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
![Gumbo with sausage and shrimp in a bowl with white rice.](https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Gumbo-11-500x500.jpg)
Authentic New Orleans Style Gumbo
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Roux:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour , heaping
- 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 *
- 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 Shrimp , 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 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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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.
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Not the most flavorful and the details were lacking…
Greetings from Europe, from Vienna!
As you should know, we can really cook in Vienna. Not just deep-frying 😉 like in the USA.
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I tried this recipe. Yes – I can’t get an andouille in Vienna. I used a substitute sausage. I can’t get shrimps of your quality either. But – shrimps.
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I also compared the recipe with a recipe from a Lousiana Big Black Mama – very similar.
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I don’t understand all the negative comments.
You just can’t cook. That’s all..
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I used very little salt and chayenne, garlic, black pepper.
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The Roux needs to be looked after. Look away for 30 seconds – and burnt. Then everything becomes bitter. And if you use too much salt… oh well.
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Conclusion: Recipe – very cool. The gumbo is abnormally cool….
Terrible recipe!
Had to massively change it to make it edible! And it still wasn’t good.
Waste of time and ingredients, had to throw most of it away.
Find another recipe!
Just awful. I followed this recipe exactly, used all of the ingredients in correct measures, properly timed, slaved over the preparation for roughly three hours, and it was terrible. Way, way too salty, for one thing. Shrimp, andouille sausage and bits of chicken in an unappealing brown muck. So I dissent from my fellow cooks and will not ever use this recipe again.
Horrible.
I followed your recipe today very closely. Maybe sacrilege, but i used an orange bell pepper as part of my Trinity. The finished gumbo is so so good i can’t believe i made it. Talk about depth of flavor! Great recipe that’ll be my go to.
Sounds great. File powder and bay leaves would be good additions.
This was delicious but a few notes for readers:
1. I have a flat top electric stove. The roux took me about 90 minutes. When I do again, I’d probably make the roux ahead of time like discussed in blog post.
2. I didn’t use the parsley only because I couldn’t find any in store the day I went.
3. I used tony chachere’s seasoning. It had good flavor though a bit salty. I’d probably try a different brand or use no salt added chicken stock if I used the same seasoning again.
4. Id try to find some okra next time AND I’d make corn bread as a side.
Great recipe – thank you!
Great recipe. I added more cajun powder, tomato, and okra to it.
Total BS gumbo recipe. Precooked chicken? Boiled trinity? Don’t waste your time on this recipe.
Please give ingredients in measured amounts. Your bunch of celery may not be even close to mine. Same with all of the veggies.
this was a great base to work from! i was trying to recreate my louisiana mom’s gumbo recipe. i added okra (to thicken the soup), several bay leaves, and filé powder, and used Tony Chachere’s cajun seasoning. it turned out just like i remember it. thank you!
Looking forward to trying this recipe! You give nutritional info however I didn’t see portion sizes. It does say 6 servings, but you mention it makes a lot. Can you let us know how much is in a serving? 1 cup? 2 cups? Thanks!
I’ve made this recipe before and loved it! However, this time around while making it, I’m counting calories. What is the serving measurement for 464 cal? Is that a cup or 1/2 cup? Something like that?
How much is a bunch? Cause my old man says it’s way to much. So can I get an actual measurement or a definition for how much a bunch is?
Great question! A bunch of celery is typically about 8-10 stalks or around 4 cups chopped. Feel free to adjust to your taste
Liven in NOLA for 6 years and this is close to the many types of gumbo found. FYI, roux is 1/2 grease and 1/2 flour (lard in old times, veg oil today) – I use a little butter for some of the oil. Broth should be shrimp shells and other seafood parts with some chicken parts if you have them. Taste depends on the quality of the gumbo seasoning. I make my own (and IMHO, Tony Chachere’s is nothing but SALT). Gumbo is an art that requires lots of tasting during cooking to be decent.
Prep and cook time provided are totally false, this took me almost 4 hours to make. Roux recipe is wrong and I had to search elsewhere to make one that worked–it needed much more flour and a medium heat, and took almost 90 minutes. Flavor in the end was pretty bland until I added a ton of salt. Really misleading recipe overall, would try a different one next time.
I wouldn’t say that. l’m a New Orleans
native and my grandmother always added parsley if she had it on hand. I think it’s really just how your family makes it.
Burnt the roux twice, the second time it went for 45 minutes without changing color, then the second I turned the heat up a hair, and almost immediately the smell of burnt popcorn emanated. So, I went and bought it pre-made.
Frustration over wasted time and resources aside, the gumbo turned out well.
I was unable to find the sausage you used so have been using Keiłbasa czosnkowa garlic sausage instead and oh my goodness this sausage is delicious. I have to buy an extra one because I eat most of it while frying it so there’s never enough left for the gumbo lol.
I also fry the sausage first in its own fats then use the fat/oil from the sausage to add to the roux. It adds that little extra kick to the flavour.
I’ve made this probably about 15 times now and everybody loves it. Whenever people come for dinner the first thing they ask is if I’m making the gumbo lol.
I now have to make very large batches everytime I cook it so I can freeze it so we have plenty for visitors or so we can enjoy it after a long work day. It never fails to taste yummy.
I’ve tried several gumbo recipes and so far this one is the best… I just hate standing for an hour to make the roux lol. But it pays off beautifully.
Thank you for such a delicious recipe ☺️
About how much chicken do you need if not using a rotisserie chicken?
3 to 4 cups of cooked, shredded chicken!
Recipe is good but true gumbo does not have parsley. I added frozen okra at the end of cooking it so it would soften up but not become slimy.
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 would love to make this…do you think that it would work with all purpose GF flour?
Delicious and it saved me so much time using rotisserie chicken normally I cook my own chicken I will spearf the news. 🤣🤣🤣
Bland and flavorless. I followed the recipe to the letter but had to add a ton of seasonings and herbs at the end which is never as good.
One hour making the roux and it did not reach chocolate color!!! It was caramel color. Anyway, it tastes great! Will try again!
First attempt at gumbo, I followed this recipe only adding tomatoes and okra. The gumbo was delicious 😋! Roux took right at 45 minutes. I will definitely use this recipe from now on.
Fabulous! I halved the recipe ( roux took 25 mins) only had chorizo available so used that and added jalepenos and tabasco sauce and its unreal! 100% making again. Go a try with my own cajusn seasoning and own broth next time. It too salty then I added juice of a lime and a good tea spoon of brown sugar and wored out fabulous! Xxx
I’m sorry but I’m super disappointed in this recipe. This was an awful and stressful experience. 1 cup of flour is way WAY too much, this tastes incredible but is so, SO insanely thick. It’s so thick it can’t even be considered a gravy. I should’ve used my better judgment and used much less roux. Even after adding 8 cups of broth, it is crazy thick. On the plus side, I now have a huge amount of a sort of gumbo concentrate? Freezing half. Whatever you do, DO NOT use this insane amount of flour :,(
Hi Rachael, The 1 cup of flour is the correct amount for this size of recipe. Next time definitely add more broth (as suggested in the last step of the recipe), to reach the thinness you want.
Super easy and very spot on. Thank you for Sharing
Absolutely delicious!
I liked this.
This turned out delicious! My first time cooking (and tasting) gumbo so I have no basis for comparison but I sure enjoyed it! It took me about 40 minutes to get the roux that nice chocolate brown so I must have done something right. I could smell the difference in the roux when it started turning darker, definitely more flavor coming out of it. At the end I used a few of the suggestions and added pepper and some Better Than Bouillon roasted garlic paste (not a lot as I felt the gumbo was salty enough.) At any rate it’s very delicious and I’d definitely make it again.
I had real New Orleans gumbo at a friend’s family get-together. His aunts refused to give details which I understand. Instead, I made this recipe and it was reasonably close to what I had. My simmer burner on stove did great for roux. I cooked vegetables on simmer for 2 hrs and added meat toward the end. Thanks a lot!
We make our own cajun seasoning.It taste`s better from scratch. Store bought contains too much salt.
I was very diligent about making the roux, but it tasted burned. I fully understand that I probably caused the burned taste, but I followed the directions carefully. My verdict is that making the roux is very tricky.
Making the perfect roux can definitely be one of the trickier parts of cooking, especially when aiming for that deep flavor without crossing into burned territory. It sounds like you were really attentive to the process, which is great! The line between a deeply flavored roux and one that’s burned can be quite thin. Sometimes even a few seconds can make a big difference, depending on your stove and cookware. Don’t be discouraged; it takes practice and a bit of trial and error to get it just right. Maybe try a slightly lower heat next time or a heavier pot if you have one, as it can offer more even heat distribution. Keep at it, and you’ll master that gumbo roux in no time!
Making the Roux in the oven is the easiest way to go. It also prevents the thin line between good and burnt. Set oven to 350. Whisk equal parts oil/flour in a dutch oven and place in oven for 1-1.5 or so. Stir it every 20-30 min and when it hits the dark red color pull it out. Indirect heat keeps you from scorching it and makes it so you don’t have to stand over it stirring the whole time.
You have to cook slow and continue stirring on low-med heat or gwtting it to emulsify and bubble. Not too hot just keep a close eye on it and as you cook doun’t allow it to burn. It should be the consistancy of a smooth paste. Heat your stock up and have it ready to add to the stock and stir vigorously as you add the roux.
I’m making this.for third time. When I have ingredients on hand, it’s time and I love this recipe. I added banned tapes and jalapenos for heat. I love a crusty bread over rice but it’s all GREAT!
I decided to use butter instead of oil for the roux. Next time I need to make sure it’s unsalted. Other than that, it was great!
This is a fantastic recipe! Amazing flavor! Definetly a keeper!
After stirring the roux for almost an hour with very little change in color, I googled how to do a gumbo roux and it said to cook over medium high not medium low. It quickly turned the right color. However after I put the rest of it together, it was incredibly bitter. Not sure what went wrong. Wound up in the trash and it turned into a pizza night.
I really enjoyed this gumbo..However, I’m not a big fan of parsley, so I substituted cilantro, which tasted great. Otherwise, a recipe I’ll keep.
Just made this. I doubled the recipe except for the celery and I forgot to get the chicken. I made it anyway and can’t wait to do it again. I used family as guinea pigs and it was a major hit. The roux turned out exactly like the recipe stated and gave the gumbo a whole new level of flavor than other gumbo I’ve made. This is a keeper recipe. Thank you for sharing.
I have made this 3 times, will be the 4th this weekend. The recipe as is, is a wonderful starting point.
I offer a few ‘power-ups’…
Rather than diluting the flavor w/Chicken Broth, save the shrimp shells and let them simmer for 2 – 4 hours – notice I said SIMMER, do not let it boil (essentially this is a shrimp stock) then add this where the Chicken broth is added.
I like a little of the celery flavor but over time (as in freeing it) the celery will eventually over power all the other flavors. I put large chunks of celery in and let them cook a while then pull them out. Since the pieces are large, finding them and removing them is easy. I do the exact same treatment w/Okra, leave it large a pull it early (if you wait too long, you won’t be able to remove it).
Last but not least, when simmering the vegetables, I toss in a few Scotch Bonnets halved so that they too can be removed before they make things too interesting…
My Power Up’…
Did not like it.
I’d never had gumbo before making this recipe, so I can’t speak to its authenticity, but this was a tasty dish! Worth noting: if you’re using store-bought broth, it will probably be much more concentrated than homemade broth and I would argue you’d be fine with ~2 cups of the stuff with 3 cups of water (though this may depend on the brand).
It’s helpful to add the chopped onion to the hot roux as this adds a bit of moisture to it before putting in the pot with the broth, and will help to prevent a problem when the roux goes into the water. Sometimes that’s a dramatic event as the temps conflict.
I made this the other night and it turned out delicious. The roux took longer than I wanted but the recipe was easy to follow. I added okra and a splash of fish sauce for extra umami. Leftovers tasted even better the next day. Thank you.
Very good gumbo. Easy to follow recipe for the basics. Easy to adjust ingredients for your preferences.
We skipped the roux, it was easier and it turned out delicious! Whole family loved this recipe.
You made a soup, not a gumbo. New Orleans native here, and a roux is a MUST for gumbo.
It started with the roux you must’ve mssed it,!
Sorry but the written instructions were not very good. I wasted a ton of good food.
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.
I give up on Internet recipes and going back to cookbooks that have been thoroughly tested. This was bland and too much work.
Hi Lauren, this is a delicious dish. I have used your recipe 3 times, each time tweaking and getting better. We love it! Thanks for being a part of our family
Awesome and simple I love this Gumbo recipe 😋
Amazing recipe! Cooked it for the first time yesterday. My family thinks I am some amazing chef. Be sure to season to taste and this is a winner!
This turned out great but I had to add an additional box and a half of broth so there would be enough roux after adding all the meats. Family loved it
This my go to recipe for killer gumbo. And don’t skimp when making the roux as without a proper roux your gumbo will just be average. The roux is truly the secret to a fabulous gumbo. It is worth the time put in.
Don’t be afraid of the roux. It takes time, but is essential to the gumbo. Make it ahead, if you can; it keeps well for days!
thanks for the use, got to try it…
Super easy to make and tasted amazing!!! Definitely a recipe to keep and make again!
Baby, let me talk you. This is my go-to. I will serve 14 people Sunday with the recipe. Love it! Love it! I will add my touch but this is now my forever base. Thank you
I’ve mad this a few times and love it. But need to accomodate a gluten free friend. Can I use cornstarch im plce of flour and if so, how?
I made this after the Lions beat the Saints today. It was a very tasty dish. Thanks for the recipe.
Did you know that glass jars can be used to store roux? And they can be washed and reused many times. Single-use plastic bags are not required.
The recipe looks wonderful & I’m about to start it (using shellfish stock I have on hand, frozen in a reusable container I just always choke when single-use plastic is recommended because it’s rarely if ever essential. Cheers!
I grew up in New Orleans. Lived and cooked there for 37 years. Making gumbo in our tradition, first you make a very dark roux, the colour of hazelnuts, stirring and stirring. On the point of burning – use the nose! – dump in a mountain of the Holy Trinity, chopped onion, celery and green pepper, to stop it from burning. Cook, stirring a lot, until the vegetables soften. (I add garlic) Then add water, or stock made from shrimp/prawn shells. We never used chicken stock, though, why not?
Just came back from the States and I had gumbo a few times in San Francisco from supposedly authentic cajun restaurants. Whilst they were good this recipe was was even better ! It’s worth the time and effort to get the rouxe correct . I did also use homemade chicken stock and cajun seasoning. My wife raved about it. Excellent recipe and well worth a try. Highly recommended
I halved this recipe, and I wish I had made all of it. My husband and I loved it, and we are going to polish it off tonight! I used leftover turkey and my homemade turkey broth. We used regular sausage that was open, and the andouille would have been even better.
This didn’t say what temperature to cook after everything was added. I cooked it too high 40 minutes.
There’s not a specific full about this, but like any stew or soup, after everything is in, simmer.
