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A super-rich and creamy New England style clam chowder that’s dairy-free, Whole30, and paleo. This healthy Whole30 soup is loaded with potatoes, bacon, clams, and a crazy good cashew cream sauce. So easy, cozy, and filling!
What Makes This Soup So Good
Who here is a fan of rich and creamy soups that are filling and nourishing and uh, bacon? Is bacon an adjective?
It is now, sister.
This New England style clam chowder is something of a miracle: it’s a Whole30 soup and super healthy, but it’s as delish as the classic seafood chowder I grew up with. The secret?
Cashew cream.
Cashew cream is 100% the trick to turning paleo or Whole30 soup recipes into rich dishes that could rival the unhealthiest of counterparts. It shocks me every time, still! I stir it in thinking, Well, this looks good. And then I take a bite and have to resist the urge to slap whoever’s closest to me. Could be my husband… could be my toddler, could be my baby.
Whoever it is, they’re this close to getting slapped, because I’m that positively thrilled by my cashew cream skills.
Oh, and bacon. Bacon is the secret to this easy and healthy clam chowder, too.
Why you’ll love it
- Have I mentioned it’s insanely rich and creamy? Because it’s insanely rich and creamy.
- With potatoes and plenty of clams, it’s filling and a meal in and of itself.
- It’s really quite easy and comes together in a little more than 30 minutes.
- It’s totally dairy free, and it’s Whole30 and paleo, too!
Variations
- Substitute cauliflower florets for the diced potatoes.
- If you’re not on any sort of diet, feel free to use 3/4-1 cup of half-and-half or heavy cream in place of the cashew cream. Make sure you leave out that extra 1 cup of chicken broth if you do!
- If you’re allergic to cashews, try 2 cups of coconut cream in place of the cashew cream. Coconut cream is just the white solid part of a can of full-fat coconut milk. Again, make sure you leave out both the cashews and extra 1 cup chicken broth if you use this substitution.
Key Ingredients
If you’re like me and your busy life only allows for grocery hours as opposed to whole grocery days, take the easy route with me and order your ingredients from Thrive Market!
Guys, if you’re serious about your paleo/whole30/simply healthy kinda diet, you’ve got to check out Thrive Market.
The prices are fantastic, at 25-50% below traditional retail prices, and don’t even get me started on the time you save! Easier + cheaper = a total no-brainer in my book.
For this clam chowder recipe, these are the ingredients I order from Thrive Market:
- Sugar-free Bacon ( I get it as part of this Meat Sampler, which has literally all of my favorites)
- Chopped garlic (forever goodbye to stinky garlic fingers)
- Bar Harbor Clam Juice and their chopped clams
- Himalayan sea salt and oranic black pepper
How to make it
It’s easy! Start by pouring very hot or boiling chicken stock over some raw cashews, then set this mixture aside.
Next, crisp up your sliced bacon in a saucepan, then remove the bacon bits with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper-towel-lined plate. Pour out all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease, then sauté your onions and celery over medium heat until softened and the onions are translucent. This will take about 5 minutes. Stir in your garlic and, stirring constantly, cook for 30-60 seconds or until fragrant.
Sprinkle the arrowroot powder over this veggie mixture and stir well. Then, pour in 1 1/2 cups chicken broth and whisk until smooth and arrowroot are incorporated. Add in the potatoes, clam juice, and the bay leaf and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer 15 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through and fork tender.
In the meantime, pour your cashews and the chicken broth you soaked them in into a high-speed blender. Blend until completely smooth, then scrape this mixture into your saucepan. Stir well and add your undrained clams, plus lots of salt and pepper. Simmer for another couple minutes then ladle into serving bowls. Top with crisp bacon and sliced chives.
Are white potatoes paleo?
I mean, we can debate it if you want, but I eat them as part of my paleo diet. Ever since the founders of the Whole30 gave them the a-OK, I figured I was good to go there. If you don’t eat white potatoes, though, you can substitute cauliflower florets for them in this recipe. You won’t need to simmer this healthy Whole30 soup as long if you do; try 10 minutes instead of 15.
