How You Can Make Shrimp Gumbo With Just Dollar Store Ingredients

Gumbo is a dish where various cultures — and many ingredients — meet to form one delicious stew. It's usually made with seafood and vegetables, which are cooked down in a sauce that's thickened with roux. The dish has origins tracing back to African and Native American cooking, as well as European influence. Today, it's still a staple in Cajun and Creole cooking, though don't confuse it with jambalaya. But prepping so many ingredients can get expensive. Thankfully, you can actually grab a number of gumbo staples right at your local dollar store.

Dollar stores tend to sell budget-friendly groceries, but the types of groceries vary by store and store size. Start with buying basics like flour, plus some kind of fat (butter, oil, etc.), which come together for the roux, which is key for the best gumbo. Chicken or beef broth, as well as tomato sauce, are usually available at the dollar store, which help form the stew's base depending on your recipe. Seasonings like salt and pepper, plus a touch of sugar, are all common gumbo ingredients that are in those store aisles, too. But those more specific ingredients might be harder to find.

Dollar stores tend to sell name-brand foods and snacks at lower costs, but not everything is available there. If you're making shrimp gumbo, you might have to compromise on the shrimp. If you can't find traditional frozen shrimp, you may have to pivot and use a breaded option, or the smaller salad shrimp, as illustrated in a Facebook reel posted by Wade Fishez. 

Shrimp gumbo is enhanced with plenty of vegetables, such as celery, garlic, bell pepper, and onion. Back in 2024, Dollar General began selling fresh produce, meaning you can probably get your hands on all of these ingredients there; however, other dollar stores don't have the same selection. In 2021, Dollar Tree piloted selling fresh produce, but it appears today that most of their stores don't carry it.

Other hearty ingredients, such as andouille sausage, are commonly found in shrimp gumbo. While you might not be able to find that specific sausage in your local dollar store (though actual product stock varies), most stores do offer packaged sausage in the refrigerator section. Overall, with a little searching and some ingredient-swapping if needed, you can create a pretty solid gumbo at a dollar store price.