Gluten Free Healthy Greens New England Clam Chowder
This gluten-free, healthy greens, New England Clam Chowder recipe is loaded with vitamins thanks to the addition of powerhouse greens cabbage and kale! Indulge yourself with this guilt free, whole30, calorie cut, seafood soup recipe.
This recipe calls for a healthy addition of kale and cabbage to the mix, adding nutrients, (and alleviating all of those clammy feelings toward a heavy, high calorie soup). I substituted a gluten free thickener (cassava), nut based milk for the usual heavy cream, and added hearty winter greens. This low calorie take on traditional New England clam chowder tastes just as creamy and decadent as the original seaside favorite.

This is the best dairy-free clam chowder recipe in a hurry. Save the clam steaming for another day. This recipe utilizes quick-to -open cans and vegetables that soften into the soup in a minutes. Simply mix the ingredients into a saucepan, simmer and add the cassava flour when the time is right.
A can of chopped clams and a jar of clam juice is mixed into this Whole30 Compliant chowder, cutting kitchen prep down, so you can enjoy a piping hot bowl of chowda’ in minutes! Sliced cabbage and kale simmer to a soft, melt in your mouth texture that is just perfection in this soup. The result is a thick, comforting bowl full mineral and nutrient chowder. And don’t let the term “chowder” throw you off, it’s completely Dairy Free!
This is truly a green, New England Clam Chowder recipe. Now, I love a good chowder. But more often than not, I pair my soup (classically) with a salad. Every meal is an opportunity to get some vegetables and fruit in, and as much as I love classic clam chowder, sometimes I want an added dose of vitamins and nutrients in the mix.
Nutrient filled, leafy green vegetable powerhouses kale and cabbage add tons of vitamins to this riff on classic clam chowder. You could always make a tomato based Manhattan Clam Chowder…but who doesn’t love the creamy taste of salty clams, softened potatoes and salty bacon combined into a cozy soup bowl?
Homemade Clam Chowder: Healthy and Whole30 Compliant
I love a good New England clam chowder, show me a restaurant menu with clam chowder on it and I am putting in my order! Slurping down chunks of potato and briny clams, (and added heavy dairy) is one of my favorite things to do! I love seafood if you hadn’t noticed, most of the protein recipes on my site are some type of fish or shrimp dish! But once a year when I reset and tuck into a month of clean, whole30 eating, I’m always updating recipes to keep my favorites in rotation. This is one of them.
Storing Clam Chowder
- Store clam chowder in an airtight container for 4 days in the refrigerator.
- Freeze clam chowder in freezer for 2 months, defrost in fridge.
Can I skip adding the kale and cabbage and just stick to the classic New England Chowder ingredients?
Of course you can! I love a veggie loaded soup, but feel free not to add the greens.
I do not have almond milk, can I substitute oat milk instead?
Yes, just be sure to adjust the cassava flour to your desired thickness, (use less than stated in recipe).