Vegan Clam Chowder

Vegan clam chowder is a thick, creamy chowder full of vegetables and tastes so close to New England Clam Chowder that you won't believe it's vegan. But it's so good you may double this vegan clam chowder recipe!

Regardless of the weather, I love soup. Even in Arizona, when the temperatures are 100 degrees, I enjoy soup all year round. Soups are not only easy to make, but this vegan clam chowder recipe is also filling, satisfying, and inexpensive, and it even freezes well. Vegan clam chowder is one of my favorite soups because it's creamy, full of vegetables, and simply delicious. 

Jump to:

• Why Vegan Clam Chowder?  
• Does Vegan Clam Chowder Taste Like Clams?
• What is Dulse?
• Vegan Clam Chowder Ingredients
• Vegan Clam Chowder Ingredient Substitutions
• Making the Soup
• Recipe FAQs
• Tips
• Delicious Vegan Soups to Try This Season
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

Why Vegan Clam Chowder?  

Typically, I am not a fan of chewy, slimy clams. However, clam chowder has nothing to do with the taste of clams—instead, the flavors and textures in the creamy, savory soup. So when I transitioned to a plant-based diet, I started "veganizing" my favorite foods.

Even though I don't remember clam chowder tasting like clams, I remember the potatoes and vegetables in a creamy, thick, savory broth. And I'm a savory girl. 

Similarly, I remember clams tasting like oysters or escargot, slimy, difficult to chew, and tasteless. My dad wanted me to try a raw oyster when I was young.

Curious, I put the oyster in my mouth and swallowed. The oyster came right up my throat and back into my mouth within seconds. Let's say that wasn't one of my fondest childhood memories.

But the texture of cooked mushrooms is a much better option for vegan clam chowder soup. For that reason, mushrooms transform into vegan clams.

Does Vegan Clam Chowder Taste Like Clams?

Vegan clam chowder doesn't taste like clam chowder; it's way better! You may mistake this soup for the real deal with a similar texture and creamy base.

This plant-based vegan clam chowder recipe tastes creamy and buttery without any butter or added fat from oils or vegan processed food. The savory flavors remain but without the unhealthy fat. Plus, you get the added Iodine from the Dulse.

What is Dulse?

Dulse is a variety of seaweed that resembles leafy red lettuce when fresh. Its flavor will remind you of the ocean — its minerality makes it a great stand-in for salt.

The benefits of Dulse include, for example, high levels of protein and fiber. In addition, Dulse is a nutrient-rich red algae that has become increasingly popular in health food circles due to its numerous nutritional properties. As a result, more and more experts advise people to implement sea greens into their diets, including Dulse.

Other Ways to Use Dulse

• Mix flaked Dulse into homemade salad dressings.
• Use dried flakes on top of popcorn.
• Add strips of whole-leaf Dulse to your favorite pickled vegetables.
• Sprinkle flakes over your vegan poke bowl
• Steep whole-leaf Dulse in water for a refreshing and savory "tea."
• Mix flaked Dulse into homemade bread dough.
• Add to a bowl of ramen.
• Sprinkle the flaked Dulse over a baked potato to add a classic flavor.

To get the flavor of the sea, I use seaweed or chopped Dulse. Not only does Dulse or seaweed supply a sea-like flavor, but it also gives the addition of a natural form of Iodine. 

Vegan Clam Chowder Ingredients

To create clams, I marinate the mushrooms in a small amount of liquid smoke, garlic, and soy sauce (or Tamari if gluten-free.)

