A hot, fresh bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup is comforting and restorative to both body and soul. If you need a good, basic recipe for chicken soup from scratch, this is my mothers recipe.
Soup with chicken noodles is a classic comfort food that many of us ate as kids. If you’re sick, chicken noodle soup is the perfect comfort food. But is this popular soup keto-friendly? How many net carbs are in a bowl of chicken noodle soup? Let’s take a closer look.
What Are Carbs?
Let’s quickly go over what carbs are before we get to the number. Along with protein and fat, carbohydrates are one of the three main macronutrients. They’re in a lot of everyday foods, like bread, pasta, vegetables, fruits, milk, and sweets.
When you eat carbs, they break down into glucose, which is your body’s main energy source. There are three main types of carbs:
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Fiber – Indigestible carbs that promote gut health
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Starch – Long chains of glucose found in foods like potatoes, wheat and corn.
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Sugar – Simple carbs like sucrose, fructose and lactose.
When counting carbs for a low-carb or keto diet, we look at net carbs, which is total carbs minus fiber. Fiber doesn’t impact blood sugar levels, so we can subtract it.
Nutrition Info for Chicken Noodle Soup
Now let’s look at the nutrition facts for a typical bowl of canned chicken noodle soup (about 1 cup or 245g):
- Total Carbs: 8g
- Fiber: 1g
- Net Carbs: 7g
- Protein: 3g
- Fat: 2g
You can see that a cup of chicken noodle soup has 8g of total carbs. We’re left with 7g net carbs after taking out the 1g of fiber.
That’s a moderate amount of carbs coming from a single bowl. The carbs are mainly coming from the noodles and vegetables used to make the soup.
To put this carb count into context, a standard keto diet aims for around 20-50g net carbs per day. So a bowl of chicken noodle soup would account for 14-35% of your total daily carb limit on keto.
Tips for Lowering Carbs
If you’re following a stricter keto diet, with around 20g net carbs or less per day, a bowl of chicken noodle soup may be too high in carbs to fit into your plan.
Luckily, there are a few simple substitutions you can make to lower the carb count:
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Use spiralized vegetables instead of noodles – Zucchini, carrots and cabbage make great low-carb “noodle” replacements.
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Skip the noodles entirely – Stick to chicken and veggies only.
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Choose lower-carb vegetables – Onions, celery, spinach and mushrooms are all keto-friendly options.
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Use bone broth instead of stock – Homemade bone broth has more collagen and is lower in carbs than store-bought stocks.
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Avoid pre-made soup – Canned and dehydrated soups often contain added sugars and thickeners that boost the carb count. Making soup from scratch allows you to control exactly what goes in it.
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Limit your portion size – Stick to 1 cup or less per serving to keep net carbs in check.
With a few simple tweaks, you can enjoy delicious keto chicken noodle soup that fits into your daily macros. Just be mindful of your ingredients and portion sizes.
Other Low-Carb Soup Options
If chicken noodle soup doesn’t work for your keto diet, don’t worry – there are plenty of other deliciously comforting low-carb soup recipes to choose from. Here are some of my favorites:
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Broccoli Cheese Soup – A creamy, cheesy soup that’s perfect for cold weather. Just avoid starchy thickeners.
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Loaded Cauliflower Soup – Roasted cauliflower makes a great base for a low-carb soup loaded with bacon and cheddar.
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Taco Soup – Ground beef, salsa, cheese, avocado and zucchini noodles make this taste just like taco night!
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Buffalo Chicken Soup – Shredded chicken, hot sauce, cream cheese and ranch create a fun buffalo flavor.
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Italian Wedding Soup – Meatballs, spinach and broth make a hearty, veggie-packed soup.
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Chili – With meat, beans and low-carb veggies, you can definitely make a keto-friendly chili.
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Egg Drop Soup – Simple and light, this soup is basically just broth with whisked eggs stirred in.
Don’t skimp on the delicious soups just because you’re cutting carbs. With a few adjustments, you can keep enjoying comforting bowls of soup on a keto diet. Chicken noodle soup is possible in moderation, but there are also many other tasty low-carb options to choose from. Get creative in the kitchen and find some new favorite keto soup recipes!
How to make (good old-fashioned) chicken noodle soup from scratch
Believe it or not, chicken noodle soup from scratch is pretty straight-forward to make. It does take time to cook a good base broth for the soup, but much of that time is hands-off. For a detailed description of each step, scroll down below to read the recipe card.
This recipe calls for egg noodles. If you are on the keto diet, then you can leave out the noodles to make it keto-friendly, but then its just chicken soup. The total carb count will then be under 5 grams per serving. You can enjoy the soup as is or substitute noodles with low-carb noodles. More chicken meat and non-starchy vegetables, such as cabbage, bean sprouts, peppers, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, seaweed, and leafy greens like spinach and kale, can be added.
Properly prepared homemade chicken soup is good medicine. It is the first thing I think of making when I or my loved ones are under the weather. Research has shown that chicken soup does help to fight colds and the flu. Various compounds in chicken soup boosts immune function, clears congestion and lowers inflammation. The water, salt and gelatin in the broth also help to keep the body hydrated. The parsley in this soup recipe makes the broth more vitamin K-rich, with 2016% more vitamin K per serving. Vitamin K also helps boost immune function.
You can simply season a hot bowl of chicken soup with salt and pepper at the table. A squeeze of lemon juice is also delicious, if you have it. Try adding snips of fresh dill when available. I snip dill fronds over the soup bowl with a pair of scissors. For a spicy shot of probiotics, eat soup with kimchi. Or sprinkle sliced chives or scallions on top.
Total carbs 10g, net carbs 8g
Preparing soup from scratch is a neglected art. But its worth it. There are so many benefits to making soup from scratch. For starters, it is easy on the budget. Making a big pot of soup to share with family and friends and still having enough to freeze for another day Another reason is that you can use high-quality, organic ingredients and avoid artificial ingredients. Making soup from scratch makes bone broth that is high in collagen and good for your gut health. Fresh, homemade soup is loaded with nutrients presented in an easily digestible form. Homemade chicken broth is very healthy because it has electrolytes and the vitamins and minerals found in bone, cartilage, herbs, and vegetables.
Keto Chicken Noodle Soup | The BEST Low Carb Chicken Soup Recipe For Keto
FAQ
How many carbs are in a bowl of chicken noodle soup?
| Nutrients | Amount |
|---|---|
| Cholesterol | 109 mg |
| Sodium | 338 mg |
| Carbohydrates | 24 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
How many carbs are in a full can of Campbell’s chicken noodle soup?
Soup, CAMPBELL’S Chicken Noodle, canned, condensed, 1 can (10. 75 oz)Protein (g)7. 93Total lipid (fat) (g)4. 58Carbohydrate, by difference (g)21. 04Energy (kcal)155. 55Fiber, total dietary (g)1. 83.
Is chicken noodle soup high in carbs?
Yes, chicken noodle soup can be relatively high in carbohydrates, primarily due to the noodles.
How many carbs are in one bowl of chicken soup?
One cup of Bowl chicken soup is around 237. 9 grams and contains approximately 72. 8 calories, 5. 3 grams of protein, 2. 4 grams of fat, and 8. 3 grams of ….