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    Home » Course » Sauces and Dips

    The Best Cajun Butter Sauce

    Published: Apr 23, 2023 · Modified: Jun 1, 2023 by Erin Carter · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

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    shrimp being dipped into cajun butter sauce
    shrimp being dipped into cajun butter sauce

    This is the best cajun butter sauce recipe! Also know as seafood boil sauce this sauce is so easy to make with butter, garlic, onion, honey, and cajun seasoning. Use it as a seafood dipping sauce, as a sauce for crab legs or as a marinade. 

    A shrimp in a bowl of cajun butter sauce with more shrimp surrounding the bowl.

    Why you will love this recipe:

    • This homemade seafood butter sauce has the most incredible flavour and is so tasty! 
    • This authentic seafood boil sauce is so quick and easy to make! It's ready in just a few minutes.
    • It's made with simple, pantry staple ingredients including butter, garlic, honey, and onion. 
    • This Lobster cajun butter sauce can be used for shrimp, as a dipping sauce for crab legs, for seafood, for chicken, and for other meats. 
    • This simple sauce can be used in so many ways - as a dip, for a seafood boil, or as a marinade. 
    • This cajun garlic butter sauce is really versatile and I've included options for making it dairy free and vegan too. 
    • This sauce recipe is made with no cream and is naturally gluten free and refined sugar free.
    • You can make this sauce as mild or as spicy as you like.
    • It keeps really well and can also be frozen for later so it's great for meal prep. 
    • This sauce is great to serve at parties, potlucks, cookouts and picnics.

    Taste and texture:

    This tasty butter sauce is a little spicy, a little sweet, and so creamy and buttery. The chopped onions add a delicious savoury flavour and a little texture to the smooth, melted butter to make this sauce a little thicker. This sauce melts in your mouth with every bite!

    Key ingredients and substitutions: 

    The ingredients needed for making cajun butter sauce in small bowls.
    • Unsalted butter - unsalted butter forms the base of this delicious butter sauce. I recommend using unsalted butter rather than salted butter. If you are dairy free or vegan use a vegan butter instead. 
    • Onion - freshly chopped onion helps add delicious flavour and texture to this cajun sauce. 
    • Garlic - fresh garlic adds even more savoury flavour to this sauce recipe. 
    • Apple cider vinegar - this helps contrast the other flavours in this butter sauce. Instead of apple cider vinegar you can also use lemon juice. 
    • Honey - honey adds the perfect amount of sweetness to this sauce. I recommend using raw, unpasteurized honey for the most health benefits. If you are vegan, you can use maple syrup instead. 
    • Cajun seasoning - it wouldn't be a cajun sauce without cajun seasoning! You can either make your own cajun seasoning or use a store bought cajun seasoning. Instead of cajun seasoning you can also use creole seasoning too. 

    How to make this recipe: 

    Step one:

    First, in a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat on the stovetop.

    Step two:

    Once the butter is melted turn the heat down to low and add the onion and garlic and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent.

    Step three:

    Then stir in the cajun seasoning, honey and apple cider vinegar and simmer for few minutes, until the sauce has the thickness or consistency that you prefer.

    Step four:

    Lastly, remove the pot from the heat and serve!

    Step by step directions for making seafood boil sauce on the stovetop.

    Recipe tips:

    • If you prefer a thicker sauce, allow the sauce to simmer for even longer to thicken even more. 
    • Instead of cajun seasoning you can use creole seasoning to turn this into creole butter sauce. 
    • You can use any type of onion that you like for this sauce including white onion, yellow onion or sweet onion. 
    • I recommend using unsalted butter for this recipe rather than salted butter.
    • If you don't have apple cider vinegar you can use another vinegar of your choice such as white vinegar or rice vinegar or lemon juice.
    • If you are serving a crowd feel free to double or triple this recipe.

    Recipe variations: 

    • To make this into a vegan cajun butter sauce: use a vegan butter and maple syrup instead of honey. 
    • To make this sauce dairy free and lactose free use a vegan butter.
    • If you like a less spicy sauce, decrease the amount of cajun seasoning you add. 
    • If you like a sweeter sauce, add a bit more honey. 
    • To turn this into lemon cajun butter sauce use lemon juice instead of apple cider vinegar. 

    How to use this sauce:

    This homemade sauce can be used in so many ways! Here are some of my favourites.

