Spice up your weeknight meals with the best Gumbo Recipe in town! This chicken, sausage, and seafood stew is bursting with authentic Cajun flavors from Creole Seasoning, paprika, and gumbo file. And it’s cooked in a richly-flavored broth and roux, making every spoonful of this gumbo is simply delicious and comforting.
If you’re looking for the best Louisiana Gumbo recipe, then you’ve come to the right place. (Ahem!) Many years of trial and error have finally led this gumbo lover to the perfect recipe. And now, I can proudly share this recipe with you. Not to brag, but this gumbo will surely be your new favorite! 😉
Contents…Recipe Ingredients |
Cajun Gumbo Recipe
Gumbo has always been my favorite Southern dish (along with Baked Mac and Cheese, Southern Fried Chicken, Buttermilk Biscuits, oh, the list goes on! I guess, I just love food. 😁).
This one became my favorite because it has the right amount of heat from Creole Seasoning and sweet tartness from tomatoes. It is also highly seasoned with herbs and spices, such as paprika and thyme.
And, of course, the holy trinity – bell pepper, celery, and onion, which gives the most authentic flavor to our easy gumbo recipe.
All these flavors simply blend in perfect harmony. You’ll fall in love with this fantastic dish in no time. 💖
Recipe Ingredients
Our easy gumbo recipe here requires several ingredients, but you don’t need to worry because most of them are pantry staples. And the rest are readily available in your local grocery store. Despite the long list of ingredients, this recipe is surprisingly easy to make. 😉
- Chicken – I usually go for skinless chicken thighs because it’s more tender and flavorful. Of course, you can always use any chicken cut you prefer. You could even use any poultry, like turkey or quail.
- Smoked Sausage – This adds meaty, spicy, and peppery flavors to our gumbo. I used Andouille sausage for this recipe; other choices are Kielbasa and Spanish or Mexican chorizo.
- Crab Legs and Shrimp – Their natural oceany and seafoody flavor add an iconic touch to our gumbo recipe, making it genuinely delicious. Oh yes! 😋
- Butter and Flour – We need these two to make our dark roux, which is essential to make our gumbo nice and thick while adding a sensational buttery flavor as well. While butter adds a special touch, any neutral-flavored oil will do the trick. And if you need gluten-free, try your favorite gluten-free all-purpose flour.
- Seasonings – It’s no secret that the holy trinity in cooking is the foundation of our sumptuous Southern dish. And together with garlic and onion, they add marvelous fragrance and fantastic flavor. For authentic Cajun flavors, my homemade Creole Seasoning is perfect. Oh yes!
- Tomatoes – Technically, Cajun gumbo doesn’t have tomatoes, but I’m adding them anyway. ✌ Their natural sweetness and tartness add another layer of deliciousness to our dish. Plus, it gives our gumbo broth a nice color and consistency, too.
- Gumbo File – Also known as file powder, this quintessential gumbo ingredient enhances flavor and thickens soups. Unlike other seasonings added before simmering to deepen the flavor, file powder is added to gumbo, together with green onions and parsley, just in time to serve.
How to Make Gumbo
Sear the Chicken and Sausage
- Season – Lightly season the chicken with salt and pepper. (Photos 1-2)
- Sear – Heat the oil over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven. Then cook the chicken until browned on both sides, remove, and set aside. Add the sausage and brown, and then remove. Set aside. (Photos 3-4)
Make the Roux
- Combine – Melt the butter and oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed saucepan, then add the flour and stir until smooth. (Photo 5)
- Stir Continuously – Cook on medium heat, stirring continuously, for about 20-30 minutes or until it turns a rich dark brown color – just like chocolate. Don’t walk away from the stove during this process, or it could burn. (Photo 6)
- Let It Cool – When you have achieved your desired color, remove the Dutch oven from the stove and let it cool.
