Fall demands comfort food, and potato chowder screams comfort and warmth. This thick and creamy vegan potato chowder is a one-pot meal in under 30 minutes. So, grab a pot and a few simple ingredients for a delicious vegan potato chowder recipe.
I love soup all year round; however, when it's cold outside, nothing warms me from the inside out other than a bowl of piping hot soup. So, today, is the perfect time for making a big pot of potato chowder. This vegan potato chowder recipe is so easy to make, and it all happens in one pot, so the mess is minimal. In addition, this vegan potato chowder recipe is nut-free and gluten-free. So, grab a spoon and come on over!
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Potato Chowder Ingredients
- White Onion: White onion has a strong presence, but when sauteed with garlic, carrots, and celery, it is called the trinity because of the savory flavor it creates together.
- Garlic: I prefer fresh garlic cloves, and this recipe has a lot of healthy garlic.
- Celery: Celery brings a distinctive flavor to potato chowder.
- Carrots: Carrots add sweetness to the soup.
- Idaho Potatoes: I used peeled, diced Idaho potatoes.
- Organic Vegetable Broth: I always buy organic low-sodium vegetable broth bat Costco, since I use it so often.
- Cumin: Cumin has an earthy, warm taste that enhances the soup's flavor.
- Turmeric: Turmeric has a mild earthy, almost bitter flavor with slight peppery notes. The amount used in this soup doesn't impart a very strong flavor and is well balanced with the other spices.
- Salt and Pepper to Taste: Salt and pepper enhances the other spices in the soup.
- Unsweetened, Unflavored Plant Milk: I used oat milk because I like its natural creaminess.
- Flour: I used oat flour consistent with my choice of oat milk. It acts as a thickener in the potato chowder.
- Nutritional Yeast: The nutritional yeast is high in vitamin B12, has a cheesy flavor, and acts as a thickening agent.
Potato Chowder Ingredient Substitutions
- Yellow onion is an excellent substitute for white onion in recipes. For a sweeter onion flavor, choose shallots or red onions.
- One clove of garlic equals about ⅛th of a teaspoon of garlic powder – not much, so it's worth starting small and tasting as you go!
- Fennel often replaces celery in soups and other recipes; however, fennel does taste like licorice even when cooked.
- Choose any root vegetable to replace carrots in a recipe.
- Coriander has a similar taste when compared to cumin.
- Try saffron instead of turmeric in the vegan potato chowder recipe.
- Any unsweetened, unflavored plant milk works well with this recipe.
- Use any flour of your choice.
- If you don't have or don't like nutritional yeast, soy sauce or miso paste is a great alternative. For example, use ⅓ tablespoon of white miso paste to substitute one tablespoon of nutritional yeast.
How to Make Vegan Potato Chowder
- Begin by sauteing the garlic, onion, celery, and carrots until the onions are translucent. Instead of oil, add a little vegetable broth or water to prevent the vegetables from sticking in the bottom of the pot or Dutch Oven.
- Next, add the diced peeled potatoes, cumin, turmeric, salt, pepper, and cover in the vegetable broth.
- Then, turn the temperature up and bring it to a boil.
- Reduce to a simmer, and cook uncovered for 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, combine the plant milk, flour, and nutritional yeast in a high-speed blender.
- Add the plant milk mixture and stir. As a result, the soup thickens immediately; I suggest sprinkling it with red pepper flakes and fresh parsley.
Recipe FAQs
While soups can be thin and light, chowder is characterized by being rich and thick. Like stew, it contains large chunks of vegetables and potatoes in a creamy broth.
Boiled potatoes are naturally rich in vitamins and minerals, particularly potassium, phosphorus, B-complex vitamins, and vitamin C. They are low in calories and fat, and their high fiber content helps you feel full. Contrary to popular belief, potatoes are not inherently fattening.
Cooked turnips or Daikon radishes are an excellent substitute for potatoes in stews. When cooked, they have the same texture as cooked potatoes.
Tips
- Although I peeled my potatoes, I leave the skins on for added nutritional value and texture.
- Use a vegetable chopper to expedite chopping and to cut the vegetables the same size for even cooking.
- I used the small vegetable chopping blade for the carrots and celery and the large blade for the potatoes.
- Suppose you don't have vegetable broth; substitute water and a vegetable bouillon cube. Or try Yondu, which is an excellent substitute for vegetable broth.
- For a gluten-free option, choose gluten-free flour such as chickpea flour or oat flour.
- Properly stored, cooked potato chowder will last for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. To further extend cooked potato chowder's shelf life, freeze it in covered airtight containers or heavy-duty freezer bags.
- I love Souper Cubes for freezing soups and stews.
- Vegan potato chowder is great as an entree or served with an Italian chopped salad, Israeli salad, or vegan Nicoise salad.
- Or, serve a cup of potato chowder with your favorite vegan Po Boy sandwich, veg wrap, or my favorite chickpea egg salad.
Try this potato chowder soup that will warm you from the inside out! Soup never tasted so good!
Fabulous Vegan Soups to Try This Winter
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📖 Recipe
Potato Chowder
Ingredients
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup white onion, diced
- ½ cup celery, diced
- ½ cup carrots, diced
- 2 large Idaho baking potatoes, peeled and diced or 4 cups diced potatoes
- 1 teaspoon Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups oat milk or ay unsweetened, unflavored plant milk
- ¼ cup oat flour or flour of choice
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
Garnishes (optional)
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Parsley
Instructions
- In a large stock pot of Dutch Oven, saute the minced garlic, diced onions, carrots, and celery until the onions are translucent.
- Add a small amount of vegetable broth or water if the vegetables to prevent sticking.
- Add the peeled, diced potatoes, cumin, turmeric, salt, and pepper.
- Add 4 cups of vegetable broth, which will cover the diced vegetables.
- Turn the heat up and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to simmer, and cook uncovered for 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, combine the plant milk, flour, and nutritional yeast.
- Blend until smooth.
- Pour the milk mixture into the hot soup pot.
- Stir; the potato chowder will thicken immediately.
- Garnish with a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes and a pinch of parsley.
Notes
- Although I peeled my potatoes, I leave the skins on for added nutritional value and texture.
- Use a vegetable chopper to expedite chopping and to cut the vegetables the same size for even cooking.
- I used the small vegetable chopping blade for the carrots and celery and the large blade for the potatoes.
- Suppose you don't have vegetable broth; substitute water and a vegetable bouillon cube. Or try Yondu, which is an excellent substitute for vegetable broth.
- For a gluten-free option, choose gluten-free flour such as chickpea flour or oat flour.
- Properly stored, cooked potato chowder will last for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. To further extend cooked potato chowder's shelf life, freeze it in covered airtight containers or heavy-duty freezer bags.
- I love Souper Cubes for freezing soups and stews.
- Vegan potato chowder is great as an entree or served with an Italian chopped salad, Israeli salad, or vegan Nicoise salad.
- Or, serve a cup of potato chowder with your favorite vegan Po Boy sandwich, veg wrap, or my favorite chickpea egg salad.
Nutrition
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
Jean
We loved it!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Jean! Yay! I'm so glad. It freezes well if you have leftovers. Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate it.