We lived by some really fun neighbors in the first house we lived in in Park City. The Dad was from New Orleans and you always knew a special occasion was coming when he started preparations for a big pot of gumbo! The day my mom got the recipe from him was a life changing day for our family! Seriously, this Gumbo is definitely in my top 3 favorite meals my mom makes. And this recipe is totally authentic. Nothing tastes better on a cold winter day. We make a huge pot and enjoy it for days!
The key to a great gumbo is the roux! You’ve got to patiently baby-sit it until it becomes dark, dark brown, almost like mud…or chocolate. The darker the roux, the richer the flavor! I didn’t add shrimp when I made the batch above because my husband isn’t a fan, but my mom usually always added shrimp, and it’s definitely best that way!!
- 1 heaping cup flour
- 2/3 cup oil
- 1 whole bunch/stock celery diced, leaves and all
- 1 green pepper diced
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 1 bunch of green onion finely chopped
- 1 bunch parsley finely chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 1-2 Tbsp Cajun Seasoning*
- 6-8 cups homemade chicken stock
- 1 Andouille Sausage sliced into "coins" (substitute Polska Kielbasa if you can't find a good Andouille)
- Meat from 1 Rotisserie Chicken*
- 2 cups cooked Shrimp
- Cooked white rice for serving
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In a large, heavy bottom stock pot combine flour and oil. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring constantly for 30-45 minutes. This part takes patience--when it's finished it should be as dark as chocolate and have a soft, "cookie dough" like consistency. Be careful not to let it burn! Feel free to add a little more flour or oil as needed to reach this consistency.
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In a separate skillet on medium-high heat place the sausage slices in one layer in the pan. Brown them well on one side (2-3 minutes) and then use a fork to flip each over onto the other side to brown. Remove to a plate.
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Add 1/2 cup of the chicken broth to the hot skillet that had the sausage to deglaze the pan. Pour the broth and drippings into your large soup pot. Add remaining 5 1/2 cups of chicken broth. Add veggies, parsley, and roux to the pot and stir well. Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil for 5-7 minutes, or until the vegetables are slightly tender. (Skim off any foam that may rise to the top of the pot.) Stir in cajun seasoning, to taste. Add chicken, sausage, and shrimp.
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At this point taste it and add more seasonings to your liking--salt, pepper, chicken bullion paste, garlic, more Joe's stuff or more chicken broth--until you reach the perfect flavor. Serve warm over rice. (Tastes even better the next day!)
*I like to make the roux a day or two in advance to cut down on prep time!
*Joe's Stuff Cajun Seasoning--this is my favorite cajun seasoning to use, but I can usually only find it online. You could use another brand.
*The best way to make this gumbo is by buying a rotisserie chicken--removing all the chicken, and using the carcass to make homemade chicken stock. Then make the gumbo using the homemade broth. You could use store-bought chicken broth, but homemade is way better! Here's a tutorial for making it from scratch.
annette says
You forgot the okra ? Is there a reason no okra goes in here?
Lauren Allen says
Hi Annette, I don’t usually add Okra, but you’re welcome to–sounds yummy!
Kat Kimmons says
This gumbo is awesome. I used the rotisserie chicken carcus and bones to make broth. Just boil in pot of water with leftover chicken and skin and then strain before you add to gumbo pot. Buy a few cans of chicken broth just In case you need more. I also lightly stir fried shrimp in small amount of butter in the same pan I cooked the sausage in. I also deglazed pan with 1/2 c broth after I stir fried shrimp and added that to gumbo pot. Could not find Joes Cajun Seasoning so I used Zatarins and it worked great. Also I would suggest cutting up all veggies the day before to cut down on time. Rue is tricky so I would make it the day of after you cook shrimp and sausage….stirring it constantly with a wooden spoon is a trick I learned from my grandma.
I served this with garlic bread, fresh fruit salad and strawberry shortcake for dessert. Happy Fourth a Of July!!
