clam chowder in bowl with spoon
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Gluten Free Healthy Greens New England Clam Chowder

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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.

ingredients for clam chowder.
Photo Credit: The Sifted Field.

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).

clam chowder in bowl with spoon

Gluten Free Healthy Greens New England Clam Chowder

This Whole30-compliant New England clam chowder is a creamy, comforting soup made with tender clams, hearty kale, and crisp cabbage. Instead of traditional cream, it uses almond milk for a rich texture that aligns with Whole30 guidelines. Potatoes add thickness and body, while dill infuse the chowder with classic New England flavors. It's a wholesome, dairy-free twist on a classic, perfect for a cozy meal.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Lunch
Cuisine Chowder
Servings 4 people
Calories 194 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 slices bacon, sugar free, additive free
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped onion
  • 2 tbsp cassava flour (tapioca flour)
  • 1 bottle clam juice 8 Fluid Ounces
  • 2 cups diced white or yellow potatoes
  • 1 can chopped clams 6.5 Ounce
  • 3 cups Almond Milk, sugar free
  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp sea salt, divided
  • Fresh black pepper to taste
  • fresh dill to taste
  • 1 cup kale, chopped
  • 1 cup green cabbage, chopped

Instructions
 

  • Fry the bacon over medium heat in a large sauce pan, until crisp. Remove bacon from pot, reserving the oil in the bottom of the pot. Put bacon aside for later.
  • Add onion and cook 4 to 6 minutes until onion is soft and translucent, add 1/2 of salt, scrape any remaining bits of bacon up off the bottom of pan and into onions. Add flour, stir to to combine for 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Adjust pot heat to low-medium Crumble bacon and add to onion, flour mixture in pot.
  • Add clam juice and 1/2 of the almond milk. Add potatoes to pot and simmer, stirring periodically, for an additional 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
  • Add can of clams, including liquid to soup pot. Add kale, cabbage, and remaining almond milk, simmer over for an additional 7 to 10 minutes or until cabbage is tender.
  • Add vinegar, stirring to combine. Season with remaining salt and pepper. Finish with a sprinkle of chopped fresh dill. The dill really brings out the green, herbaceous flavors of the kale, complementing the clams and chowder as a whole, beautifully.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowlCalories: 194kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 6gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 919mgPotassium: 613mgFiber: 5gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 1699IUVitamin C: 46mgCalcium: 298mgIron: 1mg
Keyword bacon, cabbage, chowder, clam, clam chowder, compliant, healthy clam, how to make canned clam chowder healthy, kale, potato, seafood, soup, whole30, whole30 clam chowder
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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