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My take on a hearty New Orleans Gumbo with shrimp and sausage! I’m making the roux from scratch so it’s extra flavorful! This recipe is perfect to make on the weekend and enjoy all week long as the flavor gets BETTER with time!
A biiiig ol’ pot of steaming hot New Orleans style GUMBO right here.
Talk about this being the highlight of the week! A big pot of gumbo with shrimp, sausage, and if you’re feeling extra generous, some chicken! I love making these kinds of meals on a Sunday. It’s hearty and cozy and the leftovers are enjoyed for a quick lunch all week long. Just think – a warm bowl of rice topped with a slow-simmered, tomato-based stew loaded with aromatics like onions, peppers, and celery. It’s spicy, hearty, and completely made-from-scratch. Okay, it’s basically amazing. I don’t know about you, but I LIVE for food like this.
This is for my food lovers out there that don’t mind taking a few extra minutes to make GOOD FOOD. It’s perfect to curl up with on the couch. If you’re in Texas, have the air conditioner on full blast while you pretend isn’t just shy of reading 1000 degrees. And if it happens to be cool when you’re making this, I promise you it will warm you to your bones!
Let me just say it now, THIS is a LOOOOOONG post. If you are a gumbo expert and just want a recipe, feel free to scroll to the bottom. I’m sharing all the things I’ve learned from when I was a noob.
While this was still in the recipe testing phase, I read pretty much everything on the topic. Not to mention the countless videos I sat through to make sure I learned how to make a proper roux. And though I’m not claiming I’m an expert in gumbo making or that my recipe is an authentic ‘Creole’ or ‘Cajun’ recipe, I will say I’ve picked up quite a few things along the way that can help make your pot more delicious.
The secret to making the perfect roux
- A high heat oil. You can use corn, avocado, canola, or vegetable. I don’t suggest using olive, coconut, or any other oil that has a low smoke point. You need something that can really withstand the heat and the longer cooking time.
- All-purpose flour. I’ve only tested this recipe with all-purpose flour so sadly, I can’t say if any other type will work.
- Continuously stirring: I know, I’m asking a lot here! Okay, so yes, this needs a total of 15-20 minutes of constant stirring and constant attention. And yes, I’m asking you to drop everything. No multitasking in general but a big pot of gumbo is in your future and I promise you, you will love me a little more when you don’t have a burnt, smelly pot of caked-on flour to clean because like a champ, you listened and babied your roux.
What is roux?
It’s basically the heart and soul of every gumbo recipe. I’ll elaborate further It’s a simple combination of oil and flour that is slowly browned to perfection. You want a nice, deep, and rich flavor that gumbo is known for. In our case, we’re using equal parts of each.
I never write reviews and I had to come back to say this was DELICIOUS! I was so intimidated by making Gumbo but this was the first time and it was so stinking tasty!! If your on the fence about making this, just do it!!
Know the stages of a roux:
- The blond roux: This is the most basic type of roux that we make. It’s what you make when preparing a béchamel sauce and it’s also what we use to make my shrimp enchiladas with poblano cream sauce. The roux is nice and light and usually requires just a quick 30 seconds -1 minute of browning the flour.
- 5-minute roux: This reminds me of the color of tahini paste. It’ll be a little deeper than the blond roux but we need to keep going. Keep in mind, as we cook the roux, it is losing its thickening power. This means that the darker the roux, the less it will thicken your gumbo.
- 10-minute roux: Almond butter-ish. It’s lighter than peanut butter but on its way there. You’ll notice that it smells a little like popcorn or similar to when you brown butter. A nice nutty smell.
- 15-22 minute roux: The color of homemade peanut butter. It’s dark and nutty and its a medium brown tone. I stopped my roux here (at 21 minutes exactly) because I still wanted a little thickness to the gumbo and a deep-dark roux is an acquired taste. If you’re new to gumbo making, i’d suggest leaving it at this stage! It will thicken the dish just enough and the flavor will be well pronounced without overpowering.
- 25+ minute roux: Dark brown roux is the color of peanut butter. You can take the roux a little further to what is considered a black roux (about 32-40 minutes), which is about the color of dark chocolate. But keep in mind that this will change the overall taste of dish and will leave it thin (a soup like consistency) and a black roux just isn’t for everyone!
Basic ingredients in gumbo
- Oil: Is one of the two ingredients needed to make the roux.
- All-purpose flour: Is the other ingredient need to prepare the roux. It’s the first step of making gumbo.
- The holy trinity: This is a combination of yellow onions, celery, and bell peppers. Keep in mind that I used a colorful array of peppers, however, just green bell peppers would also work for this recipe
- Garlic: you can use as much or as little as you like, I use 6 cloves for that perfect flavor!
- Bay Leaves: add a depth of flavor
- Sausage: Andouille sausage is most commonly used when making gumbo. I
- Seasonings: You’ll need cajun or creole seasoning, Louisiana hot sauce, and cayenne pepper to add some heat.
- Tomatoes: stewed tomatoes are optional. I know people are passionate about whether there are tomatoes in gumbo, or not. I’ve made this recipe about 100 times and have tested it both way – use or don’t!
