Homemade Cajun Seasoning – Barefeet in the Kitchen

Skip the store-bought spice mixes and stir together a batch of homemade Cajun seasoning!

Cajun seasoning is a blend of herbs and spices often used to add a kick to dishes running the gamut from popcorn to veggies to meat! Most of your favorite Cajun-style recipes likely call for some version of a Cajun seasoning mix.

I first shared this recipe in The Weeknight Dinner Cookbook several years ago. This seasoning mix has been a staple in my spice cabinet ever since.

I use it at least twice a week and I figure it is long past time to share it here so that I can more easily link to it for you in other recipes.

What is Cajun Seasoning?

To the best of my knowledge, Cajun seasoning originated in Louisiana (which is why it’s also sometimes known as Louisiana cajun seasoning). The green can of Tony’s Creole Seasoning is a staple in the home of our Louisiana family and for years, Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning was a staple in ours too.

Those are clearly the popular name-brand favorites, as you will often see them sold together. However, after trying my hand at making a homemade Cajun Seasoning, I’m pretty sure that this mix is going to be in my spice cabinet at all times now.

How to Make Cajun Seasoning

Many years ago, I first made this blend of Cajun spices when a recipe I was following required Cajun seasoning. I didn’t have any on hand at the time, but I did have every single one of the spices that goes into a Cajun seasoning mix.

So, what is in Cajun seasoning? The signature reddish brown color of Cajun seasoning comes courtesy of a hearty helping of smoked paprika. The peppery flavor is heightened with garlic, onion, and dried herbs.

No blend of Cajun spices is complete without a little cayenne pepper. It adds the final note of heat that livens up any recipe you add it to. A little tasting and tweaking later, I ended up with a Cajun seasoning blend that was so much better than the blends I had been buying from the spice aisle.

If you have a decently stocked spice cupboard, I bet you have everything you need to make this spice mix right now. Feel free to multiply the recipe below however you like. I typically double or triple this recipe and keep the mix in a jar with a shaker top ready to use.

Cajun Seasoning Recipe

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this spice mix:

• smoked paprika or plain paprika
• granulated garlic or garlic powder
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• granulated onion or onion powder
• crushed oregano
• crushed thyme
• cayenne pepper

Use it as a rub for meat, sprinkle it over grilled fish, or use it to add a little pizzazz to a bowl of plain white rice. It’s also a deliciously easy way to season veggies, popcorn, and eggs.

My family will happily eat this (5 ingredient) Cajun sausage pasta any night of the week – and this seasoning mix makes it possible. Once you taste this easy blend of Cajun Spices, you’ll be ready to kiss the store-bought spice mixes goodbye forever.

Cajun Spice Mix

As you might already know if you’ve poked around this site, I’m a huge proponent of homemade spice blends. Why buy a store-bought spice mix when you can make it yourself just as easily?

This homemade Cajun seasoning is no different. Filled with smoky spicy flavor, this easy homemade mix is yet another staple spice mix I never want to be without.

For years, I’ve kept my spice cabinet stocked with Homemade Taco Seasoning. That was the first seasoning blend I ever made from scratch. Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix gets made and used every fall too. And lately, I’ve been all about this Everything Bagel Seasoning mix, too.

I use this all-purpose seasoning blend or crazy salt at least once a day on our eggs. I even have a special salty, smoky, slightly spicy seasoning blend for popcorn.

I find that homemade spice mixes are far more flavorful than the bottles that come from the grocery store. I also love that I can endlessly customize the spice mixes based on my family’s tastes.

From adjusting the heat levels in our taco spices to playing with ratios of herbs in Homemade Italian Seasoning, I get to have everything just the way I like it.

originally published 5/6/20 – recipe notes and photos updated 4/1/24