Want to crush the “keto flu”? Make yourself a big pot of this tasty-and-effective Keto Flu Soup! It’s specifically designed to deliver valuable electrolytes, which can help lessen the keto flu. Great for veteran ketoers too!
This post contains affiliate links, which means I’ll make a small commission if you purchase through one of my links. Please note that I am not a doctor or nutritionist, and nothing in this post should be construed as medical advice.
Ah, the keto flu. It occurs when your body is transitioning to burning fat for fuel instead of carbs, and one of the big causes is an electrolyte imbalance. As you decrease your carb consumption, electrolytes are flushed from your body at a faster pace… and if you don’t know (or don’t bother) to replace them, you can feel terrible, just like you would with the regular flu. I’d say that the keto flu is the #1 reason why people quit the keto diet early on.
Truthfully, even veteran ketoers aren’t immune to the keto flu rearing its ugly head. You might experience the keto flu after a carb up, or if you haven’t been mindful of your electrolyte intake. Electrolytes are important on keto all the time, not just at the beginning.
Increasing your salt intake and taking an electrolyte supplement (with sodium, magnesium, and potassium) can definitely help mitigate the symptoms of the keto flu. But wouldn’t it be nice if there were a healthful recipe, made from whole foods, that you could consume to help lessen the keto flu?
Enter… Keto Flu Soup! 🙂 I am SO excited to share this recipe with you and I hope it becomes a staple in the community. Keto Flu Soup has been specifically developed to deliver a solid intake of sodium, magnesium, and potassium from whole foods. It’s easy to make, and YES, it actually tastes great! (Although you can’t tell from its super-green hue, it’s loaded with cheese. Yum!) Oh, and it’s also packed with valuable Omega 3s and has a near-perfect macronutrient profile. What’s not to love about this keto soup?!
Ingredients Needed for Keto Flu Soup
Ingredient quantities are located in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Mushrooms
- Onion
- Frozen, chopped spinach
- Chicken stock (NOT broth; I used Swanson Chicken Cooking Stock)
- Unsweetened almond milk (I used Silk)
- Sharp cheddar cheese (I used Happy Farms {ALDI brand}}
- Hemp seeds (I used 365 Everyday Value {Whole Foods brand})
- Salt
- Pepper
- Salted butter
More Keto Soups
How to Make Keto Flu Soup
This is just a quick overview of how to make this keto soup recipe. For the recipe in detail, scroll to the recipe card at the end of the post.
Saute onion and mushrooms, then add the liquids, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil.
Add the frozen spinach and cook.
Then allow the soup to cool before blending with an immersion blender (so easy!) or regular blender. TIP: You can incorporate the hemp seeds in three different ways. You can 1) blend them into the soup at this step; 2) stir them into the soup along with the cheese; or 3) sprinkle them on top when serving the soup. I personally love options #2 and #3!
Heat the soup again and add the freshly shredded cheddar cheese in batches, stirring until fully incorporated. TIP: Do NOT use pre-shredded cheese in this recipe; the anti-caking agents added to the pre-shredded cheese will cause clumps.
Season with additional salt and pepper if desired and serve!
What are the Symptoms of the Keto Flu?
This helpful graphic shows you some of the symptoms you may experience with the keto flu:
View this post on Instagram
How Many Electrolytes You Need Daily on Keto vs. What’s in Keto Flu Soup
According to Diet Doctor, here is the recommended daily intake of the three main electrolytes:
- Sodium: 3,000mg – 7,000mg a day
- Potassium: 3,000mg – 4,700mg a day — the vast majority (98%!) of US adults consume too little potassium
- Magnesium: 400mg a day
Here is what you will take in with a single serving of Keto Flu Soup:
- Sodium: 1,196mg
- Potassium: 878mg
- Magnesium: 208mg
Note: These were calculated to the best of my ability using the brands I used, as noted in this post.
Keto Flu Soup is Also Packed with Valuable Omega 3s
In addition to containing electrolytes, Keto Flu Soup is also packed with valuable Omega 3s thanks to the hemp seeds. Each serving of this soup contains a full serving of hemp seeds, which happen to contain 6,000mg of ALA Omega 3s, a whopping 375%-545% of the recommended daily value!