- Chicken broth: we’ll need a quart. Homemade chicken stock is best because it allows you to control the sodium in the recipe. But you can also use a carton of store-bought or dissolve a few cubes of bouillon in water and use that.
- Shrimp: I like to use shrimp in my homemade gumbo but I have seen all sorts of other additions like oysters and crab legs in a seafood gumbo.
- Filé Powder: or gumbo filé as it’s sometimes called is a spicy herb made from dried and ground sassafras leaves.
- Ingrdients for serving: I like to have some chopped scallions and fluffy white rice to serve. Gumbo can also be served in a bowl like a soup.
Why This Recipe Works
- The Mise En Place: Basically all I’m saying is that just get your ingredients ready to go. Chopping while browning the roux is a big no-no. I highly, highly, highly suggest getting the chopping, measuring, and having all ingredients ready to go before you start making the roux. Trust me on this, it will make your life so much easier.
- The cookware: The roux in this recipe requires extra special love and care and so I really suggest using a dutch oven or a heavy bottom pot. A pot that’s pretty thin, like a stockpot is not a good option for this recipe. Stockpots get super hot and you run the risk of burning the roux. But you could make the roux in a cast iron skillet, then transfer to a stock pot and continue from there.
Gumbo with Shrimp and Sausage
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Roux:
- ½ cup high heat oil such as avocado, canola, corn, or vegetable
- ½ cup all purpose flour
For the Gumbo:
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 bell peppers any color, diced
- 3 stalks celery diced
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 3 bay leaves
- 8 ounces andouille sausage sliced (I used Tofurky)
- 2 tablespoons cajun seasoning
- 2 tablespoons tabasco sauce more or less to taste
- 1 tablespoon cayenne omit to make it mild
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes optional
- 1½ pounds raw shrimp
- 2 teaspoons gumbo filé
- sliced scallions + white rice or quinoa for serving
Instructions
- ROUX: Heat the oil in a large dutch oven or a heavy bottom pot over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour until combined and smooth. Switch to a wooden spoon and continuously stir for 15-22 minutes or until the roux darkens to just past a deep peanut butter color. Take your time here and don't be tempted to crank up the heat. You do not want to let the roux burn! (if you smell it burning, you will need to throw is out, clean the pot, and start over, unfortunately there's just no saving burnt roux!)
- SAUTE: Once the roux reaches that deep rich brown color, stir in the onions, bell peppers, and celery and continue to cook, stirring as needed so the vegetables don't stick. About 8-10 minutes or until the veggies soften. Add the garlic, andouille sausage (if using tofurky, do not add yet, you'll need to brown it in a skillet first then add it with the shrimp at the end), and bay leaves. Continue to cook for an additional 1-2 minutes until the garlic is nice and fragrant.
- SEASON: Add the cajun seasoning, tabasco sauce, and cayenne along with the chicken broth and stewed tomatoes (if using) and bring to a high simmer before lowering the heat to medium-low, covering and simmering for 15-20 minutes.
- ADD PROTEIN: Add the shrimp and sausage (if using) to the gumbo, give it a stir and allow to continue to simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the shrimp is opaque and the veggies have softened. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired. Add the gumbo filé and stir. Remove bay leaves before serving.
- TO SERVE: Serve warm with white rice or quinoa with sliced scallions on top.
Notes
- Peppers: You don’t have to use all the colors for the bell peppers. I just really enjoy the taste and color they add.
- Tomatoes: After making this recipe several times, I find the tomatoes are optional. 1 (14.5-ounce can) diced tomatoes can be used in place of the stewed tomatoes as they can be hard to find sometimes. You might need an extra splash of broth if you decide to omit the tomatoes from the recipe.
- Gumbo File: available in the ethnic food aisle near where they keep the cajun seasonings. It’s basically ground leaves from the sassafras tree.
- Adding Okra: I know some people find it isn’t gumbo if there’s no okra. That said, it just comes down to preference. If you’d like to add some, you can slice 4 ounces of okra into small pieces. Fry them in a tablespoon of oil to keep them from being slimy in the gumbo. Then add then in with the shrimp in step 4.
- Swapping the protein: I’ve played with this recipe a ton, swapping bite-sized pieces of chicken thighs for the sausage and it all works. If you do decide to use chicken, thighs work best and would go during step #2.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This? Leave a comment & rating below!
I have now made this about 5 times and my husband, 3-year-old, and 7-year-old are obsessed! Too bad Texas does not give us the best “gumbo weather”. But we do it anyway! I personally do one tablespoon of Cajun seasoning and void the hot sauce just because the kids eat it with us. I add a bag of frozen okra and crab meat. It’s amazing! I have made a homemade recipe from a friend who is from Baton Rouge and this recipe blows hers out of the park and requires WAY LESS work. Your roux instructions are fool proof. My dad said it’s the best gumbo he’s ever had! Thank you!
I love your okra and crab meat additions! So glad to hear you found the instructions for the roux helpful!
