Holidays & Entertaining Mardi Gras 30 Mardi Gras Recipes to Celebrate Carnival with Cajun Flavor By Katlyn Moncada Katlyn Moncada Instagram Katlyn Moncada is the associate food editor at BHG.com, sharing food news and tutorials on becoming better home cooks. She is a writer and editor with nearly a decade of experience in digital media, photography, and video production. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on July 5, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Alison Miksch Vibrant, cultural, and full of delicious food, there's no place quite like New Orleans. The Southern Louisiana city is perhaps most famous for its Carnival celebrations. To help you celebrate Mardi Gras (and Fat Tuesday) wherever you are, we've gathered some of our best Mardi Gras recipes. There are traditional New Orleans dishes enjoyed during the season such as gumbos, jambalayas, and the famous King Cake. But we'll also share some twists on classic fare featuring the beloved spicy Cajun flavors. You'll also find delicious recipes to celebrate Mardi Gras inspired by Louisiana restaurants. 01 of 30 Chicken and Shrimp Jambalaya View Recipe Kritsada Panichgul A New Orleans feast isn't complete without a bowl of steaming hot jambalaya. The traditional dish features meat, rice, and veggies along with a blend of Creole spices. Here we used shrimp and chicken for a slow cooker ($40, Target) version that will have you shouting "yum!" after every bite. In a hurry? Try our one-pot jambalaya recipe that's ready in 30 minutes. 02 of 30 New Orleans-Style Muffuletta View Recipe Blaine Moats Piled with Italian meats and cheese, a muffuletta is the ultimate deli sandwich to serve at your Mardi Gras gathering. What sets this sandwich apart from the rest is the homemade olive salad, which is the staple ingredient that defines this New Orleans classic. Everything You Should Know About Mardi Gras 03 of 30 Shrimp and Sausage Boil View Recipe Alison Miksch To really pay tribute to the Cajun south on your Mardi Gras menu, put on a delicious seafood boil. Here shrimp, sausage, potatoes, and corn get amazing flavor thanks to concentrated shrimp boil and Old Bay Seasoning ($5, Target). Line the table with butcher paper and simply throw your seafood on the table so everyone can grab and eat with ease. (The cleanup is a breeze, too!) Got an Air-Fryer? Try an Air-Fryer Shrimp "Boil" 04 of 30 French Market Beignets View Recipe Kritsada Panichgul These fried dough pastries are a New Orleans tradition commonly enjoyed with a café au lait (coffee with hot milk). While they may not be quite like Café Du Monde's famous beignets, our homemade dough fries to perfection before getting topped with powdered sugar. They're best eaten fresh, so come get 'em while they're hot! 05 of 30 Red Beans and Rice Soup with Cajun Chicken View Recipe Brie Passano Red beans and rice get the soup treatment here. The chicken and smoked sausage as the protein become one of the most delicious one-pot meals you'll ever taste. Make it in a dutch oven ($38, Bed Bath & Beyond) and serve with a side of corn bread for a bit of sweetness to accompany the Cajun spices. 06 of 30 Cajun-Seasoned Vegetarian Gumbo View Recipe Jason Donnelly Gumbo is usually chock-full of seafood and/or meat, but this Mardi Gras vegetarian recipe of the thick, heavily-spiced soup is a BH&G favorite. Thanks to the tons of black beans, stir-fry veggies, and okra, you won't even notice there's no meat. Bonus: This gumbo's flavor develops beautifully in your slow cooker ($60, Crate & Barrel). Delicious Gumbo Recipes to Make for Mardi Gras 07 of 30 Red Beans Creole View Recipe Blaine Moats Red beans and rice is a New Orleans staple dish any time of the year, but it's especially comforting on cool days. After simmering all day in the slow cooker, the beans and rice combo get a spicy Cajun kick. 19 Dump Dinner Recipes for Easy Slow Cooker Dinners 08 of 30 Baked Cajun Seafood and Rice View Recipe Blaine Moats Shrimp, crab, green bell pepper, onion, rice, and classic Cajun flavors all combine into one dish for an easy and delicious dinner you can make in one glass casserole dish. To keep your meal budget-friendly, use refrigerated lump crabmeat. It's delicious and cheaper than fresh crab. Look for it at the meat and seafood counter of your supermarket. 