Over the summer, the 10-year-old son of a dear friend of mine was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. This isn’t a diagnosis that I would wish on anyone, but he has a very strong and smart mama who understands that diet can make a huge difference in her son’s disease, so I have no doubt that he will be just fine. I asked my friend’s son what he would love to eat the most, (made paleo/gluten-free) and without hesitation he immediately said clam chowder! So that’s exactly what I’ve created for him – Ty’s Special Clam Chowder!
Being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease as a kid was tough, but I never could have imagined what an intense journey it would really become. It’s been nearly 19 years since I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease (CRAZY!) and over that time I’ve discovered how to take back control over my own life, instead of letting my disease run the show. An illness can really become your greatest gift. it’s all about how you choose to see your life.
Often in my life I find that the timing of events work out like magic. Tomorrow marks exactly 5 years since I had my last surgery (2/4/2011) for my Crohn’s Disease, in which I had my entire large intestine removed, as well as 3 years since I switched to a paleo diet (2/4/2013)! So much has changed in those 5 years, and I couldn’t be more grateful that I was chosen to live this life. Just waking up each morning is such a blessing!
Tomorrow also marks the day that my eBook – Get Sauced, officially releases!! I am so excited for you all to see the work that I’ve poured my heart into! I’m sending out a sneak peek only to my newsletter subscribers tomorrow, so if you haven’t signed up for my list, make sure you do so by midnight tonight! You can click HERE to sign up!
On this day exactly 5 years ago (2/3/2011), I had to fast (24 hours prior to my surgery) all while making 48 mini pineapple upside down cakes for the nurses and staff at the hospital where I would have my surgery. It was my way of saying thank you in advance for taking care of me during one of the most challenging times of my life. Today, I get the incredible gift of eating food that has made and keeps me healthy, and I’ll never forget just how special that is.
This recipe couldn’t be posted before Ty approved this clam chowder himself, and his mama told me they loved it, saying it tasted just like the original! I know that if you loved the original clam chowder, which typically includes dairy and flour, you’ll absolutely love this paleo version that I’ve created! You won’t be able to tell the difference!
Happy cooking!
Paleo Clam Chowder
Equipment
- Stovetop
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1/2 cup water (plus some additional water to soak the cashews)
- 2 tablespoons ghee or grassfed butter
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 celery stalks, ends removed, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot or tapioca starch
- 1 pound peeled and diced red potatoes
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 3 6.5 ounce cans of chopped clams, packed in juice
- 2 bay leaves
- sea salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Place the cashews in a clean bowl. Bring a small pot of water to a boil, and then pour the water over the cashews to soak. The cashews should be fully immersed in the water. Set aside.
- Melt the ghee/grassfed butter in a medium sized pot over medium heat. Add the onion and celery to the pan and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the arrowroot/tapioca starch until well combined.
- Add the potatoes, chicken broth, juice from the clams (don't add the clams just yet) and bay leaves to the pot. Stir the mixture well and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender, stirring occasionally.
- Drain and rinse the cashews. Place the cashews in your blender, along with ½ cup of fresh water. Blend on high for 2 minutes, or until the cashew cream is smooth.
- Remove the bay leaves from the soup. Add the cashew cream along with the clams and stir well. Return to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes while stirring often. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with bacon and chives, if you'd like. Enjoy!!!
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THIS CLAM CHOWDER! I cannot say enough how delicious this is and SO easy to make! There is no way a clam chowder aficionado would be able to tell there isn’t dairy in this! This will be my go to soup for every occasion from now on! Thank you thank you thank you! I also paired it with a grain free rosemary garlic flat bread for dipping of course!
I’m so happy you liked it, Caraline! Thanks for letting me know! The grain-free rosemary garlic flat bread sounds amazing as well!
Delicious- and so nice to eat a bowl of chowder and know it’s good for me. Thanks!
So glad you liked it, Kelly!
