Creole Seasoning-A must have cajun seasoning that adds boldness and extra flavor to any dish. Everything you need is in your spice pantry, quick to put together and can be easily customized for personal preference.
If you’ve been around here a while, you know how much I love jazzing up my meals with cajun seasoning . Well , maybe a little bit too much . You can’t believe all the emails and/or messages I get about this spice blend. So it’s perfectly natural that I would create one .
Creole or Cajun seasoning is not easy to come by outside of the United States but more than likely these spices are in your pantry, especially if you like big bold flavors.
If you don’t … then you can easily get it from your neighbor market.
Tell you what, I didn’t have to make an extra trip to the market. The ingredients are a pantry staple- nothing exotic here.
Authentic Louisiana creole is about the complex mix of pungent herbs and spices. Every dish has layers upon layers of bold flavors that meld together flawlessly.
Achieving such deliciousness is partly due to a combination of spices, which you can easily replicate with this cajun seasoning . Both Creole and Cajun cooking terms are used interchangeably. However , Cajun seasoning is a basic blend mix : use garlic powder, onion, black pepper, and Cayenne pepper. While creole seasonings goes further that these basic spices with more herbs ranging from oregano to basil and paprika.
Having your key seasonings conveniently combined makes creole cooking much easier and ensures authentic flavors every time.
Let’s face it, store brought creole seasoning is a good option but like everything else, homemade is best and it’s so easy to make your own. The key here is using quality ingredients.
There are three parts to this creole seasoning.
The base of a good creole seasoning consists of salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. For this ecipe, I’ve left out the salt, because I want to be able to control the salt that goes into each dish. Sometimes I want more flavor without the salt – it helps keep things from being too salty .
After the base is done, the boldness comes in. Cayenne , white and black pepper are added for heat that is so inherent in any Cajun seasoning . Feel free to adjust the cayenne to heat tolerance. I use very little in my blend to please the whole family.
Finally you have the herbs which added another layer of flavor of subtle flavors to the mix. Here , I used oregano, thyme, basil and parsley. You can certainly adjust flavors to suit your tastebuds. You don’t have to use all four . Italian herbs would be a good substitute
After combining everything together, the spice mix is complete and ready to season a plethora of dishes including this gumbo and jambalaya. And everything else that rocks your boat.
And for the remaining spice mix, store it in an airtight container to keep it fresh and pungent. Trust me, it comes in handy every time.
Now that you’ve got your seasoning all done . Stay tuned for this blackened salmon and sautéed vegetables
Want another tasty homemade seasoning? Try this easy to make Italian Seasoning, too.
Enjoy!!!!
Watch How to Make It
Creole Cajun Seasoning-A must have cajun seasoning that adds boldness and extra flavor to any dish. Everything you need is in your spice pantry, quick to put together and can be easily customized for personal preference.
- 3 Tablespoons onion powder
- 3 Tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 ½ Tablespoons black pepper
- 1 ½ Tablespoons white pepper
- 6 Tablespoons paprika
- ½ - 1 Tablespoons cayenne pepper (adjust to suit taste buds)
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons oregano
- 1 Tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons dried thyme
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons dried basil
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Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, or Jar and stir so that all the ingredients have been fully combined
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Store in any airtight container (or zip lock bag) and start adding to your proteins and
Made this last night with some Jerk chicken and pork. Very good. The wife actually asked for a second helping and is taking it for lunch today. Thank you.
So I’m from Europe, super happy to see a metric system. Although, mid-way through I started to wonder. All the ingredients can’t possably weigh the same, and you are using just a standard weight for each measurement (tea/table spoon). When you measure in volume, it differs in weight for each ingredients, especially the herbs. My mix have now at least 3 times the volume of your mix, with herbs being dominant. Please weigh each ingredient if you are going to keep the metric system alternative 🙂
The cayenne pepper is listed as measured by a tablespoon, but in metric it equals the weight of a teaspoon. What is your preference amount of cayenne pepper?
It’s best to start with 1 teaspoon you can always add more , if desired.
Hi, is there a store bought version that you could recommend?
Tony Chachere’s seems a popular choice.
Getting my ingredients. I hope it turns out well. Thanks for the recipe.
It’s nice to see a creole seasoning recipe that was thought out and straight up. Thank you. So many say do this and this with no context and I stop reading. I liked your writing and reasons.
Being obsessed with ‘from scratch’ and living in a hot desert I would at least dry all the fresh minced garlic in the sun then grind it up. maybe 1-2 of the green herbs even though I’ve never tried it before. I would definitely stick a bunch of fresh dried arbol peppers (like you have in your pictures) in the coffee grinder and use that over the grocery store cayenne. But you are right, no matter what I do the majority of the ingredients will come from pantry and be just fine. Thank for the great recipe.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Brent! This is my queen of seasoning. Can’t wait for you to try some of my recipes using this. 🙂
I’m writing down the recipe. This will be my 3rd batch! LOVE it! Thanks!!
Thanks so much Imma! Just found your page after a search for a Creole Seasoning recipe. Imho, your site should be at the top of the results – I cannot wait to make this! Looking forward to checking out the rest of your recipes!
Welcome aboard, Betsy! I’m so excited for you to try some of my recipes. Enjoy!
Hi there!
Thank you for the recipe. Out of all the places I’ve lived, Louisiana was my favorite for all things culinary. Can you tell me if Tony Chachere’s (in the green container) would be Cajun or Creole? I will make whichever one it isn’t!
Thanks again,
Laura
Hi, Laura. I think it’s Creole. I’ve never had store-bought ever since I made this homemade seasoning.
thank you!
Do you recommend that I use smoked paprika or sweet paprika in this recipe? It looks amazing!
Thanks Betty! I have used both and either works just fine. Doesn’t make much difference.
Made this for pork chops. Should have used smoked paprika and added more cayenne (used the low end). I like it’s no salt as my family has cardiac problems so it’s easier to adjust. But since there’s no salt you need to use this a whole lot on whatever, way more than you would use store brand. Thanks for the dinner !
This has been my go-to seasoning ever since. Glad you like it as much as I do, Andrew! 🙂
Gorgeous recipe 🙂 Why didn’t I discover your Website more early?
But I have a question. What kind of paprika is commonly used in such spice mixes? Is ist more the sweet paprika or smoked paprika… Or something completely different?
Thanks,glad you are here. My preference is smoked paprika. Adds some smokiness to the spice . Any would work as well.