What to use instead of cajun seasoning
Quick answer
The closest option is Paprika with Cayenne pepper and Black pepper, rated good. Cajun seasoning is not a mysterious blend — paprika for colour and body, cayenne for heat, black pepper, garlic and herbs. This gets most of the way there. The herbs are what separate a passable version from a good one, and the salt level is yours to set, which is usually an improvement over the packet.
It will not do for: Anywhere the packet was providing the salt, since this brings none; Recipes wanting the full herb profile without adding oregano and thyme.
All recorded options
Ranked by suitability. Ratios are given only where they are defensible, and always with their basis — by weight or by volume — because spice densities differ.
Paprika with Cayenne pepper and Black pepper
Good matchUse: ~1× by volume — About four parts paprika to one part cayenne and one part black pepper, at the same total volume. Add garlic powder and dried oregano or thyme if you have them.
Cajun seasoning is not a mysterious blend — paprika for colour and body, cayenne for heat, black pepper, garlic and herbs. This gets most of the way there. The herbs are what separate a passable version from a good one, and the salt level is yours to set, which is usually an improvement over the packet.
| Flavour | Aroma | Colour | Heat |
|---|---|---|---|
| close | close | very close | similar |
Works for
- Blackened fish and chicken, where the paprika crust is the point
- Prawn and shellfish dishes
- Rice dishes, gumbo and jambalaya
Does not work for
- Anywhere the packet was providing the salt, since this brings none
- Recipes wanting the full herb profile without adding oregano and thyme
Cuisine: Stays in Louisiana. The distinction between Cajun and Creole seasoning turns largely on the herbs, so leaving them out drifts towards a plain paprika rub.
Taco seasoning with Cayenne pepper and Oregano
SituationalUse: ~1× by volume — Equal volume of taco seasoning with a pinch of cayenne and a pinch of dried oregano stirred in.
A cupboard answer rather than a good one. Both are paprika-led American blends, but taco seasoning carries a great deal of cumin, which Cajun seasoning does not, and the result reads as Tex-Mex rather than Louisiana. Adding cayenne restores the heat and oregano some of the herb character; the cumin cannot be removed.
| Flavour | Aroma | Colour | Heat |
|---|---|---|---|
| partial | partial | close | less |
Works for
- Blackening or a quick rub where only the paprika crust matters
- Emergencies, having accepted the dish will taste of cumin
Does not work for
- Gumbo, jambalaya and dishes where the Louisiana identity is the point
- Anything already containing cumin, which will become dominant
Cuisine: Moves the dish from Louisiana to the Texas-Mexico border. Recognisable to anyone who knows either.
The better answer is the from-scratch reconstruction recorded separately on this page. This one is for when the cupboard has a packet and nothing else.
Where cajun seasoning stands in for something else
The reverse view of the same graph.
- Instead of Seafood boil seasoning — good
- Instead of Creole seasoning — good
- Instead of Barbecue rub — acceptable
- Instead of Lemon pepper — situational
- Instead of Jerk seasoning — poor