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Keto Gumbo
(Slow Cooker, THM:S, Low Carb, Paleo, Keto, Whole30)
When my husband asked for Gumbo, I was a bit taken aback.
I love Southern Food, but as someone who doesn't really like seafood, Gumbo is way out of my comfort zone. Still, how hard could it be?
But if there's one thing I DO know, that's using my slow cooker! I had to do my research on this one, let me tell ya, but the end results is a flavorful, slow cooked hearty soup that my husband and all of his co-workers raved about!
Now, traditional Gumbo uses a roux to thicken up the liquid and has okra in it. Unfortunately, making it keto required 86-ing the roux, in favor of my favorite keto thickener: Xanthan Gum. I know, I know, that doesn't make it real Gumbo, but to eat healthfully, sometimes sacrifices must be made!
Gumbo is super easy to make Keto and in the slow cooker. You literally throw all the meats along with the veggies in the slow cooker, then add in the shrimp about 20 minutes before serving.
Here's what you'll need:
- 3 lbs Chicken Thighs, boneless and skinless (I used the ones from my ButcherBox)
- 1 lb frozen Shrimp, deveined, no tails
- 1 lb Sausage, cut into rounds
- 1 Bell Pepper, diced
- 1 Onion, Diced
- 2 Celery Stalks, diced
- 4 T Garlic in Olive Oil
- 6 ounces Tomato Paste
- 15 ounces Diced Tomatoes
- 1 T Cajun Seasoning
- 1/2 tsp each: Cayenne, Thyme, Oregano, Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum
Affiliate Links: the following links will take you to some of the tools I used to create this recipe. When you purchase through my link, I get a small commission, at no cost to you, which helps to support the cost of running this site. This means more FREE recipes and resources for you.
- InstantPot (this is the one I have)
- Beef Bone Broth
- KetoKookie
- Ketologie
- Perfect Keto
- The Keto Box
- Xanthan Gum
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- 3 lbs Chicken Thighs, boneless and skinless (I used the ones from my ButcherBox)
- 1 lb frozen Shrimp, deveined, no tails
- 1 lb Sausage, cut into rounds
- 1 Bell Pepper, diced
- 1 Onion, Diced
- 2 Celery Stalks, diced
- 4 T Garlic in Olive Oil
- 6 ounces Tomato Paste
- 15 ounces Diced Tomatoes
- 1 T Cajun Seasoning
- ½ tsp each: Cayenne, Thyme, Oregano, Pepper
- ½ tsp Xanthan Gum
- 1-2 cup Chicken Bone Broth
- Add all the ingredients except the shrimp in your slow cooker. Stir and mix well.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 7-8 hours.
- Add the shrimp 20 minutes before serving.
- Keep warm and enjoy!
xoxo,
Gretchen
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This is best tasting must flavorful Keto Gumbo. Looks rich and creamy. I love the celery you added on it. Thanks for sharing! Great Post!
Do you know what the nutritional breakdown is?
I wrote down all the ingredients I have for this and it broke down to…
Fat: 20.8
Carbs: 11.6 total (9.3 net)
Protein: 73.4
Now yours maybe be give or take, depending on ingredients used.
Is that per serving or total?
Great recipe! We used gumbo file instead of xanthan gum as the thickener. Loved being able to find a gumbo that was keto friendly
How many servings ?
Per serving w 2cups of broth
Nutrient Value % Goal
Calories 619.7 58.6%
Total Carbs 8.7g —
Net Carbs info 6.9
Fiber 1.6g —
Protein 79.1g 119.9%
Fat 27.9g 34.5%
How much Xanthan Gum? Does it go in with everything else?
Start with 1/2 tsp and see if it’s thick enough for your tastes. You could go up from there if you like a lot thicker though 🙂
Do you have the nutritional information? Thanks
I’m just about to make this, but There doesn’t seem to be enough liquid. I’m guessimg just the liquid the tomatoes come in? How much olive oil?
Is it ground thyme or dried thyme? I used ground thyme and it seems a tad bit strong?
The lack of liquid in this recipe seemed odd to me. Thought it was probably just an oversight, so after looking at other gumbo recipes that called for 2 to 6 cups of chicken broth, I split the difference and used 4. That was the only change I made and this recipe came out great! I served it with cauliflower rice. Will definitely make this again!! Thanks for posting a low carb version.
This looks great! I’m guesing the bone broth gives it the deep flavor a roux would normally produce. Traditional gumbo, depending on the region, is also thickened with okra and or filé powder. Both are low carb, especially a small amount in a big pot. I can’t wait to try it! I’ll post back how it turns out with the okra.
How do you adapt this for the Instant Pot instead of the slow cooker?
Did you ever figure this one out?
Did you ever try it this way? Thought I might try it out in my pressure cooker tonight.
I do believe you can also slow cook in the instapot
Yes, of course!
Do you put the chicken in raw? I typically precook and use the broth from that as a base?
I do, but I have also made it precooking the chicken. Both ways work!
I’m just wondering, a true traditional gumbo gets it’s flavor from a roux base, but I do not see any in your recipe. Is there a reason for not doing it?
It’s nearly impossible to create a roux using ketogenic ingredients, so keto gumbo gets it’s flavor from the spices and herbs
May I ask what is chicken bone broth
Thank you Sarah
I made this tonight and it’s wonderful!! Thank you for the recipe! Now I’m trying to figure out how to put it into my Keto app – do you have the nutritional info already? I didn’t see it posted. Thanks!
I’m curious as to why you left out the okra as it is keto friendly and a thickener in it’s own right.
Yep, okra is traditionally in gumbo, we just don’t really like it. Tastes slimy to me, lol. You could definitely sub out or add it to the gumbo if you like it, just make sure to add more liquid, since it will need it.
