Make your own gourmet soup at home with this easy keto lobster bisque recipe. The best part about this keto soup recipe? This homemade version is also gluten-free and only has 390 calories and 4 net carbs per serving!
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Keto Lobster Bisque Soup
As the winter weather returns, I thought it'd be great to make a low carb soup to bring in to work in my lunch crock. It's the perfect comfort food for cold winter days!
This is what really inspired me to put together a soup recipe...
Over the weekend, I bought some frozen Maine lobster tails at ALDI. They were a special holiday item and the price wasn't bad!
Maine lobster is readily available off the shores of Connecticut, so this is the first time I've bought frozen tails. Usually, I buy live lobsters which are always discounted in the summer but, I dislike cooking them live, so I sometimes order them to be freshly cooked at the grocery store.
Lobster meat is excellent for salads or dipping in butter for a delicious dinner. Better yet, it's simple to make a homemade lobster bisque, which is one of our favorite ways to enjoy this tasty seafood!
What's Lobster Bisque?
Bisque is a French soup with a smooth yet thick and creamy texture. It's somewhat very similar to chowder.
However, chowder is typically thicker and full of chunky pieces of meat and vegetables while bisque has a smooth texture that contains a blend of wine and cream.
The soup consists of a tasty broth containing heavy cream and butter for more flavor and tomato for color. A classic bisque will also contain shellfish, such as crab, shrimp, or lobster.
To get the smooth texture, the soup base is puréed before adding in the seafood meat. The only shellfish in an authentic lobster bisque recipe is lobster, which you can pair with vegetables and other garnishes.
Ingredients To Make Gluten-Free Lobster Bisque Soup
To make this lobster bisque recipe from scratch, all you need are 9 ingredients plus a couple of spices you probably already have in your spice cupboard. It's really that simple!
The spices we like to use in this soup recipe are celery salt, dried thyme, paprika, ground cayenne pepper, and ground black pepper.
Please note: Check out the recipe card at the bottom for a full list of ingredients used to make this low carb recipe.
Quick Tips:
- Use a low carb Worcestershire sauce. In case you didn't know it, many of the Worcestershire sauce bottles you will find at the store have a ton of carbs and sugar in it. Instead, try making my homemade version of keto Worcestershire sauce instead!
- Frozen vs. live lobsters. This honestly depends on what is easiest for you. I completely understand that lobster is not readily available for everyone in some areas. If you can get live lobsters, then great! If not, make sure to properly de-thaw the lobster tails before using it in this bisque.
How To Thicken This Keto Lobster Bisque Recipe
Unfortunately, most bisque soups are thickened with flour or rice. It's not a lot, but since going low-carb and gluten-free, I avoid any questionable foods at restaurants.
I've read that some of the more traditional bisques actually contain ground-up seafood shells that have been made into a paste which is used to thicken the soup!
To be honest, I didn't think the soup was that thin without adding a thickener. However, since I'm used to seeing it really thick, I sprinkled in some glucomannan powder.
If you aren't opposed to xanthan gum or guar gum, you could always sprinkle in a little of either or both to thicken it up. But, just using a large amount of cream in this lobster bisque recipe tends to thicken the soup base.
And, you always have the option to puree some of the lobster shells and use those as a thickener as well!
How To Make Easy Lobster Bisque From Scratch
When it comes to making this soup recipe yourself, there are a few extra steps you will need to take to make this the best lobster bisque you have ever made!
How To Properly Cook and Shell A Lobster Tail
Before you do anything else, the lobsters will need to be cooked in boiling water first.
If fresh, they will need to be dipped into boiling water while still alive. This is because lobsters contain bacteria that quickly releases toxins when the lobster dies.
However, if you would rather not cook something that is still moving, frozen lobster tails are available uncooked. The bacteria is not an issue because the tail meat isn't spoiled with the head removed immediately then frozen.
To cook the lobster:
- Boil a large pot of water.
- Add the lobster tails and boil until the shell becomes a bright red. This usually takes about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Remove the lobster tails and set aside to cool down. They will be extremely hot!
Cooking Note: Do NOT throw away the boiled water. We are going to use it as a stock for the bisque.
To remove the meat from the lobster tail:
After letting the lobster tail cool down, you are going to butterfly the tail to remove the meat.
- Taking a pair of kitchen scissors, start by cutting the top of the shell, lengthwise, and cut straight down the middle right before the tail fins.
- Very carefully, spread the shell open and use your fingers to remove the meat from the lobster shell in one piece.
- Then, loosely chop up the lobster meat and set it to the side.
Start Cooking The Base Of The Soup
To start the bisque, all of the vegetables are sautéed in oil or butter. Because I like to make my soup simple, I only used a little onion and garlic.
However, celery and carrots are often used so you can add a little of those if desired. Then, wine is slowly added to deglaze the pan followed by the addition of the seasonings. Don't worry about the alcohol, it rapidly cooks off so there isn't any in the finished dish.
The lobster stock and a bit of tomato paste is added to the base.
Allow the bisque to simmer for about ten minutes!
Blend The Lobster Bisque Soup Together
After the soup has finished simmer, it's time to blend the soup altogether. A blender or food processor is then used to make the soup base smooth.