Cook and Simmer
- Saute – Return the Dutch oven to the stove. Add the onion, garlic, green pepper, and celery, and cook for 8-10 minutes–stirring frequently. (Photos 7-8)
- Simmer – Then add chicken, sausage, crab legs, Creole seasoning, chicken bouillon or cubes, paprika, thyme, bay leaves, and let it cook for 5 minutes. Follow with the canned tomatoes and about 6 cups of chicken stock, then bring it all to a boil and simmer it for 45-50 minutes. After that, add the shrimp and simmer 5 more minutes. (Photos 9-10)
- Adjust Soup Consistency – Stir in file powder, green onions, and parsley. Adjust the soup’s thickness and flavor with broth or water and salt.
Recipe Variations
- Seafood Delight – Enjoy our gumbo packed with more seafood such as oysters, mussels, crawfish, and squid. Seafood Gumbo has never been this tasty! Oh yes!
- Heat-Seeker – More heat and more fun for heat rebels like me. Oh yes! Throw a flame-throwing party with Scotch bonnets, serrano peppers, jalapenos, or habaneros. Or a dash of cayenne adds a kick of heat that’s not too overpowering.
- Vegetarian Gumbo – Replace meat with more veggies, like mushrooms, cauliflower, carrots, zucchini, and potatoes, for a more nutrition-packed gumbo. Yay! (Or just throw in some sliced okra like this Okra Gumbo.)
- Low-Carb and Keto-Friendly Gumbo – Enjoy a gluten-free gumbo thickened with chopped okra instead of roux. Guilt-free yet equally delish! 👌
Tips and Tricks
- There is no shortcut to a good roux. Take your time and cook your flour-fat mixture until it’s beautifully dark and smooth.
- Keep your eye on the roux and stir continuously when cooking it because it burns quickly. If available, use a wooden spoon to mix your roux.
- If using okra to thicken the soup base, chop the okra and add it to your gumbo 10 minutes before it’s done.
Make-Ahead Instructions
Oh, you bet our gumbo here tastes even better the next day. So, if you want to save time before the big event, cook the gumbo the day before and reheat it when you’re ready to serve. Relax and enjoy!
If making ahead, don’t add the shrimp just yet because they tend to get rubbery and tough when overcooked, which may happen while reheating. So I highly suggest cooking the shrimp separately and adding them just before serving.
Serving and Storage Instructions
Good thing our classic gumbo recipe here freezes well, so leftovers are not a problem, too. So make a big batch, and you’ll never need to worry about your sudden cravings. Woohoo!
- Store – Transfer the gumbo into a clean and dry airtight container once cooled. And if you’re planning to freeze it, I highly suggest transferring it into heavy-duty freezer-safe resealable bags in individual portions for easy thawing and reheating. Perfect for a small family or to satisfy sudden cravings. 😉
- Refrigerate – It will stay fresh in the fridge for up to three days.
- Freeze – It’s good for up to 6 months in the freezer if properly stored.
- Reheat – Heat thawed gumbo to a deep pot on medium-low, covered, when ready to serve. Stir occasionally to prevent scorching, adding more broth or water as needed. If reheating a small portion, you can reheat it in the microwave instead.
Tip: Reheat leftovers the same way. To be safe, reheated leftover gumbo should be eaten the same day, and any leftover leftovers should be discarded.
FAQs
Gumbo is a popular dish in Louisiana featuring various kinds of meat such as seafood, chicken, and pork cooked in a thick broth with fantastic flavors from the holy trinity of cooking – onion, bell pepper, and celery. Some use a brown roux to thicken their soup base, while the others use okra or gumbo file. It all comes down to what you like most. 😉
Roux is made with equal parts of oil and flour, then carefully cooked to eliminate the raw flour taste. And in the case of gumbo, it takes about 22-25 minutes of continuous stirring to achieve its gorgeous dark brown color.
You can check out this post about how to make roux and learn about different types of roux and their uses.
You have to have either okra or gumbo file (or both) to be true gumbo. Otherwise, it’s not authentic. Sorry guys! That said, homemade seafood stock, hands down, makes the best gumbo ever.
Gumbo filé is usually available in the ethnic section of your local supermarket. I know Amazon has it if you can’t find it where you are.
What Goes Well with Gumbo
Serving gumbo topped with a cup (or more!) of steaming hot rice will always be my favorite pairing. But sometimes, I also love wiping my bowl clean with these delicious bread recipes below to go with my favorite gumbo recipe.
More Southern Comfort Food to Try
Watch How to Make It
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Lynda Beckman says
doesn’t sound great to make all the changes to this amazing africanbites recipe it’s perfect the way it is
Melissa says
I loved reading your recipe!! It is very similar to my own. I actually combined several recipes to make it mine. Basically the difference’s in mine and yours is no crab or shrimp, no file, I use a whole rotisserie chicken deboned, use bones and skin to make my own stock, then use 1 lb. of smoked sausage cut in half moon slices and 1 bag okra pieces and no smoked paprika(however, I may add this to give it a little smokiness). Love to get new ideas for recipes. Thank you for sharing.
Imma says
That’s a great alternative! Thanks for sharing!
Lynda Beckman says
doesn’t sound great to make all the changes to this amazing africanbites recipe it’s perfect the way it is
Gloria Payne says
I just made the gumbo and it was the best. I will be making it again soon
Imma says
Woohoo Gloria, I’m very happy to hear that ๐
Ogechi says
Wow ,must try this
Imma says
You must! ๐
Deborah Hopper says
The Gumbo looks very tasty with all the seafood, i love your cooking style, Thanks for sharing.
Imma says
Thanks Deborah! Hope you try it out!
Brenda Sibley says
My favorite meal of all time
Erik says
Great recipe! This is pretty true to the classic creole-style gumbo theme. I’ve heard that Cajun style has rules against using meat AND seafood together, and doesn’t use tomato, but is otherwise pretty similar.
There’s two things I do slightly differently: One is adding the garlic only during the last minute or two that the vegetables are cooking. The other is to let it simmer for a good 2 hours before finishing it, because a really dark brown roux takes FOREVER to cook out.
Oh! and speaking of the roux, you can save some time cooking it if you get the oil really hot, then whisk the flour into it. It cuts the time for cooking that down from 30-45 minutes to 15 or so, once you get the hang of it.
Jack Bender says
I am simply amazed by not only the diversity of you recipes but the quality of the food as well. Please keep up the good work! Jack
Laurence says
I checked out the recipe here for reference for making Gumbo my second time ever. A tip for the shrimp, i put the shrimp shells in a small pot with a little water and boiled a few minutes and then strained the liquid into my Gumbo gravy which added a great shrimp flavor. I had seen that before somewhere that you can extract a lot of flavor off of the shells.
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome! Thanks for taking time out to share this with us.
Ralph Price says
Just thought that I would pass this piece of culinary history on to the uninitiated. Gumbo which is so popular in the South, has it roots in Africa. In fact the word “gumbo” is Swahili (an African dialect) for okra.
By the way Imma, this is an excellent recipe that you posted. I’ve lived in Louisiana for the past fifty-eight years and I love gumbo. My wife was born and raised in New Orleans and is an excellent cook. We enjoy gumbo as often as we can.
joseph prusko says
How do I make your creole seasoning. Thank You
imma africanbites says
Hi. Please see my homemade creole seasoning here >> https://www.africanbites.com/creole-seasoning/
KEN THIESSEN says
I’ve used raw, fresh pan seared, rotisserie and left over chicken. It all works. If it’s raw I’d consider chopping it first or shredding it after tho.
KEN THIESSEN says
Yes. Oil and butter with flour. Usually in equal parts for rue. 1/4 cup butter + 1/4 cup oil for a half cup of fat to 1/2 cup of flour.
Ken Thiessen says
It’s sassafras leaves. Usual brand you can find is Tony Chachere’s. It thickens the stew. You can add it individually to the bowls after serving or put it in as it is cooling down. Don’t cook it though, it tends to overthicken.
imma africanbites says
Yes. Raw, peeled and deveined shrimp