43 Mardi Gras Party Foods That'll Make You Feel Like You're In The French Quarter (2024)

The word étouffée is French for “smothered,” which makes sense in this spin on shrimp étouffée. This brothy dish features crawfish and vegetables completely covered in a savory butter-and-flour-based gravy (aka a roux). Pro tip: Serve this over white rice to soak up all that flavor.

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Want to celebrate Mardi Gras from the comfort of your kitchen? Make beignets. Liberally dusted in confectioners’ sugar, these pillowy deep-fried doughnuts will make you feel like you're at the famous Cafe du Monde in just one bite.

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This dish expands on what we all love about fettuccine Alfredo, amping it up with the punchy spices and andouille sausage commonly found in Cajun cuisine. If you love gumbo and jambalaya, this recipe has got to be next on your list.

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Filled with shrimp, sausage, and the signature seasoning, hearty gumbo is the true melting-pot dish of New Orleans. It's a top-notch comfort food stew centered around a flavorful roux and the holy trinity of Southern cooking: aromatic onions, celery, and bell peppers.

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Rich and cheesy, shrimp and grits is the comfort food staple we'll welcome all year long, but especially around Mardi Gras. Our recipe is extra-creamy due to a generous amount of cheese and butter. We also took this recipe to the next-level by adding in crispy bacon.

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Bananas Foster is a classic dessert that should never go out of style, and now we’re bringing it back in with this bananas Foster cheesecake. Boozy caramelized bananas are piled over a fluffy banana cheesecake for a classy, show-stopping dessert that’s sure to be the belle of any ball you bring her to.

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All Creole cuisine packs a flavor punch that keeps you coming back for seconds, but red beans and rice are in a league all their own. The red beans soak up the smoky, porky, spicy, and earthy flavors and release some starch to create a rich gravy that’s perfect for spooning over steamed white rice.

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Our top secret for the most flavorful, extra-crispy catfish? A buttermilk and hot sauce marinade. We know, it may sound odd, but the result is an extra-flavorful, slightly spicy catfish that, once coated and fried, results in crispy fillets that'll rival even your favorite seafood restaurants.

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Let the good times roll because this chicken and pasta skillet will take you straight to Louisiana. Just like our other gnocchi skillet dinners, this one is absolutely craveable; plus, it brings all the flavors we associate with New Orleans into your kitchen, just in time for Mardi Gras.

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King cakes are one of the best parts of Carnival season. They’re traditionally sweet pastry shaped into a ring (like a crown) and covered with icing and colored sprinkles (gold for power, green for faith, and purple for justice). Whoever finds the toy baby inside their slice is king for the year (and has to bring the cake next Mardi Gras!).

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The muffuletta was first served at Central Grocery, an Italian deli in Louisiana founded by Sicilian immigrant Salvatore Lupo in 1906. Sicilian farmers would stop by Lupo’s deli in between shifts at the French Market and juggle plates of olives, salumi, and cheese for lunch. To make it easier to eat, Lupo decided to slap all the ingredients between two pieces of bread, and the muffuletta was born. The more you know!

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Cajun seasoning is a top 5 go-to seasoning mix for our Test Kitchen chefs. We love the spicy, zesty flavors it can provide to everything it touches. Bonus: It also makes this stuffed chicken dish the perfect leftover contender because the flavor last and lasts.

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If you've never had an iconic Louisiana po' boy, this classic fried shrimp version is a great place to start. With crispy fried shrimp, a homemade remoulade, and plenty of fresh veggies, this sandwich will take you to the fern and Spanish moss-lined streets of NOLA in seconds flat.

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Hush puppies—or fried balls of savory cornmeal batter—are a welcome addition to any seafood spread or fried food feast. These golden, crispy bites are so easy to make, they're the perfect last-minute appetizer for all your Mardi Gras festivities.

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This pizza has the same components as its namesake muffuletta sandwich (with a chewy-crisp crust standing in for the sesame roll!) but is arguably even simpler to make, portion, and serve to a big crowd. Make it for a casual dinner OR a Mardi Gras bash, and watch everyone freak out.

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Spicy, hearty, and incredibly flavorful, jambalaya is a New Orleans classic for good reason. Its complex flavor is informed by cuisines from around the world—Spanish, West African, and French to name a few. Our recipe combines three proteins and vegetable-packed rice for a flavor-packed dish that will warm you up all season long.

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Dirty rice (or rice dressing as it’s referred to in the bayou) is a delicious Louisiana staple made mainly of rice, ground pork sausage, ground beef, and the holy trinity of vegetables (onion, bell pepper, and celery). It's the perfect use for old rice, so feel free to use that box of takeout rice here!

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Not to be mistaken for jambalaya or shrimp étouffée, gumbo comes in many forms, but it always absolutely must: 1) thickened by a dark brown roux, 2) be served over rice (or with potato salad if you’re extra Southern), and 3) feature the holy trinity of Southern cooking: onion, celery, and green bell pepper.

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Traditionally, rum is the liquor of choice to flambé bananas Foster, but no one’s stopping you from experimenting with bourbon or anything over 80-proof that has great flavor. As the sauce ignites, the flames will die out as the alcohol is cooked off, leaving you with the flavor of whatever you choose.

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Paczki (pronounced something like puhnch-kee) are a traditional Polish dessert typically prepared on Fat Tuesday (or Mardi Gras) as a way to use up all the rich ingredients typically given up for Lent. If you're looking for a decadent treat, these dense jelly donuts should be next on your baking list.

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