Lauren Allen says
Sounds wonderful! Love all of your adaptions. And Homemade broth is the way to go! I always buy a rotisserie chicken and do it that way as well 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing!
Al Gardner says
I’m from New Orleans and this is a nice recipe. There is no one way to cook gumbo, as we say , your Mama cooks it different from my Mama.
I like my veggie seasoning cooked down a bit more but that’s ok too. Thanks for sharing!
Darlene says
Adding okra is an old fashioned idea, my grandma did that. I think okra and tomatoes make it more of a creole gumbo.
Judy says
I ALWAYS add okra ’cause I don’t like the stock to be too thin. The easy, year-round way is to buy a package of frozen sliced okra in the microwave for about 3 minutes, and dump it into the bacon fat. In a skillet (NOT cast-iron, which turns okra an ugly, ghastly black) I melt some bacon fat and dump in the defrosted, partly cooked okra. I cook the slices, stirring and mashing constantly to reduce the slices to seeds & fibers. This cooks the “slime” and turns it into thickener. It’s done when it stops “roping.” Then I stir in two TB tomato paste and combine it well before adding it to the pot. Continue according to these great instructions.
toni says
There are 2 different types of gumbo. What this lady made was considered a file’ gumbo without okra. When you use okra that is cooked down to make your rue. Delish either way. Old Cajun river boat captain taught me how to make gumbo.
Edward Lamb says
This wouldn’t be a file gumbo at all as there is no file in the recipe. There are many more than just two ways to make gumbo. Most gumbo that I know of is made by using roux as a thickening agent for improved flavor and mouth feel. Otherwise you’d use boiled okra or a ton of file (dried sassafras leaves that are then ground into a fine powder) the later produces file gumbo. I think everyone agrees that roux is by far the best route for flavor. Thanks for trying though.
E says
Toni: What recipe did he teach you to do?!
Daymon Young says
The addition of okra, tomatoes, and corn makes it Creole gumbo. Also a lighter roux is a distinguishing factor. Many outside of Louisiana don’t know this.
Shan says
Tomatoes and corn aren’t additions to authentic New Orleans gumbo.
Debbie says
I meant the African word for okra is gumbo!! My grandson said at the age of 10, “how can it be gumbo if there is no okra”…out of the mouths of babes.
Eric says
This is very close to my family gumbo recipe passed down from my great grandma from South Louisiana. One thing you should try: experiment with getting the roux even darker–almost black, but be careful not to scorch it. To me, it makes the gumbo just a bit richer.
Darlene says
Exactly, South Louisiana for sure. Lafayette, Lake Charles, the like
Heather says
I made this today for my family on this dreary, cold Indiana day. To say it was a hit would be an understatement! It is seriously the best gumbo I’ve ever eaten! We’ll be enjoying this recipe for years to come. Thanks for sharing.
Lauren Allen says
Thanks so much Heather! It’s completely treasured in our house too so I’m happy to share it!
Michael Gilman says
Can you make roux ahead and freeze it?
Lauren Allen says
Yes! Ive done so and it works great!
Kaitlin Silbernagel says
About how many does this feed?
Lauren Allen says
It should feed at least 6
cparks says
I darkened my roux more, used 1/2 wine and 1/2 chicken broth, added shrimp and okra, Louisiana hot sauce and Tony Chacheres. It was awesome!
Danielle says
Ok so I’ve been making this and was working out my arm stirring the roux but now I think I possibly burned it and I thought at first thats the smell but then I added it to the mixture and I think I ruined it and I’m so upset bc it did look delicious! Is there anything to do to fix this so I don’t have to throw it out! I swear this is why I never cook just but thought to be nice to the fam!
Julia says
You can add some tomato paste. It should take the bitter burnt taste away, depending on how burnt it is. I have done this before and it worked. Better luck next time!
Lauren Allen says
Thanks for the great tip!
Amy says
I love this recipe! I was born and raised in southern Louisiana so I know a good gumbo when I see one. I am going to use your recipe the next time I make gumbo.
