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This Easy Creole Sauce recipe is made with just a few staple ingredients and is the best way to spice up everything from chicken and fish to rice and pasta. Ready in just 10 minutes, this bold and flavorful sauce is as easy to make as it is delicious.
If you’re looking for more great sauces for your dish, check these out: Honey BBQ Sauce, Sweet Thai Chili Sauce, Alabama White BBQ Sauce, Thai Peanut Sauce, or Citrus Agave Glaze.
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Have you ever tried creole tomato sauce, aka creole sauce? If the answer is no—well, first of all, I’m sorry. Second, you are in for a serious treat. This easy creole sauce recipe takes around 10 minutes to make and is loaded with mouthwatering flavors. It’s a staple in Cajun and Creole cuisine and can be paired with pretty much anything.
I’m sure if you’ve ever had shrimp creole, then you’ve definitely had it before.
I love making a batch of creole red sauce to use throughout the week. It’s great for serving on top of grilled fish, chicken, and steak. It’s also the perfect way to flavor a basic bowl of rice or pasta to instantly turn it into a restaurant-worthy dish. Down in New Orleans, you’ll see creole sauce everywhere you turn. With the heavy Creole influence in the area, this delicious sauce is practically running through our veins.
This sauce starts the same way most traditional Creole dishes do—with the Holy Trinity, aka the combination of onions, celery, and bell peppers. You’ll then add a base of diced tomatoes, butter, Worcestershire sauce, and white wine. We flavor it with Cajun seasoning and fresh parsley, then finish top it off with green onions. The flavor is absolutely insane; you’re going to love it!
Creole Sauce Ingredients
Let’s talk about the ingredients you’ll need to bring this Cajun creole sauce to life.
Holy Trinity
As I mentioned above, the Holy Trinity is a Creole staple that consists of onions, green bell peppers, and celery. Make sure to use yellow onions, not Vidalia onions which would be too sweet.
Diced Tomatoes
Quality canned tomatoes reduce the prep and cooking time, but feel free to use two fresh tomatoes instead if preferred. Creole tomatoes would be great!
Cajun - Creole Seasoning
You can make your own from scratch. For a high-quality and low-sodium blend, I recommend using Savory Cajun Seasoning.
Italian Parsley
For the best flavor, make sure to use fresh Italian parsley in this dish. Curly parsley is more for garnish and really doesn’t add much flavor.
Bay Leaves
This adds an earthy and herbal flavor that works great in Creole recipes like this one.
Worcestershire Sauce
This is one of my go-to ingredients for adding flavor to many sauces.
How to Make Easy Creole Sauce Recipe
Not only is this creole sauce packed with flavor, but it’s also effortless to make. You only need a few basic ingredients and around 10 minutes on the stove. Follow the simple steps below, and check out the recipe card at the bottom for exact measurements.
Step 1: Holy Trinity
Heat a medium pot on the stove over medium heat with oil, then add onion, bell pepper, and celery. Cook for 3-4 minutes until translucent.
Step 2: Make Creole Sauce
Add the Cajun seasoning, garlic, bay leaf, and dried thyme. Cook for 20 seconds, then add tomatoes, remaining Cajun seasoning, white wine, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer for 6 minutes.
Step 3: Finishing Touches
Stir in the butter, green onions, and fresh parsley. Serve over fish, chicken, steak, rice, vegetables, or pasta. Enjoy!
How to Store Creole Sauce?
Allow your creole sauce to cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container or jar. Then, you can store it in the fridge for up to a week. To reheat your sauce, add it to a pot over medium heat and cook until warmed through.
Pro Recipe Tips & Tricks
Here are some of my top tips and tricks to help you make the best creole sauce recipe:
- Add a pinch of cayenne pepper, a few shakes of your favorite Louisiana hot sauce, red pepper flakes, or diced jalapeno peppers to make a spicy creole sauce.
- For a thicker red creole gravy, start with a roux made with equal parts flour and butter; cook until peanut butter brown. Once you’ve done that, proceed with the recipe as instructed.
- The longer you cook the sauce, the more the tomatoes will break down. Keep this in mind to get the consistency you’re looking for.
- Taste your sauce before serving it so you can adjust the seasoning as needed.
