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Home » Instant Pot Magic

Instant Pot Gumbo Soup - Whole30 and Gluten-Free

Published January 23, 2019. Last modified July 31, 2025 By Gary White

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Gumbo soup image for Pinterest.

This is a hearty and flavorful Instant Pot gumbo soup. There is no flour added, so it's both gluten-free and Whole30 compliant!

Gumbo soup in white bowl.

Okay! Before anybody throws tomatoes at me, please hear me out! I understand completely that this is NOT gumbo. I do not claim for it to be. This is soup. My wife cannot have flour, so this is as close to eating gumbo as she can get. But I'm fully aware that the dark roux used to make gumbo is essential! So this is a substitute teacher - Instant Pot gumbo soup. But I will say this... it tastes quite a bit like it. The real difference comes with this... I only used some tomato sauce to help thicken it, along with the okra.

Gumbo soup in white bowl with spoon.

How to Make Instant Pot Gumbo Soup

Sausage slices browning in Instant Pot.
Using sauté setting - once hot, add 1 tablespoon of oil and sliced sausage. Brown thoroughly on both sides. Remove and set aside.
Two chicken breasts browning in Instant Pot.
Continuing on sauté setting - add 1 tablespoon of oil and chicken breasts (seasoned with creole seasoning). Brown on both sides (3-4 minutes each side), but do not cook completely. You just want to get some color on them. Remove and set aside.
Fond in bottom of Instant Pot.
Do not wipe or rinse out pot. There's some GREAT flavor in there!
Diced onions and sliced celery.
Add onions and celery to pot (along with an optional 2 tablespoons of bacon fat)...
Sautéing diced onions and sliced celery.
...and cook for about 5 minutes, until veggies soften a bit.
Chopped red bell peppers and minced garlic.
Add red bell peppers and garlic...
Sautéing diced onions, sliced celery, chopped red bell peppers, and minced garlic.
...and cook for another 3 minutes or so.
Browned chicken breasts and bay leaves on top of sautéd vegetables.
Return chicken breasts to pot, along with bay leaves...
Tomato sauce and stewed tomatoes pour over chicken breasts.
...stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce...
Chicken stock mixed with creole seasoning.
...beef stock, creole seasoning...
Sliced okra in chicken broth.
...and okra. Mix well, lock lid and cook for 15 minutes at high pressure.
Cooked gumbo soup.
Once cook time is complete, allow pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes. Then quick-release remaining pressure. Remove lid, chicken breasts and bay leaves. In a separate bowl, using two forks, shred the chicken into bite-size pieces.
Cooked gumbo soup with raw shrimp added.
Add shrimp and mix well. Return lid and allow shrimp to cook in the residual heat for at least 5 minutes.
Cooked shrimp on wooden spatula.
You can tell they're done when they are opaque and pink.
Sliced sausage in gumbo soup.
Return sausage to pot...
Shredded chicken on top of gumbo soup.
...along with shredded chicken...
Sliced green onions and chopped parsley on top of gumbo soup.
...green onions and parsley. Mix well and allow to sit for just a few minutes before serving. Serve with rice - for Whole30, we used cauliflower rice.

And this is the AMAZING Result…

Gumbo soup in white bowl on wood background.

More Whole30 Friendly Recipes

  • Whole30 Lasagna
  • Instant Pot Fajitas
  • Instant Pot Buffalo Meatballs
  • Instant Pot Stir Fry
  • Instant Pot Paella with Cauliflower Rice

★ Did you make this Instant Pot Gumbo Soup?

Please give it a star rating below! ★

Gumbo soup in white bowl.

Instant Pot Gumbo Soup - Whole30 and Gluten-Free

This is a hearty and flavorful soup in the style of gumbo. There is no flour added, so it is gluten-free and Whole30 compliant.
4.80 from 5 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Southern
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour
Servings: 12
Calories: 223kcal
Author: Gary White

Ingredients 

  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 12 oz. smoked sausage sliced, for Whole30 we used Aidells Chicken & Apple
  • 1 lb. chicken breasts seasoned with creole seasoning
  • 1 cup yellow onions diced
  • ½ cup celery sliced
  • 2 Tbsp. bacon fat optional
  • 1 ½ cups red bell pepper roughly chopped
  • 1 Tbsp. garlic minced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 15 oz. stewed tomatoes
  • 15 oz. tomato sauce
  • 4 cups beef stock
  • 1 Tbsp. creole seasoning we used Tony Chachere's
  • 12 oz. okra sliced into ¾-inch pieces
  • 12 oz. small shrimp 60/80
  • ¼ cup green onions sliced
  • 1 Tbsp. parsley finely chopped

Instructions

  • Using sauté setting – once hot, add 1 tablespoon of oil and sliced sausage. Brown thoroughly on both sides. Remove and set aside.
  • Continuing on sauté setting – add 1 tablespoon of oil and chicken breasts (seasoned with creole seasoning). Brown on both sides (3-4 minutes each side), but do not cook completely. You just want to get some color on them. Remove and set aside.
  • Do not wipe or rinse out pot. There’s some GREAT flavor in there! Add onions and celery to pot (along with an optional 2 tablespoons of bacon fat) and cook for about 5 minutes, until veggies soften a bit.
  • Add red bell peppers and garlic and cook for another 3 minutes or so.
  • Return chicken breasts to pot, along with bay leaves, stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef stock, creole seasoning, and okra. Mix well, lock lid and cook for 15 minutes at high pressure.
  • Once cook time is complete, allow pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes. Then quick-release remaining pressure. 
  • Remove lid, chicken breasts and bay leaves. In a separate bowl, using two forks, shred the chicken into bite-size pieces.
  • Add shrimp and mix well. Return lid and allow shrimp to cook in the residual heat for at least 5 minutes. You can tell they’re done when they are opaque and pink.
  • Return sausage to pot, along with shredded chicken, green onions, and parsley. Mix well and allow to sit for just a few minutes before serving. Serve with rice – for Whole30, we used cauliflower rice.

