Description
Cozy up to a big bowl of creamy gluten-free clam chowder – it’s hearty, filling and perfect with slices of crusty bread or homemade crackers! Enjoy this delicious chowder as an appetizer or a main course. Totally dairy-free too.
Ingredients
- 6 strips bacon
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon gluten-free Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup dairy-free heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons hot water
- 1 cup clam juice
- 1 can (10 ounces) shelled whole clams in water, or 2 cups fresh clams, steamed
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 small potatoes, peeled and cubed
- Fresh chopped parsley, for garnishing
Instructions
- Fry Bacon Until Crispy: Fry the bacon in a frying pan without oil for 6-7 minutes until bacon is crispy on both sides, then pour away the bacon grease before transferring the fried bacon strips to a paper towel-lined plate and let cool. Once cooled, crumble the crispy bacon into small pieces.
- Sauté Veggies: Heat up the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat and sauté the onions and celery in the hot oil for 5 minutes, stirring occassionally. Then add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring well.
- Add Seasonings & Sauces: Add the salt, black pepper, hot sauce and gluten-free Worcestershire sauce, then stir and cook for 1 minute.
- Add Broth, Cream, Clam Juice & Bay Leaves: Add the the chicken broth, dairy-free heavy cream, clam juice and bay leaves.
- Add Cornstarch Slurry: Combine the cornstarch with two tablespoons of hot water and mix until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add the cornstarch slurry to the saucepan, stirring, for 2 minutes, making sure there are no lumps of cornstarch.
- Add Potatoes: Add the cubed potatoes and cook for 20 minutes more over medium-low heat until potatoes are tender and the chowder has thickened up.
- Add Clams: Add the clams, removed from their shells, 5 minutes before the end of cooking.
- Serve and Enjoy: Serve the gluten-free clam chowder with crumbled bacon and parsley. I personally like serving the clam chowder with some cooked clams in their shells, but that’s up to you.
Notes
Bacon: I fried bacon to get crispy bacon crumbles, but you may always used store-bought bacon crumbles instead.
Olive Oil: I like using extra virgin olive oil for the flavor. However, you can also other types of vegetable oil (such as canola oil, sunflower oil, avocado oil etc). Alternatively, you may also use the bacon grease from step 1 if you are frying your own bacon crumbles.
Veggies: I used a mix of onions, celery and garlic, which are the vegetables that are traditionally used in clam chowder.
Seasonings: For seasoning, we’re using just salt and ground black pepper. Alternatively, you may also add a pinch of garlic powder or onion powder if you like.
Sauces: This recipe uses a combination of both hot sauce and worcestershire sauce to add plenty of flavor. If you are Celiac or gluten-intolerant, make sure to use gluten-free hot sauce or gluten-free worcestershire sauce. Not a fan of heat? Leave out the hot sauce.
Chicken Broth: You may use either low-sodium chicken broth or chicken stock. Homemade or storebought chicken broth will be fine.
Cream: New England clam chowder (also known as Boston clam chowder) is made with a base of cream or milk, and in this case, we’re using dairy-free heavy cream to keep this recipe dairy-free. If you are not lactose-intolerant, go ahead and use regular heavy cream instead.
Cornstarch: Since clam chowder is known for its thick and rich consistency, we mix cornstarch and hot water to form a cornstarch slurry to thicken up the chowder. If you are not Celiac or gluten-intolerant, you may also use regular all-purpose flour instead.
Clam Juice: You can get store-bought clam juice (or make your own by reserving the liquid obtained when you steam clams, or the liquid from a can of clams).
Clams: You may use either steamed fresh clams or canned whole clams.
Bay Leaves: Bay leaves add flavor to this chowder, so make sure you add them in.
Potatoes: You may use the potatoes of your choice (such as Yukon gold potatoes, russet potatoes, etc.).
Parsley: A sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley for garnishing adds both a pop of color and flavor to the clam chowder.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Category: Soups
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
