This Authentic New Orleans Gumbo is made with a dark roux, vegetables, chicken, sausage, and shrimp, and served over rice. This is a beloved recipe shared with me by a native New Orleanian.
As you probably have gathered, I love making comfort food style recipes that use lots of fresh produce and real ingredients. This gumbo is no exception, and if you like this then I know you’ll love Jambalaya and Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice.
We had a really fun neighbor growing up who was from New Orleans and made a fantastic homemade Gumbo! I’m so thankful my Mom took him up on his offer to teach her how to make a true, authentic Gumbo! Decades later it is a beloved recipe that has become a staple in our family and we have made it hundreds of times! It is definitely in my top favorite meals of all time! Nothing tastes better on a cold winter day.
Gumbo vs. jambalaya:
Jambalaya is primarily a rice dish (think paella) while gumbo is more of a stew that is thickened with a roux and made with chicken, sausage, and/or seafood. Both gumbo and jambalaya are often made with some similar meats and vegetables but the process of making them and flavors of the end result are completely different. Here is my favorite Jambalaya recipe!
The key to this recipe is the Roux!
A “roux” is made with two ingredients; flour and oil, and it’s the key to any great gumbo recipe! The flour and oil are cooked and stirred together for about 30-45 minutes until it becomes dark brown almost like mud, or chocolate and the consistency of dough. The roux is what adds the deep, rich flavor to the gumbo, and it gives it it’s thick texture. Make a good roux is a labor of love, but but one that totally pays off, and you can make it ahead of time!
Step-by-step Authentic Gumbo:
1. Make the roux. in a large pot, combine flour and oil and cook, stirring constantly on medium low heat. You have to be careful to stir it constantly, on medium low heat, so that you don’t burn it. It’s easy, but takes patience. The darker the roux, the richer the flavor!
2. Chop the veggies. When you’re ready to make your gumbo, start by chopping celery, onions, bell pepper, parsley. I love the freshness from the green bell pepper, onion, celery and parsley. You can also add okra, if you want. Add it at the same time as the other vegetables.
3. Brown the sausage. Spread the sausage in a single layer on a hot, large skillet. Once browned, flip each one over individually, to make sure they all get nice and brown on both sides.
4. Add to large pot. Add chicken broth veggies, parsley, and roux to the pot and stir well. (Skim off any foam that may rise to the top of the pot.) Stir in cajun seasoning, to taste.
5. Add meat. Add chicken, sausage, and shrimp and taste. 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.
6. Serve warm over hot cooked rice. This recipe tastes even better the next day as the flavors have a chance to blend. If you’re really wanting to go all out, serve it with a side of homemade potato salad!
Make ahead, Storing and Freezing Instructions:
Store Gumbo covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. The roux can be made 3-5 days in advance, stored in a large resealable bag in the fridge.
This recipe makes quite a lot but it also freezes really well. To freeze, allow it to cool completely and store it in a freezer safe container (separate from the rice) for 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stove or in the microwave.
Consider trying these similar recipes:
- One Pan Jambalaya
- Caribbean Jerk Chicken Bowls
- Mongolian Beef
- BBQ Ranch Grilled Chicken and Veggie Bowls
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Recipe
Authentic New Orleans Style Gumbo
Ingredients
For the Roux:
- 1 heaping cup all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup oil (vegetable or canola oil)
For the Gumbo:
- 1 bunch celery , diced, leaves and all
- 1 green bell pepper , diced
- 1 large yellow onion , diced
- 1 bunch green onion , finely chopped
- 1 bunch fresh chopped parsley , finely chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 1-2 Tablespoons cajun seasoning *
- 6-8 cups Chicken broth *
- 12 ounce package andouille sausages , sliced into 'coins' (substitute Polska Kielbasa if you can't find a good Andouille)
- Meat from 1 Rotisserie Chicken*
- 2 cups Shrimps , pre cooked
- cooked white rice for serving
Instructions
- Make the Roux*: 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.
- Brown the sausage. 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.
- Cook the vegetables in broth. Add ½ 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 ½ 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 meat. Add chicken, sausage, and shrimp.
- Taste and serve. 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!)
Notes
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe in 2015 but updated it in November 2017 and again in December 2019 with process photos and step-by-step instructions.
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The only thing missing is the okra, which is what makes Gumbo, Gumbo. Without the okra it’s just soup, lol.
My mother-in-law taught me to make gumbo over the phone. I was in Tennessee and she was in Mississippi. I told her that my roux was not the right color. she said keep stirring, I did and it turned out great. I worked for a doctor that trained in New Orleans, I made him gumbo and he said it tasted like the gumbo at Charity Hospital where they kept a pot going all of the time. I thought he would never quit eating it. I lost my recipe. Glad I found yours. Thanks so much.
So so so good. I’ve been craving gumbo for a while but the only place in my town that makes it sells it for $8 a bowl. So I decided to try and make it for the first time!
I only used 1 TBSP of Cajun seasoning. I did not have actual chicken broth so I used 6 teaspoons of chicken bouillon powder with 6 cups of water.
I also did omit the shrimp.
I will definitely be making this more often! My husband LOVED it too!
Hi Lauren. I tried your recipe two years ago and then I lost the recipe. I had looked for it but I just couldn’t find it. Well tonight, I found your page and I wanted to leave a comment for the recipe first before I save it. I used tilapia instead of shrimp and I believe turkey or beef sausage, along with rotisserie chicken. Looking for a gumbo recipe that was authentic to New Orleans was very important to me, as I was born there and raised in the suburbs. Your recipe was so delicious and definitely full of familiar flavors. Thank you for taking me back. I have my go to recipe again, and since it has gotten cold where I live, I will be making this very soon Lord willing. Thank you! No tomatoes are the best to go with gumbo, hands down.
This is Maria. I made the gumbo today and it came out amazing. There are a couple of things I did change up a bit, but still an amazing base for me. My hubby and picky toddler ate this right up so that’s double points for me! Our fish has to have fins and scales, so no shrimp, I used tilapia. I also added a few more cups of chicken broth and I made a small broth with tilapia, and added that in. I only used a little more than a tbsp of creole seasoning. I used smoked turkey sausage as well. Delicious! Thanks again.