This easy crab soup recipe requires only 5 ingredients and it is done in less than 30 minutes! A hearty soup with tasty flavors from the ocean will fill you up and warm you up. This meal tastes complex but is actually very simple!
Original post created: August 2014 | Updated: December 2022
Why This Recipe Works
If I lived closer to the coast, I would enjoy tons of crab, lobster and shrimp on a regular basis. Here in the Midwest, we don’t have access to fresh seafood, sadly. I love incorporating packaged lump crabmeat into recipes such as this yummy soup!
The simplicity of this soup is mind-blowing. When you scroll down to the recipe card you might gasp. It requires only FIVE ingredients but doesn’t taste like it.
If you are looking for a super easy dinner option that’ll fill up the bellies at your table, you’re in luck!
Recipe Ingredients
Butter – You may use salted and unsalted butter, depending on your taste preferences.
Crab meat – Use fresh jumbo lump crab meat when possible, but canned crab meat can be used, as well.
Heavy whipping cream – Replace a portion of the heavy cream with milk to slim down the recipe.
Milk – Use any variety of milk to create this dish. Whole, 2%, 1% or skim all work great.
Cooking sherry – This ingredient can be found in the same aisle as vinegar in your local grocery store.
How To Make Crab Soup
Step 1
Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or heavy saucepan. Add the crab meat, whipping cream and milk.
Bring to a boil over medium heat then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes and stir occasionally.
Step 2
Remove the mixture from heat and add dry sherry and a little salt and black pepper for good measure.
And that is it! So easy.
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Recipe Notes
- Fresh lemon juice and saltine crackers or oyster crackers are the perfect complement to this soup.
- If you have it on hand, add a sprinkling of old bay seasoning!
- To slim down the recipe, cut the amount of butter used in half and replace half of the cream with milk.
- A splash of Worcestershire sauce adds a punch of flavor.
How To Store Leftover Soup
Store leftover crab soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days for best results. Freezing the soup is not recommended. The cream in the soup will cause it to lose quality once thawed and reheated.
How To Add Flavor To Soup
Check out these tips to learn how to add flavor to your next batch of soup!
What To Serve With Crab Soup
This is such an easy meal that is bursting with seafood and a super rich flavor. But what do you serve alongside it? Read on for 11 delicious ideas about what to serve with crab soup!
How To Make Maryland Crab Soup
This creamy crab soup recipe is quite different from Maryland Crab Soup. The Maryland version is made using crab meat combined with tomatoes, chicken or beef broth or seafood stock, beans, corn, Old Bay seasoning and sometimes vegetables such as carrots, onions, celery or green beans.
Canned Crab vs Fresh Crab Meat
Fresh crab meat is more costly since it requires extra work to harvest the meat. It has amazing flavor and will make your next recipe taste delicious! If you have the time and are willing to put in the work, I highly recommend using fresh crab meat.
Canned or packaged crab meat is available on your grocer’s shelf. You can pop this ingredient straight out of the can. Often it comes with fillers, so pay attention to the ingredient list. Added flavors may affect the flavors in your recipe.
What is Imitation Crab Meat
Imitation crab meat is not actually crab meat, so be sure to read the label first. It looks similar to crab meat and flakes in the same way, but it is actually Alaska pollock.
Cooking Sherry vs Drinking Sherry
Both cooking and drinking sherry will work for any recipe, but there are a few notable differences to consider. Cooking sherry is meant for cooking-use only. It is not something you would drink on its own.
Cooking sherry contains sodium in order to extend the shelf life. Taste test the recipe first and add salt as needed when using this ingredient for cooking.
Another good reason to choose cooking sherry is its affordability! Once opened, drinking sherry has a short shelf life. You will need to use it fairly quickly to avoid wasting it.
More Crab Recipes
- Mango crab guacamole
- The cheese wedged into the centers of these crab stuffed mushrooms will send you to your knees. Great finger food for parties!
- Imitation crab cakes are ready in 20 minutes, believe it or not, with simple ingredients and not a lot of filler.
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Easy Cream of Crab Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp butter
- 1 lb crab meat
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 cups milk
- 1 tbsp cooking sherry
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or heavy saucepan. Add the crab meat, whipping cream and milk. Bring to a boil over medium high heat then reduce to low heat. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add sherry, salt and pepper. Serve with lemon wedges and saltine crackers.
Notes
- Fresh lemon juice and saltine crackers are the PERFECT complement to this soup.
- If you have it on hand, add a sprinkling of old bay seasoning!
- To slim down the recipe, half the amount of butter used and replace half of the cream with milk.
In sautéing the crab, I added 1-teaspoon onion powder, and added fresh cut up bacon. At the end of cooking, I added lemon zest, cooking sherry and fresh squeezed lemon juice. It was delicious!
Great additions – thanks for sharing them!
I made this exactly according to the recipe and it tasted like crab and milk. I added extra obey seasoning. I had an extra Sheri I even added some onion powder. Nothing helped. I did add a little bit of mustard powder and that helped a little bit. I don’t know how this is a five star recipe.
Hi Angela – I’m so surprised to hear that. It’s such a creamy, flavorful soup. It is a simple, easy version so you can enhance it all you want!
I’ll try it. many thanks.
I made it exactly as written with fresh crab I shelled myself (a LOT of work). I used drinking sherry which added an elegant taste. It was out of this world delicious and super easy (once the crabs were shelled). Similar to oyster stew which I often make. This is a keeper and will become a house specilaty (likely with packaged crab most of the time however). Thank you for posting!
That’s great to hear! Thank you for sharing, Sue. Also, slightly craving that fresh crab now. Thanks!
Great ! Now the kids want it all the time . I live near the bay so the crabs are free . A rather cheap soup to make
Oh, lucky! I would definitely enjoy it a lot more frequently than. Thank you, Scott.
Where does the lemon come into play?
Hi Robert, this is part of the recipe notes in the post where I share: Fresh lemon juice and saltine crackers are the PERFECT complement to this soup.
I used some left over Phillips refrigerated crab meat that had turned mushy but not spoiled, added a stalk of finely chopped celery for mouth feel, and it came out great.
Thanks for the tip! Glad you enjoyed it.
Easy, quick and damn good. Thanks
Love that review! Thank you for trying it and sharing us your thoughts.
It’s was delicious. But I did simple change, we had left over lobster and dungeness crabs.
That sounds like a great tweak! Thank you for sharing!
Wow this came out great! My husband ended up making this in our instant pot and omit the sherry (since we did not have any) and added in some chicken sausage (but I would not recommend adding too much or it will overpower the soup), shrimp and carrots. We also used half of the amount of butter.
Before adding the sausage, it was really good but we just wanted to use up leftover sausage we had in the freezer.
I will definitely be making this recipe again in the future.
Those are great tweaks. I’m with you, I like to use what I have on hand too. Apple juice is a good substitute at times for Sherry too if you ever need that hack. Thanks for sharing all this – I appreciate it and so will others who are looking at it!