Easy Crab Soup Recipe

This Easy Crab Soup Recipe is a quick and flavorful dish that comes together in just 30 minutes with only five simple ingredients. Perfect for seafood lovers, it uses packaged lump crabmeat to deliver a fresh, delicious taste without any hidden ingredients or preservatives. If you’re looking for a fast, satisfying dinner that will impress your family, this is the recipe to try!

Original post created: August 2014 | Updated: December 2022

Why This Recipe Works

• Here in the Midwest we don’t have access to fresh seafood, so I love incorporating packaged lump crabmeat into recipes such as this yummy soup!
• The simplicity of this creamy soup is mind-blowing. It requires only 5 ingredients but doesn’t taste like it.
• Done in 30 minutes from start to finish!
• If you are looking for a super easy dinner option that’ll fill up the bellies at your table, this is it!
• No hidden ingredients, oils or preservatives.
• Perfect easy recipe for seafood lovers!
• It has the best flavor. I promise it’ll blow you away.

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. Double the amount of crab meat called for in the recipe to make it an extra hearty soup!

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 milk, 2%, 1% or skim all work great. Almond milk will alter the flavor of the dish, but can be used if needed.

Cooking sherry – This ingredient can be found in the same aisle as vinegar at your local grocery store.

How To Make Crab Soup

Step 1

Melt butter in a Dutch oven or heavy, large saucepan. Add the crab meat, heavy 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 the heat and add dry sherry and a little salt and black pepper for good measure.

And that is it! Enjoy!

Popular Pip and Ebby Recipes

• Jimmy John’s Unwich
• Twice Baked Potatoes
• Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies
• What To Serve With Pulled Pork
• Instant Pot Velveeta Mac
• Vanilla Iced Latte

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 or another type of seafood seasoning. Add a little bit at a time and taste test after each addition.
• 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.
• Spice it up by adding a few splashes of hot sauce, red pepper flakes or a pinch of cayenne pepper to your soup pot.
• The best way to make this a creamier soup is to use an immersion blender.
• A bowl of soup enjoyed the next day tastes delicious!

How To Store Leftover Soup

Allow leftover crab soup to cool to room temperature, then store 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 have diminished 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! Here are a few options to consider:

• Crusty bread
• Grilled cheese sandwich
• Sweet potatoes or a baked potato

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.

Using Canned Crab vs Fresh Crab Meat

Fresh crab meat is more costly since more work is required 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 in, straight from 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 typically made up of 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.

Will you help add value to Pip and Ebby?
If you make this recipe and love it, stop back and give it a 5-star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a comment. THANK YOU!