Dairy Free Clam Chowder

This yummy dairy free clam chowder is easy to make and completely dairy free! It is also gluten free, Whole30 approved, paleo, and can be made low carb and keto! This chowder is so creamy and delicious you would never know it doesn’t contain heavy cream! 

Dairy Free Clam Chowder is essential in New England!

Winter is officially in full swing. And OMG is it cold in New England. I feel like even living in Northern Europe for almost 2.5 years still did not prepare me for a real New England winter. It was literally 4 degrees on Monday.

No wonder New Englanders are so crazy about their beloved clam chowder! It’s the perfect hearty soup for this freezing weather and surprisingly easy to make!

I’ve sampled my fair share of clam chowders over the years and I’ve gotta say, my dairy-free version is up there with the best of them. Honestly, you would never know this wasn’t made with heavy cream. It’s got all of the richness of flavor and creaminess of the real stuff, but is completely dairy-free!

How to make dairy free clam chowder

When I started brainstorming for this recipe I originally wanted to use coconut milk, but I think even the mildest of coconut milks still has some hint of coconut flavor. I definitely didn’t want that in this clam chowder. I mean, coconut is great and all, but it has no place in a New England clam chowder. Just sayin’.

So I decided to use a thick cashew cream to give the soup that nice creamy texture and thicken it up. And it was just amazing! Like I said, you would never know this is dairy-free.

The lack of dairy actually helps make this recipe even quicker to make! Win! And you don’t have to worry about heating the cream too much like you do with a traditional clam chowder. Even better.

Recipe Notes for this Dairy Free Clam Chowder

To ensure that the potatoes cook all the way through in the allotted time, make sure to get a 1/4″ dice on them. That’s about 2/3 cm for all of my international readers. Now, they don’t all need to be uniform size. Just make sure they are 1/4″ or smaller.

The lack of uniformity actually works in your favor because the smaller pieces of potato will dissolve into the soup and make it thicker and creamier and the larger pieces will stay intact until they hit your mouth, where they will then blissfully dissolve under the lightest pressure. Ahhhhh that’s the stuff. Are you drooling yet? I sure am.

You can cook this chowder in any large pot, but I do recommend using a dutch oven. I love my trusty Le Creuset for this recipe.

Low Carb and Paleo Options

If you would like a low carb version that is keto and paleo-friendly, try substituting celeriac, rutabaga, or cauliflower for the potatoes. Please note that the cook times for these vegetables/roots may be different.

I suspect that for celeriac it will be about the same. For rutabaga, it will need to be reduced to about 8 minutes of sauté time. And for cauliflower you will want to sauté the onions and celery first for 5 minutes, then add the cauliflower and sauté for another 5 minutes or until tender but not falling apart.

I haven’t tried any of these lower carb substitutions yet, but I do plan to at some point and will report back on how it turns out! If you try it, please let me and the other readers know in the comments section if you have minute!

Looking for more healthy, delicious soup recipes? Check these out!

• ROSEMARY CHICKEN SOUP
• PALEO THAI SHRIMP SOUP (reader favorite!!)
• WORLD’S BEST PALEO GUMBO
• SIMPLE CREOLE JAMBALAYA (okay, not actually a soup, but super cozy for the winter months!)
• WHOLE30 BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP (from my friend Addison from Organically Addison)

I hope you enjoy the recipe!

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Dairy Free Clam Chowder

• Gluten-Free
• Dairy-Free
• Paleo
• Low Carb
• Keto
• Whole30

4.91 from 51 votes

Print

This yummy clam chowder is easy to make and completely dairy free! It is also gluten free, Whole30 approved, paleo, and can be made low carb and keto! This chowder is so creamy and delicious you would never know it doesn't contain heavy cream! 