If I could give this recipe 10 stars I would. Even though it was my first time making gumbo, I doubled the recipe to feed a farm full of teenagers. Everyone loved it, ate their fill, and we still had a weeks worth of leftovers. The ingredients are simple and accessible—stuff I usually keep on hand, and the instructions are helpful and descriptive. I use a Smokey Cajun seasoning from the bulk food section of the grocery store and the flavor with the meats and veggies is amazing. The roux is easy to make and thickens the gumbo perfectly. I’m making this now for the 2nd time in a month and it came together just as well. Delish!!
Great recipe but I made one change. I took raw shrimp (peeled deveined tail off) and slowly sauteed in garlic butter, oregano, basil and Cajun seasoning until fully cooked ( basically Cajun style shrimp scampi) and set it aside in that mixture to soak it all up and added it when it called for the meat. Mixture and all. Takes this recipe to another level.
All in all, the was a great gumbo recipe. I stumbled upon this recipe while researching for a paper. As a person born and raised in Louisiana, I just wanted the Author to know that this meal is technically Cajun cuisine and not American.
I have made this recipe many times and it is a labor of love – especially to make the roux. I followed the recipe for the most part – but did tweak a few things to season how I like it in which I did add some additional spices at the end. Overall – this recipe is hearty, stick to your ribs good and better the next day. Will make this again and again. Thank you!
I made this today, I really liked it. My husband said it tasted too much like flour or bread and he didn’t like that about it. So I think since i haven’t made gumbo with a roux before I wasn’t aware of the stages roux goes through. But mine tuned smooth at the like 35 min mark or so, so I added more flour thinking it needed to be that thick cookie dough texture. Then I didn’t cook that a long time. Do you think this could be the reason for the flour taste?Other than that it was great. I love the rotisserie chicken, the shrimp, and the andouie sausage was full of flavor. Mine was also super thick, which my husband wasn’t fond of. So I definitely needed to add that extra broth. I used no salt broth and with all the salt in the sausage, seasoning, and chicken, it was a good choice. I appreciate the recipe. I might go less on the parsley next time too. Thank you.
I’m from Louisiana and make gumbo and jambalaya all the time, but especially around the holidays. You nailed exactly what went wrong. If it tasted like flour, then the flour wasn’t cooked enough. Adding more flour at the end of the roux doesn’t work because the flour doesn’t cook long enough. A roux takes a long time on relatively high heat to “fry” to the dark, rich color and flavor. And the simmer temp of a gumbo just won’t finish the job. Keep in mind that authentic Cajun gumbos are not really that thick like what is found in many restaurants in New Orleans. You don’t want (and I personally don’t like) a thick and pasty gumbo (though a thick roux added to the stock will produce that desired silkiness). Finally, I do use rotisserie chicken for a quicker “weekday” gumbo. However, I like to make large batches of my own chicken stock and freeze in quart containers.
Amongst the worst recipes I’ve ever cooked. I’ve made roux many times but this recipe doesn’t really say what to with it and leaves it sitting to long and none of the vegetables get cooked right. Tasted burnt and undercooked at the same time. Awful flavor as a result. Wishing I wouldn’t have wasted all the ingredients. Bummed
Delicious but was a bit of work since I had to give the roux so much attention. I used slightly less celery(5 stalks) and a bit more cajun seasoning since I like it spicy alongside extra sausage because sausage is delicious and it turned out beautifully. next time i might pre cook the celery slightly to make it a bit softer.
Great recipe and worth the effort! I used 2 tablespoons of Cajun seasoning and it was too spicy for some so I made another batch without so I could mix them before freezing. Made the chicken stock as well and I’m sure it helped the flavor.
Everyone enjoyed it! Turned out better than I thought it would. Took me longer than I thought to do the roux but now I know what to do next time. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
With apologies to the author… I don’t know if this is the worst thing I have ever eaten, but it is definitely the worst thing I have ever cooked. Yes, I made the roux properly with a great consistency, and a rich, chocolatey color. There is zero flavor besides the roux. I just added a ton of salt trying to activate some type of a flavor. Very disappointed after two hours of prep / cooking only to send this meal appropriately to the garbage.
Hi Michael, I’m sorry you weren’t happy with the end results. I wonder if you followed the last instructions step to “taste it and add more seasonings to your liking–salt, pepper, chicken bullion paste, garlic, more cajun seasoning–until you reach the perfect flavor”?
Great recipe but I made one change. I took raw shrimp (peeled deveined tail off) and slowly sauteed in garlic butter, oregano, basil and Cajun seasoning until fully cooked ( basically Cajun style shrimp scampi) and set it aside in that mixture to soak it all up and added it when it called for the meat. Mixture and all. Takes this recipe to another level.
Holy hell this recipe was wonderful!! Initially I tried to make this without flour, as I like to watch my carbs… however the roux with actual flour is the heart of this dish and cannot be substituted or omitted. After I, very patiently, made a nice brown roux, it completely transformed the gumbo into a dish that warms your soul from the inside out. The kids were silent as they treasured this gumbo. I’m saving this recipe in my collection because it was just so special. Thank you so much!!!
WhT about okra. When I lived in New Orleans I remember it having okra in it
Right. I just asked this question before I saw your post. I’m Cajun, okra has always been tossed in.
I’ve made this gumbo at least 5 times since last year and it turns out fabulous every time!! Have been asked to share recipe as well. Thanks for sharing. 🤩
Great recipe, I followed the directions and it turned out wonderful and tasted great. I have a food service background but never made gumbo. My daughter asked if I could make some gumbo while I was visiting her while I was visiting her – came across your recipes and thanks again it turned out great.
Turned out great, we loved it! If you’re not familiar with how to make a roux, it can be difficult to get right. The directions were very clear and helpful. Thanks Lauren!!
I’ve made this recipe before and LOVED IT. I’m making again for Christmas Eve dinner. However, one person does not eat pork. Would chicken andoullie sausage work as a substitute, or will the flavor suffer?
This recipe was absolute shit! It wouldn’t darken and the end product tasted like flour and I put in and followed the directions to a T! Not only that wasted ingredients and also other spices to try to “fix” this recipe. Gumbo shouldn’t taste like flour nor should the color look like gravy! I tried to recuse it by adding two can of fire roasted tomatoes and letting them simmer into the gumbo- hoping to get that rich red color as well as the authentic new Orlando gumbo flavor. This recipe is absolute trash! This is not authentic New Orleans gumbo by any means! Whoever came up with this recipe needs to go back to
Cooking school! I’d give this 0 starts if possible. Whole pot of gumbo went straight to the trash!
Hi Kristy, It sounds like you had trouble with the roux. It shouldn’t taste like flour, and it needs to be babysat for a quite awhile to achieve the color change. It’s not a “trash recipe” (as you can see by the hundreds of commenters who have had great success with it), and it was created by a native New Orleanian.
The recipe was pretty good. I added file and gave it time and it all came together.
Perhaps some of the people that saw this recipe were looking for something easier? However, I do think that if it doesn’t work for some people, they have a great opportunity to do some research and make their own. It they can start with some research. I don’t know maybe I’m making it to simple. Or, one could critique others and place blame. I fail to see how tomatoes would help a dish that never has tomatoes in it. I would recommend a book called, How to Cook Without a Cookbook. Or use the same device they use to criticize someone for actually doing something. Each is a choice…
Thank you for your guidance in making this dish.
You can choose to go to cooking school too! Perhaps a better choice than adding tomatoes and criticism to someone’s work.
Don’t trash other people’s recipe because you failed to do it the right way. Flour when fully cooked to the right consistency with the right color should not taste like flour. Either you didn’t fully cooked the flour, put too little oil, didn’t stir it evenly creating lumps with big pieces of flour not cooked, then it would taste like flour. All famous New Orleans Chefs make their roux the same way. Watch Kevin Belton on channel 8.2. I wish onions and garlic were thrown in right after the brown sausages, then veggies. It would create it own flavor when stir fried rather than adding into broth. Broth should be poured in when stir fried is done so it would deglaze the brown stuff at the bottom where all the flavor is. Then roux is finally introduced into the pot.
Kristy, your language is unacceptable. You may not like a recipe and still state it respectfully. Insulting someone who put time and effort into being creative is uncalled for. Take your anger out elsewhere. Don’t pollute a positive platform like this with your foul language.
That’s because you didn’t make the roux correctly. Sounds like the oil wasn’t hot enough and you didn’t go long enough. A dark roux takes like an hour and it’s definitely a labor of love.
First time making gumbo and I am very pleased. The flavor is great! Big hit with my family and co-workers. Yummy!!! Will definitely make again.
My first time making gumbo, and I’m in awe. It’s delicious! Earthy, complex flavors with just the right textures and just the right amount of heat. Today is rainy and cold – an absolutely perfect day to enjoy a bowl. Will make it again for sure.
Sounds like it will be great
This recipe is suspect. I’m from LA, and I’ve NEVER used garlic in gumbo.
Well, if you have ever used Cajun seasoning, then you’ve use garlic powder, garlic powder or fresh garlic pretty much as a staple of Cajun cuisine
Dat’s right. Da trinity wit da pope.
Had never made gumbo before but thought it was a good idea to try and feed 40+ at a tailgate. The positive reviews from all who ate it were amazing. Several people said this was the best gumbo they have ever ate, and quite a few people that were nervous to try absolutely loved it.
I made this recipe all last winter and today’s the first cool day of fall. My kids and I love it and we hate okra, it’s the devil’s seed pod. If this recipe called for okra I would l leave it out and call it Gumbo as that is what it tastes like. Let the recipe nazis rant and wail and nash their teeth I love this Gumbo recipe. Thank you, five stars!
I actually make quite a few of your recipes with and without modifications. Thanks for being there for me, a busy single dad to five teens and tweens. You help bring my family together over dinner.
Used this recipe as a guide, but also used some tips from some PBS cooking show (some LA chef). Thought I had andouille, but no, used kielbasa instead. Used mostly bacon grease instead of all oil for my roux, worked great. Browned the sausage in the fat, removed it and did the roux. Cooked the veggies (used a bit less celery) in the roux, then half the garlic for the last minute or so. Tossed in the sausage and added broth I made from the bones and skin of a chicken I roasted a couple days ago but really didn’t eat. I cut up all the meat and added it for the last 15 minutes of cooking, along with another pile of garlic. Used my own spice blend too. Served over rice and a handful of cooked shrimp I had thawed. I was so hungry and it was so delicious I forgot my hot sauce! I love okra, but prefer this version without it. Thanks!
This recipe was really helpful for me as I hadn’t made gumbo before. I adjusted it for what was available to me, but even so, I couldn’t have made it without your help! All my friends said they liked it and I was so proud and happy. Thank you!
This was excellent! I wanted to replicate the delicious gumbo I recently had in New Orleans and this was the ticket. I would reduce the oil to 1/2 cup as I ended up adding another 1/3 cup of flour. I also recommend making your own cajun spice as the store bought will overwhelm you with sodium. I found a recipe on line with 8 ingredients and reduced the salt but added 2t of file spice. Since all I had was frozen shrimp I did not add to the broth but topped each bowl when serving so I could freeze for later (not refreezing previously frozen shrimp.) The broth was silky and rich. This is a keeper.
This gumbo was fantastic! Everyone loved it.
I wish I had stopped heating the roux earlier. I kept stirring straight for 45 min going for the “chocolate color” and nothing burned, but the flavor was way too much! I won’t make that mistake again! To make matters worse, I doubled the recipe, so there was a lot!
This has to be the best Cajun gumbo I’ve ever tasted! I cooked it a few weeks ago and everyone loved it. Everyone wanted a second helping but unfortunately I didn’t make enough, so I’m having another go today.
I used Kielbasa czonskowa garlic sausage because I couldn’t find the others and it was absolutely delicious so I’m using it again today. I also used king prawns instead of shrimps because I love King prawns.
This time I’m making the 12 serving one so I know there will be enough for a second helping.
Thank you for such a delicious recipe
I always add okra to my gumbo. This is amazing! I added okra
Really good tasting recipe! First time ever making this from scratch, was a bit intimidated thinking about the roux but not nearly bad at all to make, just have to allot that time where no one is needing anything from you while you’re stirring it. Other than that I added okra to it and just sausage and chicken .. did I be say it really tasted good?
Indeed, will make again, thanks!!!
I don’t use vegetable or canola oils, can I make the roux with avocado or coconut oil?
You can use any kind of fat that floats your boat. Maybe not EVOO, though. That might taste weird in this application. Clarified butter makes a great roux as well.
Great recipe with easy to understand instructions. We loved this dish..
Finally a cajon recipe that is made correctly! All the others are made like soup and so bland and watery. Gumbo is supposed to be thick with a kick of spicy if you like spicy. It can be made different ways but this is the basic recipe that I expect to see especially when watching my mom do it from scratch as a kid. Thank you very much!
I’m very upset, I followed this recipe and it was a disaster! Measurements for Roux was way off. So much time and food wasted to just go in the trash. I had to make something else for dinner.
Whats the reason for the comment can you elaborate what went wrong?
We can probably all agree Okra sucks and it’s OK to leave it out and still call it gumbo. Who cares
Yeah, we probably can’t.
Very good gumbo! Made it for my first time using this recipe as a base. I cooked the roux probably about an hour and made some minor adjustments but very similar overall. I tried three different gumbos in New Orleans restaurants over the last week, and both me and my brother think mine turned out better somehow.
I have made this a few times. Yes, I made some slight adjustments but it is a really good base. I used almost 3 1/2 thirty two ounce no salt added chicken broth, 13-14 ounce package of turkey sausage, and instead of shrimp, I used five tilapia filets. Yes you do have to spend some time with the roux. Patience. After adding the initial tablespoon of Cajun seasonings, I adjusted the seasoning like the author said and then tasted it again. The tilapia was added last as the fish cooks up very fast. Give your gumbo some time. Bay leaves are good too but it won’t make it taste nasty if it’s not there. I was born in New Orleans and lived in Metro NOLA. As far as okra or tomatoes are concerned, it’s about where you came from, but the first gumbos did not have that in it, sorry to disappoint. Eventually through time, some people added that to the gumbo. Just take your time, it will be great. Good recipe. Gumbo is as diverse as the person is cooking it.
There is well researched article on Serious Eats about the West African origins of gumbo. Early American adaptations could be nothing more than okra, tomatoes and onions.
It’s not gumbo without okra. The very word means okra.
I love okra in gumbo! I add it near the end so it won’t be like mush and we like to put file’ in our bowl at the table.
I have made this many times, now. I absolutely love it.
I would consider myself an experienced amateur chef. I Followed instructions explicitly and the result was just awful in my opinion. Would not recommend.
A waste of time and money!
I used store bought chicken broth and followed the recipe to the letter.
It turned out as very very salt thin soup.
1,5 to 2 litres of chicken broth is much to much.
Sounds like your roux might not have been cooked long enough. The roux is a crucial element in gumbo, and cooking it to the right stage is key to achieving the desired thickness and flavor. Next time, you might try cooking the roux for a longer period, stirring constantly, until it reaches a deep golden brown color. This process can sometimes take longer than expected but is essential for the thickness and flavor of the gumbo. Different store-bought chicken broths have varying levels of salt. If you found the gumbo too salty, consider using a low-sodium option and adjusting the salt to your taste.
Filé is an option if it’s too thin. I would also suggest letting the whole thing simmer for quite a while, either way. The flour needs more time to cook out. I’m making it now and I’m letting it go for 45 minutes and then I’ll taste. It will probably need an hour. Bitter, burnt popcorn gumbo is definitely not authentic.
