This post contains affiliate links.
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
You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST for more great recipes!
Authentic New Orleans Style Gumbo
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Roux:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, , a little more may be needed
- 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 onions, , finely chopped
- 1 bunch fresh chopped parsley, , finely chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 1-2 Tablespoons Cajun seasoning, *
- 8-10 cups chicken broth, *, you can add a little chicken bouillon paste to enhance the flavor of your 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 Shrimp, , uncooked or pre-cooked
- hot cooked 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, garlic 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 uncooked shrimp, if using and cook 2 minutes.
- Add meat. Add chicken, sausage, and pre-cooked shrimp, if using.
- 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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Text me new recipe ideas!
Simple, tasty ideas sent once a week. No spam.
Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
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.
*This post may contain affiliate links!
Best Gumbo I’ve ever had. I’ve made it several times. It’s my new Christmas dinner (the last 3 years). I made two batches today for a church potluck in South Dakota (where casseroles are king) and all of it was eaten. Really great recipe. Thank you.
Best Gumbo I’ve ever had. I’ve made it several times. It’s my new Christmas dinner (the last 3 years). I made two batches today for a church potluck in South Dakota (where casseroles are king) and all of it was eaten. Really great recipe. Thank you.
This is one of my go to recipes. Yes, add your choice of things but as long as it’s followed Gumbo will be 10/10
I’m from California, raised in the Midwest, lived in the deep south and this is an awesome gumbo recipe. It came together in the time allotted, beautiful dark brown roux smooth as silk and looked like a page out of a cookbook when I was done. Added a few more seasonings, lump crab meat, and a little extra dash of chicken stock and buddy she’s singing. Thanks for a great recipe.
Being a Louisiana native I thought the roux ratio was off because we typically use a 1:w ratio of flour and oil but I was open to trying new things. At the 10 minute mark the roux recipe listed here was burning on low heat and had the consistency of oatmeal being cooked with not enough water. I went back to my normal recipe of 1:1 flour to oil and had roux in 13 minutes. There is no way that the roux in this recipe can be cooked for 30 minutes. I’ve been making gumbo for 35 years and this roux recipe was a fail. I tried it due to so many people having problems and their complaints were valid.
I’m so sorry you had trouble–the roux can be tricky and is not a set ratio–notice I say, “add a little more flour or oil as needed to reach this consistency”. Also a good roux takes a long time (much longer than a few minutes). There are hundreds of commenters here who have had great success–hope you get to try it again!
I hade a double batch and used 2 cups flour: 1.5cup oil. When I make Roux, I normally mix, go through a dry/sticky phase before it turns liquidy. I stirred for an hour overall to get the right color, never had an issue using her measurements, it went through all the correct phases. I coked at about 3.5(of 10) on our glasstop stove.
Haven’t tasted yet, but never, never again. I had to dump the first rue and now going on another hr,waiting for it to cook dark. Tooooo much work.
I am a very experienced cook too.
Had no problem making the roux. Adjust the recipe as needed, and to your liking. Sounds like you need more experience 😉
Veggies (at least some of them) need to be fried IN the roux, not just boiled. Plus, seriously too much celery in proportion to onion and bell pepper. Amounts should be equal. Also, not nearly enough Cajun seasoning.
After, like, an hour and a half i still had a peanut butter roux. Long story short I turned it off… my gumbo isn’t dark, but it tastes alright. I hope I dont get put into new orleans jail or something. Earlier I made it to the chocolate stage and it tasted burnt. I didnt like that
Your recipe is perfect
I’ve attempted this recipe 4 times. burnt it twice because it never got to the consistency that you and the video shows. The other two times I added twice the flour and didn’t cook to the browness that you and the video showed. ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THE PROPORTIONS BECAUSE I’M PISSED I WASTED MY TIME AND INGREDIENTS ON THIS CRAPPY RECIPE. Not going to your recipes anymore. That’s a zero star.
I’m so sorry you’ve had trouble with the roux. If it burnt it was mostly likely cooked at too high of heat or not stirred often enough, or both. The flour and oil amounts listed are just a starting point–you may have to add a little sprinkle of each as it cooks, and you stir, to get the right consistency.
Hahaha you sound like my 4 year old nephew with that rant. Good times buddy LOL!!!
Use a 1:1 ratio of flour to oil and this will be easier.
The recipe was great. My wife and I took turns making the roux. Otherwise a very simple recipe to make.
This is so good! Once the roux is made it came together really fast. Definitely take the time to cook the roux, so worth it. My new go to recipe for Gumbo.
They rue, was a little hard. I had to put a chair in the kitchen. Everything came out Great. Thank you for the recipe/ New at explanation.💛
I’ve been using this recipe for years. It’s delicious! It’s definitely time consuming to make the roux, but the flavor is completely worth it! I’ve made the roux with butter, olive oil, vegetable oil and canola oil, and have found that canola oil seems to have the best thickening results. Thanks for the recipe!