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This Creole seasoning recipe is a bold, savory spice blend made with smoked paprika, garlic, herbs, and dried ground peppers. It’s an easy pantry seasoning that adds Louisiana-style flavor to shrimp, chicken, fish, vegetables, and rice dishes. Mix a batch in minutes and keep it on hand whenever your cooking needs a little extra flavor.
Homemade seasoning blends are one of the easiest ways to make everyday meals taste better without extra work. This Creole seasoning combines warm spices, herbs, and a little heat to create the balanced flavor Creole cooking is known for.
It’s especially good on shrimp, chicken, fish, and other seafood, which is why I often use it on recipes like air fryer boneless chicken thighs and cast iron shrimp. If you enjoy bold spice blends, you might also like my homemade Cajun seasoning recipe, which is slightly spicier and less herb-forward than this blend. Once you start keeping this seasoning in your spice cabinet, you’ll find yourself reaching for it often.
What Is Creole Seasoning?
Creole seasoning is a Louisiana-style spice blend made with paprika, garlic, herbs, and peppers. It’s commonly used to season seafood, chicken, vegetables, and rice dishes. Compared to Cajun seasoning, Creole seasoning usually includes more herbs like oregano and thyme, which give it a slightly more balanced and aromatic flavor.
Why You’ll Love This Creole Seasoning Recipe
- Classic Creole flavor: Paprika, garlic, herbs, and peppers create the balanced Louisiana-style flavor that works well on seafood, chicken, and vegetables.
- Very versatile: Use it to season shrimp, chicken, fish, steak, roasted vegetables, potatoes, or rice dishes.
- Easy pantry recipe: You probably already have most of the spices needed to mix a batch.
Creole Seasoning Ingredients
This Creole seasoning recipe uses common pantry spices to create a savory blend with herbs and a little heat. See the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Paprika: Forms the base of the seasoning and gives the blend its warm color and mild smoky flavor.
- Dried oregano and dried thyme: These herbs help give Creole seasoning its slightly more herb-forward flavor compared to Cajun seasoning.
- Cayenne pepper: Adds heat. Reduce the amount if you prefer a milder seasoning.
- White pepper: Adds a subtle earthy heat that’s common in Creole and Cajun cooking.
- Remaining Spices: garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper round out the blend and balance the flavor.
How to Make Creole Seasoning Recipe
Making homemade Creole seasoning takes just a minute or two.
Combine the spices
Add all of the spices to a small bowl or jar. Stir or shake until the seasoning is evenly combined.
Store for later
Transfer to an airtight spice jar and keep in a cool, dry place.
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Pro Tips for the Best Flavor
- Use spices that still smell strong: Spices get weaker over time. If a spice smells very faint when you open the jar, it will not add much flavor to the seasoning.
- Adjust the heat: Reduce cayenne for a milder blend or add a little more if you like extra spice.
- Start with the right amount: Use about 1 to 1½ tablespoons per pound of meat and adjust to taste.
- Great on proteins: This seasoning works especially well on shrimp, fish, chicken, steak, and pork before grilling, roasting, or pan-searing.
- Try it in rice dishes: Stir a little into rice, jambalaya, or beans to quickly boost flavor.
Creole vs. Cajun Seasoning
Creole seasoning and Cajun seasoning are similar but not the same. Specifically, Creole seasoning usually includes more herbs like oregano and thyme. This gives it a slightly more balanced flavor that works well in seafood dishes and sauces. On the other hand, Cajun seasoning is typically spicier and more pepper-forward. It often relies more heavily on paprika, cayenne, and black pepper. Both blends are delicious, but they bring slightly different flavors to recipes. If you want a spicier blend, try my homemade Cajun seasoning.
Creole vs. Blackened Seasoning
Creole seasoning and Blackened Seasoning have different tastes and cooking purposes.
Specifically, Creole seasoning is a balanced spice blend made with paprika, garlic, herbs, and peppers. It’s commonly used to season shrimp, chicken, fish, vegetables, and rice dishes in Louisiana cooking. Blackened seasoning is usually bolder and spicier and is designed to coat fish, shrimp, or chicken before searing in a hot skillet. The spices form a dark, flavorful crust during cooking.
Both blends use similar spices, but they are often used in different ways. Creole seasoning is more of an all-purpose seasoning, while blackened seasoning is typically used for blackened shrimp, fish, or chicken cooked in a very hot pan. If you enjoy cooking with bold Louisiana-style flavors, you might also like my blackened seasoning recipe, which works especially well on salmon, shrimp, and chicken.
How to Use Creole Seasoning
Creole seasoning is especially popular in seafood dishes like shrimp and fish as well as soups, stews and jambalaya. But, it can be used on so many other main and side dishes. Use it to season:
- shrimp
- chicken
- fish
- steak
- roasted vegetables
- potatoes
- rice dishes
Recipes That Pair Well With Creole Seasoning
Once you have this seasoning on hand, try it with these recipes:
- Air Fryer Boneless Chicken Thighs
- Easy Pan Seared Shrimp
- Southern Shrimp Cauliflower Cheese Grits
- Sheet Pan Sausages and Veggies
Creole Seasoning FAQs
Creole seasoning is usually made with paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, thyme, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and salt. Some blends also include white pepper.
Creole seasoning usually contains more herbs like oregano and thyme, giving it a slightly more balanced flavor. Cajun seasoning tends to be spicier and more pepper-forward.
Creole seasoning is a balanced, all-purpose blend made with paprika, garlic, herbs, and peppers, commonly used in Louisiana cooking. Blackened seasoning uses similar spices but is typically bolder and spicier, designed to coat proteins before searing to create a dark, flavorful crust. While both share ingredients, Creole seasoning is more versatile, while blackened seasoning is best for high-heat cooking methods like blackened fish, shrimp, or chicken.
If you don’t have Creole seasoning, you can mix paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, thyme, black pepper, and a little cayenne pepper. Cajun seasoning can also work in many recipes, but it may be spicier.
Slap Ya Mama is a popular Cajun seasoning brand made with salt, red pepper, black pepper, and garlic. It’s commonly used to season meats, seafood, and vegetables.
Storage
- Store Creole seasoning in an airtight spice jar in a cool, dry place.
- For the best flavor, try to use it within 6 months.
Creole Seasoning
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Ingredients
- ¼ cup Smoked Paprika
- 2 tbsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tbsp Onion Powder
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tsp Natural Ancient Sea Salt, fine
- 2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1 tsp White Pepper
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to an airtight container
- Mix the spices until incorporated
- Store for up to 6 months
SAVE THIS RECIPE
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Recipe Notes
- Use spices that still smell strong: Spices get weaker over time. If a spice smells very faint when you open the jar, it will not add much flavor to the seasoning.
- Adjust the heat: Reduce cayenne for a milder blend or add a little more if you like extra spice.
- Start with the right amount: Use about 1 to 1½ tablespoons per pound of meat and adjust to taste.
- Great on proteins: This seasoning works especially well on shrimp, fish, chicken, steak, and pork before grilling, roasting, or pan-searing.
- Try it in rice dishes: Stir a little into rice, jambalaya, or beans to quickly boost flavor.
Nutrition Details
The nutrition facts come from entering the recipe ingredients into Spoonacular API, a database of food ingredients. They may vary for any recipe based on the exact product used.
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