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You are here: Home / Entrees / New England Vegan Chowder

December 5, 2017

New England Vegan Chowder

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Vegan Seafood | New England Vegan Chowder

I have been waiting for winter weather for three years.

THREE YEARS.

It’s here.

Vegan Seafood | New England Vegan Chowder

Now that we’re back in Boston, I go outside on 30-something degree days, just so I can breathe in the cold air and feel it on my skin. I’ve pulled out my long-forgotten and new-feeling sweaters, and love wrapping them around me. I love the banging of the radiators coming on, and it’s a fair trade-off to have the skin crack around my knuckles as I slather on layer upon layer of lotion, and wrap them around steaming mugs of tea or black coffee. Nimrod is constantly seeking a hot spot, and I love tucking blankets around her and watch her melt into them as she drifts off to sleep, reminding me she’s there with her faint wheezing or a low growl from a kitty nightmare.

Vegan Seafood | New England Vegan Chowder

The other day as I was flipping through my massive stacks of Food and Wine and Bon Appétit magazines, looking for food inspiration to complement the brisk weather outside, I came across Bon Appétit‘s New England Clam Chowder recipe  and thought: what could be better than that right now?

Soy curls and mushrooms work together to create a clammy element, while firm Yukon golds provide a heartiness and textural contrast. Cashew cream adds a supreme richness and velvety quality that clings to the spoon (or crackers or bread) and sticks to your ribs.

Vegan Seafood | New England Vegan Chowder

Serve with oyster crackers, warmed sourdough or fresh-baked biscuits. Bisquick-based or these olive oil biscuits from scratch.

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Vegan Clam Chowder

New England Vegan Chowder


★★★★★

4.9 from 9 reviews

  • Author: Erin Wysocarski
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hours
  • Total Time: 1 hours 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
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Description

Inspired by and veganized from Bon Appétit.


Scale

Ingredients

for the cashew cream

  • 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in plenty of water overnight, then drained
  • 1/2 cup water
  • couple dashes of coconut or apple cider vinegar (optional)

for the “clams”

  • 1 TB Earth Balance
  • 10–12 oz white, brown or oyster mushrooms, destemmed and chopped
  • 1 cup Butler Soy Curls
  • 1/2 sheet crumbled nori
  • 1 TB olive oil

for the broth

  • 1–2 TB Earth Balance or refined coconut oil
  • 4 strips of tempeh or vegan bacon (I used Sweet Earth’s Benevolent Bacon), chopped
  • several dashes of liquid smoke
  • 1 celery stalk, chopped
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 5 cups No-Chicken, mushroom or vegetable stock
  • 2 cups peeled and diced Yukon Gold potatoes
  • 1 TB cornstarch, blended with 2 TB water
  • salt and pepper, to taste

to serve

  • oyster crackers
  • fresh biscuits
  • fresh thyme, chopped

Instructions

to make the cashew cream

  1. Using a high-speed or immersion blender, blend the cashews and liquid together until velvety smooth. Add in a couple dashes of vinegar to counteract the sweetness of the cashews, if desired. Set aside.

to prepare the clams

  1. Melt the plant-based butter in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and saute until softened, turning down the heat a bit if needed. Transfer to a bowl.
  2. Add the soy curls and nori to the pot, cover with water. Bring to a boil and turn off the heat, but leave on the burner for about 10 minutes. Allow to cool. Chop into bite-sized pieces.
  3. Preheat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add a little oil, then the soy curls. Allow to saute, stirring occasionally, until slightly dried out and slightly golden around the edges. Combine with the reserved mushrooms to the side.

to prepare the broth

  1. Using the same pot, melt 1 TB of the butter or oil over medium heat. Add in the chopped vegan bacon, and allow to saute for a couple of minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low, and add a few dashes of the liquid smoke.
  2. Add the celery, onion and garlic to the pot, increase the heat back to medium and stir. After a minute, add in the remaining 1 TB of plant-based butter or a few splashes of broth as needed to reduce sticking. Allow to cook for several minutes, until the onion is soft.
  3. Sprinkle in the thyme, add the bay leaf. Add the stock and potatoes. Allow to come to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are done.
  4. Bring back to a boil, stir in the cornstarch slurry, and stir until slightly thickened.

to finish

  1. Stir in the reserved cashew cream and mushrooms+soy curls. Heat through, adding in salt and pepper, and a few dashes of liquid smoke if desired, to taste.

If you made this recipe ...

Tag @olivesfordinner on Instagram and hashtag it #olivesfordinner ... thank you!

Vegan Seafood | New England Vegan Chowder

Filed Under: Entrees, Soup, Vegan Seafood Tagged With: cashews, garlic, mushrooms, onions, pantry-friendly recipe ideas, potatoes, stock, veganized classics

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Joni Marie says

    December 5, 2017 at 10:20 am

    It is perfect! I’m making it this weekend. Believe it or not, it’s been in the 40s at night!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • erinwyso says

      December 6, 2017 at 3:18 pm

      Yay! Would love to hear how it works out! Wish you come come over to Boston and we could make it together! xo

      Reply
  2. Deb says

    December 5, 2017 at 6:26 pm

    This soup looks fantastic. If I don’t use soy curls, is there something I could substitute? BTW….absolutely love your blog. Kee’p ’em” coming!

    Reply
    • erinwyso says

      December 6, 2017 at 3:19 pm

      Hi Deb, Thanks! You can probably just add a blend of mushrooms to replace the soy curls … hope you enjoy.

