39 Cajun And Creole Recipes For Dinner, Dessert, And More

Let the good times roll!

Southern Living Cook the Enemy Gumbo in a bowl to serve
Credit:

Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christina Dailey

Louisiana is the proud home of the Cajun and Creole recipes Southerners love. Cajun cooking is legendary in the South, and for good reason. Spice up your dinner table with classic Cajun and Creole recipes like gumbo, étouffée, jambalaya, and more. If you've never attempted one of these zesty recipes at home, now is the time. Bring Louisiana to your table with these delicious recipes.

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Creole-Seasoned Chicken Skillet With Zucchini And Bell Peppers

Southern Living Creole Chicken Skillet ready to serve with rice
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Morgan Hunt Glaze; Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf; Prop Stylist: Priscilla Montiel

Chicken broth, Creole seasoning, and butter create a rich sauce for chicken and fresh crisp-tender vegetables. Serve with rice or crusty bread to soak up all the flavor.

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Viet-Cajun Style Hot Dogs

Southern Living Viet-Cajun Style Hot Dogs on a platter to serve
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Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Torie Cox; Prop Stylist: Prissy Lee Montiel

Classic Cajun and Vietnamese flavors combine for a fresh spin on your favorite cookout hot dogs. Use andouille sausage links, and top them with a crunchy and spicy slaw that's used on Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches.

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Cajun Sausage And Rice Skillet

Southern Living Cajun Sausage and Rice Skillet in a bowl to serve
Credit:

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

This jambalaya-style skillet dinner is on the table in about 30 minutes. Use Cajun or Creole seasoning for just the right level of heat.

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Our Best Jambalaya

Our Best Jambalaya
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Stacy K. Allen, Props: Josh Hoggle, Food Stylist: Melissa Gray

This classic one-pot dish is loaded with Creole spices and comes together in three easy steps.

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Cajun Custard Pie

Southern Living Cajun Custard Pie sliced and ready to serve
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Robby Lozano; Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey; Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle

This dessert may not be as well-known as beignets or king cake, but it's every bit as important to Cajun and Creole cuisine. Make it and fall in love with its luscious, silky custard filling and cookie-like crust.

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Creole Seasoning

Southern Living Creole Seasoning in a dish ready to use
Credit:

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Why buy store-bought creole seasoning when it's so easy to mix up your own blend right at home? The flavor payoff in your favorite Louisiana recipes will be worth it.

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Crawfish Fried Rice

Crawfish fried rice in a pan with a wooden spoon.
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Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn Prop Stylist: Christine Keely

Fresh or frozen crawfish tail meat is the star in this fast-fix skillet stir-fry.

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Cook-The-Enemy Gumbo

Southern Living Cook the Enemy Gumbo in a bowl to serve
Credit:

Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christina Dailey

Popular at LSU tailgates, this gumbo can be customized to whatever rival your favorite team is squaring up against.

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Emily's Red Beans and Rice

Emily's Red Beans and Rice
Credit: Peter Frank Edwards

Rich, tender beans cooked with a smoked ham hock are beautiful with buttery, fluffy rice.

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King Cake Beignets

King Cake Beignets
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Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Bedecked in the traditional rowdy color palette, these pillowy fried cousins of doughnuts are the ultimate sweet treat.

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Maque Choux with Sausage

Maque Choux with Sausage
Credit: Johnny Autry; Prop and Food Styling: Charlotte L. Autry

This Louisiana dish with Native American and Creole-French roots is a delicious way to use your trusty skillet and fresh summer corn and okra.

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Big-Batch Cajun Lemonade

Big-Batch Cajun Lemonade
Credit: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall

Every Southerner needs a house cocktail, and we suggest this refreshing sipper that's perfect for porch sitting.

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Old Bay Rémoulade with Crudités and Shrimp

Old Bay Rémoulade with Crudités and Shrimp
Credit: Johnny Autry; Prop and Food Styling: Charlotte L. Autry

Test Kitchen Pro Ivy Odom turned this classic sauce into a delicious dip that's ideal for happy hour at the beach.

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Creamy Andouille Pasta

Creamy andouille pasta in bowl
Credit:

Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn

Loaded with the smoky and spicy flavor of andouille, this one-pan pasta doesn't sacrifice flavor for ease.

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Viet-Cajun Crawfish Boil

Dao Family Viet-Cajun Crawfish Boil in Houston, TX
Credit: Cedric Angeles

We have Houston's migrant populations from Vietnam and Louisiana for incredible culinary creations like this crawfish boil.

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Instant Pot Jambalaya

Instant Pot Jambalaya
Credit: Jennifer Causey; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Heather Chadduck Hillegas

This recipe combines one of our favorite old-school dishes with our favorite new-school kitchen tool.

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Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo

Shrimp-and-Sausage Gumbo
Credit: Photo: Iain Bagwell

Our Test Kitchen doesn't claim that this is the best gumbo recipe you'll ever try—they know that's the one you grew up eating. But this one is their absolute favorite, and we knew you'd love how easy it is to make.

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Creole Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce

Creole Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce
Credit: Jennifer Davick

This dessert from the late New Orleans culinary legend Leah Chase proves you can have Creole flavor even at dessert.

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Shrimp Creole

Shrimp Creole
Credit: Southern Living

This classic dish combines two Louisiana loves—fresh shrimp and spices. We recommend adding a dash of hot sauce for a little extra oomph.

