Jambalaya and étouffée are staples of Creole cuisine, and both dishes usually include a variety of seafood paired with grains. It’s possible that a jambalaya recipe could contain identical ingredients to an étouffée recipe, but there are some critical differences between these two dishes that make them unique from each other.

Jambalaya is a stovetop dish that uses rice as its base ingredient, rather than serving it on the side, and it doesn't contain thickening agents like a roux or cornstarch slurry. The dish naturally thickens up using the starch of the rice, combined with meat and/or seafood, vegetables, and broth, creating a sort of thick, scoopable rice stew.