What Is the Difference Between Potato Pancakes and Potato Latkes?

Much like doughnuts and dumplings—and, well, pancakes in general—almost every culture around the world has its own take on potato pancakes. The Swiss have their rosti, the Japanese have their korokke, the Irish have their boxty, and the Ecuadorians have their llapingachos. Whether or not these dishes call for eggs, flour, milk, onion, cheese, or any number of other ingredients, they sure have one thing in common: the main ingredient is potatoes.

Americans are certainly familiar with potato pancakes, and, depending on location, may also know them as latkes. So, what’s the difference between potato latkes and potato pancakes? Well, it all starts with the history of the humble spud and its evolution into beloved crispy-on-the-outside, fluffy-on-the-inside pancake form.

Potatoes: More Worldly Than You May Think

While you may associate them with another country (Ireland, I’m looking at you), historians and anthropologists agree that potatoes originated in South America. More specifically, in Peru, where they’ve been cultivated for thousands and thousands of years. From there, they spread throughout Latin America and, thanks to the Columbian Exchange, to Europe and other parts of the globe. As a result, gamja-jeon is eaten in South Korea, aloo tikki is eaten in India, and raggmunkar is eaten in Sweden.

Potato croquettes, which—I know, I know, aren’t pancakes—could be considered a close cousin. Like potato pancakes, they may also be either stuffed or topped with regional ingredients. Yet, strangely, recipes for either seem to date back only to the 19th century. However, this may be more of an issue with record-keeping than anything else.

The Difference Between Potato Pancakes and Latkes

At its most basic, a potato pancake is made with potato, raw or cooked, shredded or mashed, that is then shaped into a round and flattened disc and either fried or baked until it’s golden brown in color, crunchy on the outside, and tender on the inside. These days, most people think of latkes as potato pancakes that are traditionally made to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. However, the word latke, which is Yiddish by way of Russian and/or Ukrainian and loosely translates to “little oily thing,” hints at its history.

To begin with, latkes weren’t originally made with potatoes. Instead, they were often made with what Jews in various parts of the world had available. This includes other root vegetables, such as turnips and carrots, and even flour, such as buckwheat. And although they’re supposed to be made with olive oil, since it wasn’t always available or affordable, latkes were often fried in other types of oil, including animal fat. However, once potatoes became a staple in Europe in the 19th century, especially the eastern region, where many Ashkenazi Jews who immigrated to the U.S. originally came from, they became the main ingredient in latkes. As a result, most Americans associate latkes with potatoes.

However, in recent years, more and more cooks have published recipes with creative takes on latkes. Here are a few of our favorites.

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Potato Latkes

Chowhound

There’s nothing wrong with sticking to basics, especially if you’ve never tried making latkes before. This version is made with matzo meal, which helps to hold the pancakes together while cooking and adds a slightly toasty flavor. Traditional toppings include sour cream or applesauce, but there are plenty of creative ways to top a latke. Get our Potato Latkes recipe.

Potato-Turnip Latkes Fried in Duck Fat

Chowhound

This nod to latkes of the past puts turnips in the mix, which lends some sweetness and earthy depth. Frying the cakes up in duck fat adds another layer of flavor and richness. The recipe also suggests topping the finished product off with duck confit for a real treat. Get our Potato-Turnip Latkes Fried in Duck Fat recipe.

Sweet Potato Latkes

Chowhound

Ah, the sweet potato latke; once you’ve tried it, you’ll wonder why it took you so long to jump on this bandwagon. When fried, sweet potato practically melts in your mouth, like a caramelized dream. It’s the perfect replacement for regular potatoes. Get our Sweet Potato Latkes recipe.

Celery Root Latkes with Pastrami

Chowhound

Yet another nod to latkes of the past, this recipe features celeriac, also known as celery root, and is topped with pastrami and pickles. If only every Jewish deli had this on the menu. To make it at home, get our Celery Root Latkes with Pastrami recipe.

Boxty (Irish Potato Pancake)

Chowhound

Simple yet satisfying, boxty calls for a combination of mashed and grated potato to create a unique texture for frying. And just like latkes, these babies can be topped with so many things: sour cream and caviar, crème fraîche and smoked salmon, eggs and sausage, chutney, jam, or syrup. Get our Boxty (Irish Potato Pancake) recipe.

Cheesy Skillet Potato Cake

Chowhound

Potatoes and cheese are made to go together! This recipe would be great for a family breakfast or brunch with friends. Serve it with a side of eggs, bacon, sausage, or even on its own as the main dish. Get our Cheesy Skillet Potato Cake recipe.

Llapingachos

Panning the Globe

These Ecuadorian potato and cheese patties are great with a fresh tomato and avocado salad. Get the Llapingachos recipe.

Related Video: How to Make Latkes with Leslie Jonath

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What Is the Difference Between Maple Syrup and Pancake Syrup?

I grew up in a pancakes-and-syrup household; not a pancakes-and-syrup-and-butter household, nor a pancakes-and-butter one. Even though a Clipart plate of pancakes always includes a pat of butter, I was happy with my syrup-only stacks. I had no idea, however, that not all syrups were the same. Syrup was syrup—nothing more to investigate! But, if you grew up in a pancake syrup household, as I later learned I did, then you might remember that earth-shattering first taste of real maple syrup.

Because, it’s true: Pancake syrup is not the same as maple syrup! Or, rather, maple syrup is a syrup for pancakes (and waffles), but labeling a product as “pancake syrup” means it is not made of the same stuff as its maple counterpart. That first time I tried real maple syrup, it was sweet, of course, but it had a lot more going on! The maple flavor is a little toasty, maybe floral, and is truly best described by its own name, “maple,” since it’s so unique. After that initial taste of maple syrup, I couldn’t go back—it was too delicious, and too natural!

I’m a sucker for natural, whether or not it’s actually better according to science. I just like the folksy feeling of things coming from nature. So, when I learned about the maple syrup-making process (also known as sugaring), I was hooked. Deep Mountain Maple describes how sap is tapped from their Vermont maple trees and then boiled to make maple syrup. Maple syrup comes straight from trees! This is verified by reading the ingredients labels for maple syrup. Take a look at this 365 Organic Maple Syrup, or this Butternut Mountain Farm Maple Syrup, and notice what the ingredients say: “Organic Maple Syrup” and “Pure Maple Syrup.” There is literally nothing else in that bottle.

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For pancake syrup, however, the number one ingredient is usually corn syrup, followed by high-fructose corn syrup. This is true for both Hungry Jack and Aunt Jemima, with the order of ingredients switched for Mrs. Butterworth’s. Log Cabin touts that they are “the only national brand of table syrup” made without high-fructose corn syrup—though the first ingredient listed in the original variety is still, in fact, regular corn syrup, with sugar following soon after.

Nutrition-wise (and specifically, nutritional label-wise), you might be surprised to learn that maple syrup is objectively “sweeter,” at least in terms of grams of sugar. Below is the labeled amount of sugar for 60 milliliters of each type of syrup:

• Butternut Mountain Farm, Grade A Maple Syrup, Amber Color – 53 grams
• 365 Everyday Value, Organic Grade A Maple Syrup, Dark Color – 53 grams
• Mrs. Butterworth’s Original – 47 grams
• Hungry Jack Original – 40 grams
• Aunt Jemima Original – 32 grams
• Log Cabin Original – 26 grams

Log Cabin Original contains the least amount of sugar, with water listed as its second ingredient; conversely, the undiluted maple syrups have the most sugar content. But maple syrup also contains nutrients and minerals like potassium and iron (small amounts, sure, but more than pancake syrup).