- Some people add vinegar or lemon juice to brighten their creole sauce and add flavor. I like to leave it as is because the white wine provides that, but you’re more than welcome to hit it with some acid if you want!
- If you don’t consume alcohol, swap the white wine for chicken broth or chicken stock.
- Use this creole sauce for fish, chicken, sausage, rice, pasta, or vegetables.
- For a vegan creole sauce, swap the butter for olive oil.
- There’s plenty of salt in Cajun seasoning, so make sure to use unsalted butter and low-sodium stock.
- For a quick shortcut, use 10 oz. thawed Seasoning Blend. Cook in the pot without oil for 2 minutes to remove excess moisture, then follow the recipe as instructed.
Easy Creole Sauce FAQs
Here are the answers to some of the most common questions about this easy creole sauce recipe:
What is creole sauce?
Creole sauce, also known as red gravy, is a staple in New Orleans, Creole, Cajun, and Haitian cuisine. It’s a tomato-based sauce made with vegetables and seasonings cooked in butter and olive oil. This flavorful sauce is commonly used to coat meats, rice, pasta, and vegetables.
Can you make this dish ahead of time?
Absolutely. I think the creole sauce tastes even better when you give it a few hours for the flavors to really come together before using it. For the best results, store creole sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 24 hours beforehand.
What do you serve with creole sauce?
You can serve creole sauce with meats like sausage, shrimp, chicken, fish, and steak. You could also serve it with rice or pasta or mix it with roasted vegetables. The options are pretty much endless, so add it to whatever you like.
More Delicious Creole Recipes
Looking for more Creole-inspired dishes? Check these out:
- 20-Minute Creole Jambalaya
- Creole Cream Cheese Remoulade
- Jamaican Oxtails
- Creole Oxtails Stew
- New Orleans Seafood File Gumbo
Before You Begin
Before getting started, here are the steps I use to get organized.
Step 1: Get all ingredients for the Creole sauce on the counter.
Step 2: Measure everything out.
Step 3: Start following the recipe and get ready for the best creole sauce you’ve ever enjoyed.
I hope you have fun following my creole sauce recipe and find it easy and delicious! If you did, please leave a comment or 5-star rating to let me know how it turned out. And don’t forget to share it with your friends and family on social media so they can enjoy this delicious creole sauce too.
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📖 Recipe
Easy Creole Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- ½ medium yellow onion chopped medium
- ½ bell pepper chopped medium
- 2 celery stalks chopped medium
- 4 garlic cloves chopped fine
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ teaspoon dry thyme
- 28 oz. diced tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons Cajun Seasoning divided
- ¼ cup white wine
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 green onions sliced
- 1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
Instructions
- Turn the heat to medium in a medium pot heat oil, add onion, bell pepper and celery cook for 3-4 minutes until translucent. Add 1 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning, garlic, bay leaf and dry thyme, cook for 20 seconds. Add tomatoes, remaining Cajun seasoning, white wine and worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 6 minutes. Stir in butter, green onions and parsley. Serve over fish, chicken, steak, rice, vegetables or pasta.
Notes
- Add a pinch of cayenne pepper, a few shakes of your favorite Louisiana hot sauce, red pepper flakes, or diced jalapeno peppers to make a spicy creole sauce.
- For a thicker red creole gravy, start with a roux made with equal parts flour and butter; cook until peanut butter brown. Once you’ve done that, proceed with the recipe as instructed.
- The longer you cook the sauce, the more the tomatoes will break down. Keep this in mind to get the consistency you’re looking for.
- Taste your sauce before serving it so you can adjust the seasoning as needed.
- Some people add vinegar or lemon juice to brighten their creole sauce and add flavor.
- I like to leave it as is because the white wine provides that, but you’re more than welcome to hit it with some acid if you want!
- If you don’t consume alcohol, swap the white wine for chicken broth or chicken stock. Use this creole sauce for fish, chicken, sausage, rice, pasta, or vegetables.
- For a vegan creole sauce, swap the butter for olive oil.
- There’s plenty of salt in Cajun seasoning, so make sure to use unsalted butter and low-sodium stock.
- For a quick shortcut, use 10 oz. thawed Seasoning Blend. Cook in the pot without oil for 2 minutes to remove excess moisture, then follow the recipe as instructed.
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