Add a mildly spiced kick to your favorite dish with Homemade Cajun Seasoning, a salty blend of cayenne pepper, spices, herbs and garlic. You’ll find yourself reaching for it often.
Recipe review
Why you’ll love it: Take ordinary foods up a notch with this easy-to-prepare seasoning. Add it to pasta, meats, vegetables and more.
How long will it take: 5 minutes
Equipment you will need: A small container with a tight lid, measuring spoons
Dishes: does approx ¾ cup
Cajun cooking comes from the southern states of the United States, especially Louisiana. Cajun is influenced by French, Spanish and West African cultures. You’ll see lots of smoked meats, rice, and the “holy trinity” of green peppers, onions, and celery. For a brief look at Cajun history and cuisine, check out this article at Wikipedia.
You may be familiar with jambalaya, a spicy and rich mixture of smoked meats, vegetables, and often fresh seafood such as shrimp or crab. Cayenne pepper, along with many other spices and herbs, spices up this regional dish.
The cajun seasoning mix can be used for so much more. This is an incredibly hot combination of ground peppers, including paprika, peppercorns and cayenne pepper. My mix also includes garlic and onion, along with salt, thyme and oregano.
Look for a Cajun chicken pasta recipe this week, and in a few weeks I’ll bring you a jambalaya recipe. Hoppin’ John is another traditional Southern dish that is seasoned with Cajun spices. Keep reading for many more ideas.
About this seasoning mix
There are probably about as many Cajun seasoning mixes as there are cooks. Everyone has their own special recipe that they swear is the best. My great part is that you can customize it and make it your own. It won’t hurt my feelings (not too much, anyway!). However, you can just try my Cajun Seasoning and decide it’s just right. I hope!
If you’ve purchased Cajun seasoning before, it’s all about the peppers. Some mixes even contain dried red and green peppers. My blend has paprika (which is made from sweet peppers), black pepper, white pepper, and cayenne pepper, each of which has unique flavor characteristics.
My Cajun seasoning has a little kick but it’s not going to fry your mouth. (You’ll also love my popular taco seasoning and fajita seasoning!) If you like the heat (and I know some of you do), go ahead and increase the cayenne pepper until it’s hot enough for you.
Cooking tip
Although you may have many of the spices or herbs you need for this seasoning mix already in your pantry, be sure to check the expiration dates. Expired herbs and spices don’t actually become unsafe to eat, but they lose much of their flavor, color and potency.
what do you need
- paprika: A spice made from sweet red peppers, paprika is known for its bright red hue and mild flavor. This is the base of this seasoning mix. For this recipe, look for sweet, unsmoked paprika.
- Onion powder: Made from dried onions that have been ground into a fine powder, onion powder is often used in seasoning mixes.
- Garlic powder: Like onion powder, garlic powder is simply dried garlic that has been ground into a fine powder. It has no added salt.
- Dried oregano: Regular or Mexican oregano can be used. Dry aromatics like oregano and thyme add herbal balance to the mix.
- Dry thyme: Please pay attention to the measurements. Use much less thyme than oregano. Thyme has very delicate leaves and a stronger taste.
- Kosher salt: Kosher salt has larger grains than table salt and no additives such as iodine, or substances that do not crystallize. If you prefer seasoning without salt, omit the salt.
- White pepper: You will notice that there are 3 types of pepper in this mixture. White pepper is milder than black pepper. Although both white pepper and black pepper are made from the berries of the pepper plant, they are harvested and processed differently, producing unique flavor notes.
- black pepper: I prefer coarsely ground black pepper over finely ground pepper which has a tendency to float in the air and cause sneezing fits.
- cayenne pepper: Made from finely ground dried red cayenne pepper, cayenne pepper can be quite spicy. Most of the heat in this seasoning comes from the cayenne pepper. If you are sensitive to spicy foods, use less.
how to do it
You will need a small jar or container with a tight lid. Recycled jars are fine as long as they are spotlessly clean and completely dry. It helps if the opening of the jar is large enough to fit a measuring spoon.