      Reply
  3. Heather says

    December 8, 2017 at 11:18 am

    This chowder is amazing! My mother did not use bacon in her clam chowder, so I considered leaving it out, but then I figured I’m not really trying to recreate what I grew up with–just follow the recipe! And the very first taste really reminded me of clam chowder.
    thank you so much.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • erinwyso says

      December 8, 2017 at 11:28 am

      Heather, I’m so happy you enjoyed! Thanks for your kind feedback.

      Reply
  4. Nicole R says

    January 8, 2018 at 8:22 pm

    I was excited to make this and it was tasty, but very thin. I think I need less broth, so just sharing for anyone else. Maybe start with less and add as needed.

    Reply
  5. Yuu says

    January 8, 2018 at 11:18 pm

    I just made this recipe! I live in New England (Boston) and I’ve been a vegetarian for 15 years but have found myself wanting to embrace a vegan diet. I hate cooking but the cold weather and pictures of this dish prompted me to try… this is soooooo good! It’s what I imagine seafood chowder tasting like! And I love the smoky bacon. I can’t get over how delicious this is!! My household loves chowder so this will become a staple to get us through New England winters. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • erinwyso says

      January 9, 2018 at 6:53 am

      Yuu, I love to hear that you enjoyed and this inspired you to cook and share it with your family! Thanks for your kind feedback and stay warm during these crazy New England snows!

      Reply
  6. Isaac Thomas says

    January 31, 2018 at 5:57 am

    Will definitely be giving it a go! The weather is cold here in Israel at the moment so this sounds like a winner!

    Isaac Thomas,

    Peace & Love

    Reply
  7. Celeste | The Whole Serving says

    March 9, 2018 at 7:48 pm

    I have never used Butler Soy Cruls, but I think I’ll be giving it a try very soon. So glad I found your blog.

    Reply
  8. ci says

    May 9, 2018 at 10:29 am

    Hi there!

    I’ve been dying to try to make a clam chowder without the clams. I have been making dairy free for years but recently stopped eating all animals 🙂

    I had never had the soy curls until last night when I made your recipe. They are really interesting!

    My husband and I enjoyed it 🙂 I added a bit more of a few things but all and all it was tasty, especially with Tabasco!

    Curious, did you try using any other non-dairy milks like almond or coconut before you decided on the cashew cream?

    Thanks for the yummies 🙂

    Cheers

    ★★★★

    Reply
  9. Cindy says

    May 9, 2018 at 10:31 am

    My name got cut off hahaha . Cindy 🙂

    Reply
  10. Alice Toth says

    December 22, 2019 at 9:18 am

    I had this soup at a holiday party last night and it was amazing! The host had made 3 types of clam chowder and this vegan version was the favorite! Like by vegans and non-vegans alike! It was so good I am bringing it to a Christmas Eve party I am attending. I don’t like mushrooms but I loved this soup! Excellent recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • erinwyso says

      December 26, 2019 at 4:36 pm

      Alice, thanks so much for your very kind feedback, and I am so happy you liked and shared with others! <3

      Reply
  11. Amalynne says

    December 24, 2019 at 3:03 pm

    This was the most beautiful, artful, lovingly crafted recipe I’ve ever tried. Replaced soy curls with a splurge of lobster mushrooms and it was unctuous and perfect. I can’t thank you enough for bringing “clam” chowder back into my life. My husband is from New England and you have made the transition to veganism now so much easier for him. Thank you for doing this blog and bringing so much joy to our home. I wish I could hug you myself!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • erinwyso says

      December 26, 2019 at 4:33 pm

      Amalynne, thanks so much for your feedback and I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe! I would love to get my hands on some lobster mushrooms one of these days. Giving you a big hug from Boston … your comment made my day! <3

      Reply
  12. Jazmine says

    April 12, 2020 at 3:25 am

    Just made this recipe today and it was amazing! I haven’t had clam chowder in over 11 years and this literally made my entire week !

    My boyfriend and myself are both vegan and he loved it as well he had about 5-6 bowls today alone!

    I had to omit the bacon because i couldn’t find it, my local target normally has it but they were out, and i had to replace the cornstarch mixture with plain white flour because everywhere is currently out of cornstarch

    But it still came out super good even with those small hiccups defiantly will be making again !

    Thank you !

    Reply
    • erinwyso says

      April 12, 2020 at 8:06 am

      Jazmine, so happy that you enjoyed the recipe, and were able to tweak and sub some ingredients with success! Stay safe and well.

      Reply
  13. Barbara says

    May 10, 2020 at 8:41 pm

    Loved it but I love all your recipes ☺

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • erinwyso says

      May 11, 2020 at 4:06 pm

      Barbara, I’m so happy you enjoyed! xo

      Reply
  14. Tanesha says

    October 10, 2020 at 2:06 pm

    I’m going to try this today. Does it freezes well? I want to double this for later enjoyment. But based on other replies it may not make it to the freezer. Lol!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • erinwyso says

      October 11, 2020 at 8:52 am

      Hi Tanesha, I haven’t tried freezing this, but if you try and reheat with good results, I’d love to know!

      Reply
      • Tanesha says

        October 12, 2020 at 8:13 pm

        OMG it was sooooo good Erin! Made a few slight changes but it only lasted 2 days in my home. So sadly I don’t know if it will freeze well either. lol!
        I plan to make it again so I will keep you posted!!

        ★★★★★

        Reply

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Hi, I'm Erin! I love creating original and delicious vegan recipes and sharing them here. I cook and photograph food with my husband Jeff in Boston. Read More…

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Hi, I'm Erin! I love creating original and delicious vegan recipes and sharing them here. I cook and photograph food with my husband Jeff in Boston. Read More…

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