Spice up your dinner with this gumbo recipe for a phenomenal one-pot meal. In my house, we serve it over hot steamed white rice for a complete meal in one. Even the kids get into it. It reminds me of my favorite style gumbo I tasted in New Orleans when on a trip with my husband to Louisiana.
Best Gumbo Recipe
This is the best gumbo recipe because it’s made with wholesome ingredients. If you’ve ever bought those box kits to make a simple gumbo recipe at home, you can now toss the box and make it fresh yourself.
Gumbo Ingredients
- Flour – this is part of the base of the roux
- Butter – and this combines with your flour to create the roux
- Celery, bell peppers, and onions – the perfect base veggies for your gumbo often called the ‘Holy Trinity’
- Okra – a key veggie in the making of homemade gumbo
- Andouille sausage – a must for any Louisiana gumbo recipe
- Hot sauce – gives your gumbo a kick
- Cajun seasoning – need we say more? A mandatory ingredient in a cajun gumbo recipe
- Cornstarch – helps thicken up your gumbo to the right texture
Gumbo’s so good it has its own season.
Megan
Easy Gumbo Recipe
I know the ingredient list looks a little daunting. I’ll admit, it’s long, however, you should have most of those ingredients in your pantry and fridge to begin with so it will all come together quite easily. It does take an hour to prepare but that’s mostly chopping and such. In the end, you get to put your feet up and enjoy the rest of your day off, soon to be better with a bowl full of shrimp and sausage gumbo!
How do you Make Gumbo from Scratch?
The key to making gumbo from scratch is making the roux first. From there, you add in the sausage and veggies, and then create the soup base. It will look more soupy until you add the cornstarch toward the end to thicken things up. The key is fresh ingredients because they make the best flavors.
Expert Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Gumbo Every Time
- Pre-prep – I thoroughly recommend that you prep as much as you can before you begin. The roux needs your full attention. Turn your back on it and you’ll ruin it and have to start all over. Yes, you need 20 to 30 minutes to get the roux to just the right color. But if you have everything prepped before all that, once it’s finished, you can keep moving on the rest of the recipe with ease.
- Use the right pot – Using a heavy-bottomed pot can really help you make the best gumbo.
How to Cook Gumbo
A seafood gumbo recipe begins with a good roux. Once you prep everything, make the roux and then follow the steps. Once everything is in the pot, you can relax a bit more and enjoy the wonderful Cajun aroma in your home!
Why do they call it gumbo?
The word “gumbo” is derived from the word for okra in West African dialect. Okra is a key ingredient used in gumbo.
What makes gumbo a gumbo?
Gumbo has that telltale stock, Cajun spice, and the trinity of veggies that include onions, celery, and bell peppers. It traditionally contains okra and can have meat or shellfish, sometimes both.
What is the difference with jambalaya and gumbo?
The biggest difference is that jambalaya is cooked with rice (similar to paella) in the pot while gumbo is served atop separately cooked rice.
What does gumbo taste like?
Gumbo is rich, earthy, and very seasoned with just enough spice to give it a kick yet without burning your mouth.
How to make roux for gumbo?
In an authentic gumbo recipe, you’ll whisk flour and ¾-cup of butter over medium heat. It will turn mahogany brown after about 20 to 30 minutes and should be smooth in texture when it is ready.
How much roux do I use for gumbo?
Always use this basic rule of thumb when making gumbo in that you will need one cup of roux per gallon of gumbo. Not to worry as this recipe has everything measured for you so you’ll get it right.
What are the 3 types of roux?
There are white, blonde, and brown roux types though for gumbo, you need to make brown roux.
Should gumbo be thick or soupy?
Gumbo should be thick, almost like a stew. The roux helps make it thicker, but at the end of cooking, cornstarch thickens it up to the right texture.
How do you add flavor to gumbo?
Flavor comes from all the veggies, herbs, sausage, crabmeat, shrimp, and broth. This recipe will give you all the complexity in traditional flavor that you’re looking for. If you like more heat you can always add more cayenne pepper.
How to make seafood gumbo?
Making seafood gumbo is as simple as following this shrimp gumbo recipe. It includes lump crab meat and shrimp for that truly New Orleans flavor.
What goes with seafood Gumbo?
We enjoy our gumbo served on top of rice. You can also round out the meal with cornbread, hush puppies, corn on the cob, or a nice garden salad.
How long should gumbo simmer?
Gumbo needs time to come together with all those flavors. As such, it is best to let it simmer for at least one hour prior to adding in the seafood.
How to Store Gumbo
Seafood gumbo keeps well in the fridge for as long as 3 days. It tastes the best the second day since everything has had a chance to come together in flavor.
Can You Freeze Gumbo?
Freezing gumbo is one of the best things you can do to have a speedy and nutritious meal on a busy night. Just put it in airtight freezer-safe containers and it will keep for up to 8 months.
How to Reheat Frozen Gumbo
Take your frozen gumbo and set it in the fridge the night before. And if you forget, you can let it sit in its sealed container or bag within a bowl of cold water in your sink. Swap the water every 30 minutes until it becomes looser in texture. Then warm it in a pot on the stove.
Watch How To Make Gumbo (Video)
Classic New Orleans Gumbo Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup salted butter
- 1/2 cup celery (coarsely chopped)
- 1/2 large white onion (coarsely chopped)
- 1/2 large green bell pepper (coarsely chopped)
- 5 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1/2 lb andouille sausage (sliced)
- 6 cups water
- 3 cubes beef bouillon
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp cajun seasoning
- 1 tbsp hot sauce
- 4 bay leaves
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 8oz can tomato sauce
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1 10oz package of frozen cut okra
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 1/2 lb lump crab meat
- 1 lb uncooked medium shrimp (peeled and deveined)
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Start by making a roux by melting the butter over medium heat then once melted adding in the flour and whisking together until turns a rich mahogany brown color, about 20-30 minutes. Once the roux forms a smooth, mahogany brown mixture, remove from the heat and continue to whisk until it stops cooking.
- Place celery, onion, green bell pepper, and garlic into the work bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the vegetables and sausage into the roux and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat. Cook until the vegetables are tender. Remove from heat, set aside.
- Bring the water and beef bouillon cubes to a boil in a large soup pot. Whisk until the cubes dissolve, then whisk the roux mixture into the boiling water. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Add in the sugar, salt, hot pepper sauce, Cajun seasoning, bay leaves, thyme, diced tomatoes, and tomatoes sauce. Simmer the soup over low heat for 1 hour.
- While the soup simmers, melt the remaining butter in a skillet and cook the okra with vinegar over medium heat for 15 minutes. Stir in the okra into the simmering gumbo.
- Then add in the crab meat, shrimp, and Worcestershire sauce and simmer until the flavors have blended, another 45 minutes. Stir in the cornstarch just before serving.
- Serve hot over white rice. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Nutrition
More gumbo recipes:
Classic Recipes
Perfect Recipes
Homemade Recipes
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1 Comment
Legitimately the best online recipe I’ve found for gumbo. It was sublime, and tasted better than anything I’ve ever had at local restaurants. Thank you!