39 Cajun And Creole Recipes For Dinner, Dessert, And More Let the good times roll! By Josh Miller Josh Miller Josh Miller is a writer, editor, recipe developer, and food stylist who has been writing about Southern food and working in the publishing industry for the past 20 years. His work has appeared in Southern Living, Food & Wine, Cooking Light, Taste of the South, and Southern Cast Iron magazines. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on June 24, 2025 Close 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. 01 of 39 Creole-Seasoned Chicken Skillet With Zucchini And Bell Peppers Credit: 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. Get The Recipe Save 02 of 39 Viet-Cajun Style Hot Dogs Credit: 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. Get The Recipe Save 03 of 39 Cajun Sausage And Rice Skillet 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. Get The Recipe Save 04 of 39 Our Best Jambalaya Credit: 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. Get The Recipe Save 05 of 39 Cajun Custard Pie Credit: 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. Get The Recipe Save 06 of 39 Creole Seasoning 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. Get The Recipe Save 07 of 39 Crawfish Fried Rice Credit: 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. Get the recipe Save 08 of 39 Cook-The-Enemy Gumbo 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. Get the recipe Save 09 of 39 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. Get The Recipe Save 10 of 39 King Cake Beignets Credit: 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. Get the recipe Save 11 of 39 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. Get The Recipe Save 12 of 39 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. Get The Recipe Save 13 of 39 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. Get The Recipe Save 14 of 39 Creamy Andouille Pasta 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. Get The Recipe Save 15 of 39 Viet-Cajun Crawfish Boil Credit: Cedric Angeles We have Houston's migrant populations from Vietnam and Louisiana for incredible culinary creations like this crawfish boil. Get The Recipe 16 of 39 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. Get The Recipe Save 17 of 39 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. Get The Recipe Save 18 of 39 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. Get The Recipe Save 19 of 39 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. Get The Recipe Save 20 of 39 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. Get The Recipe Save 21 of 39 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. Get The Recipe Save 22 of 39 Cajun Mac 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. Get The Recipe Save 23 of 39 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. Get The Recipe Save 24 of 39 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. Get The Recipe Save 25 of 39 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. Get The Recipe Save 26 of 39 Roast Beef PoBoy with Debris Credit: 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! Get the recipe Save 27 of 39 Chicken-Andouille Gumbo Credit: Iain Bagwell Make Chicken-Andouille Gumbo the day ahead to save time. Fresh andouille and crusty french bread are essential to this dish. Get The Recipe Save 28 of 39 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. Get The Recipe Save 29 of 39 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. Get The Recipe Save 30 of 39 Cajun Shrimp Casserole Credit: Jennifer Causey; Food Stylist: Anna Hampton; Prop Stylist:Claire Spollen We offer make-ahead and freezing instructions on this luscious Cajun Shrimp Casserole. Get The Recipe Save 31 of 39 Chicken-and-Sausage Gumbo 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. Get The Recipe Save 32 of 39 Leah Chase's 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. Get The Recipe Save 33 of 39 New Orleans Red Beans and Rice Credit: 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. Get The Recipe Save 34 of 39 Creole Deviled Eggs Credit: 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. Get The Recipe Save 35 of 39 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. Get The Recipe Save 36 of 39 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. Get The Recipe Save 37 of 39 New Orleans Beignets Credit: Micah A. Leal A batch of these classic pillowy donuts will instantly transport you to Cafe du Monde. Get The Recipe Save 38 of 39 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. Get The Recipe Save 39 of 39 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. Get The Recipe Save 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. Explore more: Food and Recipes Quick and Easy Dinners Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit