Bayou, Parish or City? The Best Cajun Cookbook for Your Kitchen

Houston sits a few hours’ drive from Louisiana, and Gulf shrimp and oysters are familiar on both sides of the state line. Cajun and Creole get lumped together in Texas, as they do everywhere. They are not quite the same thing, and sorting them out is one of the first jobs a good book does.

In broad terms, Cajun food is linked with the bayous and country parishes of south Louisiana, and Creole food with New Orleans. This guide gives seven books from named authors and established publishers, mostly Cajun with Creole titles for the city, and says which have a named review behind them.

Julia’s earns a commission on purchases made through links on this page, at no cost to you. Recommendations are based on what a restaurant kitchen looks for in a cookbook, the Amazon listing, publisher and author information and published reviews, which we name where we use them.

Quick verdict: the best Cajun cookbook to start with

The other four cover the seasons on the bayou, a New Orleans landmark, modern Creole cooking and an easy farm-fresh take.

Five Cajun and Creole cookbooks side by side

Five of the seven, one for each kind of cook. All seven are described in full below.

Cover images from Amazon. Page counts and formats are from the Amazon listings for the editions linked. Recipe counts are from the publisher’s copy or the listing title.

Our picks for the best Cajun cookbook, book by book

All seven were in stock and new, and sold by Amazon, when we checked. We have not cooked from these books; where we describe a strength, we say whose view it is.

How to choose a Cajun cookbook for your kitchen

Four questions will narrow this list quickly.

• Cajun, Creole or both? Martin and Toups are Cajun. Chase and Cook are New Orleans, and Belton travels the whole state.
• Do you have the pot? Gumbo and étouffée are slow, wet dishes that suit a heavy one, so a cast iron Dutch oven is a good place to begin.
• What seafood can you buy? PW says Martin’s first book leans hard on shrimp, crab, oysters and crawfish. If you shuck at home, you will want an oyster knife too.
• Do you want to read or just cook? Martin’s books are as much about a place as about dinner. Belton and Chatagnier look quicker to use.

How we chose these Cajun cookbooks

We searched Amazon’s book listings first and kept print editions from named authors at established publishers, plain in stock with a new lead offer sold by Amazon. We checked every other book page on this site, including our Southern one, so nothing repeats. Author, year, format and page count come from the Amazon listing. Recipe counts and descriptions come from the publisher’s copy, as carried by booksellers, unless we credit someone else.

Here is what stands behind each pick. Cookin’ Louisiana, Mosquito Supper Club, Chasing the Gator and Bayou have Publishers Weekly reviews that we read ourselves. The Dooky Chase Cookbook, Modern Creole and Modern Cajun Cooking rest on the publisher’s and the author’s details. We found no PW review at those three ISBNs, which does not mean that no other review exists.

Stock ruled out the most famous names, and you should know that. Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana Kitchen, John Besh’s My New Orleans and Emeril Lagasse’s New New Orleans Cooking were not plainly in stock when we checked, and Donald Link’s Real Cajun was low in stock. They may well be worth finding later.

Creole Louisiana cooking book questions, answered

What is the best Creole Louisiana cooking book?

For classic Creole, The Dooky Chase Cookbook. For a modern version, Modern Creole. For Louisiana generally, Cookin’ Louisiana.

What is the difference between Cajun and Creole food?

In broad terms, Cajun food is tied to the rural bayous and parishes of south Louisiana, and Creole food to New Orleans. The two overlap, and PW notes that Belton’s glossary helps with the terms.

Which book has the most gumbo?

Of the ones we can speak to, Mosquito Supper Club, which PW credits with seven gumbo variations. PW also says Chasing the Gator has several.

Is Prudhomme still worth buying?

We cannot say from what we read, and his Louisiana Kitchen was not plainly in stock when we checked. That is why it is off this list, and it is not a judgment on the book.

Can I cook these recipes without Gulf seafood?

Some, though we have not gone through every recipe. Martin’s first book would be the hardest, by PW’s description.

Which Cajun cookbook should you buy first?

Buy Cookin’ Louisiana if you are starting out. Choose Mosquito Supper Club for the bayou and Chasing the Gator for a modern Cajun voice. Chase and Cook bring the city, and Chatagnier keeps it easy. For the wider region these kitchens belong to, go to our best Southern cookbook guide.

Related guide: Best new orleans cookbook.

And if you would rather let someone else cook tonight, see the menu or call to order.