This Cajun spice recipe balances the warmth of paprika, the kick of cayenne pepper, and the aroma of garlic powder. It also has no salt, so the salt level can be adjusted according to usage!
Equipment | No equipment needed |
Difficulty Level | Very easy |
Homemade Cajun spice mix that gives you that zing for seasoning Cajun food.
There are lots of reasons to create your own spice mixes. One particular reason to make your own Cajun seasoning is that the commercial versions are filled to the brim with salt. But that means you're paying too much for salt and getting skimped on the spice! This recipe inherently has no salt in it, so you can adjust the level based on usage. Crawfish boil? More salt to make up for the water volume. Gumbo? More spice, less salt.
Bulk spices are usually fresher and often cheaper!
I hate buying spices at major grocery stores! They tend to be overpriced and stale. Sometimes you can even see how stale because they look faded in color. Generally, I prefer to buy spices in bulk and especially at Indian, Chinese, or Mexican specific grocery stores. Those stores see a high spice turnover, so their inventory is usually both fresher and also cheaper. Sometimes significantly cheaper!
Cajun or Creole?
Is this not Creole Seasoning mix? What's the difference? I had no idea, so I had to look it up. The short answer seems to be that Cajuns are from the south of Louisiana and Creoles are from New Orleans. But don't take my word for it, there is a very interesting article on the history and usage of the terms here on The Historic New Orleans Collection's website. But since most of the restaurants I have visited use the term "Cajun" then that is the term I will be using for the ease of this blog post.
Substitutions?
Substitute for celery seeds: If you don't have any celery seeds on hand you can leave them out, but celery is a very very important flavor in Cajun cooking. It is even one of the famed "holy trinity" of Cajun food— onions, bell peppers, and celery. So while you can leave the celery seeds out of the seasoning mix, you must be sure to add diced celery to the food you are making or it will simply not taste Cajun.
Substitute for garlic powder: It's so easy, you can just use onion powder! You can also add onion powder to the recipe in addition to the garlic powder, if you want. If you don't have any onion powder to replace the garlic powder you can leave it out in desperation, but you must be absolutely sure to add diced onions to whatever you're cooking. Again, onions are one of the "holy trinity" for Cajun cooking, so you should definitely be using them regardless. But both leaving out garlic or onion powder and also not cooking with onions would be egregious!
Substitute for thyme: If you don't have dried thyme you can use the same amount of dried oregano in the spice mix. Oregano is used just as frequently in Cajun recipes as thyme, so it makes a great alternative.
I think it will be too spicy for me! If you are sensitive to spicy foods you can cut however much you need from the chili powder and cayenne and replace them with equal parts sweet paprika. For example, if you cut out 1/2 tsp of the cayenne and 1/2 tsp of the chili powder, then you will need to add back 1 tsp sweet paprika. Try not to cut out all of the spiciness, remember Cajun food is supposed to have some zip.
I think it isn't spicy enough for me! No problem! You can either choose to add more cayenne and/or chili powder to the seasoning mix itself, or you can just add more seasoning to the food while you're cooking it. It will be easier to adjust it to taste while adding it to food. Adjusting to taste by tasting the spice mix itself is difficult. It is always easier to add than subtract, so be careful not to add too much. If you accidentally go overboard on the spiciness you can tone it down by adding more of the other ingredients to thin out the spice.
Why is there no salt in this recipe? Why is commercial Cajun seasoning so salty? I swear! By the time I add enough spice to get the zip I want, it's severely oversalted! The main reason there is no salt in this recipe is because I think the spice-to-salt ratio in Cajun recipes varies quite a bit from dish to dish. Boils need more salt because of the high water volume, but the same amount of salt would be too much in a sauce that's being poured over already-salted food. Because of this discrepancy it makes sense to leave the salting separately and to taste. As a bonus it also means you can easily adjust the levels for different people. We love our food on the spicy side, so when we cook for ourselves we use more spice and less salt, but when we cook for others we use less spice and more salt.
Pro Tip!
A note on buying spices: You want to be sure to buy the freshest spices possible. In my experience the standard, name brand spices at major grocery stores are not only overpriced, but really stale! As I mention in my money saving tip, spices can be bought cheaper at various cultural grocery stores but they also tend to be much fresher. Why? Because the turnover rate is much faster. Cultures like India or Mexico eat significantly higher rates of spices, so the spices sell much faster and don't sit on the shelf long enough to go stale.
