Cajun seasoning
Vegetarian
A brick-red Louisiana seasoning of paprika, garlic and onion powder, cayenne, black and white pepper, thyme, oregano and salt. Used for blackened fish, jambalaya, gumbo, boiled seafood and fried chicken.
Cajun seasoning is a Southern US condiment from United States, ready in about 5 minutes and made with paprika, garlic powder and cayenne / chilli powder. It serves 19 and is rated beginner to cook.
No licensed photograph of this dish yet.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 0 min
- Total
- 5 min
- Serves
- 19
- Level
- Beginner
- Calories
- 7
Method
Step 1
This blend uses ready-ground spices and is not roasted: the high heat of blackening or frying cooks it in the dish. Weigh everything into a bowl.
Step 2
Rub the thyme (opens in a new tab) and oregano (opens in a new tab) between your palms to break them into fine flakes, then whisk (opens in a new tab) all the ingredients together until evenly red. Press any lumps of garlic or onion powder (opens in a new tab) through a sieve.
How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels
About this dish
- Origin
- Louisiana, United States · Commonly attributedBottled Cajun and Creole seasonings were popularised in the 1970s–80s (notably by Paul Prudhomme), drawing on how Louisiana cooks season with paprika, cayenne, pepper and herbs. This is a typical salted home blend.More food from United States
- Dish
- Condiments, chutneys & relishes
- Cooking method
- No-cook
- Taste
- spicy (chilli heat), savoury, garlicky, salty
- Diet
- Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carbWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · DASH-style - Good for
- Make-ahead · Budget-friendly
- Cook more with
- Paprika · Garlic powder · Cayenne / chilli powder · Onion powder · White pepper · Dried thyme
Allergens
None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
7 kcal per serving
Calculated1 serving ≈ 3 g · recipe makes 19
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 14%
- Carbohydrate 65%
- Fat 21%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 7 kcal | 221 kcal |
| Protein | 0.3 g | 9.5 g |
| Carbohydrate | 1.4 g | 47.2 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 0.8 g | 28.2 g |
| Sugars | 0.1 g | 4.7 g |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 0.6 g | 19 g |
| Fat | 0.2 g | 5.5 g |
| Saturated fat | 0 g | 1.1 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 307 mg | 10240 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0.8 g | 25.6 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 35 mg
- Calcium
- 9 mg
- Iron
- 0.4 mg
- Magnesium
- 3 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 24 µg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 2 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- For blackened fish, coat fillets thickly after dipping in melted butter and sear in a smoking-hot cast-iron pan with the window open.
- Remember the salt when seasoning a dish that uses it.
Common mistakes
- Salting a dish as usual and then adding a salted Cajun blend on top.
Serve with
- Blackened catfish or redfish, jambalaya, chicken and andouille gumbo, shrimp boil, dirty rice and Cajun fries.
Food safety
- Store in a clean, completely dry, airtight jar away from light and heat; always use a dry spoon. Ground blends lose aroma steadily after the first month.
Storage
- Airtight jar, cool and dark, up to 6 months; garlic and onion powder clump in humidity.
Variations
- Creole seasoning: New Orleans Creole blends tend to add more herbs (basil, extra oregano) and less heat than rural Cajun mixes.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
About this masala
- Type
- Dry spice blend
- Texture
- Fine powder
- One batch makes
- about 57 g
- Keeps
- about 6 months
- Store
- Airtight jar, cool dark cupboard
- Recipe
- Traditional
Louisiana, United States. Makes Cajun seasoning, the ingredient our dish recipes list. All masalas
Used in
None of our dish recipes use it yet — it keeps well, so it’s worth having on the shelf.
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
The spice and seasoning backbone
Spices, masalas & pastes
- Paprika, raw, sweet (or half smoked)15 g
- Garlic powder, raw8 g
- Onion powder, raw6 g
- Cayenne / chilli powder, raw4 g
- Black pepper, freshly ground, raw3 g
- White pepper, ground, raw2 g
- Dried thyme, raw, rubbed2 g
- Dried oregano, dried, raw, rubbed2 g
- Salt, raw, fine15 g
Reviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
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