Creole Cajun Seasoning

This homemade Creole Cajun Seasoning blend is your new bestie to keep in the pantry when you wanna jazz up and lend big, bold flavor to recipes! Use this scratch-made spice to season or marinate poultry, fish, beef, pork, roast veggies/potatoes, and everything in between. Cajun seasoning is a unique Louisiana staple that has a blend of savory and robust flavor with a pop of heat…it’s so delicious, y’all!

Happy month of June, my sweet friends! I love this month something fierce because it holds so many good things. How have y’all been enjoying this (early) summer season thus far? The Florida heat is disrespectful and unreal and it ain’t even at its peak yet, please say a prayer for me 🥵. However, that just means more pool/beach hangs and I’m never one to complain about that, ha.

For June, I’m back in my bag with some seriously incredible recipes to share with you all month long. Also, the blog has seen a significant uptick in traffic, and I’m so proud of this community and what we’ve built over the years. That growth tells me that you love it here and I’m really, super glad you do ♡.

Creole Cajun Seasoning 🙌🏾

If you’re a longtime BBR reader, you already know just how much Cajun seasoning means to me. I use it in a lot of recipes because, to me, it’s such a versatile blend that encompasses a variety of flavors all in one.

⇢ It’s zesty, it’s earthy, it’s savory, and it’s subtly spicy. This spice blend is a popular blend born out of Creole/Cajun culture in the beautiful state of Louisiana. Beyond that, Cajun seasoning is a household favorite in the American South, especially the Black American South where it’s a go-to in so many southern staples and soul food dishes alike.

You might be familiar with famous store-bought brands of this type of seasoning like Tony Chachere’s, Slap Ya Mama, and a few others. While store-bought is fine, I love being able to make my own Cajun seasoning from scratch, y’all. Every couple of weeks, I make a triple batch of this homemade Cajun seasoning blend to keep on hand to spice up nearly any and everything.

It’s perfect to season poultry, beef, fish, pork, roast veggies, and nearly anything else you could eat with it that needs a lil razzle dazzle! 👌🏾

What You’ll Need To Make This Homemade Cajun Seasoning Recipe:

(Note: the full ingredients list, including measurements, is provided in the recipe card directly below.)

• Kosher salt: When it comes to seasoning, the foundation is always salt. I use (and recommend) kosher salt as I do in nearly every single recipe that lives on the site. Kosher salt, unlike regular table salt, is a coarse-grained salt that adheres very well to food and has a clean taste because iodine is not present.
• Black pepper & white pepper: Fresh ground black pepper and white pepper are both needed. Black peppercorn, when freshly ground, has a rich, pungent peppery flavor as opposed to pre-ground black pepper. Meanwhile, white pepper has a more earthy flavor and is less intense than its black counterpart.
• Garlic powder: Adds some garlicky flavor that’s not as strong as fresh garlic.
• Onion powder: Brings zesty flavor that’s sharp and savory.
• Dried thyme & oregano: These dried herbs are the foundation of Creole-style seasoning. The addition of herbs adds a lovely herbaceous punch and freshness to round out the other spices.
• Paprika: I use *smoked* paprika. This mild powdered spice comes from red peppers that bring a luscious fruity, smoky flavor with hardly any heat at all.
• Cayenne pepper: The slightly intense heat bomb in this Creole Cajun Seasoning, ha. This spice comes from dried hot chili peppers that are ground into powder and possess a level of spiciness on the palate.

What’s The Difference Between Creole & Cajun?

Great question! While we can discuss the difference between the two all day long, we’ll stick to the contrast in food lol. Creole and Cajun are Louisiana’s two most prominent cultures with famous cuisine. As it relates to cooking, Cajun food and spice leans on the more rustic side of things with a country-style touch and heat intensity. Meanwhile, Creole food and its overall vibe is a bit more refined, earthy, and all about the herbs.

I like to call this spice blend Creole Cajun Seasoning because the two are closely intertwined here and this spice blend can be used in both styles of cooking. You’ll find that this Cajun seasoning recipe is loaded with earthy aromatics and full-flavored with a punch of heat that is clutch to give your foods that perfect wow factor! Just give the blend a dab with a finger for a quick taste test and you’ll see just how good it is. And psst, you will likely sneeze while making it but that’s a good thing…if you ain’t sneezing, your food ain’t seasoned! 😤

Storing Your Homemade Spice Blend

Keep your fresh, homemade Creole Cajun Seasoning in mason jars, deli containers, or those nifty little glass spice jars in the pantry- any vessel that can be fitted with an airtight lid for freshness.

How To Use Cajun Seasoning

I always say this seasoning is a blend that can be used on sooo many foods…I mean, sky is the ultimate limit here, peeps. She’s well-rounded in flavor and has a lot of spice contrast, yuh. But here are my top recommendations:

• Proteins: Poultry, steak, fish/shellfish, pork, tofu, tempeh, beans, etc.
• Vegetables: Broccoli, cauliflower, corn, potatoes, and all other vegetables that you want to add a little zest to when roasting. I’m a big fan of seasoning veggies and air frying them with this Cajun seasoning!
• Dips & spreads: It’s delicious in my Pimento Cheese, whew. But feel free to season other dips and spreads with this Creole seasoning, too!
• Savory, southern-forward eats: And no surprise that this seasoning is perfectly made for recipes like Authentic Cajun Gumbo, my Shrimp Boil Foil Packs, and reader-fave Creamy Lowcountry Shrimp & Grits, mmm.

This Cajun Seasoning recipe is a holy grail staple in my pantry. Store-bought is fine but homemade is wayyy better! Be sure to tag @butterbeready in your BBR recipe creations, I sure love to see it when you do. Until next time! 🤟🏾

Recipes that use Creole Cajun Seasoning:

• Authentic Cajun Gumbo
• Cajun Boiled Peanuts
• Creamy Garlic Herb Chicken
• Southern Pimento Cheese
• Best-Ever Cajun Seafood Boil
• Creamy Black-Eyed Peas

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Recipe by: Quin Liburd- Butter Be Ready

Photography by: Ashley McLaughlin