Our favorite recipe for Cajun Seasoning

Since adding this homemade Cajun spice blend to our spice cabinet, we’ve used it countless times! I like to use it to stuff everything from vegetables to seafood to meat. I bet you have most of what you need already!

Cajun seasoning originates from Louisiana and is a bold combination of spices popular in Creole and Cajun cuisine. It combines influences from Native American, West African, Caribbean, and French cooking styles, resulting in a unique and delicious spice.

We use it all the time in our kitchen. I put it right up front as I use it often. I especially like to use it to make this Cajun shrimp and this Cajun butter grilled corn. I even add it to my favorite meat soup! For more homemade spice mixes, try our super hot chili powder, this healthy taco seasoning, or my seasoned salt.

Key Ingredients

• Hot Paprika or Cayenne: Our homemade blend is intentionally bold and slightly spicy. The heat comes from hot Hungarian paprika or cayenne pepper. They work interchangeably, so use what you have.
• Sweet Paprika: To balance the heat, add color, and add some sweetness, we stir up the sweet paprika. It’s soft and fruity, and most importantly, it’s not spicy at all.
• Chili Powder: Mexican chili powder or regular unseasoned chili powder does the trick here. This makes the taste of the combination very interesting.
• Dried thyme: It adds an earthy, minty, and sweet note to the mix. We love it. It is also a common ingredient in Cajun cuisine.
• Sugar and salt: To moderate the heat and make our mixture more delicious, we add a little salt and sugar. We tested this combination 4 times with varying amounts of sugar, and this (Cajun seasoning No. 4) was the winner.

To help you when shopping for spices to make this simple concoction, we’ve included a picture of each ingredient. You don’t have to use the same brands, but this will hopefully give you an example of each ingredient. We like to use New Mexico chili powder (shown on the bag), which we find in the International aisle of our grocery store and Mexican markets. If you don’t have this, use unground chili powder.

How to Make Cajun Seasoning

To make our Cajun spice mix, combine all the spices, and use as you like. The recipe for about 3 tablespoons is at the bottom of this article, but here’s an overview of the measurements so you can make as much as you want:

• 1 part hot paprika or cayenne pepper
• 2 parts sweet paprika (not spicy)
• 2 parts chili powder (New Mexico or unsalted chili powder)
• 1 part dried thyme
• 3 parts sugar
• 2 parts well sea ​​salt

How to use Cajun Seasoning

Now that you have your Cajun spice blend, you can use it. Think of it as a bold, all-purpose seasoning for meat, seafood, and vegetables. Our DIY Cajun seasoning adds a healthy, earthy, and smoky flavor to whatever you use it with. The sugar added to this mixture is also helpful when browning meat and fish. Here are some ideas for using it:

• Make Cajun butter and use it with vegetables, like this roasted corn
• Use the seasoning with shrimp and fish. I love these Cajun shrimp
• Pour the dust over the salmon, and cook the spices on the sides of the black salmon.
• Add a spicy kick to pasta sauces for Cajun-inspired pasta

Our favorite Cajun season

Makes 3 tablespoons (1.5 ounces)

Food Per Serving
Serving Size
1 teaspoon
/
Calories
8
/
Perfect Oils
0.2g
/
Saturated Fats
0g
/
Cholesterol
0 mg
/
Sodium
481.1mg
/
Carbohydrate
1.9g
/
Dietary fiber
0.4g
/
Total Sugar
1.4g
/
Proteins
0.2g

AUTHOR:

Joanne Gallagher