Lots of work but well worth it. I used chorizo instead of andouille and it worked great as a replacement. Great instructions and the video especially. It was key to helping me get the roux the right colour. Would make again!
This recipe is a good starting point, but where are the bay leaves, where is the beer and Thyme. No okra, not enough seasoning and the worst part is the roux would is clearly not cooked down in the picture. Gumbo needs to sit and simmer for at least and hour. Think twice before calling this authentic.
Great gumbo! I think the folks that had a problem had too much heat and not enough stirring. The roux recipe as written worked perfectly for me. I only chopped the veggies finer before cooking. Next time I will cook them in the roux instead of the broth. Oh, and added okra at the end. Thank you for a great recipe!
Wow!!!! I’ve been making gumbo for 30+ years but this was just fantastic!!!! Never thought about using chicken. The only thing I did different was with the chicken. I used 6-7 boneless skinless chicken thighs, seasoned them with Cajun seasoning and pressure cooked them in 2 cups water. I used that broth as a for the de-glaze and veggies and then added 5 more cups of regular chicken broth. I did use a super heaping cup of flour for roux. I followed your advice and made a really dark roux, usually I go to a “peanut butter” look but this time I went to a chocolate/mud color and the difference was amazing. This is a home run!!!
Thanks!!!
Great recipe. Easy to make. Curious why no Okra? I always think that okra is essential to gumbo. I add it a few minutes before service. Also a must have is Crystal hot sauce for each serving.
I realize this is an older post, but I’ll ask anyway because I really want to know. In making the roux, your photo of the dark brown roux shows a thick creamy texture that reminds me of a thick frosting.
My roux NEVER has that consistency. The moment I add the flour to the oil/butter (whichever the case for what I’m making) I get an instant glob of a blob mixture.
I see beautiful photos of recipes online of creamy roux like you’re. Mines still globs every time. And I do measure correctly.
Any idea what on earth I am doing wrong? Thanks in advance if ya get this comment/question.
Hi Mary, you don’t need to follow the exact measurements for the roux–they are just a starting point. Add a little sprinkle of flour, or oil as it cooks until you reach the right consistency.
It’s probably coming out lumpy because you add all the flour at once. Try adding it little by little, stirring constantly to blend. That’s how you get a smooth roux.
Mary, I mix the oil and flour well before turning on the heat, slowly add more heat and do not exceed a light bubbly look, we are not frying the roux. It is a long process 30-45 minutes. Pull it off the heat and will look weird after it cools and you do the rest of the prep but will stir together nicely before you add the liquid. Add the majority of the liquid all at once so you do not make a “gravy”! Hope this helps!
Make your roux in a cast iron skillet – start it on a stove top burner, but then transfer it to a 350 degree oven. Give it a whisk every 10 minutes or so. After an hour you will have a beautiful coppery roux… no burning. (Also try checking the internet for roux in the oven. Easy peasy.)
This recipe was a good starter base for me (never made gumbo before) but I found it pretty bland until I added A LOT more spices
I have made gumbo many, many times. This recipe just missed the mark. I thought I would try a new/different recipe to switch things up a bit. I’ve never left a poor review, but this recipe just wasn’t good. Followed recipe exactly. I’m sorry to creator as I’m sure you’re a wonderful cook
Looks absolutely delicious 😋
Imma make this today!
OMG!!! This was awesome! Made too much (recipe as is) because only 2 people were willing to eat it, hubs and myself, and the others said they didn’t like spicy or didn’t like shrimp. Sent half the leftovers to work with hubs and I took the other half. Our co-workers are so happy we shared it. Oh Yeah, it tastes even better the next day. 🙂
Turned out excellent! I also added a little liquid smoke and some Kansas City style BBQ sauce for a little extra sweet smokey and tangy flavor. Just a little of the two while cooking. We have made it twice now!🥰
Turned out delicious and was EASY!
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!
I have been making this recipe for a few years now and my family loves it!
This turned out absolutely delicious!! I used a packaged gumbo base instead of making the roux… but 5⭐️ dish & the whole family enjoyed.
This was insanely delicious.
My first time working with andouille. A bit spicier than what I would like. Think I’ll use kielbasa next time and use 1 1/2 tablespoons of the seasoning.
All in all, a very good dish
wow can’t believe how much static you get on a just being very helpful on a great recipe Thanks for posting I’ve been using it and had great reviews with friends. Oh cuz of where I live there are a few variations but thanks
I only cook for two. Can I make the regular amount and freeze half for future recipe?
Yes, it freezes great!
This is a solid gumbo recipe. I made this last night and it was a hit with everyone, but I don’t understand leaving the okra as an option (but I guess if people aren’t familiar with it, then…). I used rendered pork lard (instead of the oils… your body processes it better) and brown rice flour (one person was GF due to a sensitivity) and I didn’t notice any difference over what I would normally consider to be gumbo. Definitely making it again. This was my first recipe from your site and I’ll check back here for others in the future.
Thus turned out great for me. Although, I only used the roux method/recipe as I usually cheat and use a base/sifted mix. The roux came out perfect, but it took more like an hour. I was using an enameled pot, tho, so I don’t think my heat was high enough. Added okra and fire roasted tomatoes. I recommend using chicken thighs, strip the casing off your sausage if you can help it, and just give the precooked/recently seared meat a float in the last 5-10 minutes . Mine tastes much different than it usually does but that’s because it’s usually “semi homemade”. We spent a LONG time in the south (my husband as a kid/young adult, me in the military), and I’m not sure if it’s spot on, but it’s damn good. I also admit I could make this in my sleep so I didn’t follow any of the measurements or spicing outside of the roux…which I did use Veg oil for and was able to exact a really beautiful melted chocolate like texture at the end. So ty for that. However, as I do with most of my sauces, I added a couple tablespoons of butter at the end to round it out and give it a good sheen. I used 4 chicken thighs left over/chopped, 4 andouielle/slicedin half then into bote size half moons, 2 lbs raw shrimp, 2 green bell peppers/diced, an entire bunch of Celery/sliced, 3-4 tbl spoons of minced garlic, 64 oz of fish stock, 2 cups of water, a huge diced red onion (wouldn’t be my choice as I like yellow onion but that’s what hub bought), and I think a quarter cup of Cajun seasoning that I make, with salt. 2 cans of fire roasted tomatoes with liquid made it tomato forward, but I like the tang and acid that added. And a bag of frozen okra. Fresh ground black pepper as well. I think this could use some Bay leaf also but I didn’t have any.
I want to say I agree that gumbo should have okra. I always want to be careful not to bastardize anyone’s culture when making food that doesn’t come from where and from whom I grew up with…so that’s important to me and I also just legit have never had it without okra. It thickens it a little as well, so I just feel for these reasons that the addition of okra is prudent.
I hope this is helpful, and thanks for helping me make my first scratch gumbo roux!!
As always I serve this with cornbread, sticky rice, and hot sauce. I also always make a couple /3 gallons of it so we can eat it for a couple days and give some to serve at my mutual aid. Time well spent ❤️
I love your gumbo recipe and have made it several times! I recently made it for our Princess and the Frog themed movie night and just shared a link to your recipe on my movie night blog: https://magpietayleetot.com/blogs/magpietayleetot-crafts-parties-and-more/princess-and-the-frog-family-movie-night
Delicious! I used butter instead of oil to make the roux and turned out great. Also added okra. Did take a lot of watching stirring to not burn the roux, so plan accordingly. Will definitely make again!
This is not gumbo if you don’t add okra. The word “gumbo” literally is African for okra. The fact that this recipe does not initially contain okra and simply suggest “you can add okra if you want” tells me a lot about the author of this recipe. Not a recipe I would consider worth my time.
You are correct! Without Okra it’s not Gumbo. I do sautee my okra before adding to eliminate the slime.
I’m gonna have to disagree with you, Dr. Emile. I grew up in south Louisiana, and I’d say I’ve had gumbo there at least as many times without okra as with. (I like okra, but I’ll go either way with gumbo.) If you’re making African gumbo, maybe it must have okra. But if you’re making New Orleans gumbo, it doesn’t have to. The African influence brought okra as a thickener, and the native American influence brought sassafrass file, and the European influence brought roux. Louisiana people typically think of the word “gumbo” as meaning a mixture, like the mixture of their heritage, and many cook their gumbo without okra. So authentic New Orleans gumbo can and often is made without okra.
Love this response. Thanks for the insight!
A little charity and kindness goes a long way. Life tip: If this is not something you would say to someone at the store (you would be put in your place), you probably shouldn’t do it online.
I added Knorrs chicken flavor boullion, gumbo file to thicken and of course crab legs. Thank you
One if the poorest recipes I have ever used. Tutor in making chicken from scratch? Where? 6 servings? The large soup out was ¾ full. None of the measurements for spices were even close to the amount needed. If you have never had good gumbo after using this recipe you would never have it again. Please go to some other site to find a better recipe. Have no idea how this has a 4.9 rating!?!
I’m really sorry you didn’t enjoy it, but I have to disagree with you and think that something must have gone wrong in your preparation. This is a treasured family recipe from our friend in New Orleans (and I’ve had gumbo there, and all over the south, and this recipe holds a candle to the best I’ve had!).
Everyone who had this gumbo loved it! I added some crab to mine and it just elevated it. So delicious!!!
Wonderful and easy
Thick and gelatinous. Not a good recipe. Ended up using 12 cups of broth to thin it out and it is still thick and flour tasting. Wow. Needed to triple the spices for any kind of flavor, hope I have salvaged it for the night.
I’m betting you didn’t cook be your roux long enough. I make a brick roux in the oven over 2 hours, and used it the next day. Turned out perfect
There is one glaring flaw in this recipe–no matter how much you make, it will never be enough! Everyone will be begging for seconds and thirds so be prepared to not have any leftovers! I’ve never made a roux from scratch before, but this recipe was very helpful in its instruction and I successfully made a great roux my first try, which made for the best gumbo I’ve ever had! My only issue is I think I accidentally added a bit too much oil, so my gumbo came out kind of oily, so next time I think I’ll strain off the excess. But this is exactly how gumbo should be–nice and simple, with a deep, flavorful roux and lots of holy trinity and okra, and I definitely recommend this recipe.
I Love Gumbo and going to try your recipe
I have made gumbo for years using a roux made with butter and flour, and simmering vegetables and meat for an hour. This recipe with vegetable oil roux and less time simmering is so much better. Who knew cooking gumbo in less time would be a better gumbo. This saves me so much time. Also when serving guests gumbo i always make it a day ahead as it is so much better the next day.
Overall I loved it. The flavor was rich and hearty, especially with homemade Cajun seasoning. Both me and my boyfriend had seconds. My only qualm is that the recipe seemed a little vague so I read through some comments to get advice, but my end result was delicious and I will definitely make again.
The roux took me a little while; I started off at a 3 on my electric stove since it tends to be touchy and run a little hot, but at half an hour it hadn’t done much so I increased it to 4, giving it breaks when it started to get too bubbly and adding a couple more tablespoons of flour then and every 15 minutes after that trying to thicken it up. At 1:20ish, I finally had a dark caramel/pb color and decided that was good enough. It darkened a little more as it cooled, and everything else went pretty smoothly.
I started with 6 cups of broth and ended up increasing it to 8, but I didn’t add all of the chicken I had stripped since it seemed like a lot. I also only used 5 stalks of celery. Next time I think I’ll start the roux a little hotter and with more flour and see how it goes… I read a couple comments saying a dark roux takes way longer than 30 minutes, but as for myself (as well as many other home cooks I’m sure), spending 3 hours babysitting a pot on the stove isn’t feasible. I also think I might like some more color? I may throw in a red bell pepper or swap out the cayenne I added for some spicy red chilies.
Can’t wait to try it tomorrow!
Use a dutch oven and make a roux in the oven.
I set oven @ 350F mix the roux and literally head to the seafood market and prep while leaving. Roux + stock is key and just peel shrimp and use shrimp and a crab if you can.
I’ve made this so lazy with oven roux method. Prep takes 15-30m if making own stock, all while roux is going. Take dutch oven out, dump veggies into roux raw and cook on stove top now. add stock and then add sausages (Depends on type).
Dish is awesome to make if you have errands because passive cooking dish.
I really wanted to love this recipe, but I had to start over. I cooked the roux until it was chocolate brown and when I added the broth it just wouldn’t mix together and when I tasted it, it was definitely a burnt taste. I scraped that roux and made a new one that was light tan and finished with the rest of the recipe. It was delicious. But I wouldn’t waste my time on the dark roux.
It does sound like the first roux was burnt. You want to cook it until it’s chocolate colored but on medium/low heat, stirring constantly, so it does not burn. A light roux will work fine, but wont add the same depth of flavor.
I made this over the weekend with the home made chicken broth recipe. It was very good. Only thing I did not like was there were no ratios for the veggies. Also I simmers the raw veggies for an additional 30 mins after the 7min boil. Below are my ratios.
2 cups Celery
4 cloves garlic
1.5 cups Onion
.5 cups parsley
1 table spoon cajun spice
4 stalk green onion
Horrible! Recipe is off — flour broth ratio is off. Gumbo was extremely thick. Total waste! Never again, at least not this recipe.
So sorry it didn’t work for you. If it was too thick all you need to do is add more broth. Making gumbo is really a labor of trial and error. You’re going to have to develop “instincts” when cooking, especially when cooking gumbo. My first time making gumbo I burned the roux and the okra made it too slimy. Welcome to the club!
I’ll give the credit for at least trying to create an “authentic”new Orleans style gumbo. And there is 2 kinds. Chicken or seafood
. This recipe combines the chicken with shrimp. Not authentic. I am a national awarded chef as and I grew up in New Orleans and every summer I was out in the gulf of Mexico trawling for shrimp from the age of 10. I have traveled abroad and I stick to original tastes and procedures as I only know. I use the peeled shrimp casings to create my stock while my roux is under ow heat. Very low.. butter and flour. And as any true Cajun will agree. Your time is not adequate to achieve the smooth nutty flavor a copper penny roux should be. Watch video’s of Justin Wilson. A true cajun… if your heat is to high on simer.. pick your iron pan up of the heat and use a wok stand to create the distance. A 45 minute roux at the copper penny color is a burnt roux. It should take at least 3 hours.. mine takes 4 hours. We do not purchase Cajun sesoning.. we create it. Not hard and you have control over your heat.. cayenne can get hot.. . Okra celery onion tomatoes and sassafras (gumbo file) is with the process and the roux is not really used to thicken the stock but a set towards your true authentic flavor. You will achieve tightness from your okra and sassafras more than you think. Gumbo is not thick , it has a consume texture and tightness. Over your rice.. which is authentic mahatma or watermaide long grain rice and we don’t have potato salad on the side. That has to be a joke, right.. .might as well have it with a muffilata… seafood style uses crab shrimp even crayfish.. as we might call a mud puppy.. crawddad… few other names out there. Anduile is cajun.. best .. I will not make gumbo.. chicken or seafood, without it. I’m afraid to look at the recipies.. but for sure.. this recipe is no where close to a true coolness creation..
I definitely recognize there are many, many different ways to make gumbo. You’re welcome to share your own recipe online.
