The New Englander in me really wants to call this recipe CHOWDAH, but I know SEO wouldn’t like that very much, so here we are with a dairy free clam chowDER. Fine. Anyway. I think most of you know that I’m not actually vegan. There are way, way too many restrictions for me. As much as I love the environment and care so much about my personal health, I love food way more. With that being said, I am very mindful in what kinds of animal products I will use and or eat. Cows milk and meat is pretty much the only definitive no from me as far as dietary restrictions go. I’ve seen too many documentaries, there’s no going back.
This dairy free clam chowder does use real clams, but they’re wild caught and damn did they look good. The brand of clams I use is called Crown Prince, linked below. You can buy them on amazon, or at Whole Foods like I did. I honestly can’t say enough good things about this product though! They are whole, not chopped, and definitely stand up to being cooked in the chowder.
https://www.crownprince.com/cpn-clams.htm
Anyway, this is basically you’re classic New England clam chowder recipe, but instead of using dairy, I used my absolute favorite milk alternative by Ripple. This stuff seriously so so good and the first milk alternative I have ever found that doesn’t have sweetness to it. Before I found Ripple I was using nut milks, and even the unsweetened versions tasted sweet to me. Thats fine for baking, but for cooking, not so much. I ALWAYS have ripple in my fridge now and personally I like it way better than animal milk anyway. You can find this stuff pretty much anywhere now! It used to only be in places like wegmans and other healthy food stores but now you can even get it in target or Safeway! Here’s a link to what it looks like:
Also, I added a little miso to this recipe. I love adding miso to soups that are relatively quick cooking. It adds a little punch of savory umami flavor.
This dairy free clam chowder is:
creamy
easy to prepare
savory
comforting
Dairy Free Clam Chowder
This is a dairy free version of the classic New England clam chowder recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons vegan butter, divided
- 1 small onion, small diced
- 2 stalks celery, small diced
- S&P
- 2 russet potatoes
- 3 Tablespoons miso paste, optional
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 10oz can whole baby clams
- 1 1/2 cups water or vegetable stock
- 1 cup Ripple dairy free half and half
- 1 Tablespoon sherry vinegar
Directions
- Step 1 In a medium sauce pot over medium low, melt one tablespoon of the vegan butter. Add the onions and celery and season with salt and pepper. Let cook, covered for 5 minutes.
- Step 2 Meanwhile, peel and chop the potatoes into small cubes. add them to the pot with the rest of the vegan butter, miso and the flour. Cook while stirring for one minute.
- Step 3 Add the juice only of the clams, and the water or vegetable stock to the pan. Boil for ten minutes.
- Step 4 Add the baby clams, ripple half and half, and sherry vinegar to the pot. Gently simmer for 10 more minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
- Step 5 Serve warm and garnished with parsley, if desired.