Finally, while pancake syrup comes in varieties like “Original,” “Lite,” “Sugar-free,” or labeled as butter-flavored or fruit-flavored, maple syrup is meticulously graded, using a newer grading system (so no more “Grade B”). According to Butternut Mountain Farm, this new method of categorizing maple syrup went into effect in 2014 for Vermont, and 2015 for the rest of the U.S. Based on color and flavor, they are:

• Grade A Golden, Delicate
• Grade A Amber, Rich
• Grade A Dark, Robust
• Grade A Very Dark, Strong
• Processing Grade (for food products, not retail)

Maple Source has a guide for how the old grade system translates to the new, in case mapping historical maple syrup types to current-day grades is your thing (or you just need help at the grocery store).

It’s all sweet, it’s all syrup, and it’s generally all some type of golden brown. Really, it comes down to taste preference, and perhaps some folksy or scientific beliefs about nature and/or corn-derived sugars. As for me, I’ll stick to my newfound love of maple syrup, because I want to feel like both a fancy lady and a hippie lady, and this is the syrup that helps me achieve these personas.

Related Video: 5 Ways to Hack Your Maple Syrup

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Which Is Better, Pancakes or Waffles?

What Is the Difference Between Crepes and Pancakes?

They both usually start as flour-based batters enriched with milk and eggs that’s poured onto a skillet, griddle, or pan and cooked until firm enough to roll or flip, but American-style pancakes are thick and fluffy, while French crêpes are wafer-thin and delicate.

One of the oldest forms of bread, pancakes have hundreds of variations and uses. They can be savory or sweet. You can eat them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. They can be appetizers, entrees, or desserts.

The American version is also called a hotcake, griddlecake, or flapjack (then there are cornmeal johnny cakes). In Korea, they’re jeon, in Hungary, they’re called palacsinta, and in Russia, blini (of sour cream and caviar fame), which also includes blintzes. Jews have potato pancakes called latkes, and the Irish, boxties.

Chefs at The Little Pancake Company, an England-based maker of pancake and crêpe mixes and toppings, use the words pancake and crêpe interchangeably but acknowledge they’re actually very different. The main difference is that pancake batter has a raising agent in it, such as baking powder or baking soda, and crepe batter does not. This means that pancakes are thicker and fluffy while crêpes are thin and flat.

“Crêpes also tend to be large in diameter compared to pancakes, and are often rolled or folded with a filling,” according to The Little Pancake Company’s “Tips and Flips” online resource. “Pancakes, on the other hand, tend to have a filling (such as blueberries) mixed into the batter and cooked within the pancake itself. ”

But if you’re in the United States rather than the United Kingdom, you might be well aware that some of us love our blueberries or blueberry sauce on top of the pancake too, along with maple syrup (and lots of other things, from bananas to chocolate chips—and whipped cream, or even ice cream).

Crêperies sell many versions, with both sweet and savory fillings—some are almost like a delicate burrito or taco, what with all the options for meat, cheese, egg, and vegetable fillings, so while they may not be thick enough to mix heftier ingredients straight into the batter, crêpes are still full meal-worthy for sure.

Trying to decide which you like best? Try these recipes for pancakes and crêpes. (Then move on to the question of pancakes vs waffles…)

1. Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes

Chowhound

These taste and feel heavenly when the weather warms. Whisking the egg whites separately into whipped peaks and then adding it to the batter, which includes the yolks, makes these pancakes airy. They’re light and bright, just how we like it. Get our Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes recipe.

2. Chocolate-Hazelnut Crêpe with Banana

Chowhound

While often sprinkled with a simple dusting of powdered sugar, chocolate-hazelnut spread is the filling of the gods for crêpes. You can use store-bought Nutella or homemade; either way, bananas are a natural pairing. Get our Chocolate-Hazelnut Crêpe recipe.

3. Mushroom, Spinach, and Parmesan Crepes

Chowhound

If making a batch of crêpes is no big deal, then this recipe is a cinch and can be an elegant brunch, nice lunch, or light dinner. Get our Mushroom, Spinach, and Parmesan Crêpes recipe.

4. Socca

Chowhound

Want to enjoy your pancakes or crepes gluten-free and low-carb?  Try this version of crepes from Nice, made with chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour. Get our Socca recipe.