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One-Pot Cajun Chicken Alfredo

One-Pot Cajun Chicken Alfredo
Credit: Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Spice up your usual pasta night with Cajun seasoning. This one-pot pasta comes together with a handful of pantry staples.

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Muffuletta Deviled Eggs

Muffuletta Deviled Eggs
Credit: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham

The Louisiana sandwich gets the appetizer treatment when turned into an over-the-top deviled egg recipe.

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Cajun Mac and Cheese

Cajun Macaroni and Cheese
Credit: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Kay E. Clarke; Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey

We're always looking for new ways to enjoy classic recipes, and this mac and cheese with andouille sausage and Cajun seasoning is a keeper.

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Shrimp Étouffée

Shrimp Étouffée
Credit: Jennifer Causey; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Heather Chadduck Hillegas

Our Test Kitchen's tip for creating this Creole dish? Have all the ingredients prepped before you start cooking.

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Cajun Chicken Cassoulet

Cajun Chicken Cassoulet
Credit: Photo: Iain Bagwell

We took this classic French dish and made it fit for a Louisiana table with Cajun smoked sausage and seasoning and okra.

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Smoked Turkey-and-Andouille Gumbo

Smoked Turkey-and-Andouille Gumbo
Credit: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Beau Beaullieu and Andy Soileau's New Iberia Kiwanis Club team has taken first place 11 times at the World Championship Gumbo Cookoff. This recipe for their mélange gumbo won in 2015, 2017, and 2018, so you know it's incredible.

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Roast Beef PoBoy with Debris

Southern Living Debris Sandwich in baskets to serve with beers
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Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley

Second in popularity only to fried shrimp po'boys, this pot-roast-on-a-bun is a must-try!

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Chicken-Andouille Gumbo

Chicken Soups Chicken-Andouille Gumbo with Roasted Red Potatoes
Credit: Iain Bagwell

Make Chicken-Andouille Gumbo the day ahead to save time. Fresh andouille and crusty french bread are essential to this dish.

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Shrimp and Okra Gumbo

Shrimp and Okra Gumbo
Credit: Southern Living

Feel free to use fresh okra when it's in season, but this recipe calls for frozen okra to ensure you can make it during the winter months, too.

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Mini Muffulettas

Mini Muffulettas
Credit: Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Amy Burke

Take the New Orleans sandwich to the tailgate or picnic with these mini, portable versions of it.

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Cajun Shrimp Casserole

Cajun Shrimp Casserole in white baking dish - Southern Living
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 Jennifer Causey; Food Stylist: Anna Hampton; Prop Stylist:Claire Spollen

We offer make-ahead and freezing instructions on this luscious Cajun Shrimp Casserole.

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Chicken-and-Sausage Gumbo

Southern Living Chicken and Sausage Gumbo plated serving with a glass of water and extra sliced green onions
Credit:

Dotdash Meredith

After preparing the roux, most of the time spent making gumbo is basically hands-free. You'll just need to stir the pot occasionally to prevent sticking. This flavorful stew recipe is worth the effort.

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Leah Chase's Gumbo Z'Herbes

Leah Chase Gumbo Z'Herbes
Credit: Robbie Caponetto

Every year on the Thursday before Easter, New Orleans culinary great Leah Chase used to cook up to 100 gallons of her Gumbo Z'Herbes, and the masses would flock to get a serving.

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New Orleans Red Beans and Rice

New Orleans Red Beans And Rice
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Greg DuPree; Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling; Prop Stylist: Christina Daley

Though Southerners have created countless iterations of this Creole dish, this is our easy go-to that you can make your own with additional ingredients.

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Creole Deviled Eggs

Southern Living Creole Deviled Eggs on a blue surface
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Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Matthew Gleason 

Deviled eggs are a mainstay on our tables, and a Creole-flavored topping only makes them more delicious.

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Sheet Pan Jambalaya

Sheet Pan Jambalaya
Credit: Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner

Microwavable rice is the secret to this one-pan jambalaya—it absorbs all the drippings from the sausage and vegetables, and cooks perfectly alongside them without going mushy.

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Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

Chicken And Sausage Jambalaya
Credit:

Jen Causey; Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn

Our Test Kitchen developed this jambalaya recipe as a quick dish you can whip up on a busy weeknight.

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New Orleans Beignets

New Orleans Beignets
Credit: Micah A. Leal

A batch of these classic pillowy donuts will instantly transport you to Cafe du Monde.

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Creole Daube

Creole Daube
Credit: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Christine Keely

Creole Daube is a hearty beef stew with French and Italian influences. Considered to be one of New Orleans' "endangered dishes," daube is made for cold days and cozy nights.

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Cajun-Style Meatloaf

Cajun-Style Meatloaf
Credit: Will Dickey

This recipe uses the "holy trinity"—onion, celery and green bell pepper—as a flavor base and gets its Louisiana kick from Cajun seasoning.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the difference between Cajun and Creole food?

    While similar, Cajun and Creole food uses different ingredients to make their signature dishes. According to the culinary school Escoffier, "Cajun food is typically spicier than Creole food, and it also contains more pork and crawfish. Creole food utilizes more ingredients like tomatoes, shrimp, oysters, and crab."

  • What are famous Creole foods?

    Jambalaya, a Creole cuisine, is made from cooked rice, vegetables, and meat. Jambalaya is also considered Cajun food, but the preparation and ingredients differ. In New Orleans, red beans and rice is a traditional Creole dish.

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