Common Ingredients in gumbo Recipes

We researched the most common ingredients in over twenty popular gumbo recipes and found the top 15 ingredients.

The most common ingredient in gumbo dishes is yellow onion.

Ribs celery heart, flour, garlic, green bell pepper, okra, shrimp, chicken stock, vegetable oil and white rice are also common ingredients in gumbo recipes. For herbs and spices, bay and thyme are popular. Variations include:

• green pepper in place of green bell pepper

Salt is in 90% of gumbo recipes and pepper, 95%.

The average gumbo recipe has about 19.8 ingredients, with a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 29.

In terms of directions, gumbo recipes have about 5.1 steps on average, ranging from 1 to 14 instructions.

An average gumbo recipe takes about 2 hours 5 minutes to prepare, ranging from 35 minutes to 7 hours 30 minutes.

Ratios of Common Ingredients in Gumbo

For 1 large yellow onion (150 g), the median and average amounts of other significant ingredients are below. Some ingredients are potential substitutes for others, meaning they almost never exist together in a single gumbo recipe, and are marked below.

Ingredient	Median	Average	% of recipes with yellow onion	Potential subsitutions
ribs celery heart	1.5 stalk (95 g)	1.8 stalk (115 g)	89%
flour	half a cup (63 g)	0.63 cup (78 g)	89%
garlic	3.8 clove (11 g)	4.2 clove (13 g)	84%
bay	1.5 leaf (0 g)	1.9 leaf (0 g)	68%
thyme	1.3 teaspoon (1 g)	1.9 teaspoon (2 g)	61%
okra	two thirds of a pound (300 g)	0.64 pound (291 g)	55%
green bell pepper	1.4 (101 g)	1.6 (117 g)	53%	green pepper
shrimp	1 pound (454 g)	1.1 pound (480 g)	50%

Ingredients by Average Weight in Gumbo

We also found the average content of the significant ingredients by weight in gumbo recipes. This would be: 36% chicken stock, 16% shrimp, 12% yellow onion, 9% okra, 7% ribs celery heart, 7% white rice, 5% green bell pepper, 4% flour and 3% vegetable oil.

Here are the top ingredients, listed in order of popularity.

pepper

Pepper is the most popular ingredient in gumbo dishes. In fact, over 95% of gumbo recipes contain pepper.

Variations of pepper include:

• salt pepper: 90% of recipes
• black pepper: 60% of recipes

For gumbo recipes, pepper is frequently used with yellow onion, ribs celery heart, salt pepper, flour and garlic.

salt pepper

Salt pepper is another common ingredient in gumbo dishes. In fact, over 90% of gumbo recipes contain salt pepper.

Common quantities for salt pepper in gumbo dishes include 1 teaspoon, 2 teaspoons or 1 tablespoon.

In gumbo recipes that contain salt pepper, it is on average, 0.3% by weight.

Yellow onion, ribs celery heart, flour, garlic and bay are commonly used together with salt pepper in gumbo dishes.

black pepper

Black pepper is another common ingredient in gumbo dishes. In fact, over 60% of gumbo recipes contain black pepper.

Ground is a frequent preparation for black pepper in gumbo dishes.

Common quantities for black pepper in gumbo dishes include 1 teaspoon, 1 tablespoon or half a teaspoon.

In gumbo recipes that contain black pepper, it is on average, 0.1% by weight.

Yellow onion, ribs celery heart, salt pepper, garlic and flour are commonly used together with black pepper in gumbo dishes.

yellow onion

Another popular ingredient in gumbo is yellow onion. From the recipes we've sampled for gumbo, over 95% have yellow onion.

Gumbo dishes often call for yellow onion to be chopped, diced, sliced and peeled.

Yellow onion is often included in gumbo dishes in amounts of 1 large, 1 medium or 2 yellow onions.

In gumbo recipes that contain yellow onion, it is on average, 6% by weight.

In recipes for gumbo, yellow onion is often used with flour, ribs celery heart, salt pepper, garlic and pepper.

ribs celery heart

Another popular ingredient in gumbo is ribs celery heart. From the recipes we've sampled for gumbo, over 90% have ribs celery heart.

Chopped and diced are frequent preparations for ribs celery heart in gumbo dishes.

Ribs celery heart is often included in gumbo dishes in amounts of 2 stalks, 1 cup or half a cup.

In gumbo recipes that contain ribs celery heart, it is on average, 4% by weight.

For gumbo recipes, ribs celery heart is frequently used with yellow onion, salt pepper, flour, garlic and bay.

flour

Flour is another common ingredient in gumbo dishes. In fact, over 90% of gumbo recipes contain flour.

Flour is often included in gumbo dishes in amounts of half a cup, 1 cup or 1.5 cups.

In gumbo recipes that contain flour, it is on average, 2% by weight.

