New Orleans is one of the most fascinating, historically and culturally rich cities in the entire world, so it makes sense that their cuisine would fall into the “world-class” category, too.

It’s a place that really values tradition, passing recipes down from generation to generation, honoring identity and community while doing so. If you really want to understand this beautiful place, you need to first learn how to cook its cuisine properly.

The best way to do so is by taking one of the 5 top New Orleans cooking classes, where you’ll learn from expert locals who know the ins and outs of NOLA like no one else. Let’s jump right in!

Best Cooking Classes in New Orleans

	New Orleans Hands-On Cooking Class with Meal	Hands-on Cajun Roux Cooking Class in New Orleans	Hands-on Cajun Traditions Cooking Class
Meeting Location:	524 St Louis St, New Orleans	519 Wilkinson St, New Orleans	519 Wilkinson St, New Orleans
Tour Length:	3 hours	3 hours	3 hours
Start Time(s):	6:00 PM	10:00 AM, 2:00 PM, 6:00 PM	10:00 AM, 2:00 PM, 6:00 PM
What’s Included:	Cooking class & full Meal, alcoholic and Non-alcoholic beverages (beer, red or white wine, iced tea, lemonade, and coffee), copy of class recipes	Learn to make chicken and andouille sausage gumbo, shrimp étouffée & bananas foster, alcoholic beverages, bottled water, soda	Learn to make barbecue shrimp, chicken and andouille sausage jambalaya, chocolate bread pudding, alcoholic beverages, dinner, host, guided experience
	Check Tour Availability	Check Tour Availability	Check Tour Availability

Our 5 Top Picks For The Best New Orleans Cooking Classes:

1. New Orleans Hands-On Cooking Class with Meal
2. Hands-on Cajun Roux Cooking Class in New Orleans
3. Hands-on Cajun Traditions Cooking Class
4. New Orleans Demonstration Cooking Class with Meal
5. New Orleans Small-Group Food Walking Tour and Cooking Class

New Orleans Cooking Class Reviews

1. New Orleans Hands-On Cooking Class with Meal

What to Expect on the Tour

Let’s start things off on the right foot with the New Orleans Hands-On Cooking Class with Meal experience, taking you far beyond a commercial cooking school experience.

Lasting 3 hours, it’s the perfect way to learn about history, culture, and authentic cuisine all in one go – plus, you’ll learn so much more than you would just by going out for a bite to eat.

They don’t skimp on anything here, taking you through recipes for either yam-crab bisque or gumbo, a main dish of BBQ shrimp and grits or jambalaya, and a dessert of (my personal fav) bananas foster or pralines.

Expect to have the choice in what you learn, since they understand that not everyone likes the same thing. That consideration was extended into everything our guide did, welcoming us in, patiently showing us different techniques, and offering complimentary wine or local beer.

After putting in some hard work, you and the rest of your group will sit down and savor the delicious full meal you’ve all prepared!

What Makes This Tour Great

I don’t even know where to start, because it was all so wonderful! First off, they included a complimentary souvenir apron and a full recipe collection, so we are able to remake the tasty food wherever, whenever!

The small-group setting capped out at just 10 participants, so it was a very intimate, personalized setting with a guide who operated at a steady pace that was easy to follow, answering any questions we had.

You’ll get to cut, season, and completely prep your Louisiana meal, and I love this because it shows you that you can prepare a delicious meal all on your own. T

here are 5 cooktops, which means that everyone will be paired up, making it perfect for couples who are looking for a fun date activity, friends, etc. After, we sat down to enjoy the fruits of our labor, washing it all down with red and white wine and Abita amber beer – a popular local brew!

Reserve Tour Now and Pay Later / Free Cancellation Within 24 Hours of Tour Start Time

2. Hands-on Cajun Roux Cooking Class in New Orleans

What to Expect on the Tour

Next up is the Hands-on Cajun Roux Cooking Class in New Orleans, which is one of the best technical skills you can possess if you really want to master Cajun and Creole cooking.

Yet another 3-hour experience, it thoroughly covers everything you need to know about building a proper foundation upon which everything else is built. Expect to gain all of the tools and skills for how to make 3 dishes in your own kitchen with confidence once you head back home.

It was interesting to learn about the similarities between different Louisiana and French dishes, which obviously makes sense when we look back into the state’s origins.

Enjoy a glass of wine while prepping the dark roux for the gumbo, then the light roux for the shrimp étouffée, understanding that different dishes require different types. After your meal is plated and eaten, you’ll all enjoy the famous Bananas Foster dessert.

What Makes This Tour Great

Something that I love about Louisiana is that it just feels so personal – people say “hi” when you pass them on the street, and you can taste that same affection in the food.

It comes as no surprise that the vibe in this class was perfectly aligned with that vibe, too, with a very small-group setting and a kind, engaging host to lead you. We learned all about how to make gumbo, étouffée, and Bananas Foster from scratch, which I was already looking forward to recreating at home before the class even ended.

Our host was so much fun and did such a great job of instructing us that I’d recommend it for families, friend groups looking for a fun activity, or even solo travelers who want to learn about New Orleans on a more intimate level.