You really have to be thick skinned for some comments. Sorry.
I live in the pacific north west, and we don’t have any places that serve this. Since I love food and wanted to try it, I looked up dozens of recipes and decided this one was the one to try! Well I figured on spending about 4 hours, and that was about right. But the end result was really good, so much flavor! The reason it took me so long was I made my own chicken broth, as well as cooking the shrimp. But all said this is worth 4 hours in the kitchen!😊
Tried this recipe a couple of years ago for my son on his birthday, he loved it so much I make it for him every year!!thank you even though the roux is a labor of love 💗
Perfection!
What kind of nonsense is this? Way to much roux. Ruined my dinner
Did you cook the roux properly?
Yes, unless the poster is only keeping positive reviews, this is the truth, and should be out there for people to read. The roux is abysmal, and a waste of ingredients. Wish I had known before I wasted the day on it.
Can I use avocado or olive oil in this recipe? I just don’t like using vegetable or canola.
Yes you can. Enjoy!
Best ever. This recipe is wonderful.
Avocado oil would be better because olive oil would create so much extra flavor in the roux. Also avocado oil is a high temperature resistant oil and olive oil isn’t. I’ve made roux out of grapeseed oil and I feel avocado oil would be good too. Plus it’s much healthier than vegetable oil.
Where is the okra? It’s not gumbo without okra, it’s just stew
If you read and not just the recipe she said you can add okra. Most people don’t like okra it’s a personal preference. It’s still yummy. Add a scoop of potato salad and some French bread. I was raised in South East Texas. It’s authentic.
I dont like okra. But in gumbo it’s a must. It adds thickness just like the gumbo file does. If you use the roux to create the texture that’s between stew and consume, without okra and sassafras. You have a heavy roux taste. When the okra is added, let it simmer down some. The slime is not there and the flavor and texture is.
My family is not a fan of okra, so I subbed young zukinni! So good!
We made it and it was delicious, with a few modifications and suggestions:
– There was a strong herbal taste to it, most likely from the parsley. I added about 1.5 cups of parsley, so it might be helpful to specify an amount in case the bunch turns out to be bigger than normal.
– In step 3, it was unclear if your instructions were to pour them into the stock pot with the roux or a separate pot. You may want to specify.
This is why tourists think the gumbo in the French Quarter is good. I live in New Orleans and we don’t make gumbo like this. This is New York city gumbo. It might be good but not how we make gumbo.
Gettin’ a little nasty thar Margie…
She’s right though, this isn’t authentic gumbo.
Excellent! My wife and I were looking for something new to try and this looked good. We weren’t disappointed. We improvised just a bit making the turkey broth, but wouldn’t change a thing.
I have lots of turkey broth that I made from thanksgiving. Nice to know it works in this recipe.
This was a TDF recipe! The roux process was stressful initially…after 30-40 min I was so glad I stuck with it…DELISH… the rotisserie chicken is a brilliant idea 🙂 one of our all-time favorite dishes!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I’m going to make this for my dinner. * with jasmine rice. I’m going to also add some lump crab in my gumbo.
Merry Christmas
This the best! Made it for a Thanksgiving week with the Fam, and they asked for more! Two evenings of gumbo! Everyone asked for the recipe!
Can I use shredded Turkey instead of chicken?
I will definitely be making this gumbo for the Christmas holidays, I will make the chicken broth by cooking a hen, broth will taste much better than the rotisserie chicken.
I have made this 3 times now and I need to thank you. This gumbo is full and rich, so savory and satisfying. I made it tonight as my family begins to recover from this post pandemic flu trifecta stuff. This will warm us to our bones and speed the recovery. Thank you!
The only thing missing is the okra, which is what makes Gumbo, Gumbo. Without the okra it’s just soup, lol.
And file! I love the texture okra provides.
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!
Making this soon and I’m curious, in the instructions i printed you add a total of 6 cups of broth. The ingredient list shows 12-16 cups.
I used 64 oz of stock. Turned out perfect
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.
So goooooooood!!
That recipe is the bomb making the ruex is yes the key never did it like this before will always now fantastic
I added venison instead of shrimp. It is the best gumbo we have ever had. The roux made all the difference.
Delicious recipe! My first time making gumbo and it was truly better than what I’ve had in restaurants! Thank you! My wife loves it!
I think I slightly burnt the roux, also only cooked for 40 mins, thinking if I do it again I’ll try for a little longer. But overall, not bad! Esp for my first time making any kind of soup! Tasty recipe. Not hard to make. Couldn’t find green onion at the store and not a fan of shrimp, so left that out.
This is the second time I’m making this recipe. My family truly enjoyed it last time. Today I made my own chicken broth and chicken rather than canned. I am also tossing everything into the crock pot after preparing everything as described. I love that it makes a lot and will be great for freezing half for a meal later in the month.
This was amazing! I will be making this over and over. I added blue crabs to the recipe. This was Tony the tiger great!
Absolutely the best Cajun gumbo I’ve ever had and I have Louisiana roots and grew up in Texas. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Sounds like a decent recipe, but, traditional gumbo has the veggies added to the roux to instantly cool it down.
Did not like this at all. Husband said it was ok..but I will be throwing leftovers away
I just made a big pot of this! Love it my entire family loved it! Will deffently keep this recipe to make again! Thank you for a great recipe!! ❤️❤️❤️
Someone posted in the comments that they use Kacy’s gumbo mix. So I bought it off Amazon and tried it. If you are looking to control calories, this would be a good substitute. I made a batch with just shrimp and calories without rice, come to about 130. The homemade gumbo is double if I make it low fat and even higher if I use all the fat added. The flavor? No comparison. The recipe on this website is phenomenal. So there is that. Any box next we have a hard time keeping up with homemade.
It always Tasted Better From Scratch!! Thank you Melody!
This turned out horrible. Never will try another.
Made this for the first time. Nailed it. Great recipe. Great instructions. I added a little butter to the rue, ( just cause my family likes butter lol) I think it gave it a little more flavor. Will be using this recipe for now on for gumbo.
I made this with tallow instead of vegetable oil and it was AMAZING! I read on another blog that you should cook the roux for an hour so I gave it a go. It was wonderfully dark brown and added such depth of flavor. We will definitely be eating it for a few nights, the recipe is huge!
I don’t think the failure to brown had anything to do with the type of oil–your temp was probably a little low and you needed to keep on browning the roux. Nothing wrong with moving slow–better than burning your roux, for sure. I’ve even used bacon fat for part of the oil, and actually recommend doing so!
You know, it was perfect when you hit it at the end with your choice of hot sauce to your desired heat level.
Really a great recipe!
Never made gumbo but followed the instructions to a T and it was incredible!
Delicious
I’m making this right now, but I was a little confused on the garlic. Does it go in whole or was I supposed to mince it? I crushed the cloves so it’s kinda in between whole and chopped. Not sure what I was supposed to do there!
Great recipe as is. Will make again
This is my second making this. Wonderful recipe. I didn’t have any vegetable or canola oil on hand so I used garlic infused extra virgin olive oil. It didn’t brown up dark even after an hour of cooking so I assume it’s the type of oil. I added a teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes for some extra heat. Will be making this for years to come.
Olive oil has a very low burn point and extra virgin has an even lower. Garlic also burns easily. Extra virgin isn’t for cooking it’s a dressing so be careful as this will make food bitter.
This is my 2nd time making thus recipe and we love it! I also add okra to it and diced carrots. I had turkey keilbasa on hand and fried it up first before adding.
This is definitely my go to gumbo recipe!
Carrots don’t go in gumbo. It’s then soup
I’ve made this gumbo twice now, and it is absolutely amazing! My family devours it like there’s no tomorrow. This recipe is on par with the best gumbo I’ve had in Houston restaurants, which is saying something. No other recipe needed. Thank you!
I also added tobacco and extra celery. It was awesome.
So Tracey did you really add tobacco? Maybe you meant to type Tabasco.
I made this recipe exactly I added okra and this is by far the best gumbo I’ve ever had it is truly outstanding I will make this for the rest of my life I couldn’t believe how intense the flavor was I don’t tend to taste until the recipe is done and the flavor was mind-blowing
Made it according to the recipe with a few tweaks, added a few more shrimp, added fresh okra and some homegrown tomatoes. Made my own Cajun seasoning based on the linked recipe. Turned out fabulous and my wife wants me to make it for company. Definitely a keeper! Thanks!
Man oh man is this good! I was thinking the whole time I’m stirring the Roux” this better be good”. Met my expectations! I did add 1/2 can organic stewed tomatoes, some 1tsp basil and thyme with a 1/4 tsp pepper flakes. This is a keeper! Thank you for not adding okra! Too slimy for me.
The word “gumbo” is derived from an African word that means okra. It is bizarre to me how many Cajuns do not know this
It’s not that we don’t know. We just don’t add okra or tomatoes to gumbo because it’s better without it. 😉
While I’m here…a “bunch” is not a valid measurement, and here are a few additional tips: recipe needs less celery, like 3-4 stalks is enough, it needs more garlic, and you pre-chop the veggies and add to the roux at the right time to cool it down.
Don’t use precooked chicken, use breast and thigh meat if you don’t want to break down a whole chicken, and deglaze the sausage pan with the chicken broth before adding.
Gumbo needs to simmer a lot longer than 5-7 minutes to meld the flavors but add the chicken toward the end to give it the best texture.
And the poster above is right, you pre chop all the veggies and add to the roux at the right time to cool it down.
P/S To the other guy above…I also only like okra fried 😉
Good luck!
This is totally delicious. I was leery when I first read this, I would not have thought sausage and chicken and shrimp would be good together, but boy was I wrong. I did use a few cayenne peppers and banana peppers from my garden, and added NO spices except black pepper. it was fabulous.
Personally like many, I do not care for okra unless it’s fried. Did you know gumbo also has more than one definition?
Made roux came out nice. Vegetables added with bay leaves thyme.chicken,sausage,shrimp and corn on the cob served over rice. Delicious thanks
It was great, but I couldn’t get the roux to turn that brown color. I stirred it over medium low heat for about an hour and it stayed the same color.
It will turn brown, you just need to keep cooking it and depending on your stove (gas or electric) you could increase the heat a little.
Try using olive oil as well.
1st time to attempt to make Gumbo, & MAN, it is SOOOOOO good!!!
Obviously the most time consuming was the Roux, but TOTALLY worth it.
Thank you for the great recipe!
I’ve been trying out different Cajun dishes every week, and tonight I used your recipe to try gumbo for my first time. I thought it turned out really well. For the roux, I found myself fluctuating between heat levels 3 and 4 (out of 10). I probably cooked the roux for about 40 minutes; I was running out of time to serve dinner by a certain time and had to move on the rest of the recipe. So it wasn’t quite as dark as pictured here. I don’t think I burned it, as I was stirring quite vigorously the entire time, but it was smelling a little bit like burnt popcorn; no black bits in the roux though. Based on the comments here, it would seem that if I actually burned the roux that the gumbo wouldn’t taste very good.
I did find that the end result was a bit more soupy than I was expecting (the pictures here look quite thick), but it was very tasty. Next time, I might try using less chicken broth.
The darker the roux, the less thick your broth is.
Definitely a keeper and will make again. As someone who has been cooking for 50+ years, I get a chuckle out of the comments. This is a simple recipe but requires patience. Medium low on my electric stovetop is #3 setting. It didn’t start ‘browning’ until the last 15 minutes (of the 45). I almost turned the heat up a bit and was glad I didn’t. When it says ‘heaping’ cup of flour…believe ie. Total, I ended up using 1 1/2 cups of flour. During the first half hour, I just came back and whisked it, scraping the bottom, every 4-5 minutes. During the last 15 minutes I had to stir constantly. I did not precook the andouille. I tossed it into the pot with the vegies. At the 15 minute mark for the vegies, I stirred in the Cajun seasoning and a bit of salt and cookied for another 15 minutes on simmer to finish cooking the sausage. With 3 minutes left, I stirred in the shrimp. Perfect! For those who say this isn’t authentic…nothing really is. Even in Louisiana, I found a vast variety of difference in how gumbo was prepared. Some use tomato, okra, file powder, etc. Some don’t. They are all authentic.
Great gumbo and easy to make thanks to Lauren!
I also add cut okra and it helps thicken up the gumbo.
This gumbo is amazing! I add more seasoning and add thyme and bay leaves and okra but it’s DELICIOUS! For those that say it’s not good, they’re just not following instructions or not tasting it before serving. I always add more seasoning than listed. Heavy salt and pepper too!
When do you add the okra and keep them from being slimy?
I added mine with the rest of the vegetables. No issues at all.
I use frozen okra no slime and add it at same time of other veggies. I never have slime. I add a bit of tobasco as well.
My friend tells me the only way to make a true gumbo is use an ingredient called file` not flour to make the roux. Have you heard of this,? and does it really make a difference in the taste?
File’ is ground sassafras. I typically don’t use it.
But, if you do….add it to your bowl instead of the pot. It can make your entire pot of gumbo too thick and earthy tasting.
Easy to follow recipe. Took longer than 1hr 20 minutes more like 2hrs 45 minutes but only because the roux! Definitely saving this recipe
I almost never leave reviews, rate a recipe, but this is rich and delicious and a crowd pleaser. I will make this again and again. Thank you for sharing it.
Not good, tastes burnt
If it tastes burnt, you most likely burned the roux….
This has happened to me Laura. Most likely burned the roux. If you burn the roux then all the gumbo is ruined. If you have any idea that the roux is burned, throw it out and start over.
Came back from the Texas coast with a bunch of crab and added it to your recipe to make my first gumbo. I made my own broth by cooking raw shrimp in shell first.
My roux was a beautiful chocolate brown and oh my goodness…following your recipe made this gumbo so delicious! Thank you for sharing! Absolutely loved it!
Down in Louisiana, we make it a little differently. First of all, we have different types, such as seafood, beef, chicken, etc. Also, we don’t measure, we just add, and it tastes delicious, but your recipe is fantastic.
This was horrible. I made it as instructed, the rue was awful and ruined the whole thing. Your instrctions to let it cook until forming a cookie dough consistency means that it cooks too long and tastes really bad. Yuck.
Roux. You burned the roux. Not the recipes fault.
Really good!
Not authentic N’Orleans gumbo. If you’re making chicken and sausage gumbo, you start by stewing your own whole halved chicken in chicken broth and celery, remove to debone.. add in green onions and seasoning, roux and un-browned smoked sausage. Unbleached flour makes the best roux. Now for Seafood Gumbo, my parents won awards and no one I know ever used precooked shrimp. Seafood gumbo is a long recipe and takes most of the day to make including peeling and deveining our own shrimp and picking through lump crabmeat for shells.
Finally, someone that must be from Louisiana or have roots here. I’m not knocking the recipe but I’ve never heard of using precooked shrimp. And yes, you have to peel and devein you own shrimp and pick through lump crabmeat for shells. We also add the “Holy Trinity”(bell peppers, onions and celery) to the roux, not boil it in broth. Enjoy!
I followed this recipe to a T – I even made my own chicken stock – sorry, it had such an overwhelming flour taste – inedible. Again, followed directions exactly and took a long time for the roux and it all looked exactly like the pictures, but really not good due to floury taste. Had to spend money on take out after spending most of my day cooking this. Very disappointing.
