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This homemade Cajun Seasoning recipe is the perfect blend of zesty, spicy, savory flavors that are sure to kick any dish up a delicious notch.
Do you guys have a jar of Cajun seasoning in your spice drawer right now?
If not, grab your measuring spoons and let’s make a quick batch homemade! Cajun seasoning has long been one of my go-to faves for amping up everything from chicken to seafood, veggies to potatoes, soups to stir-frys, dips to dippers, roasting in the oven or on the grill — you name it. It’s one of those brilliant spice blends that works well with just about everything. And this particular bold, zesty, and homemade Cajun seasoning blend is my all-time fave.
It only takes a few minutes to make, and I bet you already have the ingredients in your spice drawer.
Let’s do it!
Cajun Seasoning Recipe | 1-Minute Video
What Is Cajun Seasoning?
Alright but first, let’s back up a sec. Exactly what is Cajun seasoning, you might ask? It’s a rustic seasoning blend that hails from Louisiana, the home of delicious Cajun cuisine. Everyone tends to have their own spin on it, but in general, it’s a spicy blend featuring lots of paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, pepper and oregano. Various other seasonings can be added to taste. I’ve also included salt in my blend, so that you can use the seasoning on its own. But you’re welcome to leave the salt out if you would prefer to add it separately to taste.
Cajun Seasoning Ingredients:
My homemade Cajun seasoning recipe calls for:
paprika (I prefer using smoked paprika)
kosher salt
garlic powder
ground black pepper
ground white pepper
onion powder
dried oregano
cayenne
thyme
How To Make Cajun Seasoning:
To make Cajun seasoning, simply mix all of the spices up in a jar and cover with a lid. Then the seasoning blend should keep for up to 1 year.
How To Use Homemade Cajun Seasoning:
Stay tuned, because I have a yummy new Cajun recipe coming on the blog tomorrow, which would be a fantastic way to take this seasoning for a first test run. I also regularly use it to season everything from jambalaya to roasted sheet pan dinners to stir-frys, soups, kabobs and more. It especially pairs well with:
Proteins: Chicken, fish, shellfish, pork, steak and tofu.
Veggies: Especially roasted or in stir-fries. Also, Cajun seasoning is fantastic on all kinds of potatoes (baked, roasted, fries, etc
Better then any store bought seasoning I’ve had. It’s so tasty and a good base to experiment with. I added a TBSP of chipotle pepper powder. It really adds some flavor!
Wow! Perfect proportions! The smoked paprika makes this amazing.
LEOSCHULZ —
Oooohh yeeaahh! Nice…. however I did add some Tony chachere’s Cajun seasoning,and some Badia Samoan seasonings.
Perfect for the shrimp/ sausage gumbo that I make
Sooo good! Amazing flavour with just the right amount of spiciness. I love it on roasted potatoes, chicken, baked tofu, salmon, etc! i even tried it on mashed potatoes (it was great as well!)
We were out of white pepper and i couldn’t find thyme so we left those out, still delicious!!!
I love the smell of this! I just couldn’t resist adding a pinch of Harissa and using truffle salt. It’s wonderful! Will be using for many days to come!
I ran out of my store bought Cajun mix and decided to give this a go since I had an the ingredients on hand. It turned out amazing so I probably won’t be buying it in the store again and will keep making this! Thanks for the great recipe!
This is my GO-TO Cajun spice mix recipe! I absolutely love it so much, but had to reduce the salt, and up the amount of cayenne pepper. Also I added a tablespoon of brown sugar, as to round out the mixture a bit more. I’m just thinking about it on my roasted potatoes this evening and can’t wait! I just can’t get enough! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Nicole Dagostino —
Cajun seasoning is my all time favorite! Can I substitute Kosher salt with sea salt? I usually use store bought, I can’t wait to make my own.
Made Blacken Chicken breast last night, cut it up and tossed it in c Caesar salad and it was so good, the flavor of the smoked paprika knocked it out of the park! Thank YOu
I think it’s pretty great! I will say though, I was doing a taste comparison between this and a commercial brand of Cajun seasoning, and I think the one thing this recipe is missing is 1 part Cumin added to the recipe (for the base recipe, this means adding 1 Tbsp of Cumin). It adds what I think is a very necessary part of the flavor profile.
I’m sure there’s some other tweaks you could make, but I think that constitutes the bulk of it.
I just made a Gumbo with this recipe, as I didn’t have any Cajun seasoning. I didn’t have any garlic powder, so I used pressed fresh garlic and it worked great.
Thanks!
I’m Fiji born and with Indians living there we love spicy food. Now that I have found your recipe here in Australia I cannot wait to make this. I know that my family will love it too.
