How to Eat Boudin Sausage: A Complete Guide

Boudin is a spicy Cajun dish and a classic fast-food snack in Louisiana. Not only is it a snack, but it’s also a significant part of the Cajun and Creole culinary tradition.

Boudin can be enjoyed in many different ways. However, knowing how to eat boudin can be puzzling if unfamiliar with it.

The most common way to eat boudin is on its own as an appetizer or by spreading just the filling on bread or crackers with a bit of mustard.

There’s no right or wrong way to eat boudin with or without the skin, on its own or accompanying a meal. It’s truly down to individual preference.

But to get you started, I’ve answered frequently asked questions surrounding the question of how to eat boudin.

What’s In Boudin?

At its simplest, boudin is a blend of pork, cooked rice, green peppers, onions, and seasonings.

It can also be made with crawfish, shrimp, duck venison, rabbit, and alligator.

Cajun boudin almost always features rice for the filling. However, some versions substitute cornbread or rice cauliflower instead of rice.

The mixture is blended before being stuffed into sausage casings and is then steamed.

There are variations of boudin, too, like boudin noir, boudin blanc, and boudin rouge.

Boudin rouge is typically made with pig’s blood, giving it a reddish hue.

How Do Cajuns Eat Boudin?

Cajuns typically love to eat boudin on the go.

The most customary way they enjoy it is by biting into it, then squeezing the filling out and straight into the mouth – a bit like a push pop but with meat and rice.

Eating boudin like this means you may end up with some of the casing in your mouth, which is perfectly fine since it’s edible.

Boudin is somewhat designed to be eaten this way, as the filling is loosely packed in the casing, so it doesn’t snap when you bite into it like sausages typically do.

Can You Eat Raw Boudin?

Boudin is pre-cooked and needs to be heated up to eat. It cannot be eaten raw.

There are a few ways in which boudin can be re-heated or cooked if you’re making it yourself.

I’ll go over some of them below but be sure to check out my full article on the different ways you can cook boudin.

Boiling or Poaching

Place a few links in a saucepan of water, add a little seasoning to the water if you wish, and boil for five minutes.

The casing will be chewy and tough, so re-heating this way is probably best when only the filling will be eaten.

Baking or Grilling

Oven baking or grilling the boudin using a gas, electric, or charcoal grill, enhances its flavor.

You could improve the flavor even more by coating them in BBQ sauce, then wrapping them in foil for softness or without foil for a crispy casing.

Alternatively, you could microwave, steam or air fry them.

Are You Supposed to Eat the Skin of Boudin?

You have the choice of whether or not to eat the skin, as its natural casing is made from the pig’s intestine or skin.

It can be chewy, though, so some prefer not to eat it.

When Should You Eat Boudin?

Boudin can be eaten at breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

It’s usually served by itself as an appetizer but can also be made into a meal at any time of day by throwing in some side dishes or accompanying ingredients along with it.

For breakfast, it’s served alongside the popular combination of hash browns and eggs, just like regular sausage.

What to Eat With Boudin

As mentioned, boudin is most commonly served on its own or as an appetizer or snack.

However, if the typical way of squeezing the filling straight into your mouth sounds too messy, there are other ways you can enjoy it.

Another common method is, again, to squeeze the contents out of the casing and onto some crackers.

Alternatively, you can squeeze it in between slices of bread, sometimes with a squirt of mustard.

Boudin takes on different forms and makes its way into many dishes.

For example, it can also be served as a side dish to accompany fried grits and greens. You can try it in a plain salad, fruit salad, pasta salads, or with meat, baked mac and cheese, vegetables, or red and green baked beans.

Boudin is also served as part of a platter with a spicy Cajun dipping sauce.

Boudin Balls

Another on-the-go snack is the simple and delicious “boudin balls.” These fried balls of sausage are similar to the Italian arancini.

However, instead of stuffing the filling into sausage links, it’s rolled into balls.

They’re breaded in flour or breadcrumbs then deep-fried until entirely crisp.

These are great on their own but even tastier when dipped into a creole mustard sauce.

Boudin King Cake

Boudin king cake offers something markedly different.

Locals put a savory slant on the timeless Mardi Gras delight by making boudin king cake. Yes, that’s right, cake.

The spicy boudin mixture is baked for a faintly sweet egg-based cake and Cajun taste sensation.

Boudin Pie

Boudin pie is a deep dish of sweet and savory goodness. It’s filled with pork boudin, sweet potatoes, and pecans.

It can also be incorporated into biscuits and egg rolls.

In Summary

Cajun boudin is a delicious snack that can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

If biting one end of a boudin link and squeezing the filling straight into your mouth sounds too messy, there are plenty of other options.

You can add the filling to crackers, use it as a sandwich filling, or include it in a traditional breakfast with eggs and hash browns.

Boudin makes its way into many other dishes and can be added to a salad or one-pot casserole. The boudin filling is also used to make fried boudin balls or a cake or pie for a sweet, savory twist.

I hope my how-to-eat boudin guide has shown you that there are no hard and fast rules for enjoying it, and how you eat it is up to you.