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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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.
This can be stored in an airtight container for up to four days—just make sure you allow it to cool completely first.
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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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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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Stacy K. Allen; Props: Josh Hoggle; Food Stylist: Melissa Gray
This classic one-pot dish is loaded with Creole spices. It comes together in three easy steps.
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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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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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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. It comes together in just 20 minutes, making it ideal for busy weeknights.
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Rich, tender beans are cooked with a smoked ham hock in this classic recipe. It goes beautifully with buttery, fluffy rice.
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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. They’re the perfect dessert for a Mardi Gras party.
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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. Serve with steamed rice or crusty bread.
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Every Southerner needs a house cocktail. We suggest this refreshing sipper that’s perfect for porch sitting.
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. The remoulade travels well if kept in a cooler.
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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. If you don’t have penne, you can sub in any pasta noodle you have on hand.
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We have Houston’s migrant populations from Vietnam and Louisiana to thank for incredible culinary creations like this crawfish boil. This one is ideal for a summer cookout.
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. Our Test Kitchen said it was one of the best jambalayas they’ve ever tasted.
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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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We never met a bread pudding we didn’t like. This dessert from the late New Orleans culinary legend Leah Chase proves you can have Creole flavor even at dessert.
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This classic dish combines two Louisiana loves—fresh shrimp and spices. We recommend adding a dash of hot sauce for a little extra oomph.
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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The Louisiana sandwich gets the appetizer treatment when turned into an over-the-top deviled egg recipe. Serve this at your next party and your guests will be begging for the recipe.
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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. It’s a hearty meal on its own, but could also work as a side to fried chicken.
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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Iain Bagwell
We took this classic French dish and made it fit for a Louisiana table with Cajun smoked sausage and seasoning, and okra. It’s an ultra-comforting meal on a cold night.
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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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. The beef can be made in advance and kept moist in its drippings.
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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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. Serve over rice.
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Jennifer Davick; Styling: Amy Burke
Take the New Orleans sandwich to the tailgate or picnic with these mini, portable versions of it. Prepare the night before, then refrigerate overnight to save you time the day of.
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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. It goes perfectly with crusty bread.
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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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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. The masses would flock to get a serving.
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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. It cooks in a slow-cooker for an easy dinner on a busy night.
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Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Matthew Gleason
Deviled eggs are a mainstay on our tables. A Creole-flavored topping only makes them more delicious.
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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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. It comes together with just 20 minutes of hands-on time.
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Can’t make it to New Orleans? A batch of these classic pillowy donuts will instantly transport you to Cafe du Monde.
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.
Credit: Will Dickey
This recipe uses the “holy trinity”—onion, celery and green bell pepper—as a flavor base. It gets its Louisiana kick from Cajun seasoning.
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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. For instance, you can add chicken (Gamecocks), pork shoulder (Razorbacks), sliced brats (Dawgs), or even gator.
Dining and Cooking