5. Basic Crêpes

Chowhound

OK, this one isn’t as fun as the others, but it’s the basis for all that playfulness that crêpes allow. Master this, and you’re on your way to endless possibilities. Get our Basic Crêpes recipe.

6. Carrot Cake Pancakes

Chowhound

If you want fun, we’ll give you fun. These flapjacks are all up in the festivities, stealing everything we love about carrot cake, from the sweet orange shavings to the cream cheese icing, used as a syrup-sauce here. Call it breakfast or dessert — who cares? This is a crazy cool idea. Get our Carrot Cake Pancakes recipe.

7. Basic Pancakes

Chowhound

We have dozens of pancake recipes, so it’s really hard to use this one, but you gotta learn the basics before you go all crazy.  Or so the wisdom goes. Get our Basic Pancakes recipe.

8. Keto Almond Flour Pancakes

Wholesome Yum

Using almond flour helps make these both keto-friendly and gluten-free. (Almond flour also works for keto and gluten-free crêpes, though you’re a bit more limited when it comes to filling them.) Get the Keto Almond Flour Pancakes recipe.

9. Buckwheat Crêpes

Foodie with Family

Savory crêpes are often made with buckwheat, which happens to also be naturally gluten-free. Their stronger flavor pairs well with ham, cheese, and eggs. Get the Buckwheat Crêpes recipe.

10. Whole Wheat-Oat Pancakes

Chowhound

Swapping out some of the white flour with whole wheat flour and old-fashioned oats gives you more fiber in this version. Plus, you’re using cake flour to compensate for the density of these heavier grains and using only one egg, and oil instead of butter. Get our Whole Wheat-Oat Pancakes recipe.

Related Video: How to Make Easy Pancakes

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Mardi Gras Drinks to Get the Good Times Rolling

Mardi Gras is basically one big party, and what’s a party without drinks? To properly celebrate the carnival season, we came up with a couple Mardi Gras cocktail recipes inspired by New Orleans, and rounded up some old favorites to complete the cocktail krewe. Whether you’re hosting a Mardi Gras party or just enjoying some thematic Fat Tuesday recipes at home, any of these drinks are perfect complements for the occasion.

Of course, you don’t want to toss them back on an empty stomach, so get our Mardi Gras recipes to go along with, from classic jambalaya to good old gumbo—and while homemade paczki may be out of the question, you could try your hand at bananas Foster for dessert. Just, uh, be sure to flambe before you have one too too many of these Fat Tuesday drinks. Or be safe (and still New Orleans-appropriate) and stick to bread pudding.

Purple Hurricane

A classic New Orleans cocktail, the Hurricane gets a festive makeover in this purple version. Top it off with green and gold sprinkles for the classic tri-color combo representing justice, faith, and power (also seen icing the traditional Mardi Gras king cake). For even more fun, try our Hurricane Jello shot recipe too.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 ounce Cointreau
• 1 ounce white rum
• 1/2 ounce blue Curacao
• 1/2 ounce grenadine
• 2 cups ice
• maraschino cherry, to garnish
• gold and/or green sprinkles, to garnish

Instructions:

1. Place first five ingredients in a blender and puree until slushy.

2. Pour into a highball glass and garnish with sprinkles and a maraschino cherry.

The Mardi Gras Cocktail

With bright, fruity flavors and plenty of rum, this is basically a party in a glass—just the thing for Mardi Gras!