09 of 30 Shrimp Po' Boy View Recipe Andy Lyons A po' boy is a traditional sandwich of meat or fried seafood. It's served on New Orleans-style French bread, which is known for its crusty exterior and chewy interior. Our fresh take on the sandwich features shrimp and a hint of tropical flair including lime, papaya or mango, and coconut. 10 of 30 King Cake View Recipe Decorated in traditional Mardi Gras colors of purple, green, and yellow, king cake is first served on January 6, the Twelfth Night. If you want to follow the Carnival tradition, whoever gets the hidden token (usually a mini plastic baby, but in this case a pecan) in their piece becomes the king or queen for the week and bakes another king cake. This festive ritual continues each week until Mardi Gras, the day before Lent. 11 of 30 Black-Eyed Pea Relish Andy Lyons If you haven't had your lucky black-eyed peas to celebrate the new year yet, make this hearty relish. The delicious appetizer is perfect for any gathering—whether you are watching a game or celebrating Fat Tuesday. Serve it with tortilla chips, grilled bread, or pita chips for a satisfying starter. It even works as a side salad or as a topping for grilled meats. Our Best Black-Eyed Peas Recipes 12 of 30 Lemon Icebox Pie View Recipe Andy Lyons New Orleans restaurant Clancy's is known for its signature lemon icebox pie. So if you can't make it to Louisiana, make your own. The tangy citrus-infused custard pie will help cool you down after eating all that spicy Mardi Gras food. 13 of 30 Jambalaya View Recipe Andy Lyons Here's a more traditional take on jambalaya for your Mardi Gras meal. Add more of the red pepper or chili pepper (or both) if you like your food extra spicy. Luckily the easy Mardi Gras recipe only requires a handful of ingredients and less than an hour of your time. 14 of 30 Cajun Snapper with Red Beans and Rice View Recipe Andy Lyons Cajun seasoning, lemon peel, and parsley spice up fresh snapper for a slightly more sophisticated Mardi Gras meal. Red beans and long grain rice complete the dish. The quick-cooking fish and pre-cooked rice allow this dinner to come together in a flash. 15 of 30 White Chocolate Bread Pudding with Hard Sauce View Recipe Blaine Moats Bread pudding served with a smooth, rich whiskey sauce is a New Orleans classic and therefore a great Mardi Gras dessert option. Prepare this indulgent bread pudding recipe up to a day in advance to allow the bread to soak up all that delicious vanilla and white chocolate flavor. 16 of 30 Chick Andouille-Stuffed Peppers with Roasted Green Beans View Recipe Stuffed peppers get a spicy boost from Cajun seasoning and andouille sausage with this easy one-pan recipe. Voila! Traditional Mardi Gras flavors served in a nontraditional way. 39 One-Pan Meals for Fuss-Free Dinners Any Night of the Week 17 of 30 Pralines View Recipe Blaine Moats Pralines are a rich, sugary confection made from cream, pecans, and butter popular in the South. The sweet treats are the perfect way to end your seafood meal. Work quickly to drop the pralines onto parchment or wax paper once the mixture is at the correct temperature because it tends to harden fast. 18 of 30 Cajun Crawfish Étouffée View Recipe Scott Little Étouffée means "smothered" in French, which is a Cajun and Creole technique of cooking veggies or meat in a small amount of liquid in a covered pan. So this crawfish Étouffée is not just delicious, but also a traditional Mardi Gras food recipe. 19 of 30 Bananas Foster Crisp View Recipe Carson Downing Back in the 1950s, bananas Foster was first created in New Orleans. Now the dish inspires all sorts of recipes, like this rich crisp. Split the recipe into two ramekins, a crème brulee dish set, or one pie dish to suit your serving preference. 