In recipes for gumbo, flour is often used with yellow onion, salt pepper, ribs celery heart, garlic and bay.

garlic

Another popular ingredient in gumbo is garlic. From the recipes we've sampled for gumbo, over 85% have garlic.

Chopped, minced, crushed and peeled are frequent preparations for garlic in gumbo dishes.

Common quantities for garlic in gumbo dishes include 3 cloves, 4 cloves or 2 cloves.

In gumbo recipes that contain garlic, it is on average, 0.5% by weight.

Salt pepper, ribs celery heart, yellow onion, flour and bay are commonly used together with garlic in gumbo dishes.

bay

Bay is another common ingredient in gumbo dishes. In fact, over 70% of gumbo recipes contain bay.

Dried is a frequent preparation for bay in gumbo dishes.

Bay is often included in gumbo dishes in amounts of 2 leaves, 1 leaf or 3 leaves.

In gumbo recipes that contain bay, it is on average, 0% by weight.

For gumbo recipes, bay is frequently used with ribs celery heart, yellow onion, salt pepper, flour and garlic.

thyme

Another popular ingredient in gumbo is thyme. From the recipes we've sampled for gumbo, over 60% have thyme.

Gumbo dishes often call for thyme to be chopped and dried.

Thyme is often included in gumbo dishes in amounts of 2 teaspoons, 1 teaspoon or 1 tablespoon.

In gumbo recipes that contain thyme, it is on average, 0.1% by weight.

In recipes for gumbo, thyme is often used with salt pepper, yellow onion, flour, ribs celery heart, bay and garlic.

green bell pepper

Another popular ingredient in gumbo is green bell pepper. From the recipes we've sampled for gumbo, over 55% have green bell pepper.

Chopped, diced, cored and seeded are frequent preparations for green bell pepper in gumbo dishes.

Green bell pepper is often included in gumbo dishes in amounts of 1 green bell pepper, 1 cup or 1 large.

In gumbo recipes that contain green bell pepper, it is on average, 4% by weight.

For gumbo recipes, green bell pepper is frequently used with flour, ribs celery heart, yellow onion, salt pepper and garlic.

Potential substitutions for green bell pepper in gumbo:

• green pepper

okra

Okra is another common ingredient in gumbo dishes. In fact, over 50% of gumbo recipes contain okra.

Gumbo dishes often call for okra to be sliced, chopped and trimmed.

Okra is often included in gumbo dishes in amounts of 1 pound, 2 cups or half a pound.

In gumbo recipes that contain okra, it is on average, 9% by weight.

In recipes for gumbo, okra is often used with yellow onion, ribs celery heart, flour, salt pepper, pepper and garlic.

shrimp

Another popular ingredient in gumbo is shrimp. From the recipes we've sampled for gumbo, over 50% have shrimp.

Peeled, deveined and removed are frequent preparations for shrimp in gumbo dishes.

Common quantities for shrimp in gumbo dishes include 1 pound, 2 pounds or half a pound.

In gumbo recipes that contain shrimp, it is on average, 16% by weight.

Yellow onion, flour, salt pepper, ribs celery heart and garlic are commonly used together with shrimp in gumbo dishes.

chicken stock

Chicken stock is another common ingredient in gumbo dishes. In fact, over 45% of gumbo recipes contain chicken stock.

Chicken stock is often included in gumbo dishes in amounts of 8 cups, 3 cups or 3 quarts.

In gumbo recipes that contain chicken stock, it is on average, 39% by weight.

For gumbo recipes, chicken stock is frequently used with flour, yellow onion, ribs celery heart, salt pepper and garlic.

vegetable oil

Another popular ingredient in gumbo is vegetable oil. From the recipes we've sampled for gumbo, over 45% have vegetable oil.

Vegetable oil is often included in gumbo dishes in amounts of 2 tablespoons, 1 cup or three quarters of a cup.

In gumbo recipes that contain vegetable oil, it is on average, 3% by weight.

In recipes for gumbo, vegetable oil is often used with yellow onion, flour, ribs celery heart, salt pepper and garlic.

Potential substitutions for vegetable oil in gumbo:

• canola oil

white rice

White rice is another common ingredient in gumbo dishes. In fact, over 40% of gumbo recipes contain white rice.

Cooked is a frequent preparation for white rice in gumbo dishes.

Common quantities for white rice in gumbo dishes include 3 cups, 4 cups or 2 cups.

In gumbo recipes that contain white rice, it is on average, 8% by weight.

Salt pepper, yellow onion, garlic, flour, ribs celery heart and pepper are commonly used together with white rice in gumbo dishes.

Other gumbo Ingredients

Other significant ingredients used in gumbo recipes include:

• sauce - 40%
• file powder - 35%
• scallions - 35%
• parsley - 30%
• tomatoes - 30%
• paprika - 30%
• bell pepper - 25%
• olive oil - 20%
• green pepper - 20%
• oregano - 15%
• chicken - 15%
• butter - 15%
• andouille sausage - 15%
• canola oil - 15%

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