This hearty, cheesy jambalaya dip is made in a cast iron skillet and has andouille sausage, shrimp, and all your favorite flavors from that classic Cajun dish.
Though our family is from South Georgia and North Florida, we love all types of Southern food. Cajun and Creole food are big favorites around our house and jambalaya is, in my opinion, one of the highlights of those cuisines.
If you love jambalaya, I promise you'll like this jambalaya dip. Basically, I've taken all the flavors of jambalaya but replaced the rice with cheese. Wondering if that makes it low-carb? I vote yes!
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How to make jambalaya dip
The first step to making jambalaya dip is to cook up some shrimp in butter and a little Cajun or Creole seasoning (Tony Chachere's is our family's favorite) and set it aside. Then, add in your holy trinity (diced onions, celery, and green bell peppers) and cook until it starts to get soft.
Next come tomatoes and garlic, and cook for another two minutes. Then, throw the shrimp and the diced andouille sausage back into the pan and cook for one more minute.
So basically what we have now is jambalaya without rice, right? Next you are going to make the cream cheese layer of your jambalaya dip. In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco (or whatever hot sauce you prefer).
Spread it right in the bottom of your cast iron skillet (don't have one of those? Bless your heart... you can grab one here) and top it with the jambalaya mixture.
Lastly, the whole shebang is covered in cheddar cheese! Pop it in the oven for a few minutes, and you have Jambalaya Dip - a Cajun appetizer everyone will love.
If seafood dips are as loved around your place as they are ours you'll want to try Crab Au Gratin. The inspiration for it comes from another southern region - coastal Georgia.
More Cajun/Creole inspired recipes:
We've made a lot of dishes over the years that are either classic versions from these cuisines, or another type dish that we kicked up with Cajun or Creole seasonings. Here are a few reader favorites:
- Cajun Garlic Beer-Boiled Peanuts
- Chicken Nachos Cajun Style
- Easy Fried Oyster Po' Boys
- Gouda Grits with Cajun Spice
- Homemade French Fries with Creole Aioli
- Bourbon Glazed Cajun Beef Tenderloin
- Fiery Cajun Shrimp
- Muffaletta Shot Glass Appetizers
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📖 Recipe
Jambalaya Dip
Ingredients
- 1 lb shrimp peeled and deveined
- 3 teaspoon Creole Seasoning divided
- 2 tablespoon butter divided
- 1 rib celery sliced
- ½ onion diced
- ½ green bell pepper diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup tomatoes diced
- ½ lb andouille sausage diced
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce we like Tabasco
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
- tortilla chips for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- If using large shrimp, cut into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning over the shrimp.
- Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cook until just opaque: 1-2 mins on each side. Remove from pan.
- Add remaining tablespoon of butter to the pan. Add holy trinity (onion, celery, and bell peppers) and cook until softened: about 5 mins. Add diced tomatoes and garlic and cook another 2 mins.
- Add shrimp and diced andouille to the pan. Combine well and cook another minute, or until heated through. Remove from heat.
- In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, Worcestershire, remaining seasoning, and hot sauce. Spread in the bottom of a medium (8 or 9-inch) cast iron skillet.
- Top cream cheese mixture with shrimp mixture. Sprinkle cheddar cheese over the whole thing.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese has melted and dip is heated through. Serve with tortilla chips.
Looking for other great appetizers like jambalaya dip? Check out these!
Eden | Sweet Tea and Thyme says
Wow, I've never seen Jambalaya as a dip before! Very creative, love it.
Pam says
Thanks so much, Eden!
rebecca says
I love jambalaya, but never would have thought of making it in dip version! Brilliant idea!
Pam says
we love it, too. Thank you, Rebecca.
Jennifer Lehner says
Jambalaya is one of my favorites and now I can enjoy it for an appetizer too!!
Pam says
Hope you'll love it as much as we do.
Liz says
jambalaya seemed like one of those things that would be hard to make at home but this recipe makes it easy! Thanks for sharing!
Pam says
Liz, Jambalaya is really not difficult, but this dip is super easy, for sure!
Edyta at Eating European says
Oh my goodness. I have never tried Jambalaya but you made me hungry and I'd love to have it now in front of me. I'll be making it very soon 🙂
Pam says
Hope you enjoy, Edyta.
Cindy Weidinger says
Oh this looks delicious! Will be trying it for sure!
Tim Ross says
You mentioned 3 tsp creole seasoning In recipe ingredients but detail instructions only indicate 1 tsp with shrimp. When do you add the other two tsps?
Pam says
Thank you for the heads up, Tim! The remaining 2 teaspoons would be added in with the cream cheese, worcestershire mixture. The recipe has been corrected.