20 of 30 Cajun Shrimp and Corn Bread Casserole View Recipe Jason Donnelly Shrimp and corn bread combine in this simple, yet delicious Mardi Gras recipe you can make in a cast iron skillet ($25, Target). The casserole recipe must be a keeper because it's currently set at 5 out of 5 stars in our ratings. Black-eyed peas hold the dish together and add an extra boost of fiber. 21 of 30 Cajun Chicken Lasagna View Recipe Andy Lyons If a classic lasagna frequents your regular family dinner menu, just wait until you try our Cajun version. This comforting dish is a perfect way to celebrate Mardi Gras while getting creative with those boneless chicken breasts sitting in the fridge. 22 of 30 Chicken and Sausage Gumbo View Recipe Scott Little This jazzy gumbo is great for any Mardi Gras menu. A deep, coppery-brown roux and slices of okra are the secret to the dish's rich flavors and its signature thick texture. 4 Secrets to Making an Authentic Louisiana Dark Roux 23 of 30 Gluten Free Creole-Style Shrimp and Grits View Recipe Jason Donnelly This gluten-free version of shrimp and grits is an excellent Mardi Gras recipe for anyone with allergy restrictions. If you don't have gluten-free flour on hand, try our unbeatable homemade mix. 33 Amazing Gluten-Free Recipes to Serve the Whole Family 24 of 30 Hurricane View Recipe Matt Clark Whether you're at home or in the French Quarter, you can't celebrate Mardi Gras without this classic cocktail. The fruity drink features both dark and light rum along with orange juice, passion fruit juice, and grenadine. Once Carnival season is over, plan on this becoming a new go-to summer drink as well. 25 of 30 Cajun Chicken Salad with Cornbread Croutons View Recipe Carson Downing Yesterday's cornbread gets a new life with this flavor-packed salad recipe that is a satisfying switch from otherwise heavy winter dishes. It also takes only 35 minutes to prepare, so it's a great option for a weeknight dinner or a quick potluck side. 25 Main Dish Salad Recipes for Fresh Weeknight Meals 26 of 30 Creamy Cajun Shrimp and Sausage Dumpling Pie View Recipe Jacob Fox For a quality Mardi Gras meal made in one-pot, this Cajun-infused dumpling pie is hard to beat. If you're out of Cajun seasoning, swap it out for Creole seasoning or mix up your own batch using our Test Kitchen's recipe at the bottom of the recipe. 27 of 30 Doberge Cake View Recipe Mike Dieter Ingenious New Orleans bakers took the famous European dobos torte and fashioned this super-rich dessert. The doberge (pronounced DO-bash) cake is a tall confection constructed of many thin layers of moist cake separated by creamy custard and iced with any number of different frostings. The traditional homemade cake makes a perfect Mardi Gras recipe to finish your meal. 28 of 30 Southern-Style Veggie Sliders View Recipe Blaine Moats Lighten up your Mardi Gras menu with these delicious (and adorable) sliders. Black-eyed peas and a smear of Cajun-spiced mayo add a little Southern flair to these mini veggie burgers, which you can easily make vegetarian by using an egg replacer in place of the egg as a binder. More of Our Favorite Vegetarian Meal Ideas 29 of 30 Sausage and Egg Po' Boys View Recipe Andy Lyons The classic New Orleans sandwich gets an early-morning twist with this hearty po' boy made from a spicy remoulade, breakfast sausage, hard-cooked eggs, and (of course) lots of your favorite hot sauce. If you have any remoulade leftover, it makes a great accompaniment to hash brown potato cakes or oven-roasted potatoes. Healthy Sandwiches When You Want a Handheld Meal 30 of 30 Salted Almond Praline Tart View Recipe Talk about a stunning dessert! Part cheesecake and part tart, this pretty pastry with a straight-from-Louisiana spin can be topped with whatever seasonal fruits you like—such as berries, sliced citrus, or fresh stone fruits. Just don't skimp on the sweet and crunchy salted almond praline topping. It's a game-changer! Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit