This Homemade Creole Seasoning Recipe tastes so much better than store-bought seasoning, and it is so easy to make. It has no preservatives or fillers and is such a delicious way to add a boost of flavor to homemade Creole dishes.

There isn’t much better than making homemade seasonings. Whether you’re making your own Taco SeasoningCajun Seasoning, Cajun Sparkle, Chicken Bouillon, or Jerk Seasoning, there are so many delicious dishes that you can make with homemade spice blends.

The freshness of this Creole Seasoning recipe is something that doesn’t compare to the seasoning you can buy at your local grocery store – you’ll want to make a huge jar to keep on hand to combine with your Creole Holy Trinity to replicate the bold flavors of New Orleans Creole Cuisine in your kitchen whenever you crave it.

A white plate with the spices in Creole seasoning laid out on it next to a pink and white tea towel.
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❓What’s the Difference Between Creole and Cajun Seasoning?

Cajun Seasoning blends primarily on a variety of ground pepper and spicy heat commonly expected in Cajun dishes.

Creole Seasoning commonly contains ground peppers as well but also includes herbs like thyme, basil, and oregano to bring out a deeper flavor. 

The main difference between Creole and Cajun cooking is tomatoes. Creole Cuisine is often tomato based with lots of rich, flavorful sauces, and the herbs in Creole seasoning complement the dishes very well. 

A white plate with the ingredients in Creole seasoning laid out on it, labeled with text.

My homemade Creole seasoning blend includes garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, dried thyme, dried oregano, dried basil, kosher salt, and black pepper. You can also add a little white pepper if desired; we just don’t love the flavor of it, so I leave it out. The spices and different herbs are really the key ingredients and will help add so much extra flavor to your Creole cooking.

While Creole and Cajun seasoning are a little different, you can substitute them for each other in a desperate situation, though I would make my own if I had the time! (I have a separate Cajun Seasoning Recipe if you are looking for Cajun seasoning.) Do not use Old Bay Seasoning in place of Cajun or Creole seasoning – it is NOT the same thing and has more of an allspice kind of taste.

A jar of homemade creole seasoning blend on a colorful mat.

🌶️ How to Use Creole Seasoning

This delicious spice is such a versatile seasoning blend that will be used so often; you might want to make a double batch! Here are some suggestions for using it to make some delicious Creole food:

Gumbo Seasoning

A white bowl of chicken and sausage gumbo.

Jambalaya Seasoning

Other Easy Recipes

🥣 Creole Seasoning Recipe

Store-bought creole seasoning is a perfectly fine option – I use Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning on everything (it is the main ingredient in my famous Raising Cane’s Sauce recipe) – but like everything else, homemade is usually best, and it’s so easy to make it at home. The trick to Authentic Louisiana flavor is using quality ingredients.

A white plate with the spices in Creole seasoning laid out on it.

A good Creole Spice mix is built using three layers – a base of salt, garlic powder, and onion powder, then a layer of spice from cayenne pepper, paprika, and black pepper. (Feel free to add more cayenne pepper if you want to increase the spice level.)

Then the layer of herbs – basil, thyme, and oregano. (I like to dry fresh herbs in the summer to use in my seasonings to add a fresh punch of flavor.)

A white plate with the ingredients in creole seasoning mixed up on it with a gold spoon.

Combine all of the spices together and mix until well combined. That’s it! You can grind them up with a spice grinder if you want, but I like to keep the spices whole. 

You can leave out the salt if you want to be able to separately control the salt in each of your dishes – that’s another perk of making your own seasoning – you can customize it to your needs. It’s such an extraordinary blend of flavorful spices that you might not even need the salt. (Though at our house, we love salt.)

Copycat Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning

If you want to make a copycat version of Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning, the ingredients are a little different. Tony Chachere shared the seasoning recipe in his first cookbook so that home cooks could make it themselves. It is a huge batch of seasoning and should last a long time:

  • 1 box (26 ounces) Morton’s Free Flowing Falt
  • 1 box (1 1/2 ounces) Ground Black Pepper
  • 1 bottle (2 ounces) Ground Red Pepper
  • 1 bottle (1 ounce) Pure Garlic Powder
  • 1 bottle (1 ounce) Chili Powder
  • 1 carton (1 ounce) Accent Flavor Enhancer (Monosodium Glutamate)

Tony Chachere’s world-famous seasoning has silicon dioxide in it as an anti-caking agent, so if you make it at home, you can leave it out. My creole seasoning recipe is a good substitute for Tony’s when used at home. Feel free to make either one of these delicious Creole seasonings to add fun flavors to all of your favorite recipes.

🫙 How to Store Homemade Creole Seasoning

Keep your homemade seasoning blend in an airtight container, like an airtight jar or mason jar, in a cool, dry place in your spice cabinet. It will keep for a long time if stored properly.

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A jar of homemade creole seasoning on a brown background with a gold spoon in the jar.

Give Creole Spice Mix as a Gift

Make a batch of this spice mixture and put it in a cute spice jar or a 4 ounce mason jar. Tie a bow around it and give it as a gift to your favorite home cook. Homemade spice mixes are a great gift, and homemade gifts are my favorite. (We even gave out Cajun seasoning and Everything Bagel Seasoning as wedding favors!)

A pile of cajun seasoning and everything bagel seasoning mix packets used as a wedding favor.

Try this spice blend in my: 

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo or Red Beans & Rice Recipe

A jar of homemade creole seasoning on a colorful mat with a gold spoon in the jar.

Have You Tried This Recipe?
Please rate it and leave a comment below. I would love to hear what you think!

A jar of homemade creole seasoning on a colorful mat with a gold spoon on the side.

Homemade Creole Seasoning

5 from 1 vote
This Homemade Creole Seasoning Recipe tastes so much better than store-bought seasoning, and it is so easy to make. It has no preservatives or fillers and is such a delicious way to add a boost of flavor to homemade Creole dishes.
Author: Kari
Servings: 20
Prep: 5 minutes
Total: 5 minutes

Ingredients  

Optional

  • 1 tablespoon white pepper

Instructions 

  • Combine all of the spices together and mix until well combined.*
    5 tablespoons paprika, 3 tablespoons kosher salt, 2 tablespoons onion powder, 2 tablespoons garlic powder, 2 tablespoons dried oregano, 2 tablespoons dried basil, 1 tablespoon dried thyme, 1 tablespoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon white pepper
  • Keep your homemade creole seasoning blend in an airtight container, like an airtight jar or mason jar, in a cool, dry place in your spice cabinet. It will keep for a long time if stored properly.

Notes

*You can leave out the salt if you want to be able to separately control the salt in each of your dishes.
 
This recipe will make 1 ¼ cups, which is 20 servings of 1 tablespoon each.

Special Equipment Needeed

  • measuring spoons

Nutrition

Serving: 1tablespoonCalories: 14kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 1gFat: 0.3gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.05gSodium: 1049mgPotassium: 74mgFiber: 1gSugar: 0.3gVitamin A: 994IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 23mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is approximate and is automatically calculated, so should only be used as a guide.

Course: Condiments, Seasoning
Cuisine: Creole, Southern
Keyword: creole seasoning recipe, homemade creole seasoning
Did you make this recipe?Mention @southernbytes or tag #southernbytes!

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Hi, I'm Kari!

I am a newlywed, food blogger, health coach, and mama to a hot mess of a border collie. I love to put a new spin on old family recipes and I try to make as many meals as possible with an Instant Pot.

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