30 Minute One Pot Creamy Crab Soup

This super simple one pot crab soup takes just 30 minutes from start to finish and is loaded with lump crab meat and tender diced potatoes in a creamy broth for the ultimate cold weather comfort food.

 

You Will Love This

• It’s super easy but loaded with flavor! This cream of crab soup comes together all in one pot and is super luxurious but you don’t have to worry about making a classic finicky roux. It’s got a delicious combination of dried herbs with classic aromatic veggies in a creamy seafood base with plenty of crab meat and fork tender potatoes for a crab chowder your family will love!
• If you loved this crab soup recipe, be sure to check out my Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup, my 30 Minute Instant Pot Chicken Chili, or my Creamy Instant Pot Chicken Soup with Rice.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Butter – Unsalted butter is going to give you the best flavor and texture for this creamy crab chowder. The butter combines with the flour to help thicken the creamy soup. Olive oil will work in a pinch, but its not ideal.
• Onion – You can use white or yellow onion, but I do not recommend substituting with red onion.
• Garlic – Fresh garlic will give you the best flavor, but if you don’t have fresh, try a 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder in its place. Add more to taste.
• Old Bay Seasoning – Old Bay is the key ingredient in this soup. It offers the most delicious combination of flavors with just a hint of spice and it pairs perfectly with the creamy broth and chunks of crabmeat.
• Flour – All-purpose flour will give you the best flavor and texture for this creamy crab soup. It is the main thickening agent working in conjunction with the butter and stock to create the creamy base for this soup.
• Baby Yellow Potatoes – I chose baby yellow potatoes because they cook quickly, are super creamy, and have a thin skin so they don’t need to be peeled. Potatoes are a great addition to creamy soups because they add great texture and substance without overpowering the other flavors.
• Half and Half – Half and half is the perfect way to make this soup luxuriously creamy without being too thick. If you don’t have any on hand, you can substitute with equal parts whole milk and heavy cream.
• Seafood Stock – Seafood stock bolsters the seafood flavors, and makes the soup a little more reminiscent of a seafood stew. If you don’t have seafood stock, add more vegetable stock but the flavor won’t be quite as pronounced.
• Chicken Broth – Broth is part of the base for the soup. If you want a thicker soup, add less, and if you want to stretch the soup a little further add more. You could also use veggie broth or beef broth in place of the chicken broth.
• Bay Leaves – Bay leaves give soups a savory, peppery flavor. If you don’t have bay leaves, don’t worry, just omit them and add an extra pinch of pepper. 
• Jumbo Lump Crab Meat – Crab meat is the star of this show! Lump crab meat is best for this crab chowder, but picked crab meat will work as well. Canned crab will not give you the same flavor. Neither will imitation crab.
• Sherry Vinegar – Sherry vinegar is another key ingredient that really gives this crab soup it’s signature flavor. Adding something acidic like vinegar is my favorite way to boost the flavor of any creamy soup. If you don’t have any on hand you could also substitute with white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, white balsamic vinegar, or regular balsamic vinegar in its place although it will slightly alter the flavor. You could also add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice in a pinch. Sherry vinegar is not the same as dry sherry or cooking sherry.

Instructions

Sauté onion and celery in butter. Add garlic and cook.

Add flour and cook.

Add half the seafood stock to deglaze the pan and scrape all the yummy bits off the bottom.

Add remaining seafood stock, half and half, and chicken broth. Then add potatoes, Old Bay seasoning, and bay leaves along with a couple pinches of salt and pepper. Stir until well combined.

Simmer gently for 5 minutes then add most of the crab meat, reserving some for garnish. Simmer until potatoes are fork-tender. Stir in sherry vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Garnish with chives, parsley, and remaining crab meat, and enjoy!

Fresh Crab vs. Canned Crab

• Fresh crab meat is ideal for this crab soup recipe. You can typically find fresh picked crabmeat or lump crabmeat at the seafood counter or near the deli section at your local grocery store or fish market. It is expensive which is why I only use half a pound in this recipe. For that very reason, this is a recipe that we love to serve on special occasions.
• If you’re looking for a slightly cheaper way to get fresh crab, you can also buy your own crab legs, bake them, crack them, and remove the crab meat yourself. This way is definitely a bit more work, but I promise it’s worth it.
• Canned crab meat does not have quite the same flavor as fresh crab meat so I only recommend using fresh for this recipe.
• I do not recommend using imitation crab meat either, because it is vastly different in flavor and texture, does not cook the same way, and will not absorb the other soup flavors as well.

Tips

• Feel free to add other veggies to this recipe. Adding a cup or so of corn, diced carrot, peas, or even green beans along with the potatoes will give this creamy crab soup more of a chowder type feel.
• Salt moderately and often! The ingredients in this dish are SO simple that salt is going to go a long way in boosting the flavors of all the ingredients. A good rule of thumb is to add a couple pinches of salt and pepper each time you add new ingredients to a dish. This helps to season each ingredient and layer the flavors.
• To add a bit of umami flavor to this creamy soup, try adding a dash of Worcestershire sauce.
• If you’d like to make this soup extra creamy, before adding the crab in, use an immersion blender or high speed blender to blend half or all of the soup.

Make Ahead, Storage, Freezing, and Reheating

• Make Ahead: This creamy crab soup can be made up to 3 days in advance and the flavors will just get better with time!
• Storage: Store leftover crab soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• Freezing: Because of the creamy texture of this soup and the seafood, I prefer not to freeze this soup. It really tastes best fresh or after just a couple days.
• Reheating: Reheat crab soup in a saucepan over medium heat. You’ll need to add a splash or two of broth, milk, or half and half to loosen it up as it will thicken as it cools. Be sure to season to taste with salt and pepper after reheating as well. Try adding a pinch of Old Bay Seasoning too, just to freshen up the flavors.

FAQ

Serve Crab Soup With

• Beet Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing
• Arugula Salad with Dried Cherries
• Goat Cheese Salad with Dijon Dressing
• 5 Minute Garlic Bread
• Tomato Mozzarella Caprese Garlic Bread

Easy Soup Recipes

Print