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces orange juice
• 2 ounces pineapple liqueur
• 1 ounce maraschino syrup
• 2 ounces dark rum
• ice
• orange wheels, to garnish
• maraschino cherry, to garnish

Instructions:

1. Dry shake first four ingredients, then strain into a highball glass filled with 1 cup ice.

2. Garnish with fresh orange wheels and a maraschino cherry.

French 75

Chowhound

New Orleans is a city with deep French influence on its culture, so consider a classic Parisian cocktail with Champagne to celebrate Mardi Gras.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 ounces gin
• 1/2 ounce lemon
• 1/2 ounce simple syrup
• 1/2 cup ice
• 3 ounces Champagne
• lemon peel, to garnish

Instructions:

1. Combine first four ingredients in a shaker and shake to chill, then strain into a flute.

2. Top with 3 ounces Champagne and garnish with lemon peel. Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Sazerac

Chowhound

An old New Orleans favorite, the Sazerac is a sophisticated blend of rye, Peychaud’s bitters, and Angostura bitters, with just a touch of sugar and an absinthe rinse to haunt the glass. (If you like a bit more bounce, try our Sazerac Jello shot recipe.) Get our Sazerac recipe.

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Frozen Pineapple Daiquiri

Chowhound

Drive-through daiquiri shops are so wonderfully New Orleans—we can’t not submit our slushy pineapple version for your Fat Tuesday consideration. It may still be slushy outside where you are, but turn up the heat, sip one of these, and you’ll be transported in no time. Get our Frozen Pineapple Daiquiri recipe.

Chartreuse Sazerac

The Whiskey Wash

We’re big fans of using Chartreuse in cocktails, and what better way to jazz up a Sazerac for Mardi Gras? Chocolate bitters don’t hurt, either. Get the Chartreuse Sazerac recipe.

Ramos Gin Fizz

Chowhound

Another classic New Orleans drink, the Ramos Gin Fizz is rich and frothy with egg white and cream, but it gets a lift from fresh lemon and lime juice, floral fragrance from orange blossom water, and a nice kick from gin. (Try our Ramos Gin Fizz Jello shot recipe too.) Get the Ramos Gin Fizz recipe.

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Obituary Cocktail

Robert Simonson

If you prefer your gin without the fizz, try this dead-simple cocktail that adds dry vermouth and absinthe (another New Orleans staple) to the mix. Get the Obituary Cocktail recipe.

Zombie Cocktail

Chowhound

While this drink is distinctly tropical in nature, zombies do have a special connection with New Orleans, seeing as it has such a rich voodoo tradition. Reason enough to mix one up, besides which—it’s delicious. Get our Zombie Cocktail recipe.

Bananas Foster Cocktail

Cork, Fork, and Passport

Speaking of delicious, hello dessert drink of our dreams. This is basically a liquid version of bananas Foster that—bonus!—requires no open flames. (Of course, since it is a Tuesday, you could also make our Bananas Foster Milkshake recipe and skip the rum…up to you.) Get the Bananas Foster Cocktail recipe.

Vieux Carré Cocktail

Chowhound

Named after the French Quarter, this potent blend of spirits is big on flavor and definitely goes down easy. Get our Vieux Carré Cocktail recipe.

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Oh, the Many Ways We Love Étouffée

Literally translated, étouffée means to smother or suffocate. That might sound scary in a murder-by-pillow or mother-in-law-with-no-boundaries kinda way, but when it comes to food, no. That sounds dreamy.

Who doesn’t desire mashed potatoes smothered in delicious gravy? Or their macaroni suffocated by cheese?

Yes, smothering in sauce when it comes to cooking can definitely be a good thing.

Étouffée (pronounced ay-too-FAY) is a popular Cajun-Creole dish of a thick, spicy stew of crawfish (or shrimp, depending on the season) and a mixture of vegetables served over white rice. Also called crayfish, these delicious freshwater crustaceans are found in the Mississippi basin and are considered one of the official foods of Louisiana, where they also call them crawdads, according to The New Food Lover’s Companion. There’s nothing delicate about eating these flavorful crustaceans: You gotta get in there with your hands and suck out the sweet, tender meat.

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The deep, rich color and taste of étouffée come from its base of orange-brown roux, a classic cajun mixture of flour and butter or lard used to thicken sauces and soups. The term “à l’étouffée” means the method of cooking food in a tiny amount of liquid, with the lid on, and over very low heat.

