Ah, Cajun Seasoning. It’s one of my all time favorite spice mixtures!
I love adding cajun seasoning to almost everything… from burgers and steaks, to chicken, shrimp, and even on top of popcorn!
It’s the perfect blend of flavor and spice, and adds a red colored southern swing to just about any dish (like my FAVE Slow Cooker Cajun Bean Turkey Soup Recipe).
How to make Cajun Seasoning
Cajun spice originates in the South, mainly in Louisiana. Cajun people were known to use many ingredients in their cooking, such as garlic, bell peppers, onions, celery, and bay leaves. These are all super flavorful additions to any recipe, so it is no surprise that they would create something as amazing as a Cajun spice mixture!
This is truly the best homemade cajun seasoning. Not only is it super easy to make, you will probably have all of the spices you need already in your spice cupboard! Homemade cajun seasoning tastes way better than store bought and you know that you aren’t getting any fillers or added products in your cajun spice and you can control the sodium levels!
If you have a recipe that calls for cajun seasoning, just whip some of this up quickly! It’s really as easy as tossing all of the ingredients together and adding them into a spice jar.
I love spicy food, but if you aren’t as big of a fan as me, you can easily just add half of the cayenne pepper and chili flakes in cajun seasoning. That’s one of the bonuses of making it homemade!
I like to put my cajun seasoning in a cute little jar and label it for a 6 month use by date. As long as it is stored in a cool, dry place like your spice cupboard, it should last about that long!
What is Cajun Seasoning?
Amazingness! No, but really. Cajun spice or seasoning contains super flavorful components such as garlic powder, onion powder, seasoning salt, oregano, and thyme.
To give it its world famous kick, this DIY Cajun seasoning contains chili flakes, black pepper, and cayenne pepper, and smoky paprika!
Because of the cayenne pepper, cajun seasoning has a reddish orange tint to it, and blackens when grilled or fried on meat or veggies. It makes a great dry rub on just about any meat!
I also love adding it to this dirty rice, as it adds all of the “dirtiness” to the dish, which is actually made with white rice!
Cajun vs. Creole
If you’re wondering what the difference between cajun and creole seasoning is, the main difference is the amount of oregano or basil. Creole seasoning generally tends to have more oregano and/or basil than cajun seasoning. While the spice mixtures can differ slightly, they’re fairly similar and according to Louisiana Travel, the main difference is in the preparation of the dish as opposed to the actual spice mixture (cajun doesn’t contain tomatoes whereas creole does).
I do add a little bit of oregano to this mixture because I like the flavor and I also prefer to have one spice mixture that I can use for both instances.
If I only had one spice in my spice cupboard for the rest of my life… it would be Cajun Seasoning!
Homemade Cajun Seasoning
Ingredients
- 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon seasoning salt
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper add more if you like more heat
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.
- Store in an airtight container up to 6 months.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Spices
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Omg this sounds amazing, I love it.
Hi, can I use kosher or sea salt instead of the seasoning salt? I ask because many recipes that I make call for seasoning salt. So if I have seasoning salt in the Cajun mix I am worried my dish would be too salty. Thanx for your response
Hi Ginny, you can adjust this recipe to your preferences. We have the best results when using seasoning salt in this recipe but we would love to hear what you think when substituting it for kosher or sea salt!
That’s great stuff!! I love cajun and creole food a lot. My family will surely enjoy it…
Thank you! You will have to let us know what they think. Enjoy!
This cajun seasoning was excellent. It tasted just right and I loved the tip to adjust the Cayenne for how spicy you like it. I added an extra 1/2 tsp and it was nice and spicy and I was thrilled. So flavorful and made the best cajun chicken ceasar salad!!!
I don’t see the point to use “seasoning salt” in this Cajun Seasoning. You are repeating putting garlic powder, onion powder, ground pepper, and paprika which are already in your “seasoned salt”. Is this a typo? Should it have been just salt in this Cajun Seasoning?
I am very confused!
You could certainly use regular salt if you’d prefer. I always have seasoned salt in my cupboard so I like to add it.
Following up on Suzanne’s comment, it also strikes me as odd to call this homemade cajun seasoning, but then use store-bought seasoned salt as the base for it. If I’m using store-bought seasoned salt, why not just use store-bought cajun seasoning?
Seasoned salt is something I always have in my cupboard (I make homemade seasoned salt in big batches too) but if you don’t have it you can certainly use regular salt.
Very nice flavoring!
I did not add the optional red pepper flakes, as it was spicy enough for me without it.
When using this seasoning, what is a good amount to use, say if we are using it for your Slow Cooker Turkey soup. How much would we add to it?
thank you,
Hi Nicole, in our slow cooker turkey soup the bean soup we use come pre-seasoned. If you were using an unseasoned version, I would start with a teaspoon or two and increase from there based on your desired flavor.