How can you tell if spices are stale? One way to tell is by color. Many spices, such as paprika, cayenne, and turmeric should be very brightly colored. If the colors look weak or faded then the spices are probably stale. Another way to tell is by smell. The smell should be strong and vibrant. If the smell is faint or musty then the spices are probably stale. Stale spices will not hurt you if you eat them, but they will affect the quality of your cooking. If you want to make better food you need better ingredients, and if you can manage to save a little money on the way it's a win-win!
Money Saving Tip |
The estimated price in the recipe is using the cheaper options from regular grocery stores. If you buy from a regular grocery store I recommend using the cheaper Mexican brand if possible, it tends to be fresher. It could be made even cheaper if the spices are bought from Chinese, Mexican, or Indian grocery stores. |
Let's Begin:
Gather all your ingredients. You can just dump all the ingredients together straight into whatever airtight container you want to store them in, no need to lay them out on a plate like I did for this picture. Save yourself the energy.
Mix all the ingredients together until thoroughly combined, then store the mixture in an airtight container somewhere dry and out of direct sunlight. If you allow your spices or spice mixes to be exposed to direct sunlight it will hasten the fading and flavor loss of the spices. Protect your spice investment!
How can I use this Cajun seasoning mix?
Cajun seasoning mix is one of those convenient things than can help make faster weeknight meals. It is really easy to just sprinkle it over vegetables for roasting, or mixing into frying batter, or even for easily seasoning a side dish of red beans and rice. Be sure that you add an appropriate amount of salt to whatever you're cooking. If you need some ideas for dishes that can use this recipe then I recommend;
On Fried Potatoes or Fries
Roasted Veggies
Creamy Cajun Pasta
Po' Boys
On Popcorn
On Roasted or Grilled Corn
Etouffee
Boils
Etc.
There's something just so luxuriant about Cajun food. Perhaps that the French influence? The silky sauces are just so mouthwatering, and the fried food is so crunchy, and the whole experience is deliciously spicy. It is a genre of cooking that really excels in the texture category!
Storage.
Store the spice mix in an airtight container in a dry, dark area, out of direct sunlight. If stored correctly this spice mix can last as long as regular ground spices (2-3 years). The length of time it will stay good also depends on the freshness of the spices when they were mixed together, but it stores safely for a very long time.
Cajun food versus Creole Food.
While it was really hard to decide how to label this spice mix, there are some differences between Cajun and Creole cooking. I am not an expert (being as I'm from Texas and have had limited wanderings through Louisiana) but it is it is good to be aware that there is a difference. It's something that I fully intend to research further to better expand my knowledge of tasty food and cooking techniques.
For beginners to the genres the website for the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts mentions that Cajun food tends to be spicier and uses more pork and crawfish, while Creole food uses more tomatoes and varied crustaceans.
What about you?
What's your favorite Cajun or Creole dish? Let me know in the comments! I would love to maybe learn about some tasty dishes I haven't heard about! Or we can all salivate over the tasty popular favorites. Louisianan food is so flavorful and savory!
As for my favorite? Honestly, I think mine is Po' Boys. I love them! The fried crunch, the delicious bread, the savory sauce. Oh, so good! Kinda insulting when restaurants charge like $17 for a Po' Boy though...it is supposed to be an "affordable" food item and high prices for it are absurd! Makes me angry every time I see it inflated on a restaurant menu. Ah, the rising cost of living is directly reflected in Po' Boy prices....
Just curious:
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, there was some question about the terminology. I wasn't really sure if this was Cajun seasoning or Creole seasoning, so I had to look up the difference between the two words, but for the ease of the post I went with the word Cajun. The article I linked to about the terms on the HNOC's website was very educational and interesting, but I wonder what the preferred layman's term is for people to use generically? Let's have a poll!
Which word is better for average people to use in general?
0%Cajun
0%Creole
I'm sure it will be a while before we have enough votes to draw a conclusion, but I'm very interested to see what people think! And in the meanwhile I highly recommend that anyone not from a Cajun or Creole area read both the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts' descriptions of the differences in the cuisine and also the The Historic New Orleans Collection's history on the terms and their usage.
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