Dairy Free Clam Chowder

Clam chowder with oyster crackers, bacon bits, and parsley

5 from 1 vote

This Creamy Dairy Free Clam Chowder is made in the Instant Pot in only 10 minutes! If you are a fan of creamy, hearty chowders but are following a dairy-free diet, this recipe is about to become a new favorite!

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time15

Course: Soups

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 656kcal

Author: Mike Cleavenger

Equipment

Instant Pot

Ingredients

4 slices of bacon sugar-free, uncured, diced
1 onion diced
2 tablespoons arrowroot starch
1 ½ pounds russet potatoes peeled, diced
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups clam juice
1 cup raw cashews
1 cup coconut milk full fat
2 cups clams chopped
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
fresh parsley chopped for garnish
oyster crackers

Instructions

Turn the Instant Pot onto saute mode. Cook the bacon for 5 minutes or until crispy. Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain.
With the saute function still on, add in the chopped onion and saute for 5 minutes in the leftover bacon fat. Add in arrowroot starch and cook for a couple of minutes.
Add diced potatoes, chicken stock, and clam juice. Secure the Instant Pot lid and set it to pressure cook on HI for 10 minutes.
In a blender, add in raw cashews and full-fat coconut milk. Blend on high speed for 1 minute or until silky smooth.
Drain the cans of clams into a fine mesh strainer. When the 10 minutes are up, do a manual release to remove all the steam. Open the lid and add in your dairy-free cream sauce and canned clams.
I like to turn the saute function on and let the soup come to a simmer to reach its full thickness. This will take 3-5 minutes. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with parsley, oyster crackers, and bacon bits.

Notes

Stovetop Instructions

Cook the bacon. Over medium heat add in your chopped bacon and cook for 5 minutes or until nice and crispy. Transfer bacon to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain.

Making the roux. Add in chopped onions and saute in the bacon fat for 5 minutes over medium-low heat. Add in arrowroot starch and cook for another couple of minutes to create a roux.

Cooking the potatoes. Add diced potatoes, chicken stock, and clam juice to the Dutch oven. Bring liquid to a simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Dairy-Free Cream. While soup is cooking blend cashews and coconut milk together in the Vitamix until creamy.

Adding Clams. Pour cashew cream into the soup with clams and cook for an additional 5 minutes or until the soup is nice and thick.

Garnishing. Ladle clam chowder into a soup bowl and garnish with bacon bits, parsley, and oyster crackers.

Nutrition