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Home » Recipes » Seafood Recipes

Best Cream of Crab Soup

Published: Jul 29, 2022 · Modified: Aug 16, 2024 by Brooke Fajcz · As an Amazon Influencer, we earn from qualifying purchases.

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Are you craving seafood? Try this cream of crab soup for dinner tonight! In under 45 minutes, you can be savoring a hot bowl of this delicious, tempting soup.

If you love creamy soups, you'll also want to check out our New England clam chowder and our Panera corn chowder soup recipes. For more delicious ideas, check out our roundup of 11 Valentine's Day dinner recipes.

bowl of crab soup with toppings
Jump to:
  • Ingredients
  • Variations
  • How to Make Crab Soup
  • Recipe FAQs
  • Serve
  • Expert Tips
  • Other Seafood Recipes You'll Love
  • Recipe
  • Best Cream of Crab Soup
  • Comments

Ingredients

glass bowls of ingredients for crab soup

The most of the ingredients for our cream of crab soup recipe can easily be found at your local grocery store. Let's talk about the key ingredients.

  • Flour: All-purpose flour is used to make a roux, which thickens the soup.
  • Stock: We used seafood stock that was purchased to save time, but it would taste best with homemade seafood stock. You can also substitute with clam juice mixed with vegetable stock.
  • Dairy: We used both heavy cream and whole milk in this photo shoot and butter.
  • Seafood: It's best to use fresh, refrigerated, lump crab meat, but it's expensive. We used canned real lump crab meat.
  • Liquor: A small amount of sherry is added during the last 8 minutes of cooking.

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations

  • Need this gluten free? Use your favorite gluten free flour.
  • Need this keto? Use almond flour instead of all-purpose.
  • Need this spicier? Double the hot sauce to 1 teaspoon.
  • Don't have heavy whipping cream? Use 2 cups of half and half instead.
  • Don't want to use sherry? Serve with lemon wedges instead.

How to Make Crab Soup

Gather all the ingredients for our cream of crab soup.  Prep all the ingredients before starting.

sauteeing veggies and adding flour
  1. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium high heat, then sauté the onions and celery for 5 minutes while stirring. (Image 1)
  2. Sprinkle on the flour over top of the onion mixture and cook for a couple of minutes while constantly whisking. (Image 2)
pouring seafood stock and milk into soup
  1. Next, reduce the heat to medium and slowly whisk in the seafood stock for a more earthy flavor. (Image 3)
  2. Pour in the milk and cream, making sure not to let it boil. (Image 4)
adding crab meat and sherry to the soup
  1. Add the white lump crab meat. (Image 5)
  2. Add the sherry. (Image 6)
person adding spices to soup and serving it
  1. Season with spices.   Stir with a wooden spoon until well combined, then heat through on medium low for 5 to 8 minutes and serve hot. (Image 7)
  2. Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika, chives, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, or oyster crackers and enjoy! (Image 8)

Recipe FAQs

Can you freeze cream of crab soup?

Dairy based soups don't freeze well. When they are thawed and reheated, the texture becomes grainy and the soup becomes watery.

Instead of freezing, keep the cream of crab soup in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat any leftover soup in a pot on medium low, stirring frequently to prevent the bottom from burning.

What is the difference between a cream of crab and crab bisque?

Crab bisque is made with shellfish broth, thickened with rice or ground up crab shells, contains wine and cream, is generously seasoned, and is blended smooth.

Cream of crab soup is roux based, is combined with seafood stock, and is thinned with cream or milk.

What is cream of crab soup made of?

Cream of crab soup starts with sautéing onions and celery, then adding flour to make a roux. Pour in seafood stock and the cream and whole milk. Add the lump white crab meat and the sherry and spices, then simmer for 5 to 8 minutes until heated through. Garnish with oyster crackers, chives, and paprika.

Can I make cream of crab soup ahead of time?

Yes, you can make the whole soup the night before. Allow it to cool and store in the fridge covered. When ready to use, reheat the soup in a saucepan over medium low heat until heated through.

Serve

To round out your meal, choose a salad like our copycat Chick-fil-A side salad, served with our copycat Chipotle honey vinaigrette. Another popular choice is serving a good crusty bread like our easy white mountain bread.

If you're looking for other tasty seafood recipes, make sure to try our recipes for New England clam chowder, New Orleans gumbo, and seafood stock.

holding a spoonful of cream of crab soup.

Expert Tips

  • Don't substitute the heavy cream with milk; the soup won't be as creamy.
  • Don't use imitation crab meat; it's actually Pollock, a finely minced fish shaped to resemble crab.
  • If you can't find seafood stock at your grocery store, use 1 cup of clam juice and 1 cup of vegetable broth, or make your own seafood stock with crab or shrimp shells.
  • Have all ingredients prepped before you start cooking.

