This creamy crab soup with wild rice is a hearty, flavor-packed recipe that I make non-stop in the winter months. It’s cozy, rich, and filled with delicious bites of real crabmeat and colorful veggies.
If you love cozy seafood soups and stews, try my shrimp corn chowder, too. As for creamy soup recipes, you can’t go wrong with the Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana or this creamy crack chicken soup.
Move over, Marry Me Chicken, because I’m about ready to marry this creamy crab soup instead! I make this soup during the chilly months when all I’m craving is creaminess and comfort. It’s delicious and satisfying, with juicy imitation crab meat, hearty wild rice, and tender veggies swimming in a velvety, chowder-style broth. Add in a few pinches of herbs, and it’s ready for the table in 30 minutes. Soup doesn’t get much better than that!
Why I Love This Crab Soup Recipe
- Affordable. I’ve made this soup with both real and imitation crab meat, and either way, it turns out delicious! Imitation crab works perfectly and it’s less expensive than real crab (I use it in other recipes like kani salad and crab stuffed mushrooms).
- Quick. I LOVE soup, and it has a lot to do with how quick and easy most recipes are to make. This crab soup is no different. It’s an (almost) one-pot soup recipe that packs loads of flavor into a very short cooking time.
- Cozy and creamy. I love the texture of the creamy broth and the tender bites of crabmeat and veggies in every bite. Like any good soup, every bowl comes complete with a serving of warm fuzzies, which, in this weather, is very much needed.
Ingredients You’ll Need
First things first, let’s wrangle some ingredients. This crab soup recipe needs just a few easy fridge and pantry staples, including butter, flour, and milk to make a quick béchamel sauce to thicken the broth and make it creamy. Have a look at my notes below, and scroll down to the printable recipe card for the full list with recipe instructions.
- Rice – I make my crab soup with wild rice, but you can use any long-grain rice you have in the pantry, including basmati, jasmine, or brown rice. Another option is to replace the rice with pearl barley or another grain that you prefer.
- Butter – Salted or unsalted, it’s up to you.
- Onion – Dice up a yellow onion or a similar sweet, mild variety.
- Garlic – Freshly minced garlic is the best! If you need to substitute garlic powder, use ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder per fresh clove.
- Peas and Carrots – I buy a bag of frozen mixed peas and carrots to save the chopping and dicing. Of course, you can dice up fresh carrots and just use frozen peas if you prefer.
- Vegetable Broth – Or chicken broth or stock. I like to cook with low-sodium broth.
- Herbs – In addition to salt and black pepper, I season this soup with a mix of dried thyme and rosemary. You could also use fresh herbs or a dried herb blend like Italian seasoning or Herbes de Provence. I also chop up some fresh parsley to garnish the soup when serving.
- Crab Meat – I almost always make this soup with surimi seafood like Louis Kemp Crab Delights®, which is ready-to-eat imitation crab made from Alaska Pollock. It’s a great (and affordable) alternative to real lump crab meat, which I usually save for crab cakes.
- Flour – You’ll whisk the flour with melted butter to make a roux, and then add milk to make the béchamel. All-purpose flour works best here.
- Milk – This can be any milk you’d like.
- Heavy Cream – To give this crab soup an extra-rich, creamy finish. You could also use cream cheese for an even richer, tangier flavor.
How to Make Crab Soup
This easy crab soup recipe is very simple to follow. All you need is 30 minutes, and you’ll be slurping creamy soup while keeping cozy on the couch (my personal favorite place to eat soup). Let’s get started:
- Cook the rice. Follow the package directions to cook your rice of choice. I also love making soup when I have leftover cooked rice in the fridge.
- Sauté the veggies. Meanwhile, take out a big soup pot or a Dutch oven and sauté the onions in melted butter so that they soften. Then, you’ll stir in the garlic, followed by the carrots and peas. Let that heat through for a couple of minutes.
- Combine and simmer. Next, pour in the broth, turn up the heat, and add the dried herbs, crab meat, and rice. Bring the pot to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes.
- Make the béchamel. In a separate pan, whisk flour into melted butter and keep whisking while it cooks off for a minute. Whisk in the milk and let the mixture thicken.
- Put it all together. Stir the béchamel sauce into the soup, stirring as it simmers. Lastly, stir in the heavy cream.
- Serve. Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with fresh parsley, and enjoy!
Tips and Variations
- Try not to overcook the rice. It’s best to cook the wild rice “al dente” so that it doesn’t turn to mush once it’s added to the soup.
- Don’t boil the soup after adding the dairy. Once you’ve whisked in the milk mixture and heavy cream, avoid boiling the soup as the dairy might split in the high heat.
- Substitute the crab meat. If you can’t get your hands on crab meat, you can replace the crab with chicken (for some creamy chicken noodle soup vibes).
- Skip the rice. If you’d prefer to leave out the rice, that works, too. You can also swap in your favorite pasta or noodles instead. Diced cooked potatoes are another easy way to bulk up the soup.
- Give it some kick. If you like your crab soup with a little spice, add in crushed red pepper flakes, cayenne, Cajun spice, or Old Bay seasoning.
Proper Storage
- Refrigerate. Keep this crab soup in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat leftovers within 3 days. Like most soups containing dairy, this crab soup isn’t the best for freezing.
- Reheat. Warm the soup in the microwave in increments, or on the stovetop until it’s hot throughout.
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Cook the rice. Prepare the rice according to the directions listed on the package.
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Sauté the veggies. In the meantime, melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a soup pot. Add onion and pinch of salt and continue to cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, or until tender. Stir in the garlic and continue to cook for 20 seconds. Stir in the frozen carrots and peas and cook for 2 minutes.
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Combine and simmer. Add vegetable broth and season with dried thyme and rosemary. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the crab meat and rice, and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for about 5 minutes.
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Make a roux. In the meantime, melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and whisk continually for 1 minute. Continue to whisk while adding the milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens.
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Put it all together. Add the milk mixture to the soup and cook for about 5 minutes longer, or until the soup is thickened. Lastly, stir in the heavy cream.
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Serve. Garnish your creamy crab soup with chopped parsley, and serve!
Calories: 312kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 791mg | Potassium: 252mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 5410IU | Vitamin C: 7.8mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 1.4mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.