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Home » Vegan Soup Recipes » Old Bay Clamless Vegan Chowder

Old Bay Clamless Vegan Chowder

March 20, 2019 By Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan 15 Comments

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Creamy vegan chowder, made vegetarian and clam-free with some sneaky protein ingredients. And, made dairy-free with my famous creamy soup base. Bonus… this vegan clam chowder is totally mushroom-free.

A spoonful of vegan clam chowder showing chunks of potato and yuba

My qualifications for presenting you with this fabulous vegan chowder recipe are that: 1) I live in one of the seafood capitals of the country, and 2) one time my parents took me on a trip to New England when I was a kid and apparently all I ate the entire time was clam chowder. Yup, former favorite food.

Was it the clam part that I liked! NO! I like the super creamy, savory broth, thickened by a seriously over-the-top roux and practically begging for broken-up saltine crackers. Turns out, all of the things I liked about the original are easy to make in meatless, dairy-free form AND healthier! Easy decision.

Overhead view of a bowl of vegan clam chowder showing creamy texture, garnished with parsley and red pepper flakes and surrounded by parsley fronds

You know it, you love it. My go-to creamy soup base, used in my vegan wild rice soup, creamy vegan broccoli soup, and vegan broccoli cheddar soup… it’s back again to form the backbone of this amazing dairy-free chowder. You’ll undetectably be enjoying a rich and savory blend of cashews, Russet potato, and white beans.

Because it evokes the flavors of the sea, without the flavors of its creatures, I seasoned my vegan clam chowder liberally with Old Bay. I have Old Bay in stock at all times. You can also use a mixture of celery salt (or ground celery seed) and paprika if you can’t easily procure Old Bay.

Steps for making vegan chowder soup base: sauteing onion and celery; adding garlic; adding potatoes; and deglazing with cognac

Sauteeing the aromatics, and deglazing the pan with some delicious cognac.

I’ve seen a lot of vegetarian chowder recipes that use oyster mushrooms, and this won’t be one of them. I did rack my brain thinking about other foods with a similar… “squeaky” quality and I realized the solution had been in my fridge all along. It’s yuba.

Also known as tofu skin, yuba is a byproduct of making soy milk; it’s extremely protein rich and also rather slippery and squeaky. I took a package of yuba and cut it into little squares and simmered it in my vegan chowder for a strangely clam-like effect.

Steps for cooking vegan chowder: adding vegetable broth; cutting yuba pieces; adding yuba to the vegan clam chowder base; and adding the cashew cream mixture

Simmering the vegan chowder broth and adding cubed yuba, which is rich in protein and a free byproduct of soy milk!

The remaining important ingredients here are celery and red potatoes. And because I wanted to make this vegan chowder a little bit special, I spiked it with a little bit of cognac, which is tradition in some New England circles. You can use any brandy, a dry white wine, or just skip the alcohol entirely, although I do recommend it!

I hope you enjoy this clam-free vegan chowder! If you make it, let me know in the comments or tag me on Instagram (@yupitsvegan). Bon appetit!

Vegan Chowder (Clam-Free) | Yup, it's Vegan
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5 from 10 votes

Old Bay Clam-less Vegan Chowder

Creamy vegan chowder made with protein-packed yuba instead of clams! Packed with flavor from Old Bay seasoning, cognac and more. This recipe may look to have a lot of ingredients, but many of them are pantry staples. The creamy and flavorful end result is worth it!
Course Soup
Cuisine American, dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, refined sugar-free, vegan, vegetarian
Keyword vegan chowder, vegan clam chowder
Prep Time 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes minutes
Total Time 50 minutes minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 454kcal
Author Yup, it's Vegan

Ingredients

For the cashew cream mixture:

  • 2/3 cup raw cashews soaked in hot water, then drained
  • 1 medium Russet potato cooked and peeled
  • 1 and 1/2 cups cooked white beans rinsed and drained (navy, cannellini, great northern, etc.) (equal to one standard can)
  • 1 tbsp white or yellow miso
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast

For the vegan chowder mixture:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion diced
  • 2 ribs celery diced
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 and 1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning (see note)
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 and 1/2 cups diced red potatoes (skin on) (about 3 potatoes)
  • 3 tbsp cognac or brandy (see note) (about 50ml)
  • 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 5 oz yuba sheets (see note) rinsed and cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 tbsp vinegar
  • 1/2 cup chopped parsley divided

Instructions

To prepare the cashew cream:

  • Rinse and drain the soaked cashews, and add them to a blender along with the cooked potato, white beans, miso, and nutritional yeast. Blend until smooth, adding a little bit of water if needed to blend. Set mixture aside.
  • In a soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion and celery, and stir well. Cook until both are softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook for another 30 seconds.
  • Stir in the Old Bay seasoning, ground black pepper, and diced potatoes. Cook for about 2-3 more minutes, stirring frequently. Deglaze the pan by adding the cognac, stirring well, and scraping around the bottom of the pan for any stuck pieces. If you're not using alcohol, do this same thing with a small splash of the vegetable broth.
  • Add all of the vegetable broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and stir in the yuba pieces. Continue to cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 more minutes. Stir in the cashew cream mixture, and simmer until hot. Finally, stir in the vinegar and half of the chopped parsley.
  • Taste for seasoning (especially salt and/or Old Bay). Serve hot, garnished with more chopped parsley, and crackers, bread, or other accompaniments of choice.