Louisiana’s crawfish étouffée can be traced back to the crawfish capital of the world, Breaux Bridges, Louisiana. According to Louisiana crawfish farmers and brothers Mike and Mark Fruge’s Cajun Crawfish blog, étouffée was first served in the Hebert Hotel in the early 1920s. The Herberts shared their recipe with their friend, Aline Guidry Champagne, who later opened the RendezVous Café and served the flavorful dish there.

Cajun cooking is a robust, country-style combination of French and Southern cuisine that comes from today’s Cajuns found in the Deep South of U.S. They’re descendants of French Acadians, whom the British forced from their Nova Scotian homeland in 1785, according to the Companion. The local Indians transmuted the word Acadians to Cagians and, eventually, to Cajuns.

People confuse Cajun cooking with Creole cooking, and the truth is, the cuisines have cross-pollinated so much by now every assertion is up for debate. They’re both found in Louisiana and both claim étouffée, jambalaya, and gumbo, but some say the more genteel Creole food has more tomatoes and Cajun more spices. Cajun cooking uses dark roux and plenty of pork fat. Creole cooking loves its butter and cream. Both cuisines worship the culinary “holy trinity” of chopped green peppers, onions, and celery.

Étouffée is so similar to gumbo, it’s easy to confuse those two as well. But you can tell the difference because étouffée has a lighter-colored roux and it’s usually thicker than gumbo.

Regardless, it’s all delicious. Try some of these ways to étouffée.

Brunch: Crawfish Pie

Menu Musings

Julie May creates a crawfish étouffée filling enveloped by a flaky pie crust that your brunch bunch will rave over in between sips of mimosas or bloody Marys. The filling’s ingredients include a delicious mixture of garlic, celery, peppers and crawfish tails. Get the Crawfish Pie recipe.

Lunch: Shrimp Étouffée

Grandbaby Cakes

Jocelyn Delk Adams can make this dish in only 40 minutes and says the taste is bonkers. It’s easy once you conquer the roux part in the beginning. Although it uses shrimp rather than crawfish, the recipe calls to stir in all the traditional ingredients, like the onion, chicken stock, garlic, tomatoes, celery, and bell pepper. Get the Shrimp Étouffée recipe.

Appetizers:

Crawfish Étouffée Cornbread Bites with Honey Mustard Sauce

Kitchen Belleicious

Take the best parts of étouffée and incorporate them into something baked that’s a cross between a muffin and cornbread and you get an appetizer that is so good, you’ll ruin your appetite for dinner. You might want to serve these next to some soup and call it a meal itself. Or bring them to a party, heat up, and serve with a classic cajun sauce. Get the Crawfish Étouffée Cornbread Bites with Honey Mustard Sauce recipe.

Fried Crawfish Étouffée Balls

Geaux Ask Alice

OK, take that creamy, spicy, shellfish goodness, stir it up, roll it into a ball and fry it? Yeah, that can’t be bad. First, you’ll need to make the classic cajun étouffé using another recipe. Then you take 2 cups of that to make this. You can use regular white rice, or Alice Morrow’s preferred yellow rice. Serve with a delicious sauce. Get the Fried Crawfish Étouffée Balls recipe.

Dinner:

Broiled Tilapia with Crawfish Étouffée

The Cabin Restaurant

Hey, maybe you don’t want all that rice. Ladle that deliciousness on a spiced tilapia fillet. This flavorful recipe which includes peeled crawish tails, 1/4 teaspoon of cajun seasoning, garlic and the holy trinity of peppers, onions, and celery comes from Burnside, Louisiana’s Cabin Restaurant, and it’s in their cookbook, too. Get the Broiled Tilapia with Crawfish Étouffée recipe.

Healthy Crawfish Étouffée

The Healthy Cooking Blog

Making this dish healthy is possible, no lie. The secret is in the roux. You can use a healthy fat, that much-loved olive oil, instead of lard or butter. Try Holly Clegg’s slim-and-trim version and see for yourself if you feel the taste of the sauce is compromised. Get the Healthy Crawfish Étouffée recipe.

