This low carb Shrimp Chowder is hearty and satisfying. Full of tender shrimp and crisp bacon, it’s the perfect keto comfort food for a chilly evening. Ready in 30 minutes!
Soup season is here! And I for one plan to make the most of it with plenty of yummy, comforting keto soup recipes.
We’ve had a relatively warm fall so far, but now the chill and rain are setting in again. And I find myself thumbing through my book, Keto Soups and Stews, in search tasty warm comfort food.
You can’t go wrong with a shrimp chowder recipe full of bacon, cream, and a little cajun seasoning. Oh and some diced turnip in place of potatoes. I use them in other recipes like Keto Beef Stew and Keto Seafood Chowder, and you honestly can’t tell that they aren’t potatoes!
Why you will love this recipe
This shrimp chowder is a hit with almost everyone who tries it. Even my picky kids! It takes readily available ingredients and only 30 minutes to make, so it’s easy enough for a busy weeknight.
Even people who swear they detest turnip end up loving this recipe. Don’t believe me? Just read the reviews! Five stars almost across the board. Mind you, you can sub in other things like rutabaga, radish, or cauliflower instead.
And this creamy, rich soup has only 5.6g carbs per serving, so it’s a perfect meal for anyone following a keto or low carb diet.
Reader reviews
“This was easy and absolutely delicious. The whole family agrees that this is a keeper. We ended up adding Tabasco to our bowls to spice the soup up according to individual tastes, and the flavor combination was great.” — Alina
“Oh. My. This was AMAZING and taste like a chowder that you would order at a restaurant!! I’m excited to use the base for clams and fish as well! Thanks!!” — Amanda
“Oh my gosh, this is wonderful! Had it tonight with biscuits and it was a hit! Even the hubs said he never would have known the turnip wasn’t potato! Thank you for your wonderful work for all of us!!!” — Patti A.
Ingredients you need
- Bacon: You can also use pancetta or even diced ham.
- Turnip: Turnips are a wonderful low carb substitute for potatoes in soups and stews. But you can also use chopped cauliflower, rutabaga or daikon radish.
- Heavy whipping cream: You can also use coconut cream, but it will add a slight coconut flavor to the soup.
- Shrimp: You can buy already peeled and deveined shrimp or do it yourself. Keep the tails on or off, depending on your preference. Any size shrimp works in this recipe. Just remember that small shrimp cook faster than large.
- Cajun seasoning: Some Cajun seasoning has a lot of added salt. Be sure to taste your soup after adding the seasoning, before you add any additional salt and pepper. We really like Slap Ya Mama seasoning blend.
- Fresh parsley: I like to garnish with a little bit of parsley. You can also use green onions.
- Kitchen staples: Chicken broth, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper
Step-by-step directions
- In a large pot cook the bacon until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, reserving the bacon fat in the pan.
- Add the chopped turnips and onion to the pan and sauté until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, another minute or so.
- Pour in the chicken broth and simmer until the turnip is tender, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the cream and the shrimp and simmer until the shrimp is pink and cooked through, another 3 minutes or so. Add the Cajun seasoning and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Garnish with the bacon and chopped parsley upon serving.
Expert tips
Shrimp cooks quickly and can turn rubbery when over cooked. That’s why you add it at the very end, when the turnip is tender. When the shrimps turns pink, you are ready to serve.
Some people prefer the chowder to be a little thicker. If so, I recommend adding ½ to ¾ teaspoon glucomannan. You can remove a little of the broth at the end, whisk in the konjac root powder, and stir it back into the pot of chowder.
For my readers who prefer theirs with more of a kick, serve with some of your favorite hot sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Shrimp is an excellent choice for low carb or keto diets. It is full of protein and has 0.2g carbs per serving. It’s also remarkably easy to cook, making it perfect for healthy meals.
Classic shrimp chowder has a lot of carbs from the addition of flour and potatoes. However, this lightened up chowder recipe has only 5.6g of carbs and 0.6g of fiber per serving. That comes to 5g net carbs per ¾ cup servig.
Leftover chowder can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I do not recommend freezing this soup as cream based soups split and don’t reheat well.
What to serve with Shrimp Chowder
Keto Soups and Stews
Easy Shrimp Chowder Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon chopped
- 1 medium turnip cut into ½-inch cubes
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 pound shrimp peeled and deveined, tails on or off
- ½ teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- Salt and pepper
- Chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, reserving the bacon fat in the pan.
- Add the turnip and onion to the pan and saute until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, another minute or so. Pour in the chicken broth and simmer until the turnip is tender, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the cream and the shrimp and simmer until the shrimp is pink and cooked through, another 3 minutes or so. Add the Cajun seasoning and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Garnish with the bacon and chopped parsley upon serving.
Dana V says
This one is going in our regular rotation.It was so fast and easy. And delicious too!
The flavors are great. Thank you.
Cynthia Ingolia says
I made this tonight, and it was amazing! I used fresh Gulf Louisiana shrimp, which really make it special. It was quick, easy, and very tasty! Thank you!
Jenny says
Tried this tonite. Even my husband ate it and the kids. Ive juat started my keto diet. Im having to adjust everything i eat around everything they eat . ive been trying to figured meals that i can do. Soups are one of my favorite soups. Esp chowders!!! I cant believe how good this was!! I was worried about the turnips but honestly it was super yummy!!! Thanks so much for sharing it!!!
Denise says
Delicious! Made this tonight. Turned out awesome.
