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Learn how to make the best Cajun Seasoning blend in this easy spice mix recipe.
This DIY creole substitute tastes better than Tony Chachere’s, Louisiana, Slap Ya Mama and other store bought brands.
Try it on chicken, shrimp, seafood, veggies, fries and more! Naturally gluten and dairy free.
Homemade Cajun Seasoning Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup sea salt
- ¼ cup chili powder
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons black pepper
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 4 teaspoons celery salt
- 4 teaspoons mustard powder
- 4 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 tablespoon ground sage
- 2 ½ teaspoons cayenne pepper - (we used 90K H.U., but you can use milder if you prefer)
- 2 teaspoons arrowroot powder
- 2 teaspoons dried onion flakes
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Spoon
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Glass jar
Instructions
- Measure out all of your dry spices and seasonings.
- Stir until well combined.
- Transfer to a pint-sized mason jar and store with your spices.
Nutrition Information Per Serving
By the Numbers: Cajun Seasoning Recipe
Step 1: Measure out your spices and seasonings.
The first step is to measure out your sea salt, chili powder, garlic powder, black pepper, paprika, celery salt, mustard powder, basil, sage, cayenne, arrowroot, onion flakes, oregano and thyme.
I like to do this just in case I’m lower on one ingredient than I realized. There’s nothing worse than having to drive to the grocery store and overpay for one spice that I could have bought in bulk.
Step 2: Combine your ingredients.
After you’ve measured all of your cajun seasoning ingredients out, add them to a mixing bowl and stir until well combined.
You may be tempted just to put everything into a jar and try to mix it up there by shaking the jar. I don’t recommend doing that if you want everything well combined. Take the extra time to use a mixing bowl.
Step 3: Transfer to Storage Jar.
I like to keep this recipe in a pint sized mason jar, but any storage jar you have should work. Make sure it’s airtight because spice mixes start to clump and stick together if moisture gets into the jar.
Tips & Tricks for Making & Using Cajun Seasoning
1. How do I use this blend?
You can use this on any meat, seafood, veggies, fries or any recipe that calls for cajun seasoning. It’s seriously delicious on everything we’ve tried it on.
Sprinkle a nice layer over bone-in, skin-on chicken and bake as usual for a super easy entree. Add it to boneless skinless chicken breasts in the Instant Pot for flavorful salads, pasta and more.
Our Instant Pot Jambalaya and Crock Pot Red Beans & Rice recipe both use this seasoning mix as well. The kids love eating pinches out of the jar too!
2. Is this a copycat Tony’s Cajun Seasoning recipe?
Yes it is! I based my Cajun Seasoning mix on the flavors in that blend with some modifications that we enjoy.
We spent a lot of time experimenting and taste testing to get the flavors just right. We like this recipe better than the Tony Chachere, Louisiana, Slap Ya Mama and every store bought brand we’ve tried.
3. What’s in cajun seasoning and can I omit ingredients?
There are a lot of ingredients in this recipe and I don’t recommend leaving any of them out. All of the flavors meld together perfectly, and the starch helps thicken recipes you use it in.
You may want to reduce the salt in this recipe if you’re on a low sodium diet. Check with your nutritionist or registered dietician for advice.
4. Which Cayenne Pepper to use?
There is a wide range in the level of spiciness of ground cayenne pepper, so pay attention. We use 90 H.U. cayenne in this cajun spice mixture, which means it’s extremely spicy.
If your cayenne pepper is milder (35 H.U. is standard), you may need to increase how much you add. It’s best to start with less and add more until you get the spicy level your family prefers.
You can get several different heats of cayenne pepper from Starwest Botanicals.
5. Cajun vs Creole – What’s the Difference?
You probably see these words used interchangeably. That’s because both cuisines are native to Louisiana and found in New Orleans restaurants. You can use this blend in either, but they do have some differences.
For example, you typically won’t find tomatoes in Cajun cuisine, but you will find them in Creole dishes. I’ve also heard Cajun recipes referred to a country food and Creole recipes as city cuisine.
Other than that, they’re pretty similar. They frequently use green bell peppers, onions and celery and use plenty of sausage and shrimp.
6. Best place to buy bulk spices?
I buy all of my spices in bulk because I make all of our seasoning blends from scratch. Starwest Botanicals has great prices on bulk spices, so that’s who I source most of my spices and seasonings from to make my own mixes.
If you want to make some of my other homemade spice blends, these are popular choices:
Pin this post to your Spice Mix or Seasonings boards.
I have Zataran’s Cajun seasoning and it doesn’t say what the H.U. is. So does that mean it’s standard?
The H.U. or Scoville rating is for the cayenne pepper, not the cajun seasoning. More than likely, Zataran’s uses standard cayenne pepper in their seasoning blend.
This is really great, and I love that it’s a large amount! Used it in crawfish Monica for dinner tonight and it was perfect ILO store bought seasonings.
I’m so glad you enjoyed my cajun seasoning recipe Crystal! I also love having my spice mixes pre-made in bulk. It makes dinner prep so much easier!
Cajun and Creole are not interchangeable. They are completely different types of foods.
Cajun refers to the Cajun French immigrants to southern Louisiana, Creoles were mostly immigrants from Africa/Haiti. Cajun is marked by the heat and complex medley of spices. Think of fun group activity dishes, like sports gatherings and parties. Creole is more of your slow cooked and thick foods. Think of it as more of your comfort foods and sit-down dinners.
BTW, love the recipe, you nailed it.
Thank you! 🙂
Thank you for sharing your perspective on the differences between cajun and creole cooking Donald. Both do have French influences, and I definitely simplified the full history of the cuisines and just shared the key differences most home cooks would notice since this is a seasoning recipe. 🙂