Cajun Boiled Peanuts Recipe

5 from 7 votes

These homemade boiled peanuts bring the perfect blend of Cajun spices for a wonderful spicy southern snack or appetizer - learn how to make boiled peanuts!

Prep Time5

Cook Time5

Steeping Time1

Total Time5 5

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cajun, peanuts, recipe, spicy

Servings:

Calories: 473kcal

Author: Mike Hultquist

Ingredients

2 pounds green raw peanuts in the shell
4 ounces concentrated shrimp and crab boil
½ cup Cajun or Creole Seasoning Blend (or use seafood boil seasoning)
2 tablespoons salt
4 habanero peppers sliced in half (optional – use can omit or use other peppers to your own heat level preference)
Hot sauce of choice a few tablespoons will do, but add as much as you’d like! – Tabasco or Crystal are PERFECT for this recipe
Water to cover

Instructions

Add the peanuts to a large pot. Pour in enough water to cover the peanuts. It's usually a couple gallons of water.
Stir in the shrimp and crab boil and Cajun seasonings (or Creole seasonings) with salt.
Add the habanero peppers, if using them. They add a very good level of heat to the whole batch.
Dash in your hot sauce and give it a good stir.
Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce heat. Partially cover the pot with a lid and simmer for 5 hours. Check it periodically to push the peanuts under the seasoned water.
Cool. You can eat the peanuts now if you’d like, but to develop more flavor, cover and set the pot into the refrigerator.
Refrigerate overnight to let the flavors develop. The peanuts will become much more infused with the seasonings as they steep in the liquid.
Reheat on the stove top and enjoy.

Notes

Serving size is 1/2 cup.

Heat Factor: Medium-Hot. You can dial back the heat by omitting the habaneros or using milder peppers. Heat it up more with extra habanero peppers, or use hotter peppers, like ghost peppers or scorpion peppers. Carolina Reapers, anyone?

STORING: Store boiled peanuts in airtight containers with a bit of the steeping liquid in the refrigerator. Will keep for a week or longer. Will keep 6 months if frozen.

Nutrition