Name: Homemade Ragin' Cajun Seasoning Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 1 cups
Ingredients: ½ cup paprika; 1/3 cup Himalayan salt or sea salt; ¼ cup garlic powder; 2 TBSP black pepper; 2 TBSP onion powder; 1 TBSP cayenne pepper (optional, but won't be spicy without this); 2 TBSP oregano; 1 TBSP thyme

Part of my mom’s family is originally from New Orleans and the times I’ve visited there, I’ve loved the flavors of Cajun seasoning and tried to recreate recipes that use it at home.

For years, I bought pre-made Cajun seasoning, but realized it had MSG, anti-caking agents, and fillers in it (including gluten!). Since I already order most of our herbs and spices in bulk, I started mixing my own and kept it in a small mason jar in my cabinet. (Here are some of my other homemade spice blend recipes.)

Cajun Seasoning Recipe

Though the ingredients cost slightly more on the front end since I ordered them in bulk, they were less expensive in the long run since I was able to make 4-5 times the amount of seasoning mix, and I also still had the individual herbs and spices on hand for other dishes.

These are the seasonings traditionally in Cajun seasoning, as far as I can tell:

Paprika
Himalayan salt or sea salt
Garlic powder*
Black pepper
Onion powder*
Cayenne pepper (optional, but it won’t be spicy without this)
Oregano
Thyme

*Want some extra fun/challenge? Make your own garlic powder or onion powder using this recipe. (You can make chili powder from peppers too!)

How to Use Cajun Seasoning

Here are some of the recipes we love to use Cajun seasoning in:

Cajun Gumbolaya Recipe – Yep, you read that right! This combination gumbo/jambalaya recipe is full of veggies and mild enough for kids to enjoy. (My kids think so, anyway.)
Spicy Shrimp Stir-Fry – Replace the basil with 2 tsp Cajun seasoning in this extremely delicious shrimp stir-fry to make a soul food variation.
Bayou Dirty Rice – I love this recipe my friend Heather created. Fair warning: She includes the addition of chicken livers which really boosts the nutrition of this dish. I promise… it’s delicious and really good for you!
Blackened Shrimp and Scallop Fondue – If you do dairy, this recipe is out of this world. I serve it over zoodles (spiralized zucchini noodles) or occasionally gluten-free pasta.