Other Seafood Recipes You'll Love

  • bowl of sardine salad with crackers
    Simple Sardine Salad
  • bowl of clam chowder with spoons
    New England Clam Chowder
  • person holding a bottle of seafood stock
    Seafood Stock Recipe
  • person holding a shrimp on a fork
    Southern Shrimp and Grits Recipe

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Recipe

bowl of crab soup with oyster crackers and a spoon

Best Cream of Crab Soup

The best cream of crab soup recipe is super easy and extra creamy. Forget ordering it at a restaurant—now you can make classic crab soup at home anytime.  You'll be serving this for dinner whenever the craving hits because it's ready to eat in only 45 minutes.
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin FavoriteSaved! Rate
Course: Seafood
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
Servings: 6 cups
Calories: 381kcal
Author: Brooke & Emma

Ingredients
 

For the Soup

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup sweet or yellow onion, diced
  • 1 ½ cups celery, finely diced (roughly 3 large stalks)
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups seafood stock
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 pound white crabmeat
  • ¼ cup sherry
  • ½ teaspoon mace
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon white pepper
  • ½ teaspoon hot sauce

For Garnish (Optional)

  • ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • ½ cup chives, cut in ½ inch lengths
  • 1 dash paprika
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Instructions

  • In a large heavy-bottomed pot, melt the butter over high medium heat, then reduce heat to medium.  Sauté the onion and celery until soft while stirring with a wooden spoon, about 5 minutes.
  • Whisk in the flour, and cook for 2 minutes.
  • Slowly pour in the seafood stock, whisking continuously so the crab soup remains smooth. Add the heavy cream while whisking, then repeat with the whole milk.
  • Stir in the white crab meat, sherry, and spices. 
  • Turn the heat down to medium low to allow it to simmer for 5 to 8 minutes, then taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
  • Serve hot, and garnish each bowl with paprika, chives, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, or oyster crackers.
  • To warm up leftovers, pour soup into a pot set over medium heat, stirring frequently so the bottom doesn't burn.

Video

Notes

  • If you can't find seafood stock at your grocery store, use 1 cup of clam juice (affiliate) and 1 cup of vegetable broth or make your own with crab or shrimp shells.
  • Don't be tempted to substitute the heavy cream for whole milk; the soup won't taste as good.
  • Don't use imitation crab meat; it's actually finely minced fish.
  • Have all ingredients prepped before you start cooking.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 381kcal (19%)Carbohydrates: 10g (3%)Protein: 22g (44%)Fat: 27g (42%)Saturated Fat: 16g (100%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 118mg (39%)Sodium: 1279mg (56%)Potassium: 447mg (13%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 4g (4%)Vitamin A: 1240IU (25%)Vitamin C: 11mg (13%)Calcium: 247mg (25%)Iron: 1mg (6%)

Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Martha G Kolodkin

    August 06, 2021 at 2:20 pm

    I haven’t made it yet but am going to soon. I am from Baltimore so I plan on using Old Bay seasoning.

    Reply
    • Emma

      August 07, 2021 at 7:47 am

      We hope you enjoy it with the Old Bay seasoning, Martha! Let us know how you like it.

      Reply
  2. Alex

    July 23, 2021 at 12:52 pm

    5 stars
    The chives on top look lovely on this creamy soup. The soup smells nice, and looks appetizing.

    Reply
    • Emma

      July 23, 2021 at 12:54 pm

      Thanks for your review, Alex!

      Reply
  3. Paulette

    January 30, 2021 at 7:22 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious! That touch of Sherry is perfection. I made this with a can of Colossal Premium Picked Crab. What a treat.
    The only shame is I can’t get my phone to attach the picture I took of it.

    Reply
    • Emma

      February 01, 2021 at 6:24 am

      We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed this soup to much, Paulette! It's a favorite with our family, too. Unfortunately, our comments section on our website doesn't allow visitors to upload a photo, but you can do that on Pinterest.

      Reply
  4. Beth

    October 13, 2019 at 2:37 pm

    5 stars
    Crab soup is a great soup. I like seafood soups and this one is scrumptious. This soup smells absolutely divine! It looks yummy with all the garnishes. This soup is creamy with a bit of a kick. Lovely!

    Reply
    • Emma

      October 13, 2019 at 3:58 pm

      Creamy seafood soups are delicious for sure!

      Reply

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We're Brooke & Emma Fajcz, the mother-daughter team behind Savor the Flavour. Increase your kitchen confidence with our recipes, instructional photos, and helpful tips and facts. Our recipes have been featured in Oprah Magazine, The Guardian, Parade, Insider, Delish, and BuzzFeed.

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