My next comments will be after I’ve cooked using this delicious spice mix. Thank you for allowing me to share your recipe.
Julia Martens.
My go to seasoning! I put it on nearly everything from sprinkling some in a cast iron pan with a tsp of butter and toast a kaiser roll OR a pinch in some scrambled eggs with another pinch of baking powder! Thank you! Running low so I have to make another batch.
This was so good. I never leave reviews on recipes but this one was just *chefs kiss*. I made my own Cajun seasoning and garnished with cilantro instead of parsley. I also added garlic and paired the meal with brown rice. I highly highly recommend!
Made this seasoning to use on salmon burgers. I used 1/2 sweet paprika and 1/2 smoked paprika since only 1/2 of my family likes smoked paprika. Also, mixed the seasoning with mayo to put on the grilled buns too. This is a keeper as these are my usual arsenal in the spice drawer.
Highly recommend.
I made the Cheesecake Factory Cajun Pasta recipe today and used this for the cajun mix part of the recipe. WOW!!! Delicious! I can’t wait to use it in other ways – the smoked paprika adds a ton of flavor (don’t substitute that) and the ratio is just spot on! Will keep this on hand to use with other dishes. THANK YOU!
I used fresh Morton & Bassett smoked paprika and the rest just spices I had for awhile and it was amazing. I also substituted more paprika for ceyenne and di not add the white pepper to dial down the heat. It was just right!
Love it but as hubby has high blood pressure . Thus omitted all the salt. Was not missed. Wanted to make my own as I find shop brought too salty. This is fantastic on chicken escallops with a little olive oil to help the marinade then 3 minutes each side hot and rest. But bash that chicken breast first! Then rest 5 mins after cooking, wrapped in foil.
This is the best! I made it without white pepper, as I didn’t have any. It was delish, but I’ve just added the pepper to do a comparo. . Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for this wonderful seasoning recipe. It was fabulous on my shrimp and grits recipe. So much better than the jarred stuff from the grocery store. We loved it.
Didn’t have white pepper so I just left it out. Glad I did. A gumbo recipe I use called for 2 Tbs of Cajun seasoning. Without the white pepper, it still left a warm and tingling ‘bite’ in my mouth. The white pepper would have put it over the top. This is much better than any store bought I’ve tried. Thank you!
Better then any store bought seasoning I’ve had. It’s so tasty and a good base to experiment with. I added a TBSP of chipotle pepper powder. It really adds some flavor!
So easy and very delicious!
Wow! Perfect proportions! The smoked paprika makes this amazing.
Oooohh yeeaahh! Nice…. however I did add some Tony chachere’s Cajun seasoning,and some Badia Samoan seasonings.
Perfect for the shrimp/ sausage gumbo that I make
Can I use more black pepper in place of the white pepper?
White pepper has a flavour all its own and it would be hard to replace that with black pepper.
Yes
The spice mix tastes wonderful! I am using it for your jambalaya recipe later today!
Great blend cut the salt by 1/2 Tbsp and added 1/2 tbsp extra of Cajun and it met the need for mine and my better half’s pallet
Sooo good! Amazing flavour with just the right amount of spiciness. I love it on roasted potatoes, chicken, baked tofu, salmon, etc! i even tried it on mashed potatoes (it was great as well!)
We were out of white pepper and i couldn’t find thyme so we left those out, still delicious!!!
I love the smell of this! I just couldn’t resist adding a pinch of Harissa and using truffle salt. It’s wonderful! Will be using for many days to come!
This was way too white pepper forward, but still got the job done.
I live in Greece and is difficult to find Cajun Seasoning
Thank you for the recipe
Anastasia
Thanks for this recipe I’m a real spice loving addict can’t wait to make this
I ran out of my store bought Cajun mix and decided to give this a go since I had an the ingredients on hand. It turned out amazing so I probably won’t be buying it in the store again and will keep making this! Thanks for the great recipe!
Needed Cajun seasoning in a pinch. This came out perfect and I had all of the ingredients on hand.
Great substitute to store bought – thanks!
Guess I’m never buying Cajun seasoning again.Thanks.
Hi, did you update this recipe? I thought this was 6 ingredients not 9…?
This is my GO-TO Cajun spice mix recipe! I absolutely love it so much, but had to reduce the salt, and up the amount of cayenne pepper. Also I added a tablespoon of brown sugar, as to round out the mixture a bit more. I’m just thinking about it on my roasted potatoes this evening and can’t wait! I just can’t get enough! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Cajun seasoning is my all time favorite! Can I substitute Kosher salt with sea salt? I usually use store bought, I can’t wait to make my own.
Thank you!!
