These 13 Mardi Gras food recipes will make you feel like you're in the French Quarter. Celebrate Carnival season with these delicious recipes that you'll be making long after Fat Tuesday is over.
If you like Mardi Gras food, you'll love our best cream of crab soup and our very popular virgin strawberry daiquiri.
Intro
When you think of Mardi Gras food, images of fun, frivolity, and feasting might come to mind. Curious what Mardi Gras means? It's French for "Fat Tuesday." If you can't make it to New Orleans this Carnival season, which starts on Epiphany, and goes until Fat Tuesday, the day before Lent starts, you can go hog wild with your own Mardi Gras food and festivities right at home.
This collection of Mardi Gras food recipes has something to please everyone--from New Orleans classics like jambalaya and the muffaletta sandwich, to the ultimate Mardi Gras dessert: king cake. These are recipes from the Big Easy that we'd throw our beads at. Don your best yellow, green, and purple, and let's get cooking!
Main Dishes
These are Fat Tuesday food recipes you'll need to indulge in this year to celebrate Mardi Gras in style. These classic Louisiana recipes have just the right amount of spice, are full of flavor, and come together quickly. No one will be disappointed with this spread.
One pot Creole jambalaya is a recipe that will bring back memories of being in the French Quarter of New Orleans. It's full of shrimp, sausage, chicken, tomatoes, and rice. Jambalaya is perfect for a party of a family dinner, since it's so easy and everyone loves it.
Red beans and rice is an easy recipe to make when you are craving some authentic soul food from New Orleans. Let these creamy red beans simmer for hours on your stovetop. What's stopping you from serving your family a healthy dish of red beans and rice for dinner tonight?
Southern shrimp and grits is an easy dinner that can be on the table in under 45 minutes. Featuring Cajun sausage, cheese, and real cream, it's a simple Southern comfort food that is of, so good. Try it tonight with fresh Georgia white shrimp.
Sandwich
The muffaletta is one sandwich that is over the top, flamboyant, and absolutely delicious. Get a taste of New Orleans food with this indulgent sandwich that is worthy of a celebration. It combines the best components of an Italian antipasto platter that is wrapped up into a sandwich of epic proportions.
Make the perfect loaf of light and soft muffaletta bread. Stuff this bread with olive salad, sliced deli meat, and cheese to make an authentic New Orleans sandwich. It will be a real crowd pleaser at your party or family dinner!
Olive salad is commonly used in a muffaletta sandwich, which originated in New Orleans at Central Grocery. Green and black Kalamata olives, giardiniera, vinegar, oil, garlic, and other goodies round out this family sized dish that is great for picnic lunches.
Muffaletta is an iconic sandwich from Central Grocery in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Fresh bread, olive salad, deli meat, and cheese are layered in this showstopping sandwich. It's and unforgettable addition to your Mardi Gras menu.
Soup
Gumbo has intense, complicated flavors, and is a weekend project that is totally worth it. Homemade seafood stock is key, and the roux is the heart and soul of every gumbo recipe. These three Mardi Gras food recipes will make your mouth water with their down home taste, and are sure to be a hit with your crowd.
Are you curious how to make seafood stock? This homemade recipe is healthy, low carb, and simple, and makes any gumbo or soup something delicious. All you need are shrimp shells, carrots, onions, celery and some spices to make this freezer friendly stock.
Learn how to make roux for gumbo. Now you can recreate this Deep South comfort food at home by using this traditional roux recipe. It's simple and perfect for your next special meal.
Enjoy the taste of Louisana and learn the secrets to awesome gumbo with this recipe. Shrimp, sausage, chicken, a dark colored roux, and spices flavor this rich New Orleans stew. All your relatives will be wanting you to make this for family dinners.
Drink
Let the good times roll for the whole family this Mardi Gras season with this kid friendly version of the official drink of NOLA--the hurricane. Raise a glass to Fat Tuesday and get into the Carnival spirit by sipping on our mocktail.
A hurricane mocktail is an easy drink to make for a crowd in a pitcher. Learn how to make this popular Mardis Gras drink for parties the classic way, and also as a frozen slushie. It's simple, fun, fruity, and refreshing.
Desserts
Everything is over the top in NOLA, so bring some Big Easy flair to your Mardi Gras party with these easy-to-make desserts that will remind you of the South. King cakes are just the start.
This old fashioned Southern dessert is simple to make and is perfect for Mardi Gras! An easy custard, raisins, and cinnamon add lots of flavor to this bread pudding, and you'll love every drop of the creamy bourbon sauce poured on top.
Pecan pie without corn syrup is a Southern dessert that's always a hit with family and friends. This version with no corn syrup is a little bit healthier, but just as tasty! You'll savor every sweet bite of the gooey filling and buttery crust.
King cake, a delicious variation of cinnamon rolls, is served from Epiphany to Mardi Gras. You don't have to go to Louisiana to enjoy this soft, fluffy bread with a cinnamon filling and lemon icing. Making this traditional New Orleans dessert from scratch is actually really easy.
Mardi Gras Food FAQs
Some foods you need to try when it's Mardi Gras are king cake, jambalaya, hurricanes, po'boys, dirty rice, red beans and rice, gumbo, muffalettas, pralines, and bananas Foster. Popular meats are crawfish, shrimp, crab, oysters, and catfish.
Creole cuisine is considered city cooking in Louisiana and is a fusion of French, Spanish, West African, and Native American. Creole cuisine is also influenced by immigrants from Germany, Italy, and the West Indies. Popular Creole dishes are jambalaya, red beans and rice, gumbo, and creole sauce.
Cajuns are a people group who are descendants of French people from Acadia, Nova Scotia, Canada. Cajuns live primarily in the Southern part of Louisiana and have a large impact on the state's culture and food.
Cajun food is a combination of French and Southern cuisines. It is home style cooking that is robust and rustic and uses food that is locally sourced. It typically has three pots: a main dish, rice, and a vegetable.
Conclusion
Mardi Gras is a New Orleans holiday that is steeped in family tradition, kid-friendly parades, and delicious food. We could all use a few more reasons to celebrate this winter, so bring the Mardi Gras party to you and have a festive feast with one of these delicious, colorful recipes.
Did you make any of these 13 Mardi Gras foods? Please leave a comment below and let us know what you thought of this Mardi Gras recipe roundup.
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