Notes

OLD BAY SEASONING: Old Bay is a great all-purpose seasoning. It's evocative of eating seafood because of the specific spices used, but contains no fish products. If you can't get Old Bay, the next best substitute is a mixture of celery salt with paprika. If you can't get celery salt either, just use a pinch of paprika and make the recipe without it.
ALCOHOL-FREE: Feel free to use white wine instead of the cognac or brandy, or even just skip the alcohol entirely and use vegetable broth to deglaze the pan.
YUBA: I buy the refrigerated kind of yuba that is already hydrated. If you can only get dried yuba, rehydrate it to make 5 oz before using. If you can't get any yuba at all, baked tofu cubes or cooked chickpeas are both nice in this recipe.
VARIATIONS: This recipe is also lovely with seasonal veggies added, such as fresh corn, broccoli, or asparagus. For quick-cooking vegetables, add them with the cashew cream. For anything that needs to cook longer, add it with the yuba.

Nutrition

Serving: 1quarter recipe | Calories: 454kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Potassium: 861mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 650IU | Vitamin C: 54.5mg | Calcium: 400mg | Iron: 5.4mg

Love this creamy vegan chowder? Then you’ll also love my other vegan creamy soups:

Creamy Vegan Broccoli Soup | Yup, it's Vegan

Creamy Vegan Broccoli Soup

Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup | Yup, it's Vegan

Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup

 

Filed Under: Soup Tagged With: gluten-free, grain-free, legumes, meat analogues, nuts and seeds, refined sugar-free, soy, sweetener-free

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Comments

  1. Aashish says

    December 15, 2021 at 13:48

    Hi Shannon, what’s a good substitute for cashews?

    Reply
    • Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says

      December 15, 2021 at 13:54

      5 stars
      I wish there was a super good substitute, but cashews are a bit unique because they’re both creamy and rich but also a little starchy. However, I think this would still taste very good if you adding some cooked cauliflower to the puree and maybe a little bit of extra oil to the dish. You could also throw in some soaked pine nuts but obviously, those are quite expensive. Some people like coconut milk in recipes like this, it has a great texture but for me I don’t like the coconut flavor. Hope this helps.

      Reply
  2. Summer says

    December 7, 2021 at 00:00

    5 stars
    I just made this for dinner tonight, but I did make one somewhat big change that I thought really made it taste like the real deal. Right before adding the cream, I mixed ~1/3 cup of mild miso paste with a ladle full of the hot broth and then poured that slurry back into the pot. It gave it a great sweet, umami flavor similar to that of clam juice, I highly recommend trying it out.

    Reply
  3. Jen Milne says

    January 31, 2021 at 21:56

    5 stars
    Delicious!!! I used baked tofu in 1/2″ cubes instead of Yuba. I also had red wine on hand and used that instead of cognac. It tinted the soup a bit so it wasn’t bright white but it was YUMMY. Terrific recipe.

    Reply
    • Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says

      February 1, 2021 at 17:56

      Thanks so much for letting me know! I’m glad it still was tasty with red wine!

      Reply
  4. DeNisha says

    October 1, 2020 at 13:27

    Are you able to freeze leftovers?

    Reply
  5. T says

    December 8, 2019 at 19:34

    5 stars
    Really tasty and SUPER creamy! My husband and I used pressed tofu cubes instead of then yuba and I think they have the right texture of clams.
    Added a pinch more of salt too.

    Reply
  6. Katrina says

    November 2, 2019 at 15:42

    5 stars
    This was really good! Would definitely recommend and will make again 🙂 Only problem was finding Yuba is nearly impossible for me as I live in a small town. Used baked tofu instead which was good. Husband approved as well.

    Reply
    • Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says

      November 3, 2019 at 06:49

      5 stars
      Baked tofu is a good choice of substitute! Glad you and your family enjoyed the recipe 🙂

      Reply
  7. Viv says

    October 2, 2019 at 16:58

    5 stars
    Super tasty and also very hearty, even without the yuba.

    Reply
  8. Cap'n Dave says

    May 14, 2019 at 22:15

    Curious as to whether it still has that “seafood” taste I’ve come to associate with clam chowder? Mild, yes, but still present? Or would you recommend adding some kombu flakes or some crushed or pulverized nori?

    Never thought of using yuba. I’ve always used sliced oysters (the shroom, not the bivalve) or cremini stems. Huh…the more you learn!

    Reply
    • Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says

      May 15, 2019 at 10:14

      I was looking for a texture substitute that wasn’t mushroom-based, because of my personal distaste for mushrooms 🙂 I’ve heard oyster mushrooms are great in this though. Yuba does have a nice kind of “squeaky” texture.
      In terms of flavor, the Old Bay, celery, and the cognac add some dimensions that are evocative of seafood because many of us strongly associate those flavors, but aren’t directly “fishy”. You’re welcome to add some crushed nori or kombu if you like!

      Reply
  9. D says

    April 8, 2019 at 11:02

    5 stars
    Made this over the weekend, with chickpeas instead of yuba, so flavorful, so comforting, just wow!!!

    Reply
  10. K says

    March 29, 2019 at 00:58

    5 stars
    This soup was SO GOOD. I didn’t have Old Bay, but used celery salt and paprika. Added Corn, zucchini, and mushrooms. I will definitely be making this again!!!! Glad I stumbled upon this recipe on Pintrest.

    Reply
    • Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says

      March 31, 2019 at 15:55

      So glad to hear that! I would love corn and zucchini in this!

      Reply

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I'm Shannon, founder of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. I create healthy plant-based recipes that everyone will love, using seasonal produce and global inspiration.
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