It's best to use an immersion blender so you can puree the mixture right in the pot. This works well for other soups like Brussels sprout soup too!
Add The Cream And Butter
I add in cream and butter after the base has been blended. If needed, I'll adjust the seasonings to taste as well. Finally, the lobster is added and the lobster bisque soup is simmered a bit longer.
Serve The Lobster Soup And Enjoy!
After the soup has finished simmering one last time, use a ladle to serve yourself a bowl of soup and enjoy!
What To Serve With Keto Lobster Bisque
Lobster bisque can be served as the start to a full course dinner complete with seasonal low carb vegetables and roasted radishes. Although the main entree is usually another seafood dish, it doesn't have to be! I love to combine lobster with air fryer steak for a classic surf and turf meal.
The creamy lobster soup is also perfect for lunch. It can be the main dish by providing a large serving in a bowl with keto crackers on the side. But, my favorite option is to combine it with a tossed salad and a slice of low carb bread.
Frequently Asked Questions About Lobster Bisque
The entire recipe and instructions are at the bottom of this post. First, I want to answer some common questions about this bisque soup.
How many carbs are in a lobster bisque?
A traditional lobster bisque soup contains about 58 grams of carbs, which is a bit more than what a daily keto diet requires. You can tweak your lobster bisque recipe to have under ten net carbs per serving by switching out some ingredients.
For example, instead of using pureed rice or flour to thicken the soup, use glucomannan powder, xanthan gum, or guar gum.
Alternatively, use pureed cauliflower instead of cream to make the meal light yet creamy!
Is lobster keto-friendly?
Seafood is generally keto-friendly, and lobster is not an exception. It is high in protein like meat but contains other nutrients that improve cardiovascular health, mental health, and more.
Is lobster bisque healthy?
If you wonder how to make lobster bisque healthy, you don’t have to do much since the standard recipe contains several nutrients. My keto lobster bisque recipe takes things a step further by offering fewer calories but more nutrients by adding veggies!
Can I store lobster bisque in the freezer?
Having lobster bisque on standby in the freezer means you can have this keto-friendly meal whenever you want. However, keeping bisque in the freezer and reheating it without the proper precautions will ruin its texture and flavor.
Here’s how to store lobster bisque in the freezer without it clumping and curdling:
- Let the bisque cool to room temperature after cooking.
- Stir it thoroughly before pouring it into an airtight, freezer-safe container.
- Place it in the freezer where it can stay for up to three months.
When you get a craving for lobster bisque, take the soup out of the freezer and let it thaw overnight in the fridge.
After thawing it, I recommend reheating the soup on the stove, not your microwave or oven. Avoid clumping or curdling by stirring the bisque continuously while it warms over low heat.
Other Recipes To Try
Are you searching for more soup recipes? Take a look at some of these long time favorites:
- Keto Clam Chowder is the perfect substitute if you don't have everything you need to make this lobster bisque recipe. It's just as creamy and delicious!
- Low Carb Broccoli Cheese Soup is perfect if you like the one from Panera Bread. It's practically the same, except this low carb version is made with cheddar and has fewer carbs.
- Unstuffed Cabbage Soup is a dream for cabbage roll fans! Filled with juicy ground beef and chunks of cabbage, this soup recipe is perfect to serve when cold weather strikes.
- Low Carb Taco Soup is a family favorite, especially on Taco Tuesday! All it takes is 15 minutes of your time.
- Keto Cream Of Chicken Soup is rich, creamy, and bursting with delicious flavor! It's hearty enough to serve for dinner with a slice of keto cornbread.
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Recipe
Easy Lobster Bisque
Video
Ingredients
- 4 lobster tails frozen in shells (or fresh)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- ½ cup onion chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic minced
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon celery salt
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste increase to 2 tablespoons for more tomato flavor
- 2 cups lobster stock
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 4 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Boil lobster tails for 6-8 minutes or until shells are bright red. Remove tails to cool and reserve water to use as lobster stock.
- Remove meat from shells then return the shell to water and boil for another 10 minutes. Using fine mesh strainer, strain lobster stock and reserve 2 cups.
- Chop lobster meat into bite sized pieces. Set aside.
- Add olive oil to medium-sized sauce pan and heat over medium high heat. Saute onion and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Slowly add the wine, then stir in the Worcestershire, celery salt, thyme, paprika, cayenne pepper, and black pepper.
- Stir in the tomato paste and reserved lobster stock. Simmer about 10 minutes.
- Puree mixture in blender or use a stick blender in the pot until smooth.
- Return mixture to pot, if needed, and add in the heavy cream and butter. Add additional salt if needed.
- Add lobster meat and continue to simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
Notes
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Nutrition
Additional Info
Notes on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Copyright
© LowCarbYum.com - Unauthorized use of this material without written permission is strictly prohibited unless for personal offline purposes. Single photos may be used, provided that full credit is given to LowCarbYum.com along with a link back to the original content.
First Published on January 27, 2017. Last Updated November 18, 2020, with clearer images and additional recipe information.
Vivian Sullivan
I haven’t made this but am thinking about how to grind lobster shells to thicken the bisque.. would you toast them after boiling to make them crunchy? I’m thinking that would work, then use a coffee grinder. I’ll give it a go!
Kathryn
Best ever. Keeper!