There’s Really Only One Brand of Store Bought Gumbo Worth Buying

In my experience, people feel pretty strongly about the authenticity of regional specialties. If you grew up on gumbo made with peppers from your Creole granny’s garden and shrimp trawled in the Gulf of Mexico, this ranking is going to be a letdown, although I do feel confident I found the best gumbo at the grocery store—like, by a mile. 

What is gumbo, anyway? 

Gumbo is traditionally made with roux, shrimp, sausage, crabmeat or chicken, and “the holy trinity,” aka onions, bell peppers, and celery. Sometimes Creole gumbo also includes tomatoes, although that’s definitely a less popular variation. The roux is, arguably, the most important component because it gives gumbo its heft—gumbo should be thick, almost like a sauce, so you can serve it over white rice. 

What we wanted from the best gumbo

• Flavorful, authentic ingredients: Andouille sausage is so bold and spicy, but it becomes sapped of its flavor when it’s sitting in broth in a can. That bummed us out! 
• Heft: Again, gumbo should be thick! Only one brand we tried was actually thick! And, as a result, it really is the best gumbo you can buy. 

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Best Budget

Campbell’s Chicken Gumbo

Walmart

This is not gumbo. It’s a brothy, tomato-based soup with little bits of chicken and diced okra. One of the brand’s serving suggestions is to top it with sliced avocado, and I’m pretty sure that’s not a way you’d typically treat gumbo. This is not the best gumbo at the grocery store because, as I said, it simply is not gumbo. BUT it does taste pretty good. And how often do you find a condensed Campbell’s soup with okra in the mix? I didn’t want this to be a single-item list, so I’m adding this because it’s kind of a fun find as condensed soups go. Make it when you’re in the mood for a different sort of chicken soup, not when you’re in the mood for gumbo, and you just might enjoy yourself. 

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

5/10

Sporks

Best of the Best

Blount Clam Shack Gumbo

Sprouts

Blount is the only brand making something that remotely resembles gumbo, and we applaud them for that. It’s thick and the base tastes like a blend of veggies and seafood. There’s shrimp meat in the mix, along with dark meat chicken and sausage. Dump this over rice, and that’s dinner. The downside, of course, is that Blount soups are refrigerated—can’t stock your pantry with this one, but if you’re miles away from the Bayou and a gumbo craving hits, this is the best gumbo to have in the fridge. 

Credit: Merc / Sprouts

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Other gumbo brands we tried

Progresso Chicken & Sausage Gumbo, Campbell’s Chunky Chicken & Sausage Gumbo, Campbell’s Chunky Spicy Chicken & Sausage Gumbo, Amy’s Soups Gumbo