Patricia says
Is there anything else you could use other than turnip?
Carolyn says
Rutabaga or daikon radish also work but turnip is the most potato like.
Marcee says
I used cauliflower rice and it turned out great!
Sharon Caudle says
You’ve done it again!!!! I know this was in your book, but I was at work yesterday and wanted to make it last night. So luckily I found you posted it on line. Thank you!! So I found the Slap Ya Mama Cajun seasoning at World Market and picked the rest of the ingredients that I needed on the way home from work. this was so easy to make and OMG I think I could eat this every single day!! Sooooo GOOD!!!! I did add celery in with the onions and turnip, cause I love celery with onion in my creamy soups. But this is nothing short of flat out amazing!! I’ll be making it for my besties next week and can’t wait for them to try it with me! Thank you for your amazing recipes!!!
Mary says
I was excited about this recipe for the shrimp and bacon. However I did tweak it for our Keto needs- I added a dash of turmeric as I do to every soup I make and red Swiss Chard.
Carolyn says
I wish I liked Chard. I know it’s good for me but it’s like beets and it tastes like dirt to me.
Patti A says
Oh my gosh, this is wonderful! Had it tonight with biscuits and it was a hit! Even the hubs said he never would have known the turnip wasn’t potato! Thank you for your wonderful work for all of us!!! Happy Thanksgiving!
Carolyn says
Yay, I am so happy to hear it!
Denise McGraw says
This looks amazing! And Slap Ya Mama is our go-to Cajun seasoning too!
Cheryl says
Made this tonight and it was so delicious! Even my set-in-his-ways shrimp scampi loving DH approved!
I made one substitution – I didn’t have turnip so used cauliflower instead.
Thanks for a great recipe!
Amee says
We got your book in the mail yesterday. I love the photography, and the wonderful variety of soups and stews. I am one of those people that orders in a restaurant if the item I want is pictured on the menu LOL. Which means I want to make every single one of your soups!
Thank you so much for writing this cookbook, and you were right it was delivered to us at the perfect time. A special thank you to your family for doing the research during the hot months! ????????
Carolyn says
So happy to hear it. Enjoy!!!
jackie m says
I just got done flipping/reading through your new book..Keto Soups & Stews and I love it!!! There are so many soups I want to try. In the winter I usually make a pot of soup a week, freeze one or two servings and that is my lunch or dinner each night. So many of these I will use. My old stand bys have to be rejigged to make keto and I am just too busy to do it right now. Thanks for all the work you did in this book, most of the recipes look like they will be really easy and quick to put together!
Carolyn says
Thanks so much, Jackie!
Erica B says
So excited for this book! ???? Waiting happily for my copy to arrive, hopefully today. I just adore soups and stews. Thanks Carolyn.
In this recipe, did you or your family find the turnip at all bitter or overwhelming to the other flavors? Turnips are usually very bitter to me, but I’ve only eaten them alone as a side dish, so not sure how they play as a soup component.
Susan says
Oh I just saw the 3/4 cup serving but still how do you proportion right so each bowl get the right amount to equal the carbs and protein?
Erica B says
Hi Susan, I suggest you count the number of shrimp in your pound before adding them to the pot, divide the total by 6 (the number of servings in the recipe), and make sure your 3/4 cup bowl of soup contains that proportionate number of shrimp. As for the turnip, bacon, and other ingredients…some things just can’t be counted exactly. I think every low-carber who enjoys soup has to come to terms with that reality at some point. It helps to remember that there is no such thing as 100% accurate carb counting. Even USDA-derived carb counts are not 100% accurate all the time. Some produce is less ripe than average, a little sweeter than average, et cetera, resulting in a slightly different composition vs the produce that was analyzed. We’re really only dealing with averages when we tabulate nutritional info.
Kim says
Sounds good, but a servng is only 3/4 cup? How does anyone only eat 3/4 cup of soup? Lol
Susan says
I have a hard time understanding how the serving size work! If it’s all in s big pot how do you know how many shrimp to give each portion. Along with the turnip and once the bacon is crumbed. I know the carbs are low in the whole recipe. Should that be all I’m really concerned about. The ingredients being ok for diabetics in the whole thing?Thanks for your help in understanding portion size.
Carolyn says
To be honest, you just have to eyeball it. And yes, all of the ingredients are good for diabetics. I am one.
Kris says
I’m anxiously awaiting my Amazon delivery today as this book is in the box!! Our family loves soups and stews during fall and winter, so I’m sure this book will be used a lot over the coming months! I already have all of your keto cookbooks and use them often.
Carolyn says
Thanks so much, Kris!
Patti says
This could be exactly what I’ve been looking for!! Do you think clams w their juice could be substituted for the shrimp? Would I gave to add a bit of xanthan gum to thicken it a bit? Thanks!!
Jae Avenoso says
Perfect timing for a hearty bowl of chowder. I think “Soups & Stews” should arrive today. This might be the first recipe I try from it.
Faithe Ward says
I love your emails! I have your first recipe book. Is there a possibility of any of them being available as a digital pdf download? I hate having to wait for them to ship lol!
Carolyn says
All of my published books are available as Kindle editions. You don’t need a kindle to use them, just download the kindle app.
Mary Sauers says
Thanks so much for the recipe–can’t wait to try it! But I think you meant 1 pound shrimp PEELED and deveined, LOL!
Carolyn says
Uh oh, what did I say? Better go check! The truth is that I imported this from my Word doc manuscript so it must have done something funky!