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Total Time: 35 minutes mins

Servings: 4 -6 servings

Ingredients 

• 6 strips thick cut applewood bacon, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups (218g) raw cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours and drained
• 2 cups (470mL) clam broth (also called clam juice), divided
• 1 1/2 lb (680g) Yukon Gold potatoes (about 4 small potatoes), peeled and diced into 1/4" pieces (for low carb/keto option, see note in text above)
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced (including leaves!)
• 1 Tbsp avocado oil,
• 4 large cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 4 6.5- oz cans chopped sea clams
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp sea salt reduce if sensitive to sodium
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1/16 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley, divided

Instructions

• Cook bacon. In a large dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, cook bacon over medium heat until well browned (about 5-10 minutes). Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and pour off all but 1 Tbsp of the bacon fat.
• Make cashew cream. While bacon is cooking, rinse the cashews with fresh water, drain off the water, then blend them on high with 1 cup (235mL) of the clam broth in a high-powered blender (about 1-2 minutes). Set aside. 
• Sauté potatoes and veggies. With heat over medium-low, add potatoes, onions, and celery to the bacon fat and sauté for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally. Reduce cook time here for low carb substitutions (see notes in text above).
• Sauté garlic. Add oil, allow to heat up, then add garlic. Stir and sauté for another 2 minutes.
• Add remaining ingredients. Add cashew cream, remaining clam broth, clams and their juices, thyme, bay leaf, salt, pepper, cayenne, and half of the parsley. Stir well and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. 
• Allow to rest. After it comes to a simmer, stir it well, making sure to scrape the bottom, and then turn off the heat and place the lid on the pot. Allow to rest for 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld. However, if you are in a rush, feel free to serve it right away as it is fully cooked at this point. 
• Season to taste and garnish. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then garnish with bacon and remaining parsley.

Did you love the recipe? I would love it if you left me a 5-star review below!

Notes

*Can sub grass-fed butter or ghee if you can tolerate them and aren't strict dairy free.

I recommend using Yukon Gold potatoes because they are a medium starch potato, meaning they are somewhere between the high starch varieties (like Russet and Idaho) and the waxy varieties (like New Potatoes and Red Potatoes). A medium starch potato is best in this recipe because it will hold its shape enough to be discernible in the final product, but it will also disintegrate enough during the cooking process to add to the creaminess and thickness of the soup. If you can't find Yukon Gold potatoes, then a good substitute would be Red Gold or Kennebec.

Applewood smoked bacon is recommended here because of its sweet, mellow flavor. Cherry or pecan are also good options. I would avoid using a hickory smoked bacon because its strong flavor will be too overpowering in this recipe. I like this brand (not affiliated).

This recipe calls for canned clams because those are more readily available to most people, BUT you can also make this recipe with fresh clams or frozen clams! If using fresh clams, just scrub them well, steam them, and then chop them up. Make sure to save the broth to add in at the end! Otherwise your soup will be too thick. If using frozen clams, just defrost safely in the refrigerator overnight, then chop and add to the recipe just as you would the canned clams. You will need to add extra clam broth to the recipe at the end. Probably around 16oz extra or enough to get a smooth consistency that is not overly thick. 

A food processor can also be used to make the cashew cream but it will take much longer to get it to a smooth consistency (about 5-7 minutes total).

If the chowder looks too thick for your taste, just add more clam broth, some chicken broth, or even dilute with a bit of water. Please note that if you dilute with water you will likely need a bit more seasoning at the end.

This clam chowder is actually better the next day, so feel free to make ahead of time and reheat when you're ready to eat!

Category:

• 30 minutes
• American
• Bacon
• Comfort Foods
• Dairy-Free
• Dinner
• Fall
• Family Friendly
• Game Day
• Gluten-Free
• Keto
• Low Carb
• New Year's
• Paleo
• Party Food
• Pork
• Shellfish / Mollusks / Bivalves
• Soups / Stews
• Whole30
• Winter

Author: Kit

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What’s your favorite cold weather soup? Let me know in the comments below! xx Kit