Easily add smoky, peppery Cajun flavors to meat, seafood, pasta, and other dishes with this homemade low FODMAP Cajun Seasoning! Sometimes also referred to as Creole seasoning mix, this low FODMAP, Cajun-inspired spice blend only takes 5 minutes to make. It's also naturally Paleo and Whole30.
Please note: while low in FODMAPs, this recipe contains spicy ingredients, which can be additional symptom triggers for some people with IBS.
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What is Cajun Seasoning?
Cajun seasoning mix contains dried herbs and spices typically found in Cajun cuisine. These typically include paprika, smoked paprika, oregano, thyme, and lots of pepper. Cajun spice blends can be purchased at many grocery stores, but most of these blends contain high FODMAP ingredients like onion and garlic powder. My version of Cajun seasoning is low FODMAP and therefore IBS-friendly.
What is Cajun Cuisine?
Surprisingly (to me, anyway), Cajun cuisine has some roots in Canada. It is a style of cooking developed by French Acadians who were forced to leave Canada by the British in the 1700's, many of whom relocated to Louisiana. Cajun cuisine is influenced by West African, Spanish, and French cooking techniques. The most widely-known Cajun dishes are gumbo and jambalaya, both of which one can more easily make using this homemade Cajun seasoning.
Creole cuisine, while sharing many similarities with Cajun cuisine, has different origins and some differences in the way the food is prepared. If you're interested in learning more about the origins of Cajun versus Creole cuisine and their similarities and differences, here is a great article.
How can I use this Low FODMAP Cajun Seasoning?
As mentioned, you can use this low FODMAP Cajun Seasoning blend to create popular Cajun dishes like my Low FODMAP Instant Pot Gumbo and Low FODMAP Instant Pot Jambalaya recipes. Also, you can use it as a rub to make blackened fish or chicken (like my Low FODMAP Air Fryer Cajun-Spiced Rotisserie Chicken), in pastas, on shrimp, fries, or even corn-on-the-cob.
Low FODMAP Cajun Seasoning Ingredients
The ingredients I use to make this low FODMAP Cajun Seasoning include:
- Sweet paprika (a.k.a. regular paprika)
- Smoked paprika
- Dried chives
- Dried oregano
- Salt
- Dried thyme
- Whole black peppercorns, freshly ground, or pre-ground black pepper
- Ground white pepper
- Red pepper flakes
Grinding Dried Chives into Chive Powder
I use dried chives in many, many of my recipes. In the recipes in which I use them as a rub for meats (such as my Low FODMAP Instant Pot BBQ Pork Ribs, for example), the dried chives add great flavor but they do not stick to the meat well, nor do they tend to distribute evenly without effort.
The other day, I was thinking to myself: what if I ground dried chives into a powder so that it's like a garlic or onion powder? It was like a lightning bolt to the brain type of moment. Why hadn't I thought of this before?
I first tried to grind them using a bottom of a jar against a plate. While not an ideal grinding method in general, it can work in a pinch with certain spices. The problem is, dried chives are incredibly delicate. It's hard to create any sort of traction with them against a surface.
Not to be deterred, I decided to buy a cheap electric spice grinder to try grinding them with that. The dried chives still did not grind and just kind of floated around in the spice grinder. Then I thought - what if I added something with a bit more weight to the spice grinder along with the chives to weigh them down enough to grind them?
Bingo.
I added whole peppercorns to the grinder with the dried chives, ground them for about 45 seconds, and viola! Ground chive powder along with ground peppercorns. I wanted to add freshly ground pepper to my Cajun seasoning mix anyway, and I certainly didn't want to stand there cracking a pepper grinder until I painstakingly ground an entire teaspoon of pepper, so it was really a win-win situation. I grind the red pepper flakes along with the chives and peppercorns and it makes a wonderfully crafted spice blend that distributes evenly on meat and throughout the dish.
You will be seeing me experiment with this as I write other recipes. I believe it can be done in everyday recipes too, not just spice blends where you're using a lot of peppercorns, but I'll be trying it out to be sure. I feel this could be a game changer in terms of low FODMAP cooking.
If other recipe writers are already doing this, I haven't seen it yet; however, Monash University certified this commercially produced garlic chive powder as low FODMAP. The company currently only ships within the US, so it's not widely available (and unavailable to me as I'm in Canada). If you're in Australia or New Zealand, you can purchase it through FodShop. The company also produces low FODMAP green onion powder. I obviously haven't tried either of these products, but if you do, please let me know how you like them! Either leave a comment below or send me an email. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Making Low FODMAP Cajun Seasoning
To make this homemade low FODMAP Cajun seasoning, I use an electric spice grinder to grind the dried chives, whole peppercorns, and red pepper flakes for 30-45 seconds or until they become a fine powder. Add the powder mixture as well as all of the remaining spices to a small bowl and whisk to combine. You can also add them to a jar and mix or shake them in that; I just don't have a jar that's an ideal size to do this.
Use in your favorite Cajun or Creole dishes, like my Low FODMAP Instant Pot Jambalaya, Low FODMAP Instant Pot Gumbo, Low FODMAP Air Fryer Cajun-Spiced Rotisserie Chicken, on meat or fish, in pasta, or on random things like French fries. Get creative with your low FODMAP Cajun seasoning! Store in an airtight container.
Low FODMAP Cajun Seasoning (Paleo, Whole30)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons sweet paprika, (aka regular paprika)
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon dried chives*
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns, freshly ground, or 1 teaspoon ground black pepper*
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes*
Instructions
- {Optional but Highly-Recommended Step} Add dried chives, whole black peppercorns, and red pepper flakes to an electric spice grinder and grind 30-45 seconds until evenly ground into powder. Pour ground herbs into a small bowl.
- Add all the listed herbs and spices to small bowl and whisk to combine. Add to your favorite Cajun and Creole dishes, like my Low FODMAP Instant Pot Jambalaya, Low FODMAP Instant Pot Gumbo, and my Low FODMAP Air Fryer Cajun-Spiced Rotisserie Chicken. Store in an air-tight container. Makes about ½ cup.
Equipment
Notes
- Dried chives: If you’re using this Cajun seasoning as a spice rub, I highly recommend grinding the dried chives and red pepper flakes into a powder with an electric spice grinder before mixing them with the other spices. Even if you’re not using them as a rub, this helps the chives and pepper flakes get more evenly distributed throughout the dish. As dried chives are very lightweight and do not grind well independently, I highly recommend grinding them together with whole peppercorns and the red pepper flakes. Please see my post above for additional details.
- Red pepper flakes: Although red pepper flakes are low in FODMAPs in small quantities, some people respond poorly to them for reasons having nothing to do with FODMAPs. Pay attention to how your body reacts to spicy food and consult your doctor or dietitian before adding red pepper flakes to this recipe if you have concerns about how your body might react.
- Get in the Cajun cooking mood by listening to my fun Cajun Cooking Spotify Playlist while you cook!
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