44 of Our Very Best Cajun Recipes

There are different versions of gumbo, but the Cajun style features a dark stew made with a roux base, the holy trinity of vegetables (bell peppers, onions, celery), and proteins ranging from andouille sausage to chicken to seafood.

A nutty dark roux, shrimp stock, slow-cooked vegetables, a hit of spice, and tender shrimp — all you need to serve dinner is a bowl of buttery rice.

Dirty rice is a traditional Cajun or Creole dish named for the color it takes on, thanks to key ingredients like chicken giblets and liver. This recipe takes a weeknight shortcut by swapping spicy chicken andouille sausage for the giblets and liver and cooking the rice straight inside the pot with everything else.

A great hands-off way to make the Louisiana classic for a big day of entertaining.

Homemade mushroom stock, beans, okra, and tofu are the keys to a delicious vegetarian take on the Cajun stew.

Packed with chicken rubbed with Cajun seasoning, this cheesy and smoky Southern-inspired twist closely resembles the beloved dish at Chili's.

Two cozy favorites that aren't typically regarded as a dynamic duo meet in this East-meets-South dish that's meaty, tangy-sweet, and easy enough to pull off for dinner.

Take weekend (and weeknight) dinners up a notch with a minimalist creamy pasta rich on big, smoky, spicy Cajun flavor. You'll be deeply satisfied by the chewy al-dente penne against the crunchy shrimp and snap of andouille sausage.

Take a page from Cajun cooking and prepare this delectable and easy seafood boil the next time you need to entertain a big crowd. Everyone is guaranteed to be satisfied by the flavorful medley of seafood, sausage, and vegetables.

With minimal breading and filler ingredients, the spotlight in these crab cakes is on the sweet and tender seafood. Baking takes the stress out of preparation.

Thanks to crispy fried shrimp and a tangy, zesty remoulade sauce, our shrimp po' boy sandwich is packed with texture and a huge amount of Cajun flavor.

These oven-baked chicken breasts are super savory and slightly smoky with bold Cajun flavor, not to mention they come together using only three ingredients.

Make this simple grilled fish with any type of grilled vegetable and call it dinner.

This spicy fried chicken sandwich gets its classic deep-fried and juicy flavor from our favorite new-school kitchen appliance.

Oyster dressing is a take on the classic turkey stuffing made instead with succulent gulf oysters, veggies, chicken broth, and crusty day-old bread.

This incredibly simple Southern classic celebrates two of winter’s staple vegetables — cabbage and potatoes — and is full of flavor from crisp bacon and Cajun seasoning.

Fall-apart red beans with fluffy rice is a true staple of Cajun cooking, and proof that it doesn’t take a lot to feed the soul.

These crispy bites are best served alongside remoulade sauce for dunking.

Seasoning plays a big part in Cajun cooking and this recipe creates enough spice blend for you to give any dinner some Cajun flair.

Southerners rarely shy away from a little nip before breakfast, and this milk punch is the perfect way to start off your meal — not too sweet, not too boozy. Sip it with a savory breakfast casserole or a homemade king cake and get the party started.

This year, for Mardi Gras, do yourself a favor and try this true-to-original version of the classic New Orleans cocktail which only contains three ingredients: dark rum, passion fruit syrup, and lemon juice.

A beautiful drink in its simplicity and exactness, the Sazerac tells the unique story of New Orleans through its ingredients: the French absinthe, the American rye, the Louisiana sugar, and the Caribbean bitters.

The zingy tomato-based cocktail is quite easy to fashion up at home.

Pull out your air fryer and make these pillowy beignets piled high with powdered sugar quicker than you can say Big Easy.

Liqeur is crucial in this classic New Orleans dessert, where it is used to ignite banana slices, amplifying flavor and texture.

This pie is a new-fangled riff on the beloved sweet potato pies found in bakeries all over the Crescent City. It evens comes with two pie preparations: a baked pie or a crustless, spoonable custard.

King cakes are made all around the world under different names in celebration of such holidays as Epiphany, but they're in a class of their own in New Orleans. If you've never sliced into a doughy, pretty-spiraled King cake and admired the cinnamony layers, you need to make this recipe right away.

You make these candy-like cookies entirely on the stovetop by boiling a mixture of chopped pecans and two kinds of sugar.

The best bread pudding is as simple as making a very good (and very easy) custard and pouring it over the right bread.

New Orleans folks know a thing or two about the good life (and great food) and these “heavenly” treats are definitely no exception. They're packed with marshmallows and almonds and chocolate in each and every bite.

Thick slices of classic French toast are topped with a velvety caramel sauce inspired by bananas Foster. The sauce is laced with cinnamon and spiked with dark rum, and true to the name includes plenty of soft, extra-sweet caramelized bananas and nutty pecans. It's the ultimate way to eat dessert for breakfast.