I’m really sorry it didn’t work for you–but something must have gone wrong in your preparation. This recipe has hundreds of comments from people who had great success.
Did you add flour to the roux toward the of the process? Under cooked flour is the only reason you would taste it.
So glad I came across this way of making the roux. My feet thank you and it’s very good too!
Yum! Didn’t have sausage or chicken but added lump crab meat at the end. Came out rich and delicious.
That Joes seasoning is $33 for a 1.3 pound bottle. Try Tony Chacheres instead. Delicious and hella cheaper.
I use this recipe every time I make gumbo. I am now trying to count macros and I see the nutrition info but do not see the serving size. Is it 1 cup? How many pieces of shrimp and andouille sausage would be in that serving size?
the Roux takes the longest to make but over all it was delicious
Fantastic and authentic!
Only one question: This clearly makes more than the listed 6 servings, so I’m curious what serving size is used to calculate the nutritional info (494 calories, etc.)?
Thanks for an amazing meal!
Hi Brian! Glad to hear you are loving the gumbo. The nutritional info is based on 6 servings. Thanks for stopping in to review and comment!
This recipe was a big hit with my family.. Thank you
Thanks for the recipe! Here is what I did:
1. Followed the roux recipe, but realized that it was going to make too much for the serving size I needed. Ended up removing about 1/2 cup of the final product
2. The roux took about 90 minutes for me. I cooked it on really low in my cast iron dutch oven.
3. I added my veggies directly into the roux (after I removed about 1/2 cup) and sauteed for about 10 minutes.
4. I added the garlic, cajun seasonings, and pepper
5. At this stage, I was making gumbo for a vegan and non-vegan crowd. So I separated part of the mixture to a different pot for the vegan.
6. For the non-vegan, I added 2 cups broth from boiled seasoned chicken breasts (saved the chicken breasts to shred for this recipe)
7. For the vegan recipe, I reconstituted about 2/3 cup of dehydrated wild mushrooms. I poured the mushrooms and the liquid into that pot and stirred. I also had pre-seared vegan sausages to add later
8. I cooked each of the mixtures for about 30 minutes before adding vegan sausage for the vegan, and the shredded chicken and chicken sausage for the non-vegan.
9. For the non-vegan one, I added halved shrimps at the end.
Overall, delicious!
Its not vegan if you are making it with chicken broth??
My favorite go to take & bake store did not have gumbo for Fat Tuesday so I decided to try this – OMGOODNESS
It is so good! Now my husband asks for this on cold days. 🤣😵💫🤣
Gumbo made right is an involved process! But once you make to the end, you’re good! This recipe turned out GREAT. Instead of precooked shrimp I added my seafood in last and raw and let it simmer to avoid overcooked chewy shrimp. I also added in crawfish tails and smoked turkey necks.
Great idea. Do the smoked turkey necks add a strong smoked flavor of is it kinda mild. Crowded are perfrct.
Not satisfied . I have family in Louisiana and I would never serve this to them . Felt like I wasted good meat and time to make . I’ve followed many gumbo recipes to the tee. This was the worst hands down.
Gumbo = okra
Where’s the okra????
My husband and I would order gumbo from our favorite restaurant, but unfortunately it closed down. I decided to try this recipe for a Fat Tuesday celebration, and oh my goodness, it was just as delicious as the gumbo from that restaurant we loved. I will definitely be making this again and plan to try your other recipes as well.
The gumbo recipe is very good and it made a great gumbo thank you so much for sharing the recipe
Patience is correct on roux. 40 minutes of constant stirring and heat regulation. Gumbo was a hit. I had opened container of vegetable broth in frig so used it up before adding chicken broth.
It was delicious! It was simple to make. It just requires a lot of patience for making the roux. Also, try to devein jumbo shrimp and put it in last. Shrimps should not be overcooked.
I used this recipe to make gumbo for our Christmas dinner. This was my first time making it and it was soooooooo good. Everyone loved it! I did add crab meat to the recipe and used raw shrimp and cooked prior to adding it to the pot with all the juices from cooking them. I did not use the whole celery, but just chopped up the leaves. I made the gumbo the day before Christmas to let it sit over night and it was extremely flavorful. The total cooking time was a lot longer than expected. The roux alone took almost 2 hours, but it was all worth it. I am most definitely making this again for my kids’ birthday party this weekend.
Nice! I want to come to your birthday parties.
Best gumbo I’ve ever had! Note, cooking times are much longer. I cooked the roux for almost 2 hours and the finished pot of gumbo for an hour and a half. Also, try sautéing chicken thighs after cooking the andouille sausage instead of the rotisserie chicken. Truly the best ever!
Just made this recipe, and I love how it looks. The flavor though came out tasting as raw vegetables. So I would recommend cooking vegetables first. Otherwise I definitely recommend!
Loved this recipe, the gumbo came out fantastic! I did have to use quite a bit more flour than called for, probably closer to a cup and half to get the consistency right, but the flavor was tremendous and turned out beautifully!
It turned out very well. I added a bit more flour but otherwise turned out fairly tasty 😋! It had a great flavor!
This was sensational!!! Aside from the sore wrist making the roux, it was worth it. Turned out perfectly!!! Thanks so much for sharing.
Good gumbo👍
I just made this tonight. It’s very good. I added cayenne pepper for a little kick. If it weren’t for the kids, I would’ve used andouille and more cayenne. But it’s delicious as it is. Thank you for the recipe!
Awesome receipe easy step by step it soothes the soul to have a bowl in the winter in Texas.
Disappointed! Far too much flour.
It was pasty.
Won’t be making it again.
Sorry 😞
Probably didn’t make a dark roux then…
Used this recipe my first time making gumbo. I appreciate the details on how to make a roux and such. Tasted retry good. Would’ve been better with okra, which I didn’t think about adding until after I was eating it.
OMG! Raving about this recipe. EVERYTHING
I made a vegan version of this and it was so good! I replaced the sausage with a spicey plant based sausage, added fried tofu, and plantbased chicken crumbles. Served over brown rice. Thanks for the recipe it was pretty easy to follow and since I never made this before I was nervous but it worked out great.
Best Gumbo EVER!!! I generally cook with a lot of yellow and red peppers, so I used those instead of the green pepper since I had them on hand. I also opted to air fry okra and sprinkled it on top rather than cook them in the gumbo.
This recipe sounds AMAZING!!!!! I cant wait to try making this for me and my dad!! YUM YUM YUMMY!
easy to follow recipe. My very first time making Gumbo! I went to New Orleans in November and sampled lots of Gumbo! This recipe brought me right back to the French Quarter!
After browning andouille sausage, I removed the sausage to a plate, sautéed the veggies in the sausage pan on medium low heat before adding all the big pot with roux and broth. Added uncooked, thawed frozen shrimp at the end.
Outstanding recipe!
Love it – cant wait to have it done and enjoying
I followed this recipe to the “T” and it came out perfect. I didn’t deviate much.
I have always had problems making dark roux but your instructions were easy to follow. Family loved the gumbo and asked me to make more for our New Years get together!
Missing the gumbo file. I added two teaspoons and a few dashes of Louisiana hotsauce. These two things take this recipe from being a nice soup to remerable gumbo.
My Dad is from Lake Charles and he taught me how to make gumbo. I love it how you have the the badic recipe and you add what you like to it. He didn’t serve it with potatoe salad bit I like potato salad so I’m not opposed to it. We also don’t put okra in ours but serve it on the side for those who do. I grew up in San Francisco so the crab we use is dungyness. It is not as sweet as blue crabs but is very meaty and earthy. I just finished making a pot!
This recipe is very authentic and so delicious!! I come from a family of foodies…born in the deep South and have family New Orleans. This recipe reminds me of my childhood visiting my ‘Aunt Glo’ (Gloria) who is a phenomenal cook and the queen of Cajun Cooking! I made this for my family for our Christmas dinner and it was a total crowd pleaser…even the foodie critics agreed it was the best they ever had!! Problem was everyone wanted some to take some home and there was no leftovers for the cook! Oh well…had to sacrifice the left overs for a meal that no one will ever forget! Well worth it! Thank you for sharing! 5 Stars!!
Love the recipe. One thing you mentioned at the end is potato salad. You should try the gumbo on top of it. My aunt and her family which are authentic Cajuns have always done it like this. How authentic are they you might ask. Her parents only spoke Cajun french from Lake Charles area.
Delicious! I used cassava flour to make the roux, turkey kielbasa instead of pork kielbasa, and 3 chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken. Turned out amazing.
First time making a dark roux and gumbo. It turned out excellent. My picky boys ate all of theirs 👍
Simply outstanding. The rotisserie chicken didn’t look great so I roasted my own and made the stock the day before. Also made my own Cajun seasoning. Everything was really easy and tasted great. As promised it was even better for lunch the following day.
Not authentic, I’m a full blooded coonass, you never mix chicken and shrimp in a gumbo! Please STOP saying it’s gumbo, when you’re making a chicken and shrimp soup!!!
Maybe you’re way isn’t the only way bud.
One of the great things about gumbo is your can improvise and make changes based on what you like. Nothing wrong with combining chicken and shrimp.
I had to go back and downgrade my rating. I doubt the author ever even cooked this. Not only are the boiled vegetables never right, it’s under seasoned. Also, why would you use precooked shrimp? You get less shrimp flavor (and it needs MORE flavor) and if you cook long enough to marry the flavors the shrimp fall apart. I was born in NOLA and raised in Louisiana and I’m ashamed that I didn’t trust myself to make up my own recipe. My mama would spank me!
Bruce, leave your spankings out of this.
Not good. This is the one and only time my husband didn’t LOVE my Cajun cooking. I don’t know why I went with this recipe, it seemed different. I was hoping for better but next time I will stick to what I know.
YOUR Cajun cooking must not be that good if you had to seek out another recipe 🙂
obviously you are not from south louisiana.
This is the absolute worst recipe I’ve ever made. It’s so awful it’s hard to know where to begin. It’s heavy, too much oil, the directions are not clear, it’s got zero flavor and it’s a waste of expensive ingredients. I cooked the roux perfectly for 40 mins..all downhill.
Way too much flour. I should’ve stuck to my original authentic Cajun recipe but it had been a long time since making and I was second guessing myself. All I tasted was roux and flour, no seasoning. Cut it in half.
Is this gumbo recipe enough for 10 servings?
Great recipe. I added clams, okra and mini eggplants (new vege for me). Made way too much for just one person! 🙂
Great recipe will try but going to substitute sausage for crab. My husband and I have to watch pork intake. Cooking for Christmas great recipe. Keep up the good work.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I made this in the beginning of November. It was a huge hit. I’m hanging solo for Thanksgiving, tomorrow, so I’m making it as my meal. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I have nothing but praise for it. God Bless.
Delish!
Thank you for this delicious recipe! It was easy to follow and came out so good. Already made it a second time.
Just a hint: Making the roux in the way described here took way too long for me. So I baked the flour beforehand for about 20 minutes at 200 degree Celsius and then added it to the oil.
Good morning.2 questions:
*How does the baking of the flour expedite making the roux?
*Do you just put the flour in a pile on a cookie sheet?
Baking the flour browns it and makes the nutty flavor come out – it jump starts the roux by about 1/2. You can also buy jarred roux. It is the quick and easy way and the roux tastes just like it should.
I made this for company dinner last night. It was enjoyed by all 6 of us and half us (the men, ha) had seconds. I added some tomatoes.
Delicious!!!
File and okra make a gumbo thicken, though a roux can be used. But this is a different gumbo. If you begin at Panama City and go west through LA, stopping at all the Mam and Papie’s to taste the gumbo, you will find it is served a hundred ways. Potatoes at first, and then rice as you get farther west – a soup – until you get into NO where you will get it served over rice. Right in the middle, in Navarre, it is best!
Let me start by saying I’ve never made nor had gumbo so I can’t speak to it authenticity. I DO know that this came out VERY VERY good! My family loves and has asked that I keep this in rotation. Thank you for the recipe.
Made this recipe tonight and it was fantastic. We didn’t change a thing and the taste was beautiful. Thank you!
I’m actually from New Orleans…born and raised…and down here we do not add shrimp to our chicken and sausage gumbo…that’s in our seafood gumbo dish…
Easy enough recipe though its not really a gumbo without the file powder… File adds a complex earthy flavor and also works as a thickening agent. Also to be called an authentic New Orleans style gumbo, okra and jalapeños need to be there..
Would have been nice to have a ballpark amount of salt and pepper.
Pro Tip check out Alton browns method of baking your roux name results in less failure much easier to do
Oh My!!!
This is amazing. Definitely a keeper. I’m a Yankee from up north, but lived in the South for many years. This is so good. Thank you for sharing this.
Outstanding recipe. Got a 5! from both my wife and a friend who took home leftovers.
Way too much onion in this recipe. Use a small yellow onion (not a large) or a half of a large. Also, if you want your veggies soft (like most gumbos), you should probably sauté them first.
So I’d say it’s a very good recipe with some tweaks:
Half the onion
Twice the pepper
Half the parsley
Sauté the veggies first (to soften)
The holy trinity is equal parts onion, celery, and green bell pepper…. so no that would be incorrect.
Amazing 10/10
Yummy! If you add okra, I recommend a package or two of the dried snack (Trader Joes sells). I like to serve it over dirty rice cooked with red kidney beans. Thank you for this!
Have made this twice, now. Incredibly good!
Recommend adding okra and limiting broth to 6 cups.
For an added treat, substitute genuine Wild Rice!
Great! Love Gumbo a true American melting pot recipe that takes French, American Indian, Spanish, German and African ingredients And cooking methods into one dish!
John Coffee, I like your opinion on this classic dish. Tonight I made gumbo and had to be creative with some of the ingredients but it’s still looking to taste really good. Mine started with homemade turkey stock and white and dark meat from the leftover thanksgiving bird. I had a “cheat” package of dehydrated gumbo vegetables and seasoning. I also added a can of Rotel tomatoes and chiles, some more fresh chopped celery and shallots, a can of seasoned black beans with the liquid, some chopped ham, some leftover cooked brown and wild rice, some shrimp, and an assortment of seasonings that compliment gumbo flavors. Didn’t measure much precisely as I’ve been cooking by taste and experience for more than 50 years! Planning to add some file powder to each bowl. Wished I had okra and didn’t make the roux, but this was a “finish off the turkey” dish for the most part. Sometime when I have all the ingredients I will try this specific recipe. In the meantime I encourage folks to trust themselves and learn to be creative when they don’t have all the ingredients for a recipe. In many ways recipes for soups, stews, casseroles, etc are intended as guidelines for what you think tastes good together, and often using what you have on hand. Experimenting is a large part of the fun of cooking.
Heated my Roux for 1 hour on medium low and still couldn’t achieve chocolate colored roux, it was a caramel color. Seemed a little runny so I had more flour, but maybe too late..it was added around 30 minutes.
I did add a can of diced tomatoes. It turned out delicious.
Love this recipe!! I usually half it as best I can because even at half it fills my soup pot. Lol
Truly delicious recipe! This has become my go-to gumbo recipe. The roux makes all the difference in creating the deep flavor. Thank you for posting with pictures! Really helps to understand how long to cook the roux.
