Keto Smoked Sausage Chowder (Creamy One-Pot Comfort Food)

Chowder is usually a minefield on keto, potatoes, corn, and thickeners show up in almost every version. Keto smoked sausage chowder skips all three, and cauliflower quietly does the job potatoes usually get credit for.

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Onion, garlic, celery, and carrot cook down with bacon first to build a real flavor base, then smoked sausage and the rest of the vegetables join in. This is genuinely a one-pot dinner, ready in about 40 minutes.

Use a heavy-bottomed pot that holds at least 10 cups. A thinner pot risks scorching once the chowder thickens up.

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Chef Jenn’s Take on Smoked Sausage Chowder

Reaching for potatoes or a flour-based thickener is the default instinct for chowder, since that is what gives most versions their thick, chunky texture. Cauliflower does that same job here without the carbs, and it holds its shape well enough that you still get a real bite in every spoonful.

Build the flavor base first, bacon, onion, garlic, celery, and carrot, cooked down together before anything else goes in. Choose a leaner smoked sausage rather than a fatty one, since extra fat from the sausage on top of the bacon and cream pushes this from rich into greasy fast.

Simmer everything until the vegetables are fully soft, then add the cream at the very end without letting it boil hard. A heavy-bottomed pot that holds at least 10 cups matters here too, a thin pot scorches easily once the chowder starts to thicken.

This is already plenty thick and chunky as written. Xanthan gum is there as an option if you want it thicker still, but it’s genuinely optional, not a fix for a recipe that came out too thin.

What You’ll Love About Smoked Sausage Chowder

• Doubles well for leftovers, since it holds up nicely in the fridge for a few days.
• Thick and chunky without a single potato, corn kernel, or flour-based thickener anywhere in it.
• Genuinely a one-pot dinner, so cleanup stays simple even with this many ingredients.

Ingredients

• Smoked sausage – Leaner varieties keep this from turning greasy with the bacon and cream already in the mix.
• Bacon – Regular sliced, chopped.
• Onion – Diced.
• Carrot – Diced.
• Garlic – Fresh, 1 small clove, minced.
• Dried thyme – Standard dried herb, nothing specialty needed.
• Cauliflower – Cut into small florets, standing in for the potato you’d expect in a classic chowder.
• Celery – Diced.
• Red bell pepper – Diced.
• Chicken broth – Low sodium or no salt added, so you control the seasoning yourself.
• Heavy cream – Full fat, added at the end and not boiled hard.
• Dried chives – Fresh chives work too, roughly double the amount.

How to Make Smoked Sausage Chowder

Scroll down for the full recipe card with exact measurements and printable instructions.

Sautee the bacon, onion, carrot, and celery in a large, heavy-bottomed pot for about 8 minutes, until the bacon is lightly browned and the vegetables start to soften.

Slice the smoked sausage and add it to the pot, stirring to combine. Cook for 2 to 3 more minutes to release some of the sausage’s fat.

Add the garlic, red bell pepper, cauliflower, and dried thyme, stirring for about a minute. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the vegetables are fully soft.

Add the cream and dried chives, stirring well without letting it boil hard. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Make It A Meal

I serve this with Grilled Veggies if I want something more on the table. Skillet Cabbage with Bacon and Garlic is another good side if you want to lean further into the smoky, bacon-forward flavor already in the chowder.

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop, stirring often since cream-based soups can separate over high heat. Freezing is possible but not ideal, the cream can separate slightly on thawing, so expect some texture change if you freeze this.

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4.63 from 8 votes

Smoked Sausage Chowder

Thick, chunky, and full of big, bold flavors, this Smoked Sauage Chowder is a great pick for one-pot dinners or on cold nights.

Course Soup, Soups & Stews

Cuisine American

Keyword cabbage and sausage, keto chowder, keto lunch, keto soup, keto soup and chowder, keto soup recipe, lunch, smoked sausage

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 8 servings

Calories 229kcal

Author Chef Jenn

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going to sleep

Ingredients

• 2 links smoked sausage about 1/2 pound
• 4 strips bacon
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 cup diced carrot
• 1 clove garlic small clove
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 cup cauliflower florets
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced red bell pepper
• 4 cups chicken broth low/no sodium
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon dried chives

Instructions

• Sautee the bacon, onion, carrots, and celery for about 8 minutes or until the bacon is slightly brown and the veggies are starting to get tender.
• Slice the smoked sausage and add to the pot, stirring to combine. Cook for 2-3 more minutes, releasing some of the fat from the sausage. Add the garlic, red bell pepper, and cauliflower. Add the dried thyme and stir for one minute.
• Add the low sodium (or no sodium added) chicken broth and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and continue to simmer for about 15 minutes or until the veggies are soft.
• Add the cream and dried chives and stir well. Check for salt and pepper, then ladle into cute bowls and enjoy!

Notes

Recipe Card Tips

• Choose a leaner smoked sausage. A fattier one on top of the bacon and cream pushes this from rich into greasy.
• Add the cream at the very end and avoid letting it boil hard, to keep the texture smooth instead of separated.
• Use a heavy-bottomed pot that holds at least 10 cups. A thinner pot scorches easily once the chowder thickens.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 229kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 683mg | Potassium: 295mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 3776IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 1mg | Net Carbohydrates: 6g

A Note on Nutritional Information

Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed. Erythritol carbs (sugar substitutes) are not included in the carbohydrate counts as they have been shown not to impact blood sugar, and they have zero calories and zero carbs. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.