Easy Nuts and Bolts Recipe
Easy Nuts and Bolts Recipe
This Easy Nuts and Bolts is a delicious salty and garlicky mixture of cereal, pretzels, nuts and chips! Makes a big batch.
Nuts and Bolts is a staple snack in our home during the holiday season! Made with 15 cups of different cereals, crackers, chips and nuts, this delicious snack will disappear quickly!
A Classic Nuts and Bolts Recipe
My Mom has been making Nuts and Bolts at Christmas for as long as I can remember. It’s one of those snacks that has become associated with the holidays and it doesn’t feel like Christmas without them! So this year because we won’t be seeing my parents for Christmas, I decided to make a big batch of Nuts and Bolts for my own family and wanted to share the recipe with you.
Make it your way!
The great thing about Nuts and Bolts is how easy the recipe is to change to suit the tastebuds of your family. We definitely have our own favourite additions, and things we don’t like, so I made this batch to reflect that. I used 4 different kinds of cereal: Chex, Crispix, Cheerios and Life. I also added 2 cups of mini cheese crackers, 2 cups of salted nuts, 1 cup of pretzels and 2 cups of Bugles. But you can add all of your favourites…some people love Shreddies in their Nuts and Bolts, others leave out the nuts. The key is to have 15 cups total…how you get there is up to you!
Salty and Garlicky!
These Nuts and Bolts are the perfect balance of salty and garlicky. We don’t like our Nuts and Bolts too garlicky, so I have only added 2 1/2 teaspoons of garlic powder to this recipe. If you love garlic, feel free to bump that up to 3 or more teaspoons. And for saltiness, I use a seasoning salt like Lawrys or Hys.
For the Holidays and Beyond
Not only are Nuts and Bolts a holiday staple, but they’re perfect for game day parties too! This recipe makes a pretty big batch (and it’s easily doubled), so it’s great for feeding a crowd. Enjoy!
Nuts and Bolts Recipe Tips:
- Cereal: I have listed cereal options below, but honestly, you can add what ever cereal you like. Chex, Shreddies, Life Cereal, Cheerios, Crispix.
- Sweetness Tip! If you want a little sweetness in your Nuts and Bolts, try adding Honey Nut Cheerios or Honey Chex to your mix.
- Crackers: I used mini cheese crackers and sticks in this recipe, but you can use any mini cracker.
- Nuts: I like to add salted mixed nuts to this recipe.
- Seasoning Salt: I use either Hys or Lawrys seasoning salt for this recipe.
- Spices: Love garlic? Feel free to add more!
- Baking: Make sure to stir the mixture every 15 minutes or so during the baking process.
- Other delicious additions: Substitute any of the ingredients below with things like Shreddies, Fritos Corn Chips or Hoops. The key is to have 15 cups total.
Easy Nuts and Bolts Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups bite-size corn and rice square cereal like Crispix or Chex
- 2 cups Life Cereal
- 2 cups cheerios
- 2 cups small crackers or cheese crackers
- 1 cup small pretzels
- 2 cups Bugles
- 2 cups mixed salted nuts
- 1 cup butter
- 2 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp seasoning salt like Lawrys
- 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F.
- In a large bowl combine all of the cereals, crackers, pretzels and nuts. Set aside.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.
- Then whisk in the garlic powder, seasoning salt and Worcestershire sauce. Stir until well blended.
- Drizzle the butter mixture over the cereal mixture, and mix until the cereal is evenly coated with the seasoned butter.
- Spread the cereal mixture onto a baking sheet so that the mixture is in a single layer...you don't want the layer too thick or the mixture won't bake evenly. If you have too much, use 2 baking sheets.
- Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes making sure to stir every 15 minutes.
- Let cool for at least 30 minutes before snacking!
Notes
More Delicious Snack Recipes:
- No Bake Peanut Butter Cheerio Squares
- No Bake Chocolate Cereal Squares
- Even Better Than Starbucks Oat Bars
- Chewy Date Oat Bars
- Caramel Popcorn
Have a delicious day!
I absolutely love this recipe! It tastes exactly like the nuts and bolts my mom used to make around Christmas time. Brings back some good memories!
How yo store after it’s made? Can you freeze?
This does not freeze well, I don’t recommend it. Just store it in an airtight container or ziplock bag. It keeps for a couple of weeks.
Where do you find the mini cheese sticks? I really love cheese crackers and I bet the sticks are great too! I’ve never seen them in the grocery store, or I don’t think I have! 🤔
Thanks looks so good, I can’t wait to make! 🎄😊
Hi Kathy! Those are Cheese Bits, and you can find them in the cracker aisle. I’ve seen 2 kinds: Ritz Cheese Bits and Christie Cheese Bits. Hope that helps!
Regular cheese Goldfish crackers also work well. B
Why do you have bugles in the picture but not in the ingredient list?
There are 2 cups of Bugles in the recipe ingredient list.
I just tried this Easy Nuts and Bolts recipe, and it turned out amazing! The perfect blend of flavors and crunch! I love how versatile it is; I added some pretzels and a bit of parmesan for an extra kick. Thanks for sharing such a fantastic and simple snack idea!