Louisiana Products to Serve with Holiday Meals

Looking to add a little Louisiana holiday cheer to the dinner table this year? These local Louisiana products have you covered! Discover some of our favorite foods, seasonings, drinks and desserts that should grace your holiday table this season.

Louisiana Culinary Staples

Community Coffee

Baton Rouge: Community Coffee has been roasting coffee from premium Arabica beans since 1919. This family-owned coffee company offers breakfast blends, dark roasts and seasonal flavors, including spiced pumpkin pecan pie and Mardi Gras king cake.

Steen’s Syrup

Abbeville: In the heart of Cajun Country, these folks have been making syrup out of 100% pure Louisiana sugar cane since 1910. Steen’s Syrup can be used as a glaze on your turkey or ham, as a sweetener in your pie or tea, or in a sauce to tie the whole meal together. Try this recipe for Steen's glazed pork chops.

Blanca Isabel Purple Rice

Rayne: This long-grain rice has a deep purple color and natural health benefits, including antioxidants like those found in blueberries, green tea and red wine. Local restaurants have incorporated Blanca Isabel Purple Rice on their menus — and you can do the same on your holiday table.

TABASCO® Sauce

Avery Island: When you want a dash (or three) of heat, start with the TABASCO® hot sauce that started it all back in 1868. The family-owned company’s signature red sauce enhances the flavor of almost any dish, while flavors like green jalapeño, chipotle, habanero and garlic pepper add a different kick.

The Ambrosia Bakery Cakes

Baton Rouge: While it may not be a traditional holiday dessert, your guests won’t care when you place a big slice of cake in front of them! Order the spice cake, featuring a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger covered in cream cheese icing, or the Ambrosia cake with layers of coconut filling, strawberry cream cheese and fresh pineapple filling. Not near Baton Rouge? Not to worry. The Ambrosia Bakery ships sweet treats all over the world.

Cajun Land Seasonings

Metairie: The key to any well-prepared Cajun meal is the seasoning, and with this company’s spices and meal kits, you can be sure you’re getting the real deal. Pick from Cajun Land's iconic blackened seasoning, a fool-proof jambalaya mix or a kit to make finger-licking hot tamales. Here's a tried-and-true recipe for hot tamales.

Turducken

Lake Charles: Bring a burst of Louisiana flavor to the table with a turducken from Hebert's Specialty Meats and enjoy side dishes from Big Easy Foods. Try the smoked sausages in flavors like green onion and jalapeño, or crawfish or pork boudin.

Slap Ya Mama Cajun Pepper Sauce

Ville Platte: Plenty of hot sauces come out of Louisiana, but this might be just the one you need to spice up your holiday meal. A few dashes of Slap Ya Mama Cajun Pepper Sauce adds a little kick to any serving. You can also slip a few drops into dressings, casseroles and more for a nice spice profile.

Camellia Brand's Red Beans

New Orleans: “In a city with a serious bean tradition, we’re serious about being its favorite.” That pledge helped this New Orleans brand expand to become an international favorite as well. Use Camellia's USDA-grade dried beans to make the quintessential Louisiana favorite dish: red beans and rice.

Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning Blend 

Opelousas: The author of the “Cajun Country Cookbook,” company namesake Tony Chachere was a renowned Cajun chef. After including the recipe for his favorite homemade Creole Seasoning Blend in that book, demand forced him to start making and selling it to the public.

Zatarain’s Rice

New Orleans: Featuring real ingredients you’d find in your grandma’s kitchen, Zatarain’s has been a household name since 1889. Today, more than two dozen mixes offer rice, spice and vegetable combinations you can easily prepare at home — all with no artificial flavors or colors. Jambalaya, gumbo, dirty rice, seafood boil? Check, check, check and check. Get our Louisiana seafood boil recipe using Zatarain's.

CajunCrawfish

Branch: You’ve heard of farm-to-table, now try aquafarm-to-table. CajunCrawfish not only delivers live Louisiana crawfish straight to your door, but they also guarantee every last one is grown right on their farm in Branch. Mix them into a classic crawfish étouffée, boil them with corn on the cob and red potatoes, or make crawfish and shrimp gumbo, a crawfish pie or the Jazz Fest classic, crawfish bread.

Gambino’s Cakes

New Orleans: Taste over 75 years of sweet tradition with Joe Gambino's Bakery scratch-made cakes baked with high-quality ingredients. From iconic king cakes and doberge cakes to elaborate layered masterpieces, a creative confection from Gambino’s is sure to cap off your holiday feast in style.

KONRIKO® Rice

New Iberia: America’s oldest rice mill still in operation, Conrad Rice Mill churns out a variety of batter and coating mixes, seasonings and spices, crackers and snacks. But it’s the signature KONRIKO® Wild Pecan Rice you’ll want to snag for your holiday meal. Rare and aromatic with a subtle pecan flavor, this nutritional brown rice is always a hit.

Arnaud’s Creole Mustard

New Orleans: Now on its fourth generation of owners, Arnaud's Restaurant has been a mainstay on the New Orleans dining scene since 1918. The restaurant’s spicy Creole mustard delivers a tangy bite that you can use in recipes, as a dipping sauce or to give your sandwich an extra kick.

Natchitoches Meat Pies

Coushatta: The folks at Natchitoches Meat Pies have been serving up traditional beef and pork empanadas for more than 36 years. Today, you can also enjoy these crescent-filled pastries stuffed with crawfish or — for an offbeat breakfast treat — chorizo, egg and jalapeños.

Cane River Pecans

New Iberia: From selling to shellers to opening a retail location for consumers, Cane River Pecan Company quickly became known for some of the finest gourmet pecans on the market. Available by mail order, these prized pecans are popular in sweet and savory recipes — or by themselves right out of the package. Make a Louisiana pecan pie or watch a video on how to make pecan pralines.

Sazerac Cocktail

New Orleans: Widely known as “America’s First Cocktail,” the Sazerac is a blend of brandy, absinthe and a dash of secret bitters that was created by apothecary Antoine Peychaud in 1838. This ingenious combination (now often made with Sazerac brand rye whiskey or Cognac) would later come to be known as the Sazerac — and the brand of bitters it now uses carries his name today.

The holidays aren’t complete without a cocktail or two, so make sure you grab a bottle of Bayou Rum's spiced rum, with hints of maple, banana, allspice, clove, vanilla and pepper. Shop the Sazerac Gift Shop and learn more about Louisiana's distillery, brewery and winery scene.

El Guapo Bitters, Syrups and Mixes

New Orleans: The entire line of El Guapo cocktail bitters, syrups and mixers is non-GMO and made from the highest quality raw materials. Try out these award-winning products for your cocktails or mocktails!

One-Stop Louisiana Food Shop  

While all of the items featured here are available direct from each producer, you can always hit up CajunGrocer.com for a one-stop shop featuring a bounty of Louisiana food and drink.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can these holiday products be shipped outside of Louisiana?

Yes! The majority of the businesses listed — including Hebert's Specialty Meats, The Ambrosia Bakery, Joe Gambino's Bakery, Cane River Pecan Company and CajunGrocer.com — specialize in nationwide shipping and use specialized insulated packaging to ensure everything arrives fresh for your holiday events.

What is the difference between Cajun and Creole seasonings for holiday meals?

Cajun seasoning (like Tony Chachere's or Cajun Land) relies heavily on a rustic blend of garlic, onion, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Creole seasoning often incorporates a wider variety of herbs, such as thyme, oregano and paprika. Both work beautifully to enhance traditional holiday turkeys and side dishes.