Lauren Allen says
Thanks Amy! I’d love to hear how you like it!
beth says
Was super excited to try this tonight, but I scorched the roux. Smelled like burnt popcorn about half way through, but I continued as I thought it may end up turning out OK in the end. The entire dish tastes scorched–will have to try making the roux again at a lower temp.
Julia says
Low and slow, always, when making roux. Add a little tomato paste to counteract the bitter burnt taste if it isn’t extremely burnt.
telesma says
That’s a pretty good basic recipe.
There are a lot of regional variations in gumbo, even within Cajun Country and within New Orleans. And then there’s Low Country (Carolina) gumbo that has no roux and is nothing like what you find in south Louisiana (it’s more a tomato and okra based stew than a roux based soup).
The main difference I’ve noticed between Cajun gumbos (which this recipe appears to be closest to, there are plenty Cajuns in New Orleans) and Creole/New Orleans gumbos is the presence of tomato and the thickness of the gumbo. Cajuns make a soup. They add rice to it, but it’s still a soup and the texture is similar to something like a beef and vegetable soup – thin-ish, with bite sized bits of tasty things in it. Creole/New Orleans style tends to be thicker (more like a thick cream soup or pumpkin soup in density, not quite a stew, but definitely thicker than Cajuns make it) and is more likely to have tomatoes in it in some form. Low Country gumbos, aside from having no roux, tend to have a lot more vegetables (as opposed to aromatics) than Louisiana gumbos. I’ve seen them with things like squash and corn in them and I’ve never in my 45 years living in south Louisiana and New Orleans seen those things in a Louisiana gumbo.
Shrimp is not necessary, nor is okra, depending on what style you’re making. Common combinations for a Cajun gumbo would be duck & andouille, chicken & sausage, shrimp & sausage, shrimp & okra, and seafood (shrimp, oyster, & crab). There are areas of Cajun Country where people will put pretty much anything in gumbo, from boiled eggs to chicken livers to boulettes (a sort of Cajun meatball that can be made of pork or chicken or shrimp and is held together with mashed potato and egg) to balls of fresh Cajun sausage to whatever they trapped or shot in the swamp or field that day. You will also find in the south-central parts of Cajun Country, that Cajuns like to have gumbo with potato salad on the side, and many of them will even put a scoop in their gumbo. Not even kidding, it’s delicious. Just your basic potato, egg, mayo, & mustard style picnic potato salad.
A gumbo without okra requires file (pronounced fee-lay), which is dried ground sassafras leaves. So if you can’t buy file, you may be able to source ground sassafras from an organic herb supplier.
One thing I would advise for making the roux is to not use a nonstick pan or a nylon stirrer, or even a silicone one. You want a thick, flat-bottomed, even heating pan and a metal or wooden stirrer that can scrape every nook and cranny. After that it’s just a bit tedious and time consuming – you stand there stirring constantly over a low to low-medium flame until you get to just before the shade you want. To stop it cooking, throw your aromatics in (onions, celery, & peppers, but not the garlic or green onion, put the garlic in once it’s cooled some or your garlic will burn). This has the bonus effect of infusing the roux with the flavor of the aromatics, and adding a bit of caramelization, which adds flavor.
Different shades of roux are used for different things – the darker it is, the less it thickens, so if you want to make a thick Cajun style stew, you make a medium roux, which is more milk chocolate or dark peanut butter colored than the darker roux you would use for gumbo. And you do need to be careful not to burn it. A burnt roux makes the gumbo bitter, but if it’s not dark enough the gumbo won’t have much flavor. It’s a fine line and takes a some practice, which is why Cajuns put their kids stirring the roux as soon as they think they’re big enough – so they can learn.
If you find making roux difficult, you can find online a recipe for making it in the oven. That’s easier because it doesn’t require constant stirring. It’s not the traditional way, but it tastes the same. I believe the blog with the recipe is Deep South Dish.