Nutrition

Calories: 223kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 706mg | Potassium: 740mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1670IU | Vitamin C: 40.5mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 1.8mg
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sue

    January 23, 2019 at 9:18 pm

    How much shrimp? I don't see shrimp listed in the ingredients.

    Reply
    • Gary

      January 23, 2019 at 9:28 pm

      Sorry about that, just updated the recipe card - 12oz. small shrimp.

      Reply
      • Sue

        January 25, 2019 at 6:15 pm

        Thank you! 🙂

        Reply
  2. Lynn Ryan

    January 25, 2019 at 1:19 pm

    what would be a substitute for the ocra?

    Reply
    • Gary

      January 25, 2019 at 2:49 pm

      There really is no substitute for okra in gumbo.

      Reply
  3. Angela J

    January 25, 2019 at 1:33 pm

    Being born and raised in south Louisiana, we are very serious about the uniqueness of our culture and our food. It is a point of pride. Can you please leave out the "gumbo" and just call this soup? We love our gumbo here. It is a special thing. It never, ever contains tomatoes. I only know a few people who like okra in it and if they do include it, they slice it thinly and smother it before they add it. Most importantly, to be a gumbo rather than a soup, it must start with a roux which is flour which is browned in oil until it thickens and then the liquid and vegetables, etc are added. No offense is meant. I hope you understand.

    Reply
    • Rachael

      January 25, 2019 at 7:49 pm

      I can understand being proud of your culture and food. This article has some great info on the history of Gumbo. https://www.seriouseats.com/2014/09/history-new-orleans-gumbo-okra-file-powder.html It actually has roots going back to West Africa. And while we prefer gumbo made with a roux, as stated in the first paragraph of our blog post when we said we understand this is soup and not gumbo, according to the Serious Eats article above, gumbo can be as thin as soup and thickened with okra, a roux or filé. Though I still wouldn't refer to our recipe as straight up gumbo, and we make no claims that it represents traditional Louisiana gumbo. 🙂

      Reply
      • Mollie M

        January 23, 2022 at 8:49 am

        5 stars
        I grew up in New Orleans, and learned to cook from my mother and grandmother, who were native to Louisiana. This gumbo is as delicious and tastes as authentic as the gumbo I had at home and in fine restaurants. Gumbo is as unique as the cook, and if you read recipes from treasured Louisiana cookbooks you can see that. They don’t all begin with a roux and many have tomatoes. They don’t all have okra. Check out recipes in “River Road Recipes”, “Louisiana Largesse”, Talk About Good”, and “La Bonne Cuisine” Many are similar to this recipe. I give this recipe five stars. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫

        Reply
  4. Beth

    February 27, 2019 at 1:35 pm

    5 stars
    This was delicious! So nice to find a good, gluten-free gumbo.

    Reply
  5. Anne

    March 08, 2019 at 10:58 am

    4 stars
    My whole family enjoyed this soup. Very easy and has great Cajun flavor.

    Reply
  6. jack

    March 28, 2019 at 5:44 pm

    Can I leave out the okra?

    Reply
    • Gary

      March 29, 2019 at 11:00 am

      Sure, but the soup will be very brothy since the okra is the thickener.

      Reply
      • Jack

        March 29, 2019 at 5:27 pm

        Any way to thicken?

        Reply
  7. Tricia

    January 13, 2020 at 1:19 pm

    Thanks for sharing this recipe. I will be making it this week. I am from NOLA and this looks interesting. I luv okra but I hate the smell of making a roux. My questions isn't for the "gumbo" but actually the side. How do you make cauliflower rice? I've never had it before. Thks!!

    Reply
    • Gary White

      January 16, 2021 at 10:05 am

      I apologize for the late reply! They actually sell frozen "riced" cauliflower in many grocery stores near us. If you can't find it near you, here is a recipe from Minimalist Baker on how to make your own. 🙂 https://minimalistbaker.com/how-to-make-cauliflower-rice/

      Reply
  8. Ross

    June 22, 2020 at 9:54 am

    5 stars
    Amazing recipe!! Easy and delicious.I made it as directed (minus the bacon fat, and used chicken broth/chicken thighs instead of beef broth/chicken breasts). It was the perfect balance of textures and flavors! I highly recommend fresh okra as opposed to frozen. That really took it to the next level!

    Reply
4.80 from 5 votes (1 rating without comment)

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Meet Gary

I'm Gary... dad, recipe developer, and comfort food nerd. I believe in real food for real life. This blog? It’s where I share the recipes my family actually eats. Simple, soulful, and full of flavor. More about me...

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