Made Blacken Chicken breast last night, cut it up and tossed it in c Caesar salad and it was so good, the flavor of the smoked paprika knocked it out of the park! Thank YOu
I think it’s pretty great! I will say though, I was doing a taste comparison between this and a commercial brand of Cajun seasoning, and I think the one thing this recipe is missing is 1 part Cumin added to the recipe (for the base recipe, this means adding 1 Tbsp of Cumin). It adds what I think is a very necessary part of the flavor profile.
I’m sure there’s some other tweaks you could make, but I think that constitutes the bulk of it.
Very very tasty! Amazing results! Thanks!
I just made a Gumbo with this recipe, as I didn’t have any Cajun seasoning. I didn’t have any garlic powder, so I used pressed fresh garlic and it worked great.
Thanks!
I use it regularly, excellent, always have spices in and far cheaper to make your own.
Its’s very helpful to us,
Thank u so much
Use this all the time. I also make it same as recipe but add 1 tsp of cumin and 1 tsp ground red pepper makes a great rub for smoked pork and chicken.
I made this last night for my jambalaya. It was excellent, easy to make, and made a decent sized batch. I should be good for months, now! Thank you!
I’m Fiji born and with Indians living there we love spicy food. Now that I have found your recipe here in Australia I cannot wait to make this. I know that my family will love it too.
My next comments will be after I’ve cooked using this delicious spice mix. Thank you for allowing me to share your recipe.
Julia Martens.
Didn’t have the white pepper, but I loved it anyway.
My go to seasoning! I put it on nearly everything from sprinkling some in a cast iron pan with a tsp of butter and toast a kaiser roll OR a pinch in some scrambled eggs with another pinch of baking powder! Thank you! Running low so I have to make another batch.
I used this to make some Cajun Shrimp and Grits. So good! Thank you –
This was so good. I never leave reviews on recipes but this one was just *chefs kiss*. I made my own Cajun seasoning and garnished with cilantro instead of parsley. I also added garlic and paired the meal with brown rice. I highly highly recommend!
Made this seasoning to use on salmon burgers. I used 1/2 sweet paprika and 1/2 smoked paprika since only 1/2 of my family likes smoked paprika. Also, mixed the seasoning with mayo to put on the grilled buns too. This is a keeper as these are my usual arsenal in the spice drawer.
Highly recommend.
I made the Cheesecake Factory Cajun Pasta recipe today and used this for the cajun mix part of the recipe. WOW!!! Delicious! I can’t wait to use it in other ways – the smoked paprika adds a ton of flavor (don’t substitute that) and the ratio is just spot on! Will keep this on hand to use with other dishes. THANK YOU!
This Was Awesome Dinner I Love It!!!!!
Honestly the best cajun seasoning ever, better then the best grocery chain brands for sure.
I used fresh Morton & Bassett smoked paprika and the rest just spices I had for awhile and it was amazing. I also substituted more paprika for ceyenne and di not add the white pepper to dial down the heat. It was just right!
Ali, I am in the process of making new spice blends for my pantry! Your’s are ahmazin! Would u mind telling me which Weck spice jars you use?
Love it but as hubby has high blood pressure . Thus omitted all the salt. Was not missed. Wanted to make my own as I find shop brought too salty. This is fantastic on chicken escallops with a little olive oil to help the marinade then 3 minutes each side hot and rest. But bash that chicken breast first! Then rest 5 mins after cooking, wrapped in foil.
This is the best! I made it without white pepper, as I didn’t have any. It was delish, but I’ve just added the pepper to do a comparo. . Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for this wonderful seasoning recipe. It was fabulous on my shrimp and grits recipe. So much better than the jarred stuff from the grocery store. We loved it.
Just what a rather bland chicken étouffée needed to spice it up. Thanks!
This is tastes better than any store bought Cajun seasoning!! Definitely took my smothered Turkey wings to a different level!!’
I omitted the white pepper. It’s still AMAZING!
Thank you for posting!
So glad I found this recipe. It simply rocks the taste buds !!
Thanks so much Ali for this recipe keeper !!
This is so helpful! Thank you!
Perfect blend! Loved it! My new go to. Thanks so much!
Didn’t have white pepper so I just left it out. Glad I did. A gumbo recipe I use called for 2 Tbs of Cajun seasoning. Without the white pepper, it still left a warm and tingling ‘bite’ in my mouth. The white pepper would have put it over the top. This is much better than any store bought I’ve tried. Thank you!
Awesome recipe- use it on chicken n ribs!!
This is great thank you so many store bought have msg in them and I’m allergic to it. Major migraine ugh!! Going to try it tonight!!!
It was tasty, but way too much salt.
Made it for a Gumbo recipe. Great taste!
So my fish were great I should have added more of this seasoning to my corn meal but we liked this the way it was. Thanks for this recipe.