This tasty Cajun Seasoning mix combines the perfect balance of herbs and spices for a rich and rustic flavor that is sure to please everyone! This easy-to-make homemade spice blend uses ingredients that you are likely to already have on hand, making every dish hearty, robust, and flavorful!
This amazingly easy homemade Cajun seasoning is perfect with beef, pork, chicken, seafood, pasta, and more!!
Cajun seasoning is a staple of Louisiana cooking and it's easy to see why! The rich blend of spicy, savory flavors adds a unique and zesty touch to any food!
While 'authentic' Cajun seasoning is really based on who's cooking, the mainstay ingredients are pretty much the same (and they're noted below in the ingredients section). The end result is a delightful blend of spices and herbs that add a wonderful seasoning to any dish!
🥘 Ingredients
While Cajun seasoning is easy to make, there are several ingredients that are considered staple to a good Cajun mix. Black pepper, salt, cayenne, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder are the base of any great Cajun spice blend.
- Paprika - Both regular and smoked paprika work quite well in this spice blend.
- Cayenne Powder - Adds a lot of heat, feel free to experiment with this one! Dial up the heat with more cayenne, use less to tone down the heat, or omit it entirely if you're not feeling spicy.
- Garlic Powder - A tasty kick of that unique garlic flavor.
- Onion Powder - A great boost of sweet and savory onion to add depth of flavor.
- Dried Oregano - (You can sub out the dried oregano and thyme for Italian seasoning too!) I love the earthy flavor of oregano, the sweet but spicy kick that it adds is perfect in this spice blend!
- Dried Thyme - Another earthy herb, thyme adds a hint of both mint and lemon to the mix. Try adding some dried lemon zest or lemon pepper to boost this tasty herb!
- Salt - I typically use Kosher or a pink Himalayan salt, but use whatever you have on hand. *See tips for more salt info!
- Pepper - White or black, course or ground all work for this spice blend. A combo of ground black pepper and white pepper is good too.
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes - Again, adds a good amount of heat to the blend. Adjust for your preferences.
💭 Tips & Recipe Notes
Shake, stir, or mix up the spice blend before use.
Your ingredients may have settled during storage, so it's a great idea to give it a quick shake to get all of your spices evenly distributed throughout the seasoning mix.
Adjust those flavors, if you love hot add more red pepper flakes and cayenne! Like it smoky? Use the smoked paprika!
Experiment with hotter peppers if you want. Try some 7 pot chili powder, ghost peppers, or the newest super-hot pepper, Carolina reapers.
Any salt works for this recipe, or if you prefer, you can omit the salt and just add it to your dish after it cooks.
Omitting the salt in the seasoning blend means that you can control the amount of salt in future dishes more easily. This is a great bonus when you're working with recipe ingredients that are already salty!
🔪 Step-by-Step Instructions
The instructions are really straight-forward, and the most important part of making your Cajun seasoning is to taste, experiment, and make it your own!
- Gather and measure. Gather all ingredients and measure them out into a small bowl.
- Mix thoroughly. Mix the combined spices until evenly distributed.
- Use or store for later. Place any unused portion into an air tight container for future use.
🥡 Storing
This recipe yields approximately ¾ cup of seasoning. To store your remaining Cajun spice blend, transfer it into a glass spice jar or airtight container.
Keep your seasoning in a cool, dark place and for best results use the seasoning mix within 6 months. Even though spices technically last a extremely long time (years and years) all spices will lose their potency over time.
❓ FAQ
No, they're not. While they hail from the same region, Creole seasoning uses more herbs and has French influences. Herbs and spices like basil, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, paprika, and parsley are commonly used in Creole spice mixes.
Cajun seasoning incorporates more peppers into the mix. Spices like black pepper, white pepper, bell peppers, and cayenne.
While neither are meant to be 'hot' or particularly spicy, Cajun would incorporate more peppers in the ingredients.
📋 Recipe
Cajun Seasoning
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon paprika (or smoked paprika)
- 2 tablespoon cayenne powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- ½ tablespoon salt (optional, to taste)
- ½ tablespoon ground black pepper (or a combo of ground black pepper and white pepper)
- 2 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Measure all of the ingredients into a small mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly and use or store.4 tablespoon paprika, 2 tablespoon cayenne powder, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, ½ tablespoon salt, ½ tablespoon ground black pepper, 2 teaspoon dried thyme, ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Store remaining Cajun seasoning in an airtight spice jar or container. Shake before using.
Nutrition
Angela is an at home chef that developed a passion for all things cooking and baking at a young age in her Grandma's kitchen. After many years in the food service industry, she now enjoys sharing all of her family favorite recipes and creating tasty dinner and amazing dessert recipes here at Bake It With Love!
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