    • Dipping Sauce - the easiest way to use this sauce is as a dipping sauce for seafood. Serve it with grilled shrimp, pan fried shrimp or baked shrimp, vegan shrimp, cooked crab legs, cooked lobster, or any other cooked seafood. You could also use it as a dipping sauce for vegetables or meats. 
    • Marinade - you can use this sauce as a marinade for crab, shrimp, lobster tails, chicken, steak, chicken wings, salmon, corn, other vegetables, and other fish or meats. 
    • Seafood Boil Butter Sauce - use this sauce to make a seafood boil or crawfish boil. Place your seafood in a large pot, cover it with water and then boil it for the recommended amount of time. Save some of the boiling water and mix it with the butter sauce. Then drain the seafood and toss it in the cajun sauce. Then serve and enjoy!
    • Use it as a sauce for pasta!

    How to store:

    Store any leftover crab boil sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days. 

    It can also be frozen and freezes well for up to 6 months. 

    A shrimp being dipped in seafood butter sauce.

    Frequently asked questions: 

    What is cajun sauce made of?

    There are different types of cajun sauces available. Some cajun sauces are more creamy and are often made with mayonnaise, while there are butter based sauces such as cajun butter sauce that are made with butter. 

    What sauce goes with Lobster?

    Lobster pairs really well with many different sauces including melted butter, garlic butter, lemon butter, cajun butter, lobster butter, creole butter, mayonnaise, truffle oil, truffle mayonnaise, and Thermidor sauce.

    What does cajun butter sauce taste like?

    Cajun butter sauce has a bold spicy flavour from the cajun seasoning that is balanced by the richness of melted butter, the sweetness of honey and the aromatics of garlic and onion. 

    Is cajun sauce spicy?

    Cajun sauce can be spicy, but the great thing about making your own cajun sauce is that you can control how hot or spicy it is. If you like a hotter sauce, add more cajun spice. If you like a milder cajun sauce, add less cajun seasoning. 

    Other recipes you will love:

    • Tuna fried rice
    • Healthy salmon cakes
    • Salmon loaf with dill sauce
    • Lemon dill baked salmon
    • Mexican chicken marinade
    • Vegan shrimp recipe

    Since you made it this far we are basically best friends so be sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok and Facebook where I share even more recipes and healthy living tips! And don’t forget to leave this recipe a star review before you go!

    Cajun Butter Sauce

    This is the best cajun butter sauce recipe. It's easy to make and can be used as a seafood dipping sauce, seafood boil sauce or as a marinade.
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: condiment, dips, Marinade, sauces
    Cuisine: American, Cajun, Creole
    Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 122kcal
    Author: Dr. Erin Carter

    Ingredients

    • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
    • 1/2 white onion, finely chopped
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 2 tablespoon cajun seasoning (for less spicy use 1 tbsp)
    • 2 tablespoon honey
    • 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)

    Instructions

    • In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat on the stove.
    • Once the butter is melted turn the heat down to low and add the onion and garlic and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent.
    • Stir in the cajun seasoning, honey and apple cider vinegar and simmer for another couple minutes.
    • Then remove the pot from the heat and serve!

    Notes

    1. Nutritional values are an estimate and will vary depending on the exact ingredients used. 
    2. To make this into a vegan cajun butter sauce: use a vegan butter and maple syrup instead of honey. 
    3. If you like a less spicy sauce, decrease the amount of cajun seasoning you add.
    4. If you like a sweeter sauce, add a bit more honey.
    5. To make this sauce dairy free and lactose free use a vegan butter.
    6. Store any leftover sauce in the fridge for up to 7 days. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 122kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 148mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 862IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @pureandsimpleno or tag #pureandsimpleno!

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    DISCLAIMERS: The statements made on this website have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration or Health Canada. The information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. You assume full responsibility for how you use this information. Always consult with your physician or other health professionals before making any diet or lifestyle changes. This post may contain affiliate links whereby if you purchase these products I receive a small percentage of the sale price. This allows me to keep the blog running and I thank you for allowing me to do that!

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    Hi everyone! My name is Dr. Erin Carter and I am so thrilled you are here. I am a physician with specialities in both internal medicine and rheumatology, and I believe that food and healthy living are forms of medicine. In my spare time I share health information and delicious, healthy recipes here on Pure and Simple Nourishment.

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