Listen, I went to NOLA once and had gumbo and wanted to try it at home. It’s intimidating at first once you hear how you won’t have food as good as that unless you are in New Orleans. However this recipe, was delicious! My 11 year never had it before today’ and has requested I make it again! Directions were easy to follow! Roux took a little less time than stated but it might be the pot I used, or temperature. No biggie! Yummy ?
This recipe was so easy to follow and I took all advice to heart regarding prepping before starting. It was delicious! I Have been scared to make gumbo because of the roux but with your guidelines, it was a breeze. Made in my large cast iron skillet and served with Zataran’s yellow rice. So good!
This was amazing!! Having everything pre chopped and ready to go made a world of difference. I subbed arrowroot powder dissolved in water for the file and it worked great. Next time I will add only 1 tbsp of Tabasco instead of the full 2 because it was a bit spicy for my husband’s liking. Omitting the cayenne entirely was definitely the right call. Definitely going into our meal rotation!
Love it! First stone I made it, I took some leftovers to my sister as we would never finish them and my freezer didn’t have space to store. She ended up calling me for the recipe because her friend and her ate all of it before it even made it to the fridge for later. They then both asked me for the recipe.
I made it again and my daughter who hates spicy now asks when I’m making it.
I made a double batch a few months ago and took it to work for my employees. They raved I’m the next manager ever.
Now I’m making it again tomorrow don work on Monday since I had an employee request me to make it.
I like the okra added. Thinking of adding crab meat. We lived in NOLA for years and crab meat was always a part of gumbo when served in restaurants there
I was wanting to sub chicken breast for the shrimp (it’s what I have on hand). When would I add the chicken? Or do I cook it separately and just stir it in at the end?
DELISH! making this for supper. Added okra to the recipe is the only thing I changed. Will be my go to gumbo recipe, so easy and quick! Thank you!
I want to add okra but have never used it before, especially fresh okra! When did you add the okra and how much did you use? Thanks
Did a GF version… awesome ! 15 minutes for the roux, used and followed the recipe using stewed tomatoes.
This is definitely a five star recipe. Used okra which is never used before and local store made kielbasa. Mmmmmmm
What gf substitute did you use?
I have made this recipe twice it serves 8-10 people my son both times ate the whole pot by himself.
He said” he wants me to bring a pot to his wedding it’s just that good!!!!!)
Can it be frozen? I’m thinking about doubling it.
Yes, you can freeze leftover gumbo! Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Easy to make and tastes yummy. Made recipe as is but quickly found while eating that it is to spicy. Will adjust the Tabasco next time.
So delicious!! I only had 1 Tbsp of Tabasco and omitted the extra cayenne and it was the perfect amount of spice for me. This will definitely be part of the regular dinner rotation 🙂
Made this without the gumbo file; amazing! Husband loved it too! So good! Surprised that I didn’t burn the roux; highly recommend this recipe!
Just finished making this recipe for dinner and it’s super yummy!..I did leave out the file cause I couldn’t find it at my local grocery store, I also put it creole seasoning instead of Cajun…will this make a huge difference?
Just made this with okra instead of file (also added twice the amount of tomatoes by accident). It’s soooooo good, thank you so much!
I have never rated a recipe but had to on this one. I’m not a super experienced cook but this recipe was so easy to follow and it turned out delicious! One of my favorite recipes now. I made a pot of this for lunch for the week and will definitely be doing it again! Thanks for the awesome recipe.
This gumbo is the fact I make it all the time!???
I have made this twice and this will now be a part of my repartoire! It is delicious and family loves it. I substituted Keilbasa sausage as could not locate andouille and it worked great! Roux was not that difficult but requires patience 🙂
My husband loved this and ate 3 bowls! This was my first time making gumbo. I did add okra and cooked shrimp but I followed everything else. I love that you explained the stages of roux so well. I am pretty new to roux, besides making bad gravy lol I don’t like gumbo but my family does and this will be my forever recipe for it 🙂
I’m making this today!! Before I lived 4 years in Ms., I only had gumbo at restaurants, but while living in Ms., many of my neighbors were Cajuns, so under their guidance, I learned to make gumbo like a pro! Sadly, it’s been many years since I’ve made this, but I’m ending that today! I’ll be using okra, which I understand some people tend to stay away from because they either don’t care for it (I love it!) or the slime factor, which I have a remedy for. I place the okra in a colander, (fresh or frozen) and pour apple cider vinegar (white works well too) over it and then toss it around a bit and then leave it for a couple of minutes. Then, I rinse with cold water and allow it to drain and then viola! slime is gone! Thanks for posting this recipe, I have lost mine and though I roughly remember the steps, I needed a refresher course and your recipe seemed very similar if not spot on, to mine.
This was seriously the best Gumbo I’ve EVER had. My boyfriend and I went crazy over this!! I did make a few changes, however. I used half sausage and half chicken, rather than just sausage. I cooked them together before hand, I cooked them in oil, Cajun and garlic seasoning. I also added okra when I added the shrimp. We did not add the gumbo file because we went to, two grocery stores in town and could not find it in any brand. This meal was fantastic and I highly recommend it to anyone!