This recipe was a HUGE hit with my whole family. I added okra and a seafood medley to the recipe. It was unbelievably good. I will be making this again!!
Young lady I have been making gumbo at the elbow of my long gone grandfather for 40 years. You got this right but for the OKRA. Gumbo is Bantu for okra. You are not making gumbo if you do not use Okra. You have made stew. As a creole myself this was a recipe is very well written. Thank you for not being condescending. However if you could add a little historical context to what this meal comes from. That would make it all the Richer. Because you see gumbo is the whole world in a spoon. Enslaved people brought okra seeds to America. It’s a soup thickener. So if you don’t like it because it’s slimey, you have to cook it down.
Otherwise enjoy your stew.
Camille-Bettina
I love your addition that a meal such as this goes hand in hand with heritage. Thank you for the Okra addition. This was my first time making this gumbo.
Cutting up and then Browning the chicken keeps it from becoming stringy. It takes longer than an hour to prepare properly.
This recipe is 100% the real thing. I’m from Louisiana and if you follow any gumbo recipe on the internet this is it! Well done!
Thank you for this tasty recipe. The roux flavour was a bit strong, but we went on the low side with the stock. I plan to make it again.
I made this for supper, DELISH! Unfortunately, my hubby is allergic to chicken so I used smoked pork shoulder. It was still fabulous. Also had a yellow pepper instead of green. Leftovers are in the freezer amd I will take on an upcoming vacation. Will be great to warm up and serve over rice in the condo!
Easy to follow made it up very tasty in about an hour
Recipe was easy to follow and turned out pretty good. I added a lot more Cajun spice and okra. It was definitely better the next day. I Didn’t think the shrimp were necessary and I usually love seafood. May need hot sauce too.
Excellent. Since this is “tastes better from scratch” and I had the time, I made my own stock from one fresh chicken carcass, the shrimp shells, salt pork rind, a celery, a carrot and an onion. Made fresh Cajun seasoning with the aforementioned recipe as well and followed the instructions here. Highly recommend.
Delicious…rustic savory taste. It was pretty mild following the recipe, added a couple dashes of Louisiana style hot sauce over white rice and it was awesome!
I made this mostly to recipe but added okra. It was delicious. Using a rotisserie chicken saved huge amounts of time. It was delicious.
First time! It was great!! Made my own cajun seasoning from the link provided and it was amazing!! Thank you
It was a homerun!!
This is pretty close to my own recipe, and I’d like to add to it to make it my/your own..
Make you own Cajun seasoning, and omit salt and cayenne. I use Chef Emeril’s blend from his recipe: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/chicken-and-smoked-sausage-gumbo-3645600
I use a mix of homemade and Tony Cachere’s.
Use Smoked Paprika instead of sweet.
If you can’t find any, use liquid Smoke as you’re adding vegetables. It usually contains vinegar, and this gives the vinegar time to cook off.
Alternatively, I’ve never met a person that boils the trinity. It must be sautéed, or “sweated”.
Unfortunately this was so bitter and salty that we could not eat it. We had not even added the meat when we tasted it.
The broth was home made without salt. I have no idea what we did wrong. What a disappointment.
My first time making Gumbo and it was a hit! I skipped the sausage and it didn’t matter because the recipe is already so flavorful. I used Tony Chachere More Spice for the creole seasoning.
This is a great recipe. I used Tony’s creole seasoning. I find that it lacked a bit of acidity. I would recommend adding the juice from 1 lemon or a 1/4 of a cup of apple cider vinegar. Adding a can of diced tomatoes is also great way to round out the flavor and counter the saltiness (though adding tomatoes seems to be controversial in some parts of Louisiana) and a couple tablespoons of asian fish sauce can add a perfect amount of umami and bring out more flavor in the shrimp.
If it comes out greasy then it means you need to add more flour.
Great concept but very greasy. I would cut the oil in half and substitute more chicken broth. Otherwise this is great.
If you make a dry rue in the oven there is much less grease. Also drain the grease after cooking the sausage and just use 1 or 2 tablespoons.
This recipe is awesome and a must keep! I added a few more seasonings and used turkey sausage.
Wonderful easy recipe. It was very easy to follow. Mine turned out great.
Though it was great the night I made it, the next day though it was really salty. Thinking of trying low sodium chicken stock, and not using the Polska kielbasa. Just the andouille sausage and chicken.
Worth trying again!
Many Cajun spice mixes are mostly salt. It’s easy to make your own and control the salt level. I had a similar problem.
I made this gumbo for the first time and it was delicious my family loved it
I just tried this recipe – my first time cooking cajun. I love it. So do my father and my wife. Thanks a lot. I’m looking forward to trying more.
It turned out bland and too salty maybe due to the saltiness of sausage and rotisserie chicken I added. Won’t be making it again.
Maybe you missed step #7? 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.
Or low sodium chicken broth. I thought it was good.
Excellent foundational recipe! I fell in love with gumbo 55 years ago. My grandmother made it out of leftovers and some fish & crab we kids would catch in the bay. Secret was the rue. Your proportions are spot on.
Epic Gumbo! This was so new for us and so fun. I really wasn’t even sure what a good authentic gumbo would taste like! This is just fantastic! The roux gives it a deep, rich, nutty flavor that’s unbeatable and unexpected . 100% will hold onto this recipe and make it again! We do like spicy and we may have gone overboard on the chicken amount so did add more Cajun spice along the way with red pepper flakes and a couple jalapenos . No other alterations and it doesn’t need any! We love it!
Amazing gumbo packed with flavor, a big hit in my house!! I do have a question, if I freeze the leftover gumbo and reheat it, can I store the leftovers of the gumbo I reheated?
Amazing. I’ve made this a few times and it is just delish.
I try it your way and it turned out excellent. I have to say my family loved it! Thank you for sharing your recipe with us!
I used quail breast for the meat, amazing Aidells Andouille, and Gulf shrimp. The process was a bit stressful because I was so afraid I would burn it. But these instructions were so helpful. Thank you Lauren! I did add more flour while stirring the roux.
My family was crazy about it with Jasmine rice on the side of the bowl. The amount of meat to roux was perfect. I put the left overs in the freezer and they tonight it tasted even better! That just doesn’t happen. While making the roux, I said “never again” and now I am thinking of the next time I can make it and use up the quail my husband has brought home. I doubled he recipe.
Rather bland. I used the link for the cajun seasoning. I would not recommend it.
Thank you. I live out off the Atlantic Coast in Canada (Newfoundland) but for many years lived in Texas and often went to Louisiana. Married a Southern wife (now sadly gone). Haven’t made a Cajun gumbo for a while–decades now that I think about it–usually going more Creole. Saw this and decided to show the kids the differences since they were home. Different ingredients as southern ingredients hard to obtain here: I used 3 different kinds of local peppery/paprika-y sausages, meat from 2 roasted duck legs and the meat from 2 roasted chicken thighs. Threw in 1/2 a red pepper as well.
Anyway, kids (grown now) had never seen a true dark roux as I typically go brown roux for Creole gumbo. And they thought gumbo had to contain shrimp and tomatoes by definition. (Guess I’m a bad parent!) But they were impressed.
GREAT article and, yes, authentic recipe. No frills. Just downright good Cajun cooking with minimal “fancy” ingredients but a lot of love. I find it amazing to this day how much taste Cajun/Creole chefs can get with the most basic of ingredients with sufficient knowledge (**cough** red beans and rice/calas fritters/etc. **cough). The original settlers who worked out this cuisine were simply awe inspiring.
Thanks again.
So good! I added some fire roasted diced tomatoes and a couple of bay leaves as well.
I’ve made so many gumbos that ended up being a total flop but after making this recipe verbatim, it’s absolutely DELICIOUS. I was so happy with it!! I’ve made this recipe so many times because of how good it is. I add in okra for extra veggies and will be adding crab meat to give it even more flavor.
I have been sitting on this recipe forever and finally decided to make. I used shrimp and turkey sausage. I didn’t have the patience to let the roux get super dark but it was still a nice brown. I also added Gumbo file which is ground sassafras leaves and hot sauce to get the right kick. The spicer the better for my household. Gumbo is delicious and flavorful and I will definitely make again!!
This was easy and yummy. It’s a bit too smoky for my kids. Is that the seasoning I bought or cooking the roux a long time?
You won’t have to worry about having a lot of leftovers with this dish. My family almost at the whole pot of the gumbo. It is delicious and easy to make. The worst part was having the patience to make the roux. This will be a regular meal in our household. Next time, I am doubling the batch.
Yummy AF and I don’t usually make complicated stuff, but this was good. Your own Roux being dark and home made chicken stock makes the difference.
I made this per the recipe for the second time yesterday…and it came out great both times. For the second time, I:
–used a whisk when cooking the roux. It worked infinitely better than a cooking spoon
–after flipping over the Andouille, I threw in the chopped yellow onion…to “sweat it” a little bit.
–I made a homemade broth using six bone-in but skinned thighs (threw in some onion, celery, bell pepper, and thyme for flavor). So this gave me the homemade broth AND the cooked chicken.
Otherwise, I did everything else per the recipe. My wife and two teenagers absolutely LOVE this dish. It will now be part of our arsenal of dinner dishes!
I’ve been wanting to make gumbo for some time now. I had no confidence at all that I could make the roux properly. After a generic search for gumbo recipes I came across your website. Everything was well laid out and the pics and video were great. Me and my wife went right to the market and picked up whatever missing items we didn’t have. Still being very nervous about making the roux I definitely kept the heat lower than I probably should have. It took me just over an hour to achieve the right color, but I did get it and now I know better for next time. Everything else went great and me and my wife had a great afternoon working together to make it. As far as taste… it was absolutely delicious…. every bit as good as some of the best gumbo we have had in the past. Thank you so much for such a great recipe and for a great afternoon spent with my wife.
Try the oven roux. I tried it and never looked back. Its the only reason I still make gumbo or ettouffe.
Thanks. An absolutely superb way of civilizing the making of a roux (and turning it from an ordeal into a genteel, low intensity, almost pleasant experience.
Thanks for the encouragement to be patient with the roux. I actually let it get DARK this time, and it obviously makes or breaks the recipe. I left out the green onions and garlic cloves – the recipe for the Cajun spice had enough of the extra flavors to make this one extraordinary meal. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
My husband and I made your gumbo the only thing I did different is add crab meat! It turned out great!! Thanks for the recipe.
Best gumbo recipe next to my grandma’s! Added file at the end because I love it. Gumbo is a labor of love, so I don’t rush the roux – mix a drink, recruit company to chop veggies while I stir and 45 minutes later I’m looking at a perfect roux. It turned out amazing!! Thank you for sharing!
I have made this recipe a number of times now, and it is delicious!!! The only two changes I made we’re adding some crab meat and filé! The roux does need to be cooked at a higher temperature than indicated, but that’s just a personal preference.
I made this recipe today for the third time, and it was the best test! My husband asked me to use olive oil in the roux, even though other internet sites advised against it. It worked out well! A beautiful roux resulted. Our gumbo simmered on low all afternoon and it tasted so good! Thank you for all the steps and for the video instructions, as well.
I’m making this recipe for the third time and want to share my experiences. First time—the roux took almost two hours to make because I was afraid I’d burn it. Great flavor, however. Second time-I did burn the roux, but just started over. However, my Dutch oven had gotten nice and hot, so my new roux was perfect in hardly any time at all. So today, third time, I’ve heated the pot with water that has simmered a while. But today I’m worried because my hubby wants me to use olive oil. Everything I’ve read says not to use EVOO for gumbo roux. I’ll report how this turns out!
We are big big fans of this recipe! And I always add okra to my gumbo 😋
Loved this. Turn out just as planned and tasted great. Was not as difficult as I expected when I first read the directions. Really like the shortcut of buying the rotisserie chicken and making my own broth. Keeping this for future use!
The only thing I found missing was the file’. Other than that, this is pretty much spot on!!
Made this recipe with frozen okra, and a package of 6 fresh dark chicken quarters (bones/skins removed, and chopped up into bite size pieces). I also fried the roux/ingredients in a pan as necessary, but I used a slow cooker so that it would cook low and slow while I was asleep (I work overnights and sleep during the day). I woke up to a delicious gumbo that I could freeze in portions for my lunches. Only things I need to remember are to use shrimp without tails (they fell off the shrimp in the stewing process), and to use a LOT of cajun seasoning. I added a quarter of the bottle to the gumbo, and I still need to add more when eating it. It really is a strongly flavoured, yet delicious, dish. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Despite so many issues expressed by a number of folks echoing my own with getting the roux to the proper color and texture, IT IS DELICIOUS! I shared the results with a number of friends, and it got rave reviews. Including from me 🙂
I think the main roux issue is the temperature indicated to cook the roux…medium low did not work for me, though (see earlier post) maybe my difficulty had to do with using a far different pan than Janet (metal vs. porcelain-covered cast iron, i.e. Le Creuset). However…
My curiosity got the best of me, so I consulted a couple of chefs (particularly those associated with New Orleans cuisine), and every one of them had an issue with the burner temperature, indicating roux is *always* cooked at medium high – which is why you must stir constantly to avoid burning. For me, that made perfect sense. Easy fix. My gas stove dials range from low to high, with med low, medium, med high in the middle. My medium low took me 2hours and 20 minutes to achieve the chocolate color, along with having to add a full 1/2 c. flour to achieve the desired consistency. I only record this to help anyone else. I AM SAVING THIS RECIPE IN MY ARCHIVES – live and learn.
So, thanks, Janet! Another wonderful yummy recipe for my files!
Best,
Patty
I’m glad to find a traditional gumbo recipe. The others were a perverted rendition of base recipe. I couldn’t remember how much oil to flour, and I read your entire recipe. I’m pleasantly surprised to find an authentic (EXCEPT FOR THE COOKED CHICKEN LOL) recipe. I’ve been cooking professionally since I was 12, so I can be a snob about recipes. Thanks!
OMG!!! I am a newbie to gumbo but your directions made it so easy and took my fear away when I thought I was going too far with my roux. I excluded the chicken because I was only prepared for sausage and shrimp, but it was still filling and oh so yummy!! I used Slap Yo’ Mama yellow cajun seasoning and it had just the right amount of spice for us. My kids who hate spicy foods were even giving it a thumbs up! We’ll definitely be making it again!
This recipe is horrible. For the amount of flour and oil, there was no way to get it light brown in 30 min. and the consistency shown in your picture. It was too dark and tasted burnt and awful.
Hi Janet, making a roux can require practice. If it tasted “burnt” it was burnt, and you’d need to start over.
If you let the skillet get too hot, it is likely to burn – and that can happen in seconds. I made a roux tonight, took about 30-35 minutes on medium heat (the setting on my electric stove top for this is 4), stirring the ENTIRE time with a whisk to get it to chocolate brown. Sometimes, I turn the heat down for a few minutes….I use an iron skillet, they hold the heat and can get really hot. Yes, patience is required because you do have to constantly stir or the roux will burn. By the way, I don’t make my gumbo like this, but I expect this would work. There are hundreds of ways to make gumbo….and if you season well, it will probably taste good. I typically use a combo of chicken stock and stock made from shrimp shells and heads and the smaller parts of crab that are too labor intensive to get the meat out….just smash them and cook them with the shrimp shells. this will add lots of flavor to your stock.