Reserve Tour Now and Pay Later / Free Cancellation Within 24 Hours of Tour Start Time

3. Hands-on Cajun Traditions Cooking Class

What to Expect on the Tour

The Hands-on Cajun Traditions Cooking Class goes beyond just learning recipes – you can expect to get a proper look into the local culture, traditions, and history, tying into cuisine.

If you’re short on time and really want to maximize the experience, I highly recommend opting for this 3-hour class. It felt very “homey” and cozy, with a friendly chef there to lead the way, taking you through how to prepare jambalaya, New Orleans-style BBQ shrimp, and chocolate bread pudding.

Your tour takes place at the Mardi Gras School of Cooking, where you’ll get to join a few other classmates to whip up some authentic NOLA fare.

Expect to learn from the very best, with professional techniques, the ins and outs of seasoning (what really makes the food taste as it should), and how to prepare your ingredients. This was by far one of the highlights of my first New Orleans trip, and I’m sure it’ll be one of yours, too.

What Makes This Tour Great

I believe you’re much more inclined to learn and remember skills when your instructor is more like a friend than a stranger whom you have just met.

You’ll definitely get the former with this class, featuring chefs who are personable, funny, engaging, and of course, incredibly talented at what they do. We learned all about the French-Canadian origins, being exiled by the British and taking up the swamps and bayous of southern LA!

As if all that weren’t already enough, our guide even offered us plenty of great recommendations of restaurants to try, and other things to see and do, beyond the realm of food!

It certainly helped us create a memorable time in New Orleans, and I can truly say there wasn’t one bite of food I didn’t love on this trip (especially what we made in class!).

Reserve Tour Now and Pay Later / Free Cancellation Within 24 Hours of Tour Start Time

4. New Orleans Demonstration Cooking Class with Meal

What to Expect on the Tour

The New Orleans Demonstration Cooking Class with Meal is the shortest of any of the tours on this guide, yet it still packs in a ton of value. Not only that, but if you’re looking for a proper New Orleans cooking class on a budget, this one is hard to beat.

It’s perfect if you aren’t quite ready to take on the prep and cooking yourself, but would love to sit back, relax, and watch as your expert chef prepares it all in front of you from scratch.

Expect not just to sit there in silence, but listen as your guide regales you with interesting historical and cultural commentary that tie directly into each dish you’re about to enjoy.

Learn all about the various cultures that make up Cajun and Creole dishes, with an interesting array of flavors that are hard to find anywhere else. After each demonstration, enjoy some generous samples and wash them down with local beer, iced tea, or coffee.

What Makes This Tour Great

This tour is wonderful for visual learners or those who simply don’t want to take the time to prepare everything, step by step. Instead, you’ll shave a substantial amount of time off and get straight to the point – not to mention, at a very affordable price.

It’s a great way to gain insight into the authentic cooking methods, what local cuisine typically features, and it’s also fantastic for trying new things without having to commit to an entire plate of it.

With that being said, the menu changes at times, so you can expect to try gumbo, jambalaya, corn and crab bisque, shrimp or chicken creole, shrimp and artichoke soup, crawfish étouffée, bread pudding,

Bananas Foster, pralines, and pecan pie. You’ll get to learn and try more than you would at a restaurant, for around the same price!

Reserve Tour Now and Pay Later / Free Cancellation Within 24 Hours of Tour Start Time

5. New Orleans Small-Group Food Walking Tour and Cooking Class

What to Expect on the Tour

Last but certainly not least is the New Orleans Small-Group Food Walking Tour and Cooking Class, which is by far the longest and most comprehensive of the bunch.

Expect to engage in the perfect combination of a proper food walking tour along with a cooking class, thanks to the chef-led cooking demonstration afterward. If you’re only going to be in New Orleans for a day or two, I’d recommend this tour over any other!

Expect to eat and learn a ton, but with plenty of strolling in between stops, you’ll have some time to digest and not feel overwhelmed.

Moreover, the walks from stop to stop offer the perfect opportunity for sightseeing and learning about culture, architecture, and local history from your guide. You’ll learn plenty of general overview along with some personal anecdotes and insider facts that can’t be found anywhere else.

What Makes This Tour Great

This was a longer tour, yes, but it’s also some of the most fun I’ve ever had! Our guide was a blast, taking us to different eateries to sample local faves like gumbo, jambalaya, biscuits with molasses, bread pudding, pralines, coffee, and so much more.

Not only that, but there are a few different start times to choose from, making it easier to fit into your schedule for the day.

After we went to the array of different eateries, we watched a cooking demonstration back at the cooking school, learning how to whip up an authentic NOLA dish and sitting down to enjoy it with the rest of our group.

Of course, food and menus may change depending on the day, but you can count on it being memorable, no matter what.

Reserve Tour Now and Pay Later / Free Cancellation Within 24 Hours of Tour Start Time

Shayanne DeCastro

Shayanne is a freelance writer, wine snob and marketer based in LA, California. Describing herself as a nomad, she has lived in many different cities including Boise, Idaho and Seattle, Washington as well as Guadalajara, Mexico. She is forever on the move.

Being an extremely active person, she loves to snowboard, skateboard, and ski. She enjoys sharing her love for active sports with others through her “how to” sports guides as well as food and wine reviews. Her love for wine and good food shines through every paragraph. While she travels, Shayanne loves to try new restaurants and wineries.  If there is a wineries or good restaurant in your town, you will probably meet her one day.