'Tastes Like Water': Beyoncé's Mother, Mama Tina, Gets Terrible Reviews Over Her Trending Gumbo

Beyoncé's mother, Tina Knowles—better known to the world as 'Mama Tina'—has brought her family's long-cherished gumbo recipe to the 2026 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, but the reception has been anything but a Southern comfort. With the rodeo running through March 22, fans have been flocking to the booth to get a taste of her legendary 20-hour stew.

Rodeo-goers can choose between two options: a $25 (£19) seafood bowl packed with beef sausage, chicken, shrimp, and blue crab, or a $23 (£18) chicken-and-sausage version.

As the mother of one of Hollywood's biggest icons, high expectations were inevitable—and the internet is never shy about an honest review.

While some fans have been thrilled to meet the matriarch herself, others aren't mincing words, with 'Mama Tina's' gumbo facing some surprisingly terrible feedback online.

Tina Knowles Brought her Gumbo to the Public

Tina Knowles, widely known as the fashion icon, businesswoman, and mother of superstar Beyoncé, has brought a taste of her family legacy to the 2026 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Her famous 'Mama Tina's Gumbo'—a dish that has been a family favorite for years, beloved by both Beyoncé and Solange—is now available to the public at the rodeo.

Mama Tina said, 'Beyoncé absolutely loves this gumbo. She would have it all the time, she's always asking. So now I can have it readily because it's such a production to me. It takes 20 hours.'

'It's sort of like a soup. I would liken it to Bouillabaisse, but it's better. It comes from the origin of Louisiana and we mix a little Texas in with it,' Knowles said when asked about her rendition of the staple Louisiana cuisine at the Houston rodeo.

She added, 'Everybody's been wanting to try my gumbo. I've been making gumbo for 40 something years and people have been asking for it and asking for me to put it out. And, I finally found a way to do it where it's affordable. I'm just really excited,' she added.

In an Instagram video, Mama Tina said that she's eating her gumbo 'every single day,' calling it 'amazing.'

Mama Tina's Gumbo Got Terrible Reviews

While many fans attending the rodeo are raving online about how good Mama Tina's gumbo is, others didn't like the food at all. Now, terrible reviews about it are circulating online, with one fan saying that it 'tastes like water.'

On TikTok, user The Foodie Queen (@foodiequeenbarr) went to the rodeo to try Mama Tina's gumbo. She showed the gumbo on camera and said, 'I got two shrimp, one piece of sausage and one crab. That's it. Really? No chicken and nothing in there. Nothing. Everybody was talking about how much chicken and stuff they have in there, saying nothing but gravy, gravy, nothing in here.'

The Foodie Queen tasted the gumbo and gave it a terrible review. She said: 'Oh my God, this tastes like water.' She added that the gumbo tastes like a 'noodle juice.'

'If they added some, you know, the seasoning for noodles, that's what it tastes like. The noodle juice when you leave the water in your juice on your noodles.'

She said that the gumbo is a 'disgrace,' adding, 'Everybody was talking about this. So good. Nothing is inside of here. I don't know where y'all getting this from or what, but ain't nothing in here. Y'all wrong for this.'

Another customer reviewed the gumbo on her Instagram. User Honest Red (@toocute.504) posted a video on her account with a caption: '1/10 on a Gumbo scale.... But for people who never tried gumbo, they would like it. This is beef soup, add some potatoes and call it a stew but not gumbo. Oh and it was $25 but was worth a good $10.'

On her video, she said, 'I know it's not supposed to be New Orleans because we 're supposed to be Louisiana style or something.'

She said that the color looks good and that it smells okay, she said: 'Okay. It's not nasty, but it tastes like beef soup. This is not gumbo at all. I hate to say that but it's not. Not New Orleans style at least. Sorry Mama Tina.'

Meanwhile, content creator B Wood Cooks (@bwoodcooks) called Mama Tina's gumbo 'mid,' rating it 7 out of 10.

He said, 'Yo, yo, beehive. Please don't come after me. I'm a beehiver.' He added that the gumbo is pretty good, but 'my issues is when I think gumbo, I think Cajun, I think Holy Trinity, I think oil needs to be floating at the top, because you gotta make a roux. Uh, and though that's what's missing from this.'

While many have shared harsh critiques of Mama Tina's gumbo online, it's worth noting that taste is inherently subjective. Despite the negative buzz, others have praised the dish, proving that whether the recipe hits the mark ultimately comes down to personal preference.