You have to constantly stir it. If you don’t you end up with butnt flour. As the author says, add oil or flour to get the consistency you want.
Hi Janet – see my subsequent comment. I wonder if making the roux in that amount of time to get it that DARK (without burning) needs a specific kind of pan. I used my LeCreuset Dutch oven, at exactly “medium-low heat” on a gas stove, and after 2 hours+ (I kid you not – fortunately I had set aside the entire day as a pajamas-and-cook day, LOL) – and the addition of a full 1/2 c. more of flour, it refused to get that thickness in the photos, or that dark brown – I did not burn it, either. I notice in the video she used a metal type pan for the roux – my Dutch oven is enamel-coated cast iron – hmmm. So since the roux is designated as the KEY ingredient…it’s concerning. Wanted to share my experience with you! There’s more info in my comment. I also am puzzled that the shrimp used in the recipe is cooked ahead of time.
You have to constantly stir it. If you don’t you end up with butnt flour. As the author says, add oil or flour to get the consistency you want.
Dont blame the recipe for getting your roux too hot. You burnt the roux, slow down and take your time.
It tasted exactly as I hoped! Since I don’t eat pork or shellfish, I used Turkey sausage, and turkey stock that I made from the Thanksgiving turkey. The roux did take about 25 minutes but I stayed with it and it worked out perfectly. I suggest that you note how long it should take in your instructions. I too added some okra, just because, that’s what I expect in gumbo. We will make it again, Thanks!
This is a great gumbo, the Roux gave it a very deep nice flavor. Both the kids and my Luisiana born husband loved it. I could not get enough of it. So delicious.
I did not have rotisserie chicken so I browned chicken cubes on the sausage fat, then cooked the chicken with the vegetables. I used canned broth and a great Cajun seasoning I picked up in Louisiana recently.
I froze half the gumbo so we are excited to have those leftovers soon. Hopefully it is as tasty as fresh.
Thank you for sharing!!
I’ve cooked my roux for an hour 30 mins and can’t get it thickened. What am I doing wrong?
Add more flour and continue cooking :-).
Truly a hit in my household of picky eaters! I added okra because it’s a personal favorite but it would’ve been great without it too.
Delicious recipe and first time making gumbo! Ours featured chicken, chorizo sausage, mussels and shrimp. Would have rated a 5 but roux directions called for excessive browning that would have led to burning if entire recommended time was allowed for stirring process. Otherwise, all good and will definitively be making this gumbo again.
That’s exactly how you make it. Any fasrer ,and you end up with an inferior product. I rnded up on this page because, I couldn’t remember the portions. Otherwise this is a very traditional recipe that, shouldn’t be deferred from.
Once I got past making the roux, I felt like a champ! Great recipe. We had this for our New Year’s meal and I believe it will become a tradition. Thank you! For those who are panicked about the roux, I suggest watching YouTube. It gave me all the courage I needed!
Super flavored…delicious!!
Could one make the roux with rice flour? I have a gluten issue in the family. Thoughts?
I enjoyed this recipe, however, was a little disappointed that you didn’t add okra. I ended up adding it.
My husband really liked it.
Thanks for sharing.
This Gumbo was insanely good!! I did not have any okra that was not breaded. So I added some chopped spinach. Oh man was this good. Thanks!!! Yummy goodness!!
Could you please recommend a “good brand” or source to purchase quality andouille sausage? I’m looking to replicate my Grandma’s authentic gumbo and I specifically remember her saying “there IS no substitute for GOOD andouille” 😎 thank you in advance!
HI! I have made this twice now. It is really really good! The second time I made it I doubled it. My husband loved it and I did too. Thanks!
Delicious. Well worth the time to prepare.
This turned out so delicious. I have tried other Gumbo recipes and the family didn’t like them. However, this was a hit with all of the teenagers. I will be keeping this recipe!
I was asked why I didn’t make French Quarter Beignets for dessert.
Really wanted to love this recipe, but I cooked my roux to a nice dark, chocolate color (think 72% dark chocolate) and it had a terrible, bitter, burnt taste (it took 35 minutes to get to this color, so I figured I was on the right track). I think stopping at a roasted peanut butter color or milk chocolate color would have been more appropriate. Keep in mind that the roux is incredibly hot and will continue to cook as it sits in the pan or pot (mine turned to a 85% dark chocolate color even after I removed it from the heat). I thought maybe all the fresh vegetables and stock would dilute the burt flavor, but it wasn’t enough. Ended up throwing it all out. Hopefully the next time with a lighter colored roux will make it a success.
Hi Brian, if it tasted or smelled burnt, it’s because it was burned. You have to cook it slowly, stirring constantly, with a lower heat, to make sure it gets dark brown, without burning. Hope you get to try it again soon!
This was the first Gumbo recipe that I have made from scratch and was truly happy with. It is a very good recipe. Next time, I hope to add okra. The store was out.
Lauren,
My husband, son, and I made this gumbo for Thanksgiving dinner today, and it was nothing short of amazing! We all took turns stirring the roux and pitched in to make side dishes. The gumbo was the star of the show. We have a 20-year-old spiral notebook that holds all of our most cherished, tried, and true recipes. This is the one most recently added. I want to thank you for sharing it with the rest of us!
Great recipe. I made the Cajun seasoning that was listed but cut the salt in half and the cayenne powder in half. This worked out great since boxed chicken stock is high in salt anyway and it wasn’t too spicy. I also added okra and gumbo file. This ones a keeper.
I’m from Nola and can agree this is authentic and THANK YOU for keeping tomatoes out of this recipe. TOMATOES DO NOT BELONG IN GUMBO.
what about gumbo file? the ground sassafras leaves
Just sprinkle a little file’ on each serving. If you put it in the pot it will be slimy.
How can there be gumbo without file? Also, I was taught by my mother-in-law to add okra, and we love it that way.
Amen!
Tell that to Paul Prudhomme.
This recipe is SO good. I made a couple adjustments the last time I made it that I’d recommend. I used half oil and half bacon grease. I added a Tablespoon of gumbo file powder–a must. You can find it at your local grocery. I also added a bunch of sliced okra, and some hot chili powder to taste. Also added some crabmeat. Tho not a necessity I find it boosts it up a level. Finally, I cooked it with a smoked turkey leg. All of this is optional but since I’ve made this recipe a few times, I figured I’d toy around with it a bit. These additions made it fantastic. Be aware the Cajun seasoning is very salty so don’t overdo it.
First time making this recipe and got raves from all! I also had to play with the Roux and ended up adding several Tablespoons of flour to thicken it up. One other note was adding frozen cut okra as a favorite veggie in this dish made it absolutely perfect!! Enjoy.
I have always wanted to make Gumbo, but was a little put off by the amount of ingredients in it. However this seems to be a relative simple recipe, and I am going to make it for Thanksgiving since it will be only my husband and me for dinner.
This was absolutely disgusting. I always heard gumbo is all about the roux. I cooked and stirred for an hour and it looked just like the pictures but tasted like oil. No amount of seasoning covers that up. The oily taste and texture was awful. I literally threw this away. What a waste of ingredients. Will stick with jambalaya in the future.
Hi Jacob,
Im a chef and I normally us butter instead of oil. Try that next time. its a better taste and I was always taught that you make a roux with equal parts butter and flour. hope this is her;pful for you!
Tried this recipe for the first time today. Its pretty good except for the roux, way to much flour and oil for the size pot of gumbo I prepared. Will probably make again but with that one major adjustment.
Smoked all the meat from raw and used the smoked chicken carcass for the broth (including the skins)… 12 hours in the Crock-Pot and strained with a French Press for clarity. Didn’t use any parsley, but otherwise adhered to the recipe. The result is fantastic, wish I could attach the aroma to this post!
Easy to follow instructions and my husband LOVED it!! I have never tried to make this before because I do not like spicy foods. Followed the instructions (made my own Cajun seasoning via the link) and he loved it. Especially amazing since I didn’t taste it along the way. A new favorite!
The recipe is on point. There are a lot people out here who claim to know how to make this delicious poor man/woman cuisine. I prepare the cajun style myself. (Smoke turkey necks, hen, sausage and shrimp. )
About how many servings does this make?
I have made this recipe a half dozen times and the only thing that doesn’t work for me is the ratio of flour to oil for the roux. Other than that I see no need to change anything to make the best gumbo I ever had that didn’t come from the gulf coast. Lotta love in it for sure!
Same for me on the flour ratio. But other than that this recipe did work well. I have tweaked it of course being who I am. Thanks for the recipe.
I’m thinking about making this. You mentioned the flour to oil ratio. How did you adjust?
How did you adjust?
how did you adjust the Roux ingredients fo Gumbo?
Wanting to make this for the Alabama v LSU football game in a few weeks. Wondering about the oil to flour ratio for you. Any tips? Thanks!
What is correct ratio (flour to oil)?
Typically it is a 1:1 ratio with flour and oil.
For those asking:
Coonass here, just make sure you flour is covered with oil. You’re essentially “cooking” the flour til dark or chocolate colored.
If the flour is covered in oil while you mix and stir, you’ll be okay.
Savoie’s premade Roux will cut this recipe time in half. Walmart sells it. It’s not bad at all.
Make no mistake, most of the flavor comes from a properly darkened Roux. Dont get to burt butter colored and call it a day – you’re only short changing yourself.
Go DARK CHOCOLATE on color, but be sure you’re not letting it stick and burn.
Heart healthy people try to use as little oil as possible, but the flavor comes from the darkening in oil and patience.
Good luck!
Ps, if I dont have Tasso (can be hard to find outside La), i throw a but more sausage and a little smoked paprika to get the flavor.
It works.
Perfection in every respect. Well balanced with just enough kick. Beautiful too. I made it without chicken. Had some crawfish tails and leftover mini scallops. That’s hit the spot!
This is some delicious gumbo. I followed the recipe, just added okra along with the other veg and more spices along the way to taste, as suggested. I cooked my roux on a bit lower temp so I wouldn’t smoke out my kitchen and it took about 50min to reach that dark coloring. Prepped it a day in advance and stored it in a glass jar in the fridge. Thought it ended up a tad bitter (first time making it) but as the gumbo simmered and spices/herbs added it really took on a great flavor. Spices I added: ground thyme, oregano, paprika, garlic powder, ton of black pepper, along with a Cajun blend. Was a tad salty but it evened out with simmering and serving with rice. Will 100% make again.
Delicious gumbo. Family says it a keeper
Thanks for your recipe, I have made it several times and it is pretty authentic! This is coming from a New Orleans gal. I will say however that usually gumbo has either meat or seafood. You don’t usually put in both. I would recommend sticking with only chicken and sausage, or making a seafood gumbo where you’ve got shrimp, crab meat etc. etc.
Mine came out WAY too salty but this is not the fault of the recipe. Double check your cajun seasoning and if it has salt in it, tread lightly!
I mixed it up with rice and it was still really good.
My first time ever making Gumbo, the recipe was easy to follow and it turned out great!
Enjoyed this recipe! Was surprised it did not call for okra, but just added it in anyway.
This is a Roux based gumbo so there’s no need for okra as the thickener.
Yes there is a need for okra for thickness if you want thickness..
Most gumbos recipes have the roux.
You have to had okra or file to make it thicker .
A roux purpose is not to thicken something, A roux serves as the base for “most” gumbo recipes where a rich deep, hearty flavor, and texture is desired
This was delicious! I added chard (I know, that’s not right!!!) because I had no okra but it tasted really good with it any way. My teenage son is a picky eater & he had seconds!! (Although some of the veggies got left behind! Oh well…
This recipe is perfection! We made it exactly as the directions stated except we threw in a few fresh jalapenos for extra heat. Don’t make any other gumbo recipe. This is the one!!
Really good
Thoroughly enjoyed making and eating this delicious Gumbo. I cannot get Andouille sausage in New Zealand, so I used a spicy Mexican one. Fortunately, our local supermarket has just stated stocking Cajun spices and a few other ingredients. This is a winner which I shall be feeding my family when lockdown is over and we can get together again.
Plain old smoked sausage works great too if you can’t find andouille.
Can your gumbo recipe be made in an instant pot or slow cooker?
I haven’t tested in either (mostly because the rue is the most time consuming part and must be done on the stove–everything else comes together quickly.)
If you don’t live in Louisiana it can be hard to get the seasonings and ingredients to really make an authentic gumbo. This recipe needs Gumbo Filè and more seafood stock. Gumbo is NOT A STEW, or an ETOUFEE. The dish prepared here is WAAAY too thick.
Great recipe! I use it more as a guideline. I make a dry roux because I’m trying to cut back on calories and I add fresh okra. My great uncle was Cajun and from the great state of LA and when he made gumbo it always had okra. But his gumbo took FOREVER to make! This recipe has some great time saving techniques and is just a delicious! Thank you for posting it!
Delicious!
Very good but can it be canned?
Living in Biloxi on the Mississippi Gulf coast we have an abundance of fresh seafood and gulf fresh shrimp. Gumbo is a staple in the family. Your recipe is very good .
I used fresh shrimp and a dozen of backed blue crabs and some lump crab meat which added an amazing flavor to your gumbo. I also made the homemade Chicken Broth which was delicious. Very good
This was my first time making gumbo and I loved the way it turned out! Super yummy! My husband went back for seconds. The recipe was not complicated to follow and the video was extremely helpful as I relied on the visual concept when making the roux. I will definitely be making your gumbo again and again!
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Unlike last time’s fiasco, I decided to give this recipe another shot. This time, the roux ACTUALLY thickened and wasn’t gluggy (maybe because I followed new advice) 😀
This is a great recipe! It’s even great with store bought bone broth. I was skeptical, but sure enough, killer!
I’ve been searching for the gumbo recipe that I’ve had for years, so I decided to see what I could find online and I came across yours because it was the closest to my original. I put a few of my own twist to it and it turned out wonderful can’t wait to see what my husband thinks.
First time making gumbo. Roux came out awfully the first time but im persistent. Second time was a charm and it came out amazing!!! Will be saving this recipe for sure.
Excellent Gumbo! This was my first time making gumbo and it was amazing! Definitely will be saving this recipe!
This was my first time to ever cook or even taste gumbo, and it was amazing!
The only thing I did differently was cook the sausage and shrimp at the bottom of a large pot, set them aside once cooked, and fried the onions, garlic, and green veggies in the leftover oil before adding the chicken broth. Less dishes to wash and the vegetables took on some of the flavor from the meat! My cajun seasoning was a bit mild and our family loves spicy food, so I minced some bird’s eye chilis and added it to the pot. The spice was perfect!
Definitely adding Gumbo to our menu at home. Thank you so much for sharing this 🙂
My son and I made this and it turned out delicious! Great recipe!
If I want to add okra, would that make it too thick? Anything that I should do differently?
Hi Tommy,
Did you ever find out how to add the okra and how it will come out? I’d like to add some to mine as well.
I added about 15 chopped okras to mine, and I don’t think the consistency was affected by them much, if at all 🙂
I tried to make this, and the flavour was nice, but sadly the texture was awful. it was mealy and kinda dry. Something went wrong with the roux, it was meally before I added it but I hoped that was normal I had only made roux once before anyhow. I can’t find online why it might be mealy, perhaps I used too low temperature to make it, since I was afraid of burning it. Though it did have a chocolatey colour.
