Cajun and Creole Spice Mixes

What are the differences between Cajun and Creole spice mixes and their cultures? Cajuns are French colonists from the Acadia region of Canada who immigrated to Louisiana after the British conquest of Canada in the 1700s. Creole describes the descendants of the Cajuns, and of the Spanish and Africans, who were born in Louisiana to settlers, especially in New Orleans. Here’s a small article from Experience New Orleans explaining it all.

I was interested mostly in spice mixes while reading about Cajun and Creole cooking. Matching recipes ingredient-for-ingredient, I found the spice mixes were almost interchangeable. For my use, I’ve made the salt free version of the Cajun spice mix, which I found in this Chef Julia jambalaya soup recipe. As far as I can tell, the addition of various white or black peppers, and whether basil (in some creole spice mixes), thyme, or oregano is added is up to you! Other than that, both cultures seem to use the same ingredients in various measurements.

When I made the Cajun spice mix, I doubled the recipe, just to have a small jar of it, instead of just a few tablespoons. You can use this spice mix in both my Jambalaya Soup and Meatless Dirty Rice recipes.

Print Recipe

Cajun and Creole Spice Mixes

Two variations of delicious and versatile Cajun and Creole spice mixes. Use in soups or on vegetables. Spicy, but not too hot.

Cuisine

American, Cajun, Southern US

Keyword

black pepper, cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, dried oregano, dried thyme, garlic powder, oregano, paprika, thyme

Prep Time

5 minutes

Servings

Ingredients

Cajun Seasoning:

• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon white pepper

Creole Seasoning:

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons salt

Cuisine American, Cajun, Southern US Keyword black pepper, cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, dried oregano, dried thyme, garlic powder, oregano, paprika, thyme Prep Time 5 minutes Servings Ingredients Cajun Seasoning: 1 teaspoon paprika 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1 tablespoon onion powder 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 teaspoon white pepper Creole Seasoning: 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika 2 tablespoons garlic powder 1 tablespoon black pepper 1 tablespoon onion powder 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper 1 tablespoon dried oregano 1 tablespoon dried thyme 2 tablespoons salt

Instructions

1. For each spice mix, pour all spices into a small jar using a kitchen funnel. Shake well before each use.

Recipe Notes

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