Other recipes you’ll love:
- Healthy Zuppa Toscana (Whole30, Paleo, Dairy Free)
- Instant Pot Healthy Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Whole30 Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla-Less Soup
- Cheesy Vegan Broccoli Soup
Creamy Clam Chowder (Whole30, Paleo, Dairy Free)
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 2 ½-3 cups chicken broth divided
- 6 slices bacon sliced
- 1 medium white onion chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped, leaves discarded
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons arrowroot powder
- 1 pound red potatoes
- 1 cup clam juice
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 6.5-ounce cans chopped clams undrained, 19.5 ounces total
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- fresh chives thinly sliced, for garnish
Instructions
- Place cashews in a medium heatproof bowl. In a saucepan bring 1 cup of chicken broth to a boil, then pour over cashews. Set aside.
- Cook bacon in a medium saucepan until crisp then, using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Pour all but 2 tablespoons of bacon grease and return saucepan to stove over medium heat.
- Add the onion and celery to the saucepan and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds. Sprinkle arrowroot starch over and stir until well combined.
- Pour in 1 1/2 cups chicken broth and whisk until smooth. Add the potatoes, clam juice, and bay leaf to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until potatoes are cooked through and tender about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make your cashew cream: pour chicken broth-cashew mixture into a high-speed blender and blend until completely smooth. Pour cashew cream, clams, and plenty of salt and pepper into saucepan and stir. Add the extra 1/2 cup of chicken broth, if desired, to thin. Return to a simmer and cook a couple of minutes or until flavors are melded.
- Ladle into serving bowls and top with bacon and chives.
- If you don’t have a high-speed blender, a regular blender will work fine, since you’ve soaked the cashews in hot chicken broth. Just make sure to not skip that step!
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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Hello,
I haven’t made this recipe yet, I wanted to try using milk cashews unsweetened by ElmsHurst instead of soaking raw cashews, is that possible to use instead? Let me know when you have a chance. Thank you.
So good and filling! It’s way more than 4 servings, I’m going to see how well it freezes.
My edits: I used my immersion blender to blend it up a bit. I also used some of xtra broth when I blended the cashews since I don’t have a high speed blender and they were nice and smooth.
Great tips, Jessica! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Love love loved this recipe! Used all chicken broth/water instead of including clam juice (including an extra cup of broth to thin it a bit), added a tablespoon of fish sauce to make up for not having clam juice, and substituted left over cod for the clams. It was SO yummy and this will be my go to from now on when we have left over fish. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for the great review! Glad you enjoyed this recipe!
This was absolutely delicious, easy, and would definitely recommend.
I’m just wondering how much 1 serving is equivalent to in cups or fluid ounces?
This was amazing, and a nice random surprise dinner for my fiancé. Thank you for the recipe, I’ll definitely be using it again!
This was the most awesome soup I have ever made! I used my cheese grater to “slaw” the vegetables and the flavor was so fresh! My new “go to” clam chowder recipe! Thank you!!
Hi there!
I tried this recipe tonight, I skipped the bacon, used tapioca starch, and added carrots and kale! it was still stellar! The cashew cream was amazing, i could eat it by itself, so I will definitely be using that for cream substitutes in the future! thanks for the great recipe!
I made a half batch of this and holy yum! Agreed that it’s a 10 out of 10. I also added dash of red pepper flakes, nutritional yeast, umami seasoning, substituted arrowroot flour with tapioca flour & celery with celery salt. I’m definitely making this chowder again,Whole30 or not.
Thanks for sharing the recipe! It’s good stuff!
This soup is incredible! Super easy to make and tastes absolutely amazing. So comforting and warm. Flavor is on point. 10/10 recommend. Make this TODAY!
I love clam chowder and this was my first attempt at it. It was a hit at home. My boyfriend loved it and my daughter and her friend who are on Whole30 loved it. Personally I would suggest using less arrowroot. It gets weirdly gooey. I would also suggest using two cups of clam juice because it tasted more like potato soup than clam chowder. It was even better the second day. The cashew cream worked out great. I was worried but I’ll look forward to using it in other recipes. Thank you for the recipe!
My husband’s family is from Maine so, when he said he loved this recipe I knew it was a hit! I will definitely be making it again. I made a salad to go with it but, we were full after the chowder. Thank you!!
This is one of my go-to Whole30 recipes. Delicious and surprisingly quick!
The flavor is always spot on, but I finally got the texture right by soaking the cashews for 3 days instead of 1. Tonight’s batch was absolutely perfect.
SO glad to hear that!