First of all the the way they explain everything in the beginning was perfect it wasn’t hard to understand and follow. They were very specific. The recipe was amazing! Their recommendation for the homemade chicken broth really did make the difference! Will be making this again!
This recipe was amazing!!! I didn’t do anything different. My family and myself loved it.
Thank you
This is a good gumbo recipe and easier than the one I have always used. The only thing I do different is I dump the chopped vegetables into the scalding hot roux. This cools the roux so it doesn’t go any farther that I want it to and it cooks the roux flavor into the vegetables. Then I start ladling in the broth.
Excellent straight forward recipe.
Delicious!!!! My two grown adult sons Love it along with my husband and I. The only thing different that I did was cut up a large jalapeño and used crushed chili as well. I used a red and yellow bell pepper and my own cut up and cooked chicken. This is definitely a keeper. Thank you for sharing!
Took a chance on making something I never made before for dinner and my family was blown away! It tasted awesome and the little video helped me make it right! I will be making this often as my boys will demand it.
Thanks from a very happy Dad!!
FANTASTIC!!!! This is as close to my Mom’s as I will ever get….
Don from Buffalo Texas,pretty good stuff,the only thing I did differently was added file at the end and the fact of taking a break after the roux,big ol glass of sweet tea got me thru,big hit with family,will be eating this AGAIN
So delicious! I did pretty good with my roux. Could have been thicker. Not sure if I should have used a smaller bottom pan? Also I wasn’t great with keeping my stir utensils separate. But the flavor was wonderful. Plenty left over!
Hello,
Just to be clear, for 1 bunch (celery, parsley, onion), do you mean one branch or the whole bunch ? I don’t want to improvise too much haha
The entire bunch :-). Enjoy!
This was a hit at my house!
Good recipe! However to leave okra out would make it a Cajun soup, not gumbo. Okra seeds originally came from Africa by way of slaves who were captured with okra seeds and gumbo is an African dialect word for okra. A little known trivia i learned from living in the deep South for 60+ years…
Richard Coleman
Cool Story Richard
Have tried several gumbo recipes but this one is my go to from now on. Wish I could find a good spicy andouie here in the midwest, think I’ll try Cajun grocer next time. Great recipe tho.
You can buy andouie from sams club
Stater Bros. also sells andouille Sausage.
Authentic New Orleans Seafood Gumbe also has File Powder – sometimes hard to find.
Thanks for posting this, it was a big hit with friends and family. Even though it’s very similar to what I normally do, I followed it exactly (other than omitting shrimp and adding a little hot sauce) and it was great! Nice proportions to everything. Great photo, too!
I’m Richard from new Orleans and there’s 3 kinds of Gumbo (1) chicken and sausage (2) seafood (3) creol witch has chicken/ sausage/ shrimp / crawfish/ crabs and okra
Then I’m making creole gumbo!
Made this awesome recipe for Super Bowl Sunday. I’m calling it Super Bowl Gumbo. #perfectrecipe #fundaysunday #supergreattimes #superbowlgumbo Let’s get some!! Thank for sharing your recipe.
Very good recipe, very easily made vegan 🙂
Have you tried it? I hope you get it vegan if that’s what you want, but it’s going to be hard getting the flavor without the meat. The roux takes on the flavor of whatever meat you put in it.
What if my gumbo is too salty? Is there anything I can do to fix that?
Would you use fresh or frozen okra if adding?
This recipe is all wrong. Did you know that gumbo is a word that actually means okra? So okra is not optional in a real gumbo.
Roux was developed to replace okra and later filé when the latter two (in that order) were not available and because many french slaveholders didn’t like okra.
If you use okra, roux is not needed and actually it just makes an otherwise hearty meal very unhealthy.
For a healthier, tastier version, skip the french roux and use okra for a real traditional gumbo.
Once your roux is about the color of milk chocolate add the onion, turn up heat to medium high and continue like a sauté until the sugars in the onion turn the roux the color of dark chocolate. Add other veggies and continue to cook, then slowly add your stock.
The recipe could use more stock…gumbo is a soup with good body, not a gravy/thick stew…though personal preference should certainly come to play.
Lifetime south Louisiana resident.
Absolutely OUTSTANDING!!! one of the most delicious gumbos I’ve ever eaten.
In New Orleans we don’t put sausage in our seafood gumbo!
It’s in our red beans!
Nancy is correct, unless doing a frogmore stew.
Also using a cooked asian white shrimp is an odd choice, and if doing so, you might as well take off the tails. I would expect shell -on guld browns or whites or at least ez-peels would be a better choice to add more authenticity and better flavor
You are right we don’t Put sausage in my seafood gumbo. I live in the bayou country of Louisiana and we don’t put shrimp in our chicken gumbo either!! And add some water to your gumbo, that’s too thick, it looks more like a stew.
We love sausage in our gumbo and we put it our red beans in baton rouge
I’m also from New Orleans, and both sides of my family are from near Lafayette, and if you grew up there then you know that everyone’s gumbo is a little different. I prefer a chicken and sausage gumbo, and it’s true, I’ve never had seafood mixed with it, but some may do it. The main thing I judge an “authentic” gumbo on is whether or not it has tomatoes. Tomatoes do not belong in gumbo, so props for that.
Can’t call it authentic if you don’t use file’!!
We love Gumbo .
This looks so good! Just wondered if I want to use leftover cooked chicken, how many cups do you think I need? Thank you!
Can you use a different oil for the roux? Like ghee? melted butter? Avocado oil? Bacon fat?
Best gumbo recipe! I add 2 lbs of snow crab & it is delicious … perfect for game day!
This is my first time making gumbo, and due to an allergy I needed a tomato-free version. This recipe did not disappoint!
I didn’t have as much flour as I thought, and had to use part chickpea flour for the roux but the flavor still came out great and I “cheated” with some corn starch to thicken the sauce. The only other thing I did different was to use raw shrimp with the shell on, boiled with the veggies, because a lot of other recipes I looked at said that’s a key part of gumbo flavor. Can’t wait to eat this all week!
This recipe is delicious and easily made! I added the deli chicken, but I also added smoked turkey legs, smoked pork, smoked sausage and smoked neck bones. The smoky flavor is outrageous with this recipe! Thank you for sharing! My family is VERY happy you did!!!
I loved this recipe. I didn’t add the chicken but replaced it with a bunch of crawfish tails. It was really good. I learned a trick to making the roux. I start it in a cast iron dutch oven and once it gets started, put the whole thing in the oven at 350 degrees for an hour and a half. I pull it out and whisk it a couple of times but since it’s not on direct heat, it won’t burn.
I love the crawfish modification and the roux trick seems brilliant. I’ll definitely have to give that a try next time around! Thanks for your comment, Rob.
This has become our Christmas eve dinner. Just finished making it actually. We have made changes here and there, started making our own Cajun seasoning, but no matter what, this amazing dish is what you can expect and look forward to at our kitchen table come Christmas. My 18 year old says he looks forward to it more than the presents. Thanks for a great recipe that is now a new family tradition.
That is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing! XOX
Would like a bit more steer on what “bunches” of celery, green onion and parsley are. I used 3 green onion “stalks”, about 12 stalks of parsley and most of a “head” of celery and it seems like too many veggies for what I consider Gumbo. If I had used the entire “bunches” I bought from the store there would have been no room for the meat! I ended up using 8 cups of water to try to make more space for the meat, otherwise it would have been quite thick. There needs to be enough room for the liquid! Any steer on what you mean by “bunches” would be great. Thanks.
Yes, I use an entire head of celery and an entire bunch of green onion and an entire bunch of celery. You can add more broth at the end, to you liking.
I made this and it was delicious. I did a few things a bit different. I added the chopped onion to the hot roux to help cool it down as I had to go to an appointment. Upon returning home, I added the celery, green pepper and garlic and reheated the roux. Followed the rest of the recipe except I did cook the shrimp in the gumbo and used store bought bone broth instead of making my own stock.
I love this site. It is great to be able to make a meal plan and have the grocery list generated. Thanks for making my life tastier and easier.
Love love love this recipe ?…. I’m from the Bahamas so I added a bit of tenderized conch….omg….the flavor is unbelievable ☑️
The heaping cup of flour to 2/3 cups of oil seems pretty extreme. When making roux, shouldn’t there be way less flour than liquid??
Great recipe! Made it tonight for dinner. My whole family loved it. Thanks for sharing.
Roux is the key to these recipes. I do an etouffee that also starts with the roux. It is based on a Paul Prudhomme recipe. I like to mix my own spices so I can balance the hotness without losing flavor to heat. It gives you more control over how spicy the dish is…and we do like it spicy.
I am Old School New Orleans. Knowledge from my ancestors since 1810 and before then, there were only 2 original types of gumbo back in the days, FILE and OKRA! The only difference between the 2 is that OKRA is added along with all the ingredients as the file! True that everyone have their own spin on it now since then, so how ever you make it, it’s your Style!!!
P.S.
Don’t forget to add Crabs also!
I have smoked Turkey legs and wings, can I use those instead of chicken? Or will it contradict the flavor of the andouille sausage?
Hi Lisa,
It will probably taste a little different than true authentic gumbo but I think it will still be a yummy dish!
Hello Lauren,
Thank you for sharing your Gumbo recipe. I made this the other night, for my Husband and I. We followed the directions step by step.We just left out the shrimp and added extra chicken and sausage. It was awesome! It wasn’t easy, but worth the extra effort.
Thanks for sharing Denise! So happy you liked it!
Question?? I have never ever heard of putting raw eggs in gumbo in my 55 years. Why am i seeing videos on social media showing people putting/eating eggs in gumbo. It appears that they gently drop the entire raw egg(s) into the gumbo as not to scramble or separate it, so it cooks whole. PLEASE EXPLAINS THIS METHODOLOGY.. Thank you!
I don’t put raw eggs in my gumbo, so I really couldn’t say. Sorry!
Wow! The African word for Okra IS GUMBO or GOMBO! It Just AIN’T Gumbo without it… a Nice soup maybe but NOT Gumbo!
I’m making this tonight. I’m using a homemade venison kailbasi so I hope it doesn’t throw off the taste. I don’t think it will, it’s a delish sausage. I saw a recipe that included okra and no rue but this one seemed more authentic to me. So now I’m confused..lol
I have some photography hanging in a Creole restaurant and at the opening night they had samples bowls if gumbo and my husband couldn’t stop talking about how good it was. There’s was not thick like a stew it was a brown but clear broth. Does that mean it was not roux based?
You could definitely add Okra to this recipe 🙂
I’m not sure about the gumbo you tried. The broth in this recipe isn’t thick–it’s not completely thin like a chicken broth either. The rue gives it a deep flavor that makes gumbo so deliciously unique. I’d love to hear how like it!
Can I use raw shrimp? Or do I need to cook it separately before adding?
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
Please tell me where I went wrong. Ended up with a green creamy soup. Not a rich dark broth that I wanted.
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?
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/
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.
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.
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!
So happy to hear it! Thanks Roxanne.
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…
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! 🙂
Thank you so much Nancy! Means a lot coming from a true southern gal 🙂
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.
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!
How many servings is this recipe for?
Hi Tawny, it makes a pretty hearty batch that could serve around 8-10.
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. 🙂
Thanks for this easy to follow and delicious gumbo recipe! My family of picky eaters really enjoyed it.
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!
What kind of oil did you use?
Hi Kathy, I used canola oil. Vegetable oil would also work.
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!!!
Hi Beverly, Thanks for your comment–So happy you liked it!
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!!
Thanks for sharing Monica! I like to freeze our leftovers as well. So happy you enjoyed it 🙂
It ain’t gumbo without okra. This does sound tasty so I will give it a try…with the okra 🙂
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!!
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!!
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!
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!
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!
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. 🙂
Thanks so much for taking the time to explain the differences and what items do to the gumbo. Very helpful!
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
Very true. You have one smart grandson.
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!!!
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.
Low and slow, always, when making roux. Add a little tomato paste to counteract the bitter burnt taste if it isn’t extremely burnt.
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.
Not sure what kind of pot you used but heavy bottom pots help with not burning the roux if you have one 🙂
Like a dutch oven on the stove top or something like that.
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.
Thanks Amy! I’d love to hear how you like it!
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!
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!
Thanks for the great tip!
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!
About how many does this feed?
It should feed at least 6
To double or triple for larger groups do you just double or triple all of the ingredients?
Yes, that will work. Enjoy!
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.
Thanks so much Heather! It’s completely treasured in our house too so I’m happy to share it!
Can you make roux ahead and freeze it?
Yes! Ive done so and it works great!
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.
Exactly, South Louisiana for sure. Lafayette, Lake Charles, the like
You forgot the okra ? Is there a reason no okra goes in here?
Hi Annette, I don’t usually add Okra, but you’re welcome to–sounds yummy!
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!!
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!
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!
Adding okra is an old fashioned idea, my grandma did that. I think okra and tomatoes make it more of a creole gumbo.
Not exactly authentic but probably tastes great. The word, ‘gumbo’ means ‘okra’ in an African language, so the original Louisiana gumbo was an African dish named after the prominent ingredient. Really, try adding some. It thickens the soup and makes the flavor. I’m from above the lake (with decades in NOLA) and my mother taught me to add (horrors) a can of tomatoes. For me, the roux makes it a truly NOLA dish – a bit of adventure with hot oil, and the only way not to burn it is to make that whisk dance. La bonne vie!
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.
This is the way I make . Alsoit…Also my mother and probably , her mother, her mother’s mother. I’m from Louisiana. Are you?
Thank you for this response I definitely will be trying both of these.
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.
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.
I have often heard gumbo referred to as-Filet gumbo or Okra gumbo. The real magic of any gumbo is that you can put whatever you want into your pot and let the flavors combine. Some folks add filet during the cooking process while others sprinkle it on their serving bowl .
While roux is used the majority of the time there are many gumbos that do not require a roux. All delicious.
I am a chef from NOLA with cajun roots.
Love me some gumbo!
Agreed my friend?. I prefer a roux with okra cooked down. I let each individual add gumbo file’ if desired. I also add 2 small bottles of snow clam juice, this really enhances the flavor.
lol…ouch….
I add filet and okra, and a roux is a must. Certain satisfaction in a well done roux, that’s when I know it will be good. Cook frozen okra in bacon grease with a splash of vinegar. Doing it all one day makes it less fun, I agree with some prepping a day ahead. Use a BIG pot, it grows!!!
Toni: What recipe did he teach you to do?!
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.
Tomatoes and corn aren’t additions to authentic New Orleans gumbo.
Sounds like a succotash
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.
Okra is something that some people like in their gumbo and others do not it is just a personal thing. When I was growing up in the 60’s my Dad make gumbo a little different than most people, he put chicken, sometimes cornish hens instead, sausage, shrimp, oysters, whole crab bodies and the claws, he boiled the shrimp heads to get his liquid. He put file in his and no okra, to this day I have never found anyone who does their gumbo like my Dad it was the best. Dad is gone now and I still can remember the taste of his great gumbo. He was from Biloxi, Ms.
I can’t find the recipe. I found it yesterday and went to buy the ingredients. Where can I find the recipe
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!