And finally, re Cajun seasoning: it isn’t necessary. Cajun seasoning didn’t exist before the 1980’s, when it appeared as a product. One of the most popular brands, Slap Ya Mama! is made up of salt, black pepper, red pepper (cayenne), and garlic (probably in the form of garlic oil). That’s it. There are loads of different Cajun seasonings on grocery store shelves now, and none of them are the same. So you can easily make your own, or just season with salt, black and red peppers, and garlic. Bay leaf and thyme are also very common in gumbos, and Cajuns always have hot sauce or pickled peppers of some kind on the table to go with whatever they’re eating, including gumbo.
I think I’ve rambled enough, but hopefully that will help you and your readers. 🙂
Shirley says
Thanks so much for taking the time to explain the differences and what items do to the gumbo. Very helpful!
Sonja says
You also forgot that fresh uncooked shrimp is a must. After the shrimp is peeled, the hauls (shrimp heads and shells) are added to a pot of water and boiled and strained twice before using it as stock.
File’ is only added to each bowl of gumbo and not to the whole pot; adding it to the pot will spoil the Gumbo and that would be a waste of time and money.
I also added a recipe for Gumbo that is made by New Orleans residents which is also made at Dookey Chase restaurant:
Creole Gumbo also know as File’ Gumbo
Ingredients:
4 hard-shell crabs
1/2 pound chicken necks
1/2 pound smoked sausage
1/2 tablespoon paprika
1/2 pound chicken gizzard
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 tablespoons flour
1/2 pound Creole hot sausage
3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon ground thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound shrimp
1 cup chopped onion
4 quarts shrimp water
1 1/2 pounds smoked ham
1 tablespoon file’ powder
Directions:
Rinse the shells briefly under cold water and drain well. Add to cold water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes. Strain the stock thoroughly in a china cap or strainer layered with cheesecloth. Cool the stock completely in an ice-water bath and use, refrigerate or freeze immediately.
Remove the Creole hot sausage from its casing (if purchased as links) and roll into small balls. Place crabs, hot sausage, smoked sausage cut into bite-sized pieces and gizzards in a 6-quart pot over medium heat. Cover and let cook in own fat and juices for 30 minutes. Heat oil in skillet and add flour to make roux. Stir constantly until very brown. Lower heat, add onions and cook over low heat until onions wilt. Pour onion mixture over meat in pot. Slowly add shrimp water, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil. Add chicken wings cut in half, necks skinned and cut, ham cubed, shrimp peeled and deveined, paprika, salt, garlic, parsley and thyme. Let simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat
Eva says
So amazing!! My Mama lives in NOLA, but I’m always looking for recipes… and hints and secrets from others! Thank you for you rambling!!!
Sheri says
I truly enjoyed reading your comments. Your incite into the true taste of gumbo is very interesting and informative. It motivated me to try a more authentic recipe than I currently use . Thanks for your expertise.
Karen says
When you say one whole bunch/stock celery chopped leaves and all, do you mean a whole entire bunch, or just one stalk of celery? It’s confusing, one seems too little, a whole bunch seems like too much. Want it to come out right!
Lauren Allen says
Hi Karen, You do chop an entire bunch of celery. It seems like a lot, but it cooks down and adds great flavor! Good luck, hope you love it!
Karen says
Thanks! I figured it was a whole bunch. I measured instead (3 cups celery and 3 cups onion, and 1-1 1/2 bell pepper). I needed more chicken broth so I added that. First time making a roux, it turned out great. Love this recipe so much! I adapted it to be my own with adding dry spices (extra garlic powder, thyme, marjoram, next time I’ll add bay leaves too), and lots of cayenne! I also added only half the chopped parsley and saved the other half and all the green onions for topping the bowls. It was so so good!
Stacy says
Made this last night and it was good! The flavor was perfect, but the gumbo itself was just so thick. I doubled the amount of chicken stock and it was still very thick. That is something that is easily adjusted with more chicken stock. The only thing I did differently to this recipe was the additional chicken stock, and I added crab meat. Also added a few pinches of gumbo file powder at the end. Delicious!! Thank you for a great recipe that can be easily adjusted to fit needs and tastes!!