Bake the okra slices in the oven first, no slime. 400 degrees for 10 minutes, stir and bake another 5-10 minutes. Freezes well also for gumbo all winter
Any nutritional info u can provide or is the recipe in MyFitnessPal? Also what is a serving size? 1 cup?
The recipe really is amazing! Taste wonderful. Not too spicy and taste just like gumbo! Yummy! Thank you
This was very very good! I followed the recipe pretty much exactly, I did add a splash more of broth because I used 4 ponds of thigh and leg meat and left the shrimp out. I am wondering though, is the tomato paste really keto friendly? I looked at the nutrition info on the muir glenn organic tomato paste AFTER making this and saw that there were 7 carbs and 4 grams of sugar per serving and the can it calls for is 5 servings…? Thanks!
Presently cooking this on the stove on very low heat. Smells divine and tastes delicious! Can’t wait for dinner! Thanks!
What can I substitute in place of xanthan gum? Is it just a thickening agent?
Try Arrowroot or Glucomannan as an alternate thickener. Or, you can find Xanthan Gum on Amazon
Jewel stores carry it
You can find it at Walmart to
I’m assuming the sausage should be pre-cooked. Yes?
Thanks,
Do you use a raw pork sausage or a cooked smoked sausage?
I use a smoked sausage that is precooked.
I was wondering about that and I didn’t use precooked. I’m kinda wondering if that was a mistake, but we’ll see it’s still cooking.
Hi, just made this tonight for dinner and lunches for my work week. It turned out delicious! I had never used xantham gum and was a little taken aback by price but it thickened it so nicely and it’s not at all slimy like sometimes arrowroot will do. I will be sure to check out other ways to use it! I did add a tiny splash of Worcestershire to add a bit of an umami kick but followed the rest of the recipe exactly. It tastes so rich and can’t wait to try it tomorrow after all the flavors have melded.
Thanks! 5 stars.
How are you getting that rich brown color without using a roux? I just made traditional gumbo a few days ago. Wish I had seen this post before I had a major cheat day. Hard to let go of those southern roots.
I see numerous people have already asked for macros on this recipe. Would love to try it, but want info to enter into my app for tracking purposes. Would you PLEASE list the nutritional info…..
Made this today. Substituted 2 cans of rotel tomatoes and smoked sausage with hatch chilies. Spicy and very delicious. Will definitely be making this again!
Is there a substitute for the garlic in olive oil? Just realized I don’t have the hour to make my own. Thanks! Looks delicious and can’t wait to try.
I usually buy it already in olive oil from Aldi, BUT, you can absolutely use chopped fresh garlic or 1 tsp. Garlic Powder if you have either of those on hand!
Hi Gretchen. I am excited about trying this recipe. My first time cooking gumbo. Is the Shrimp pre-cooked or uncooked?
Can this be converted into an instant pot recipe? What would you suggest?
yes! I would suggest about 30 minutes of cooking on the soup setting and it should be good to go! You can stir in a bit of Xanthan gum thickener if needed, but otherwise it’s pretty straightforward (and quicker!) to convert to InstantPot
Hello, I am going to try this out today. You say to throw the shrimp in 20 minutes before serving. Do you thaw them first or toss them in frozen during the end of the cooking cycle? Thanks.
Made in the instant pot with chicken broth instead of bone broth. Sauteed veggies in oil 5 min first and added everything else doing soup mode for 30 mins. Came out delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Very good, thank you! I boiled and shredded the chicken. Sautéed the veggies and shrimp in olive oil. Used smoked sausage precooked. Left out the cayenne. Added it all to a pot on the stove and used double the chicken broth. Didn’t need the xantham gum. I ate it just as it was and cooked some rice for the family; it was delicious.
Will it make a huge difference if I leave the thyme out? I don’t have any, and need to make this tonight.
I made this yesterday. My thighs were frozen so I started with those on the bottom. I used crawfish tails instead of shrimp and regular broth instead of bone broth. Cooked on high about 5 hours, stirring the chicken up from the bottom about halfway thru. Served it over cauliflower rice. It reminded me more of chicken creole than gumbo but whatever… it was delicious!
Thanks for sharing!
What constitutes a serving? My app is showing 10 carbs, but that just doesn’t seem right..
I’ve made this enough times to tell you it’s amazing. I’ve left out a protein here and there and use slap your mamma seasoning haha but it’s always so GOOD. Gumbo has never been easier thank you!!! I always share this recipe
OMG This is the BEST gumbo ever, keto or not. I go to NOLA several times a year and The Olde Coffee Pot, The Gumbo Shop or Desire in the Sonesta can’t come close to this! I was worried since there’s no roux involved, but besides not being very keto, a roux is a pain to deal with for this lazy cook. This was a real “dump and go” recipe and it was AWESOME. My b/f doesn’t like chicken thighs. He HATES shrimp. He was all over this recipe and he had 2nds, shrimp, thighs and all….(I put the rest away so he wasn’t able to snag thirds). I did it almost exactly as written. I used Slap Ya Mamma Cajun Seasonings and it had a LOT of zip to it. I like spice but that may have been too much for some who have more tender palates so beware along w/ the Cayenne it calls for. I thickened it w Thick-it-up (guar gum) since I had no Xanthan Gum but same diff. It’s also very forgiving on the timing. And no it wasn’t very “brown” as it would be with a roux but the flavor certainly didn’t suffer because of this. I’m a great cook and I’d say this will now go down as one of my to 10 dishes. I’m SOLD!
Thank you regarding the okra suggestion, never heard of that. I usually fry mine until the slim dries up.
Baking seems much easier.
Doing this recipe today.