• Portobello Mushrooms: Baby portobello mushrooms are firmer and meatier than cremini mushrooms.
• Garlic Cloves: I always use fresh garlic cloves when possible.
• Soy Sauce: Soy sauce provides an umami flavor.
• Liquid Smoke: I used hickory flavor liquid smoke.
• Yellow Onion: Yellow onion has a mild yet warm and umami taste when combined with the other ingredients.
• Celery: Celery provides a fresh and maintains a slight crunchiness in the soup.
• Carrots: Carrots are a vibrant and sweet addition to this vegan clam chowder recipe.
• Dried Thyme: Thyme has a delightful flavor balance that dances between earthy and minty, minty and citrus-laced, savory but also sweet, and slightly woodsy but also flowery, with traces of lavender or toned-down rosemary. 
• Dry White Wine: I buy small bottles of Chardonnay to use for cooking.
• Organic Vegetable Broth: I buy organic vegetable broth bulk at Costco because I often make soups.
• Cashews: Raw cashews blended with plant milk make a creamy component and a thickening agent. See substitutions for nut-free options.
• Oat Milk: I prefer oat milk because of its creaminess.
• Flour: I like using oat flour. I like its texture, and it's gluten-free.
• Baking Potatoes: I used my Fullstar Vegetable Chopper on the large chopping setting to make uniform bite-sized pieces of potatoes.
• Dulse Flakes: Dulse is a seaweed—a large category of edible saltwater plants and algae that includes species such as nori and kelp. Like all edible seaweed, Dulse provides a wealth of fiber and protein and is also rich in vitamins, trace minerals, healthy fatty acids, and antioxidants.
• Bay Leaves: Bay leaves are used to flavor soups, stews, brines, vegetable dishes, and sauces. The leaves are often used whole (sometimes in a bouquet garni) and removed before serving. 
• Sea Salt: Seas alt enhances the ingredients in the soup.
• Lemon Juice: A little lemon juice adds a citrus component and heightens the flavors in the soup.
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper: When you grind peppercorns in your own pepper mill, you expose the sealed, unoxidized center releasing all of the rich flavor and a variety of benefits. 
• Old Bay Seasoning: Old Bay Seasoning, or creole seasoning of choice, flavors the vegan clam chowder.

Vegan Clam Chowder Ingredient Substitutions

• Choose canned mushrooms which are marinated and already have a chewy texture, and skip the marinating ingredients/process.
• Use ½ teaspoon of garlic flakes in place of each clove. Granulated garlic: Use ¼ teaspoon of granulated garlic in place of each garlic clove.
• Try Tamari or liquid aminos for a gluten-free soy sauce option.
• Substitute white onion or shallots for yellow onions.
• If you have fresh thyme, substitute the dried thyme in the recipe; however, use double the amount.
• If you are allergic to nuts or don't eat nuts, you can blend ½ cup of gluten-free four with the almond milk and omit the cashews. 
• Skip the almond milk altogether, and use vegetable broth instead with ½ cup of gluten-free or whole-grain flour
• Or, blend the cashews in vegetable broth and skip the plant milk. 
• Substitute white wine with apple cider vinegar, apple juice, white grape juice, or white vinegar. 

Making the Soup

1. Cutting the whole mushrooms into small bite-sized chunks (not slices) gives them a more "clam" texture. Any mushrooms can be used, but I decided to use baby Bellas, smaller portobello mushrooms, to get the heartier texture.
2. Then, I saute the mushrooms separately from the other soup ingredients to pre-cook them before adding them. 
3. Next, sauté the onions, garlic, celery, carrots, and fresh thyme in a separate soup pot. The potatoes are all uniform in size but serve as the chunky yet soft component in the soup. 
4. To thicken the soup, make an oil-free roux. Although roux is generally made with butter or oil and flour to thicken soups, there is a simple way to make it without using fat: adding small amounts of gluten-free flour or regular flour into the cooking vegetables.
5. Then, slowly add the vegetable broth, stirring until flour is absorbed into the vegetables. Then add the potatoes and Old Bay Seasoning( a creole seasoning), enhancing the flavors inherent in the Dulse. 
6. For the soup to thicken and develop a creamy texture, blend raw cashews with unsweetened, unflavored oat milk. Any plant milk works, but I always cook with oat milk.

Recipe FAQs

Tips

• Marinate the mushrooms overnight for the most profound flavors.
• When using nori sheets, crumble one sheet in a food processor and grind it into powder.
• If you are allergic to nuts or don't eat nuts, you can blend ½ cup of gluten-free four with the almond milk and omit the cashews. 
• Skip the almond milk altogether, and use vegetable broth instead with ½ cup of gluten-free or whole-grain flour
• Or, blend the cashews in the vegetable broth. 
• Substitute white wine with apple cider vinegar, apple juice, white grape juice, or white vinegar. 
• I like using Super Cubes to freeze soups for individual servings.
• This vegan clam chowder recipe stays fresh in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
• Freeze vegan clam chowder for up to 3 months.

Try this creamy, delicious vegan clam chowder soup. The flavors are incredible!

Delicious Vegan Soups to Try This Season

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