Cajun Dirty Rice Recipe
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Jul 23, 2025 
This classic recipe for Cajun Dirty Rice features ground beef, veggies, and lots of vibrant spices. It’s a one-pot dish that is deliciously zesty, comforting, and great to serve as a main or side dish!
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
A traditional Cajun dirty rice recipe generally uses meat scraps to make the most of resources and to provide flavor. Therefore, most contain liver and chopped meat. We’ve opted to go with ground beef for a more user-friendly version with lots of Cajun “holy trinity” veggies (onion, celery, and bell pepper) and full-bodied spice.
This fabulously flavorful Cajun rice dish can be served as a one-pot stand-alone main dish, as a side dish, or with other southern-inspired sides!
Why You’ll Love Cajun Dirty Rice
- Flavor explosion – Every single bite of this rice dish is loaded with bold Cajun flavors and spices.
- Easy cleanup – One of the many reasons why I LOVE this dish, is that it’s made in one pot making cleanup so easy!
- Great for meal prep – Make big batches of this recipe and enjoy it throughout the week.
This spicy and satisfying Cajun Dirty Rice dish is one of my favorite comfort foods, with a kick!
Ingredients and Tips
- Butter – I prefer to use butter, but you can also use bacon grease.
- Trinity – You’ll need chopped onion, celery, and bell pepper.
- Ground beef – Use lean ground beef.
- Cajun seasoning – You can either use store-bought or make my homemade version!
- Herbs – Use dried or fresh thyme and parsley.
- Long grain rice – Use classic white rice or swap with basmati rice.
Recipe Variations and Dietary Swaps
- Other proteins – Swap the ground beef for Cajun sausage (like andouille or smoked sausage), chicken livers, or ground chicken/turkey.
- Seafood – Stir in cooked shrimp or crawfish tails in the last 5 minutes for a Cajun seafood twist.
- Vegetarian – Skip the meat and add black beans, mushrooms, or lentils for a plant-based alternative.
- Brown rice – Use brown rice instead of white, increasing the broth to 5 cups and cooking for about 40 minutes.
- Spicy – Add diced jalapeños or a splash of hot sauce while cooking.
How To Make Cajun Dirty Rice
This bold one-pot Cajun Dirty Rice dish features layers of delicious flavors and is ready in just 30 minutes!
Find the full Cajun Dirty Rice recipe with detailed instructions and storage tips in the printable form at the bottom of the post!
Storage Notes
- Storing Leftovers – Place leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Reheating Leftovers – Reheat in a skillet over medium-low heat with a splash of water or broth. You can also reheat it in the microwave in short bursts.
Serving Suggestions
Our zesty, beefy, veggie-riffic cajun dirty rice recipe is delicious and satisfying as a one-pot main dish. Serve it with Louisiana hot sauce and with thick wedges of cornbread, and any of your favorite southern sides. We love classics like coleslaw, hushpuppies, collard greens, and fried green tomatoes.
It’s also great to enjoy as a side dish! Pair the rice with low country boil (or broil) or baked ham for a super hearty meal that is sure to please.
Recipe For Cajun Dirty Rice
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter or bacon grease
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped bell pepper any color
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 3-5 teaspoons Cajun seasoning with salt
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 cup long grain rice
- 4 cups beef broth
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
Instructions
- Set a large 6 quart saucepot over medium heat. Add the butter, chopped onions, celery, bell peppers, and minced garlic to the pot. Stir and sauté for 5 minutes, until the onions are soft.
- Stir in the ground beef, Cajun seasoning, and thyme. Use a wooden spoon to break the ground beef into small pieces as it cooks. Brown the meat for another 5 minutes. *If you are sensitive to spice, use only 3 teaspoons of Cajun seasoning. If you like to spice things up use 4-5 teaspoons!
- Once the meat has cooked through and is broken into very small pieces, stir in the rice. Mix well to coat all the grains of rice in beef juices. Then pour the beef broth over the top.
- Cover the pot and bring to a simmer. Once boiling, stir well, then cover the pot again. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Then remove the pot from the heat and leave it to steam another 5 minutes.
- Fluff the rice and stir in the parsley. Taste, then add additional Cajun seasoning (or salt) if needed.
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Cajun fried rice, also known as Dirty Rice, is a one-pot rice dish cooked with ingredients that give it a “dirty” color… The combination of ground beef, diced onions, bell peppers, and creole seasonings makes the rice appear brown with little flecks of spice.
If you’re wondering – what’s the difference between dirty rice and jambalaya? – the answer lies in a few different key ingredients. Dirty rice is made with ground meat and peppers, it is basically like cajun fried rice. However, jambalaya includes diced tomatoes and is typically made with sausage and seafood (like shrimp or crawfish). Both are equally hearty and delicious in their own unique ways!
You can store this cajun dirty rice recipe in the freezer for up to 3 months, only once though. Make sure to allow the rice to cool to room temperature before storing it in the freezer. When ready to use, thaw completely before reheating in a skillet.
nice dish, I’ve never used ground beef or had it in a dirty rice recipe but it works really well, so thank you!
So simple and delicious, we added a frilly fried egg which really topped it off. Also added a fresh chilli for bit of extra spice and tempted to try it with some soured cream next time. Yum.
Such a good cajun dirty rice recipe! The perfect amount of spice and super flavorful.
I could eat this paired with so many things or add some chicken & you have a delicious, hearty meal!! Love the flavors!!
My MIL made this for us when we first got married. I’m glad I now have the recipe. So good!
I love making this rice alongside some chicken and veggies! adds some flavor and overall goodness to any meal
This was a really huge hit at my house! So tasty! A new family favorite!
I love this recipe so much! Such an easy and delicious way to enjoy rice!
this recipe is amazing and the flavor is incredible! thank you for sharing this recipe