest over the festive season. Your friends and family will love how tasty this crunchy party snack is and 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 – Nuts and Bolts snack mix with cheerios make such a delicious gift for your friends and family over the holiday season. Load some into a jar, seal then 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, just whatever you would 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.

See Also

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

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

Pour the butter mixture over the combined cereals, nuts and pretzels and mix thoroughly.

Bake in preheated oven, stirring regularly for 1 hour.

Allow the Nuts and Bolts to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

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

Substitutions

• Cereal – you can easily substitute one of your favorite cereals into this recipe. Some great substitutions are Shreddies or Nutrigrain.
• Flavorsome – substitute a dry soup mix (like French onion) for the seasoning salt in this recipe.

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 Nuts and Bolts have cooled, they keep well when stored in an airtight container. They can last up to 2 weeks or even longer. If they become stale, simply refresh them in a hot oven briefly.

Top tips

• Be sure to bake these Nuts and Bolts uncovered in the oven so they become perfectly roasted and toasted.
• Don’t forget to stir at regular intervals during the cooking process so they don’t burn.
• Before storing the Nuts and Bolts in an airtight container, be sure they have cooled completely.

FAQ

Serving Suggestions

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 of Nuts and Bolts alongside a festive co*cktail for the perfect Italian apertivito. It’s comforting, crunchy and tasty!

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