While it’s very easy to make homemade seasoning, if you have a distraction or two, you might lose your place in the recipe or forget an ingredient or add it twice.
It happens. You get a text, your two-year-old suddenly falls on your feet, the dog starts barking wildly, or someone has an urgent homework question. Suddenly you lose concentration. where was I?
To avoid this, I arrange all the spices and herbs I will need in a group on the counter, usually on the left since I am right-handed. When I use each one, I move it to the right and create a group of “hey, I already added you” spices. Easier to follow.
Carefully measure the ingredients into the jar. Cover it and shake it well.
that’s it! It is ready to use. You can also do this in a bowl and transfer to a jar if you want.
How to use Cajun seasoning
Cajun seasoning can be used anywhere you want to boost the flavor profile of what you’re cooking. Here are some suggestions:
- Mix it into regular mayonnaise to make a spicy Cajun mayo that’s perfect on burgers, sandwiches, or as a dipping sauce for fries or chicken.
- Jazz scrambled eggs or deviled eggs.
- Sprinkle it on pasta or mac and cheese.
- Sauté shrimp with Cajun seasoning and a little oil.
- Make Cajun marinade. Use formula 3-1, with 3 parts oil, 1 part acid (vinegar, citrus juice, etc.) and add seasoning to taste.
- Add it to a homemade bean soup, like this Bean and Bacon Soup or Hoppin John (black-eyed peas and rice).
Common questions
While both originated in the southern state of Louisiana, there are subtle differences. Cajun seasoning tends to be a bit hotter, with lots of red paprika and peppers, while Creole seasoning is milder with the addition of aromatics such as thyme, basil or oregano. There seems to be a lot of overlap between the two and may be used interchangeably.
Old Bay is a brand name of the most common seasoning for seafood. One of the main ingredients is bay leaves, along with many other spices and herbs. It is not the same as Cajun seasoning which has a more spicy and peppery profile.
Make it yours
- If you enjoy a smokier flavor, substitute smoked paprika For some or all of the regular paprika.
- As I mentioned earlier, this is easy to do adjust the heat level of this mixture by increasing or decreasing the amount of cayenne pepper.
- Prepare your mixture salt free. Simply omit the salt from the mixture.
Storage tips
Store Cajun seasoning in a small jar with a tight lid or similar. Like all dried spices and herbs, it should be stored in a cupboard away from direct light or heat. If stored properly, it will stay fresh for up to two years or more.
Be sure to use a dry measuring spoon when you use it so that no moisture gets into the jar causing it to clump or spoil.
did you do that? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog Facebook, Instagramor Pinterest!
Dishes
Prevent your screen from going dark
Add a mildly spicy kick to your favorite dish with our homemade Cajun Seasoning, a savory blend of cayenne pepper, spices, herbs and garlic.
Instructions
-
In a small bowl or jar with a tight lid, mix all the ingredients. Makes just under ¾ cup.
-
Store at room temperature in a tightly sealed container for up to two years.
Remarks
- Smoked paprika can be substituted for some or all of the paprika if you prefer a smoky flavor.
- If you are sensitive to spicy food, consider reducing the amount of added cayenne pepper.
- If you prefer, make your own seasoning salt free. Simply omit the salt in the recipe.
Nutritional information
dose: 1teaspoon, Calories: 6KKL, Carbohydrates: 1G, protein: 0.3G, Fat: 0.1G, Saturated fat: 0.02G, Polyunsaturated fat: 0.1G, Unsaturated fat: 0.02G, sodium: 130mg, potassium: 30mg, fiber: 0.5G, Sugar: 0.1G, vitamin: 396IU, Vitamin C: 0.2mg, calcium: 7mg, iron: 0.3mg
This site provides approximate nutritional information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutritional data is primarily collected from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or other online calculators.