I have just made this and it’s absolutely brilliant! It tastes like traditional chowder! Thank you so much!
This is amazing!! Thank you!
So glad you liked it, Kristen!
My 4 year old loved clam chowder in a restaurant so I made her this and she loved it! It was awesome that my husband and I could eat it too, we loved it. Thanks!
So happy to hear that, thanks Jaime!
This sounds really good. I’ve been thinking about making a clam chowder, but coconut milk didn’t sound like the best idea. Cashews to the rescue, of course. Can’t wait to try it.
I hope you love this recipe, Rachel! I totally agree, while I love coconut milk in certain things, clam chowder isn’t one of them 😉
OMG! Just made this and it is sooooo good. I used potatoes because they don’t bother me and a leek instead of the onion, leeks are my fave. So glad you came up with this recipe. Thanks.
I’m so happy that you loved it, Rachel!
I just made this and it is amazing! Thank you for sharing this fantastic recipe. I am normally too lazy to post comments but this was soo good that I needed to leave a comment and tell you how much I loved it.
Haha, I hear you on posting comments! Thanks so much for letting me know, Grace! So happy you loved it 🙂
We don’t do clams (ok, I don’t, which means my family doesn’t:). Could this work for a potato chowder? Or maybe add shredded chicken? Would you add some chicken stock to bring the flavor (like the clam juice for clam chowder?)
Hi Robin! I saw your comment on my Instagram and yes, you can easily make this into a potato chowder, and add chicken as well! I would add a little extra chicken broth as needed, just to thin it out a bit 🙂
This was so delicious!! It takes just like clam chowder should. My kids even loved it and my youngest is the pickiest eater and he couldn’t get enough. Thank you for such a wonderful paleo recipe that tastes like the real deal!
I’m so happy you and your kids loved it, Morgan!
I seriously love this recipe! I can’t remember if I’ve commented on this one before, but it’s SO good. I can’t believe how the cashew cream really makes it so creamy! Also, it’s been hard to get my husband on board with paleo, but he asks for this recipe!
I’m so happy to hear that! <3
We made this recipe due to all of the awesome reviews! BUT, the celery root we put in totally destroyed this chowder with a bitterness we cannot describe…Unfortunately we had to dump the whole thing out…perhaps everyone else used the red potato option?? Thank you anyway!!!
Hi! So sorry to hear that! I’ve used celery root myself in this recipe (that’s what I used to create it originally), and know many others (who’ve tagged my in their pictures) who have as well, and it does work – but, I’ve also roasted a celery root once that tasted SO bitter. I’m thinking it must be dependent on the taste of the celery root that you’re using. If you don’t tolerate white potatoes, you can use white yams as well. It’ll give it a slightly sweeter taste than regular potatoes would, but you’d be guaranteed that it won’t be bitter 😉
I know this is probably a no, but do you think I could use almonds instead of cashew? Has anyone tried this? Or maybe coconut milk? My son has a cashew allergy so we miss out of all the cashew creamyness!
Hey Sara! Hmmm…it’s hard to say if using almonds would work, but I’m sure coconut cream or even full-fat coconut milk would be okay – or any sort of cream/cream substitute! I’d love to hear how it turns out if you make a substitution!
I’m not gonna lie, I was skeptical!! I didn’t think it would have the creamy texture that my memory of clam chowder would have. But seriously, it was so good!! I didn’t have raw cashews so I had to use roasted and I added a jar of clam juice (as suggested by another blogger) and reduced the number of cans of clams bc my husband doesn’t love clams. I used potatoes bc that’s all the store had. Even with these changes it was so creamy and really hit the spot on this chilly winter day!! Thanks so much, Kristen!!
My absolute favorite clam chowder ever! And I live 45 min from San Francisco 🙂 So easy to make.
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Woohoo!!! The best! 🥰🤗
I’ve been making this recipe since it came out. Wild it’s been this many years already! Still loving it in 2026!
So happy to hear that, Melissa! It’s one of our favorites too!