Sara says
You can easily make a Cajun seasoning with some common ingredients (Paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, cayenne, and salt) if you don’t want to buy one. Also used one large frozen chicken breast with bones attached to make the broth then tore the meat up to add to the soup. I like it with okra too but didn’t miss it this time, great recipe, thanks!!
Debra says
It ain’t gumbo without okra. This does sound tasty so I will give it a try…with the okra 🙂
Monica Bell says
Oh My Gosh…this Gumbo was really good. Followed recipe as written ….added extra seasoning to my liking as it suggested. It made a huge pot…..it was just my boyfriend and I ( which I was already thinking about freezing the rest) I cooled the pot down in a sink filled with ice, start filling bowl size amounts in FREEZER qt size bags and then put all the bags in a gallon FREEZER bag. In the freezer in went. THREE WEEKS LATER…..Out came one of the qt size bags with the gumbo…. on the stove it went. While simmering, I cooked a cup of rice. Just as I remembered. Delicious!!
Lauren Allen says
Thanks for sharing Monica! I like to freeze our leftovers as well. So happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Beverly Smith says
This gumbo was awesome! The roux took about 30 minutes on my stove. I did add extra chicken stock (about 9 cups total) since we like gumbo a little more soupy since its served over rice. I also added 2 1/2 TBSP of Cajun seasoning, just because of the extra broth. I used all 3: chicken, andouille, and shrimp. I used raw shrimp, peeled and deveined and added it at the same time as the other meats. I just let it cook on low for about 15 minutes longer. The shrimp took on the Cajun seasoning really well. Otherwise I followed this recipe exact. It was fabulous!!!
Lauren Allen says
Hi Beverly, Thanks for your comment–So happy you liked it!
Kathy Honeycombe says
What kind of oil did you use?
Lauren Allen says
Hi Kathy, I used canola oil. Vegetable oil would also work.
Ross says
I learned to make Gumbo from my New Orleans raised mother. This is virtually identical to what I do. However, mine has never had celery, and always has okra and file. I make my own stock from chicken carcasses that remain from grilling whole chickens. It adds a very nice, low level of smokiness. I’ve used chicken cooked many different ways (grilled, baked, boiled, etc.) You can’t go wrong really. It always turns out very tasty. Nice post!
Robin Baltz says
Thanks for this easy to follow and delicious gumbo recipe! My family of picky eaters really enjoyed it.
Molly says
I didn’t have everything on hand – shrimp, fresh parsley, enough homemade chicken broth, Andouille sausage, or cajun seasoning. But… I had enough to make substitutions. As a college aged girl who works part time and her roommate works full time, we don’t have the money (or time!) to go grab everything…that being said…
I omitted the shrimp, because we had MORE than enough chicken. I uses a hot chorizo sausage instead, and that added a good level of heat and depth of flavor. I used parsley that I had personally dried and tossed the veggies in it beforehand and let them sit. Used peppers and onion that I had on hand. Used 2 cups of AMAZING chicken broth I had made about 6 months ago, and then used some chicken bullion cubes and hot water instead. I made my own cajun type seasoning with chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. And added a decent bit of hot sauce (like Frank’s) to the soup base.
With all those substitutions, I was a little worried it wouldn’t turn out very good. So, fast forward a few hours, some dark nutty roux-inspired anxiety and a lot of tasting and substitutions later…and I was right. It didn’t turn out good. It turned out AMAZING. I was a little heavy handed on the hot sauce since I forgot the chorizo was hot, so we had to grab sodas to cool it down…but dang. This was so good. I am REALLY thankful I stumbled across this because we had most things on hand and could make do with what we had. I had previously made a whole young chicken, and needed to use that, so this helped a lot.
