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    Home » Recipes » Sauces and Dips

    Cajun Butter Sauce (so easy!)

    Modified: May 8, 2025 • Published: Apr 23, 2023 by Dr. 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.

    Sauces and seasonings like homemade carne asada seasoning and Mexican chicken marinade are one of the best ways to add more flavour to your meals, which is why I can't wait for you to try the sauce recipe I am sharing with you today.

    What makes this recipe special:

    • The taste! This homemade seafood butter sauce has the most incredible flavour.
    • This authentic seafood boil sauce is quick and easy to make. It's ready in just a few minutes.
    • This sauce can be used for shrimp, as a dipping sauce for crab legs, for seafood, for chicken, or as a marinade for other meats. It's perfect to serve with pan seared shrimp.
    • This sauce recipe is made with no cream and is naturally gluten-free and refined sugar free. I've included options for making it dairy-free and vegan as well.

    If you are a seafood lover you also need to try my healthy salmon loaf, the best blackened Mahi Mahi, and juicy air fryer scallops.

    Ingredients and substitutions: 

    For the full ingredient list and exact measurements refer to the recipe card later in this post.

    Jump to the Recipe Card.
    Bowls filled with different ingredients including honey, chopped onion, garlic, cajun seasoning and a stick of butter beside the bowls.
    • Unsalted butter - this forms the base of this delicious butter sauce. 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. You can use white onion, yellow onion or sweet onion.
    • 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 - this adds the perfect amount of sweetness to this sauce. 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. 

    Recipe variations and add ins: 

    • If you are serving a crowd feel free to double or triple this recipe.
    • 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. 
    • For a spicier cajun butter sauce: add more cajun seasoning.
    • 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 make cajun butter sauce: 

    A pot on the stovetop with a stick of butter melting in it.
    1. Step 1: First, in a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat on the stovetop.
    A pot on the stovetop with chopped onion simmering in melted butter.
    1. Step 2: 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.
    A pot on the stovetop with melted butter and seasonings simmering in it.
    1. Step 3: 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.
    A small bowl with a cajun sauce in it with a piece of shrimp being dipped into the sauce.
    1. Step 4: Lastly, remove the pot from the heat and serve!

    Top tip:

    If you prefer a thicker sauce, allow the sauce to simmer for longer to thicken it even more. 

    How to use this sauce:

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

    • As a dipping sauce - serve it with grilled shrimp, pan fried shrimp, 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 cajun garlic 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!
    A shrimp being dipped in seafood butter sauce.

    Cajun butter sauce FAQs:

    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. 

    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. 

    Is this cajun butter sauce carnivore?

    No it is not. It contains many ingredients that are not permitted on the carnivore diet.

    How should I store any leftover sauce?

    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. 

    Other seafood recipes you will love:

    • A pan filled with tuna fried rice with chop sticks on top.
      Quick and Easy One Pan Tuna Fried Rice
    • A salmon cake on a bed of lettuce drizzled with aioli sauce.
      Air Fryer Salmon Patties with Lemon Dill Aioli
    • A piece of blackened cod on a plate with cooked asparagus.
      The Best Blackened Cod (Quick and Easy)
    • A piece of Mahi Mahi cooked in an air fryer on a plate.
      Easy Air Fryer Mahi Mahi - ready in 10 minutes!

    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!

    Recipe

    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 6 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

    Equipment

    • Pot or saucepan

    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. If you like a less spicy sauce, decrease the amount of cajun seasoning you add.
    3. If you like a sweeter sauce, add a bit more honey.

    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!

    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 specialties 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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