Some benefits of Omega 3s:
- Can help reduce inflammation
- Can help lower blood pressure
- Can help reduce triglycerides
Keto Flu Soup Also Has an Amazing Macro Profile {Nutrition Facts}
I know, I know… this soup keeps getting better and better! 🙂 Keto Flu Soup actually almost fits the standard keto 75 fat/25 protein/5 carbs macronutrient ratio perfectly. Here is what it contains per serving:
- 404 calories
- 31g fat (70%)
- 23g protein (23%)
- 5.9g net carbs (7%)
How Much Keto Flu Soup Should I Consume a Day?
- One serving a day, in addition to the rest of the foods you consume during the day, should do a great job of fulfilling your electrolyte needs.
- If you’re just starting with keto, you could bump it up to one-and-a-half or two servings a day until you get through the transition phase.
Can I Freeze Keto Flu Soup?
Yes! Keto Flu Soup will keep up to 3 days in the fridge and up to 2 months in the freezer. Make sure that you store it in an airtight container.
How Big is a Serving of Keto Flu Soup?
This recipe produces about ten cups of soup. With six servings, each serving is about 1 2/3 cups. Each serving is quite substantial and filling!
Like This Post? Give it a Share!
I hope you love this easy low carb soup recipe! If you liked this post, I would so appreciate you giving it a share by using the social sharing icons. THANK YOU!
Keto Dinner
Eating a well balanced diet on keto requires the availability of fantastic tasting recipes for each Keto Dinner:
- Keto Chicken Casserole
- Keto Pizza
- Keto Mac and Cheese
- Keto Tuna Casserole
- Keto Meatball Casserole
- Keto Cheeseburger Casserole
Keto Flu Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp salted butter
- 1/2 cup onion chopped
- 3 cups mushrooms chopped
- 3 cups chicken stock (NOT broth!)
- 3 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp pepper
- 6 cups frozen, chopped spinach
- 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar, FRESHLY shredded (about 6 oz)
- 18 tbsp hemp seeds (1 cup + 2 tbsp)
Instructions
- Heat butter in a large, tall pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and mushrooms, stirring frequently until browned and softened, about 7-10 minutes.
- Add chicken stock, almond milk, water, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil on high.
- Add frozen spinach, reduce heat to medium-high and cook for 8 minutes. Break spinach into chunks as it thaws.
- Turn off the heat and let the soup cool for 10 minutes.
- If you want to blend the hemp seeds into the soup, add them to the soup in this step. (See notes.)
- Using an immersion blender or regular blender, carefully blend the soup until smooth, working in batches if necessary.
- If using a blender, return soup to the pot.
- Over medium heat, add the shredded cheddar cheese in batches, stirring until fully incorporated. (If stirring in the whole hemp seeds, do so at this step.)
- Season your Keto Flu Soup with additional salt and pepper if desired. (If sprinkling the hemp seeds on top, sprinkle 3 tbsp on top of each bowl.)
Notes
- There are three ways to incorporate the hemp seeds. You can: 1) Blend them until smooth with the rest of the soup ingredients; 2) Stir them in whole into the entire soup; or 3) Sprinkle them on top of each individual bowl (3 tbsp per bowl).
- The chicken stock I use (Swanson Chicken Cooking Stock) contains 510mg sodium per one cup. If you use a chicken stock with less sodium, you’ll need to add more salt. Make sure you use chicken STOCK, not broth, to ensure a heartier flavor.
- Do NOT use pre-shredded cheese in this recipe; the anti-caking agents added to the pre-shredded cheese will cause clumps.
- The soup will keep up to 3 days in the fridge and up to 2 months in the freezer.
- Per serving: Sodium: 1,196mg / Potassium: 878mg / Magnesium: 208mg
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutrition facts are included as a courtesy only. They are accurate to the best of our knowledge based on the ingredients and brands used, but their accuracy is not guaranteed. If applicable, sugar alcohols have already been removed from the total carb count.
Yum, but I would substitute the Cheddar Cheese with shredded Sheep Cheese; keeping it Diary Free.
You definitely can do that, Debra! Enjoy! 🙂
(Isn’t sheep cheese still dairy?)
