Ingredients

What Exactly Is "Louisiana Seasoning?"

Louisiana has so much flavor, can you really pin it down?

Published June 17, 2019.

Talk about an impossible question to answer. If you asked 14 different cooks from Louisiana to define “Louisiana seasoning,” you’d get 14 different (and equally passionate) answers. It’s this diversity in thinking about food that makes Louisiana such a great place to eat and Louisiana seasoning so personal and exciting.

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But there are some baseline ingredients that most people agree on.

Several commercial brands of the seasoning are on the market and available nationwide. Most include paprika, garlic, salt and pepper, and a bit of heat (usually from cayenne or red pepper). From there, things diverge. Some brands include dried herbs such as thyme or oregano, and others include ingredients that are near-impossible to pronounce.

So what do all of these concoctions have in common? Complex flavors that range from savory to spicy to herbal to sweet. Here's how to make our version.

Louisiana Seasoning

Makes about 3/4 cup

5 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon celery salt
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper

Stir all ingredients together. (Louisiana Seasoning will keep for a few months.)

Try it in our Quick Chicken Jambalaya, Chicken Sauce Piquant, Pork Grillades, or anywhere you’d like a hit of Louisiana flavor.

Recipe

Quick Chicken Jambalaya

Start your timers: A few clever tricks help us get this bold jambalaya on the table in about half an hour.

Get the Recipe

And while you've got Louisiana on the brain, take a journey with Editorial Director Bryan Roof to the annual Cochon de Lait festival. He met some great people and ate some amazing food.