Related Video: Eat Like You’re in New Orleans with These Ingredients

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What Is the Difference between Gumbo and Jambalaya?

They’re both flavorful and hearty dishes associated with New Orleans, but what is the difference between gumbo and jambalaya?

Gumbo

Gumbo is a Creole stew that is frequently made with okra and is a combination of many different culinary heritages. A very hearty soup or stew, gumbo can contain a variety of different meat or seafood combinations—chicken, andouille sausage, shrimp, crab, and oysters are all very popular.

Gumbo is made from what Louisianans call the “Holy Trinity” of vegetables: celery, bell peppers, and onions, and is then thickened with okra, filé powder (a spicy herb made from grinding sassafras leaves), or a roux (a dark roux in particular). There are many styles of gumbo—Cajun, Creole, and Gumbo z’herbes (a meatless variation) are just a few that exist but the main recipe is easy to personalize based on taste. Tomatoes are often added and gumbo is simmered for several hours and frequently served over rice.

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Not into okra? This powder made from ground sassafrass tree leaves is a good substitute thickener.

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Jambalaya

Jambalaya is similar to gumbo in that it’s a stew made from meat and vegetables (and includes the “Holy Trinity” as a base) but does not include the okra or filé powder as a thickener. Jambalaya is also prepared with rice, but the rice is integrated into the stew while cooking the other ingredients. There is a lot of overlap in many jambalaya and gumbo recipes, as similar seasonings, broths, meats, and vegetables are used.  

Jambalaya is similar to the Spanish rice dish, paella, in that the ingredients are all simmered together in the soup until the rice is cooked (the meat should be sautéed or browned in a Dutch oven before adding to the mix).  Jambalaya can contain any number of smoked meats and seafood, including crawfish, shrimp, pork, and chicken, and the spiciness can easily be adjusted. Some varieties contain tomatoes (red jambalaya) and recipes can vary greatly by region—throughout the South and Louisiana it’s hard to find any two cooks with the same recipe.  

Chicken and Andouille Gumbo

Chowhound

A gumbo base made of vegetables (onion, bell peppers, tomatoes, celery, okra) and homemade Cajun seasoning make this a healthy recipe that you can easily adjust based on your preferences. Substitute frozen veggies to save time. Get the Chicken and Andouille Gumbo recipe.

Jambalaya

Gimme Some Oven

This recipe for jambalaya includes the trinity (celery, onion, and green peppers) and any combination of chicken, shrimp, or andouille sausage that suits your fancy. Get the Jambalaya recipe.

Slow Cooker Shrimp Gumbo

Chowhound

If you’re looking for gumbo without the work (instead of a traditional gumbo roux, you brown flour in the oven before mixing with chicken stock), this recipe with andouille sausage and three pounds of shrimp is a winner. Use your slow cooker on a five-hour simmer and you’ll have dinner on the table in no time. Get our Slow Cooker Shrimp Gumbo recipe.

Wild Rice Jambalaya

Chowhound

The addition of wild rice to this jambalaya recipe adds a nuttiness and complexity that you won’t find using white rice. Get our Wild Rice Jambalaya recipe.

Easy Chicken Gumbo

Chowhound

A rotisserie chicken forms the base of this quick recipe for chicken gumbo that also includes eight ounces of andouille sausage and chopped vegetables. You’ll be able to shave a few hours of prep time and can be ready to eat in less than an hour. Get our Easy Chicken Gumbo recipe.

Chicken and Andouille Jambalaya

Chowhound

An extremely filling dish that’s great for serving a crowd, this chicken and andouille sausage jambalaya has a number of seasonings (paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, black and white pepper, salt, cumin, oregano, thyme, coriander, ground mustard, and celery salt) and includes tasso, a savory smoked ham to go with the smoked sausage. Get our Chicken and Andouille Jambalaya recipe.

What Is the Difference Between Creole and Cajun Food?

Read on!

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