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe today.
yes sheep cheese is dairy. Any milk or product that comes from a mammal is considered dairy. They do however make non- dairy cheese products.
How many packages of frozen spinach is 6 cups? Can’t wait to try this!
Hi Heidi! I used 12 oz packages from Walmart, and each package contains 4 cups, so 1 1/2 packages (18 oz total). Enjoy! 🙂
What could you substitute for the almond milk?
Hi Diane! If you want to substitute it with another nut milk, you can use something like hemp milk or cashew milk (not coconut – that will alter the flavor too much).
If you don’t want to use a nut milk at all, you can use 2 1/4 cups of water and 3 tbsp heavy whipping cream. (Almond milk is a bit thicker than plain water, so you wouldn’t want to match the full 3 cups.)
Enjoy!
How long is it good for in the refrigerator? Can I freeze it?
Hi Stacey! It will keep up to 3 days in the fridge and up to 2 months in the freezer. I’ll add that info to the post – thanks for asking! 🙂
I don’t like mushrooms — is there something I can substitute or just omit them????
Hi Anne! You can use peeled, deseeded, chopped zucchini instead. This will boost the net carbs by 0.6g per bowl.
Could I use fresh broccoli if I steamed it first?
Hi Mary! Yes, you can use fresh steamed broccoli. Enjoy!
Can I use the same amount of heavy whipping cream instead of coconut milk?
Hi Mary! I don’t recommend substituting heavy whipping cream 1:1 for the almond milk because that will add a substantial amount of calories (although keto is focused on carbs, too many calories can be detrimental to weight loss even on keto). Instead, you can replace every cup of almond milk with 1 tbsp heavy whipping cream and 3/4 cup water. (i.e, 3 tbsp heavy whipping cream, 2 1/4 cup water total)
Hope you enjoy!
This was absolutely scrumptious! So thick and creamy. I made it exactly as written and even my non keto hubby enjoyed a bowl! Thanks so much for your time creating this recipe!
Trish, I am so happy to hear that! Thank you for the wonderful review! 🙂
Another great recipe …but I haven’t made this one yet…no hemp seeds!
Is there anything that I can sub for these?
I love all of your recipes as wells as your info that you always post- thank you!
Hi Liv, Thank you so much for the kind words! 😊 I really appreciate it.
The hemp seeds in this recipe can’t be easily substituted nutritionally, but you can substitute them with 1 cup sesame seeds. I know a cup of sesame seeds isn’t easy to come by though, so an easier option would be to replace the hemp seeds with 1/2 cup almond flour, then sprinkle individual servings with sesame seeds if desired.
The sub worked GREAT!
This was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!
I sprinkled the sesame seeds over right before serving, and it looked and tasted wonderful.
Thank you so much, another great recipe!
🙂
Wonderful!! I am so glad you enjoyed it, Liv! 😊
Keto Flu Soup is my go to when I slip on my Keto diet and have to restart. This soup allows me to avoid most of the Keto flu symptoms. It is a tasty and creamy soup and takes little prep time to put together. I like to sprinkle the hemp seeds on top of the soup just for visual appeal. Thanks for the recipe.
Absolutely delicious, and ohhh soo easy!! Also, one bowl and I’m full . This Keto thing is actually amazing!!
This will definitely be my go to dinner on keto ,while the kids have their sports.
Thank you so much, Bethany! Best of luck on your keto journey! 🙂
Wonderful tasting soup! I love it!
Thank you so much, Martha! I’m glad you loved it!
How much fresh spinach should I use to replace frozen?
Thank you in advance!
Hi Lori! I’m so sorry I am just now seeing your question. To use fresh spinach, double the amount in the recipe (so for this recipe, 12 cups fresh).
OMG this soup is so delish!! I didn’t have a blender…(I’m a traveling nurse), so I made is and added the hemp hearts at the end and I could not believe how amazing this Keto Flu Soup is. Thank you for the recipe!
Thank you so much, Gigi!! I’m so glad you loved it! 😊
I love this soup. I could eat just it to start on keto.
Would that be bad?
Absolutely satisfying and delicious! Instructions were great. Thank you!
Thanks so much, Sally! I’m glad you liked it!