There is a “hole in the wall” fish restaurant near us and they have some of the best clam chowder soup we have ever had. It’s creamy, and dreamy and I think about it often. I don’t know about you, but for some reason clam chowder has always been one of those soups that seemed like too much work. But I really really have been wanting it lately, so I made it and it was stupid easy.
If you are new to cooking, soups are always a great way to start. You basically throw things into a pot and let it cook up. It doesn’t get much easier than that!
This is not your normal creamy white chowder that you are used to seeing inside of a big, huge bread bowl. (I know, sad day) But, its flavors are out of this world and you probably will never go back to regular clam chowder again.
Since I’m not a fan of coconut milk I used cauliflower to give it a creamy texture. It turned out perfectly. So all you coconut haters out there (I see you) or people who have a nut allergy this soup is for you!
I promise that after you make this, it will not only become your favorite, but it will become a staple in your house. It freezes unbelievably well however the potatoes may become a little bit mushy. Just stir it all in and all will be good haha!
You can use sweet potatoes in place of red potatoes, but it will result in a sweeter tasting soup and will alter the taste a bit. It will still be tasty, just different.
Ingredients
- 2 cans chopped clams, 1 can drained, the other not.
- 1 8oz bottle clam juice
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- 2 large red potatoes, diced
- 1 leek, chopped
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 cups vegetable broth (or chicken works too)
- Pepper (to taste)
- 1 tbl garlic powder
- 1 tbl oil
- Parsley for garnish
- OPTIONAL: bacon crumbles, hot sauce
- 1/2 head of cauliflower
- 1/4 c ghee
- 1 red potato
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot.
- Once hot, add diced potatoes, celery, leek, and onion. Stir around for a couple min or until onions become translucent.
- Add clam juice and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are done, about 20 min
- While soup is cooking, steam cauliflower and red potato for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes remove steam pot. Pour water out keeping 1/2 cup. Add your cauliflower to water.
- Add ghee and take an immersion blender and blend until very creamy. (You don't want any chunks.)
- Add your clams, and while stirring add your "cauliflower cream"
- Garnish with parsley and add some of your favorite hot sauce too
**taste and then add salt. Clam juice and clams are pretty salty so you may not need to add any salt to the soup.
Whole30: yes
Paleo: yes-ish (potatoes are fine line when doing a strict paleo diet)
I’m confused – do I sautéed the potatoes with the onion and leek, or steam them with the cauliflower? Do the onions and leek also get puréed? When do I add the garlic powder & other spices? This sounds great, but I need a little clarity in the directions thanks.
It’s two separate parts….the soup and the cauliflower cream. You are going to dice potatoes and put them in with the onions and leeks and celery. Sauté those up. Then add broth and clam juice. Also the spices can go in then. In a separate pot you are going to steam another potato with the cauliflower. Then you are going to blend those together. Then pour that puree into the soup pot. The onions and leeks don’t get pureed. Just the cauliflower “cream”
Let me know if you need a little more help with it.
This sounds great. Question, what if I don’t have an immersion blender? Will a hand mixer work or can I just throw it into a blender?
Yes, a blender would work great!!!
I can’t wait to try this! One question though. I have never used a leek in anything before. For this recipe, should I use the whole leek or just the bottom part?
Hi Sadie! Use the white and the lighter green part of the leek. Probably 1/2 way up the leek. I hope you enjoy it. This is one of our favorites!!
Dang gurl, this was good! I threw in a couple sprigs of rosemary while it cooked…yum!
Thanks for another great recipe!
Keep ’em coming!
Dang girl, this was GOOD! I threw in a couple of sprigs of rosemary while it cooked…YUM! Loved how easy it was, too!
Thanks for another great (W30) recipe…keep ’em coming!
Love the addition of the rosemary! I’ll have to do that next time! Thank you for trying and enjoying my recipes!
If this helps your mom any, my husband hates cauliflower and for the last few years I’ve been sneaking in cauliflower “mashed potatoes” instead of the real thing and he is none the wiser!!
Love it!!
I hope that you love it!!
Don’t care for clams, but I will use the cauliflower cream for our favorite potato soup while on Whole 30! Thanks!!
Perfect for potato soup!!
Does this freeze well? I know potatoes usually don’t freeze so well…but it’s so good I want to have it available all the time!
Hi Kelsey,
I’ve frozen it with no problems. Another girl, freezes it all the time and hasn’t complained about it haha
this is very confusing to me. ingredients are not in order and the process is not in order. it looks like step 7 should come after step 3? step 5 says to throw cauliflower and potato into pot but says nothing about blending it? adding ghee and immersion blend sound like its for the entire ingredients? you give all the steps then at end you say to pour cauliflower cream into soup. I’m getting a headache trying to figure it out. looks delicious but I’m reluctant to try it without more clarity.
Hi. sorry for the confusion. Process is in order. While you are cooking the soup (step 2 and 3) you are going to make the “cauliflower cream” in a seperate pot. Steam the cauliflower and potato until soft. Remove most of the water from steaming it. Add in your ghee to the cauliflower and potato and use your immersion blender for that! Then pour that cauliflower cream into the soup that has been simmering away. I will update recipe to say that I used a steamer basket (thats why it says put cauliflower and potato into pot) Definitely a bit unclear, but not as big of a headache as it looks. I hope this helps and I hope you enjoy it!! It’s really very easy.
I love clam chowder but have never made my own. I can’t do potatoes though, so any suggestions for a sub in the cauliflower cream base? Does the cream need the starch from the potato?
you can just omit the potatoes. It won’t be quite as creamy, but it will still work.
What are your favorite canned clam and canned clam juice brands? I’d love to try this recipe, it looks amazing and I’m loving the cauliflower cream but I’ve never bought canned clams. I’d hate to choose a bad one and ruin the whole batch.
I like bar harbor clam juice and clams. I also like crown prince clams.
I can’t figure out when the garlic powder gets added..
I usually add it when I’m adding in the broth. Sorry, sometimes I forget to add a step lol
Does anyone have the nutritional breakdown calculated per serving of fat, protein, and carbohydrate?
This soup is amazing! I’ve make it at least twice a month, usually doubling the recipe so I can freeze the leftovers..I could eat this everyday:)) Thanks so much for the recipe!
It is one of our favorites too. I’m so glad you love it 🙂
This soup is a staple in my house! I love clam chowder but I’m dairy intolerant, and this is as good as the real thing. I recently got a nutribullet which makes creaming the cauliflower so convenient- I roasted the cauliflower and potatoes and then dumped them in the blender with ghee and some broth. Super easy and super delicious!
Roasting the cauliflower makes it so so good!