Long story short: I had to use a few substitutions, but it still turned out great. In my eyes, as someone who cooks a lot with what she has, if something can still turn out relatively authentic tasting and delicious with a bunch of substitutions, it’s a good recipe. Thanks for sharing, definitely a recipe I’ll be keeping around. 🙂
Tawny says
How many servings is this recipe for?
Lauren Allen says
Hi Tawny, it makes a pretty hearty batch that could serve around 8-10.
Kristina says
This recipe is amazing!! I’ve never made gumbo before, and needed to make it on the fly, so I used Tony chacheres instant roux mix, and added a can of Trappeys creole okra gumbo. Followed everything else as directed and was so good! Thank you for sharing!
Sedate_rn94 says
Look, I have no problem with you excluding okra from YOUR recipe provided you share THIS tidbit of info with your subscribers: okra comes from Africa. And over there they call okra “GUMBO.” Go figure.
Nancy says
Being a Louisiana girl (now a NC transplant) I know good Gumbo and this recipe is spot on! Made it last night and it was amazing.
Love your blog! 🙂
Lauren Allen says
Thank you so much Nancy! Means a lot coming from a true southern gal 🙂
Leah says
I just made this & the gumbo was extremely dark, & tasted like the roux. After talking to some people, I found you should add the roux a little at a time. This was never specified per your recipe. I’m so upset my gumbo is ruined. Especially because it takes so long to make. Also, my roux looked just like yours(after 40 min), so I’m sure that wasn’t the problem…
Roxanne says
This was delicious! I looked at a couple recipes before settling on this one. It was easy, not as intimidating as I’ve always imagined, and came out with such good flavor! This will be a new staple meal at our house. Thank you so much for sharing!
Lauren Allen says
So happy to hear it! Thanks Roxanne.
Evangiline Adams says
Cut Off, LA is where I’m from. This is a great starting recipe for someone’s first time making gumbo but Kielbasa is not an acceptable substitute for andouille, the taste is entirely different. People would do better using Old Smokies cocktail sausages, they’re closer to the flavor (at least they’re smoked). Do your roux peanut butter colored so it still has some thickening agent left in it (darker the roux the less it will thicken your food), saute your veggies in the roux before adding your chicken stock. And those of us down the bayou do poultry/andouille gumbo or a seafood gumbo, we don’t tend to mix them. Interesting.
Edward Lamb says
A couple things I do a bit different. I’ll boil my chicken (I add a handful of it to the actual pot of gumbo upfront so it gets stringy and the rest at the end) with a few chicken bullion cubes till it’s fall off the bone tender and use that broth as a base. I purée the celery and one of the bellpeppers (I use a few since I make a huge pot). In Louisiana alot of people swear by Tony cachere’s seasoning which is what I use. I also use multiple pounds of sausage (like I said, I make a massive pot) normally 2lb of spicy sausage and 1lb of mild. If you can’t find a local brand that seems Cajun enough try Savoie’s sausage. Good stuff.
Angela B says
I want to try this. I have chickens (roosters) from our flock that we packaged to sell with the eggs at local butcher shop(fresh is the best). Could I cut up a whole chicken and boil it to make the broth?
Lauren Allen says
Absolutely. I make my broth from scratch using this recipe, and then use it to make gumbo. https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/homemade-chicken-broth-how-to-get-the-most-from-your-rotisserie-chicken/
Lou easley says
Please tell me where I went wrong. Ended up with a green creamy soup. Not a rich dark broth that I wanted.
Ashley says
Can I use raw shrimp? Or do I need to cook it separately before adding?
Lauren Allen says
Yes you could use raw shrimp. I would add it to the boiling gumbo, a few minutes after you add the vegetables in step 3
Ashleigh says
I can’t find the recipe. I found it yesterday and went to buy the ingredients. Where can I find the recipe
Lauren Allen says
Hi Ashleigh, I’m so sorry, my site is having technical problems with the recipe card when viewed on a desktop or tablet device. You will be able to see the recipe if you pull it up on your mobile phone. I’m trying to resolve the problem ASAP. Sorry for the inconvenience!