This flavorful Keto Bacon and Shrimp Chowder is creamy, comforting, and filling all while being low-carb!
SOUP. We’re currently obsessed. This Keto Bacon and Shrimp Chowder is our latest creation and it’s delicious! We start by frying up the bacon and using the reserved bacon grease to cook the shrimp, then we add in butter (duh), onion + garlic, broth, turnips (to make it creamy!), and spices. At the end, we gave the chowder a splash of heavy cream and blended it up with an immersion blender before adding the bacon and shrimp back to the Dutch oven.
By blending the soup you get a perfectly creamy chowder. If you’re a fan of a brothy soup you can simply skip this step. Topping the soup off with some fresh chives is the icing on the cake, um soup.
Here are a few ways you can customize the chowder:
-
Want to make this keto bacon and shrimp chowder spicy? Add in a diced jalapeño with the onions.
-
Use cauliflower in place of turnips if you can’t find them.
-
Add sour cream, jalapeños, and cilantro to the top for a Mexican style chowder.
-
If going the Mexican route, throw in some Rotel with the onions as well (sort of like our famous Chicken Queso Soup)

Keto Bacon and Shrimp Chowder
Ingredients
- 8 slices bacon
- 1 lb shrimp
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 small onion diced (125g)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 ½ cups diced turnips 320g
- 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 5 cups chicken bone broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup minced chives for topping
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven over medium heat, cook the bacon until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Add the shrimp to the pot and cook 1-2 minutes per side until cooked through, remove and set aside.
- Add the butter to the pot. Add the onion and garlic to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes until softened but not browned. Add in the turnips and spices and cook 1 minute until fragrant.
- Pour in the bone broth and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook 15 minutes until the turnip is tender.
- Use an immersion blender to blend the soup in the pot.
- Pour in the heavy cream. Divide between bowls and top with bacon, shrimp, and chives. Serve immediately.
This is a quintessential chowder. However, is there a suggestion for a good dairy replacement. My daughter has a medical condition that eliminates dairy and gluten from her diet. She is doing very well on the Keto/ lowcarb diet but need to be dairy free.
Thank you for any ideas.
Hello! This recipe sounds amazing! Any way to reduce the carb count by substituting radishes for turnips? Thank you for all that you do!
Is there anything you can recommend as a substitute for turnips? Thanks!
You could try cauliflower or radish!
I’m not familiar with chicken bone broth. Can you purchase this or does it have to be home made.
You can purchase bone broth at most grocers. Pacific Foods is our go-to.
How many quarts constitutes a “large” Dutch oven? Thanks!
5-quart
Made it tonight. Not sure if it’s my brand of cajun seasoning, but I think next time I’m skipping the salt. Also, do you have any tips for thickening it? Mine turned out a little runny.
maybe a little xanthum gum?
What size shrimp did you use for this? I just learned that shrimp come in different sizes. I am not accustomed to working with shrimp. It is new to me. Just bought one that looked good from the fish counter but now I’m worried that they will be too big for a chowder 😟
Hi Stacy! We used large shrimp in this recipe but really, any size shrimp will work. If you fear that yours are too big you can simply give them a rough chop before cooking. Hope this helps!
What type of shrimp are you using?
We like wild-caught pink shrimp but any type you like best will work!
What do we do with oil the bacon releases before we add the shrimp to pot?
Leave it in the pot as that’s what you’ll sear the shrimp with.
Sadly, this was not a hit with our family. Found it to be thin and needing some flavor enhancement that despite our conversation, we couldn’t identify. While cooking, had already added extra garlic and then salt but it just didn’t help. Not for us….
Can you use Broccoli for the turnips instead?
No, they are not similar at all. Broccoli also wouldn’t jive with the flavors in this soup.