This Instant Pot Clam Chowder is a lightened up version of the classic New England style clam chowder. It’s quick and easy, and is dairy free! It’s comfort in a bowl and will warm up any winter day.
Soup season is upon us. Once snow hits the ground I can eat soup for days! I recently made a cheeseburger soup that had me add cauliflower puree to the broth resulting in a super creamy base without adding any cream. As I was making this soup, I knew I wanted to use cauliflower puree for clam chowder.
Clam chowder is one of the Hubs favorite soups. If clam chowder is a soup option at a restaurant, chances are really high that he will order it. You can say he’s a clam chowder connoisseur. So it was especially important that adding cauliflower would not change the flavor of traditional New England clam chowder. It was a success! The cauliflower adds the creaminess that we all want, but doesn’t lend the flavor of cauliflower. I’ve also used this cauliflower technique for my Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup. It works like a charm every time!
This clam chowder was a big hit with our family. Seconds were requested by everyone! My daughter said it was ‘souper’ good. See what she did there??! We have a little comedian on our hands 🙂 The little noshers had NO idea that there was cauliflower in the broth. This is a great way to sneak some veggies into dinner for those picky eaters.
The Instant Pot is my hero, for real. It’s the best thing since sliced bread… people still say that, right??!! It is so nice to have for those days when you have a million and one things going on. Using the Instant Pot made this chowder super quick and easy to make. Don’t have an Instant Pot? Don’t worry! This clam chowder is very easy to make on the stove top too.
Go make a batch this winter and enjoy the look of amazement from your family and friends when you tell them there is cauliflower in it.
Instant Pot Clam Chowder
Ingredients
- 3 slices of bacon
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 1 cup celery (2-3 stalks) diced
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 3 medium Yukon gold potatoes diced
- 1 medium head of cauliflower, cut in half stem attached
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Kosher salt
- 3 cups of chicken broth
- 8 oz of clam juice
- 3, 6.5 oz cans of chopped clams
Instructions
- Press the sauté button on an electric pressure cooker. Add the bacon and cook until crisp. Set aside on paper towels.
- In the pressure cooker (still on sauté) add the onion, celery, and garlic to the bacon drippings. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the clam juice, the juice from the canned clams, chicken broth, potatoes, and cauliflower and stir. Add the bay leaf, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Seal and cook on high pressure (manual) for 10 minutes. Quick release and open once the pressure cooker has depressurized.
- Transfer the cauliflower and 1 cup of the liquid to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the puree into the soup and stir well. Press the sauté button and add the canned clams into the soup. Bring the soup to a simmer, turn off the pressure cooker and then serve, garnished with reserved cooked bacon.
STOVE METHOD
- Using a large pot or Dutch oven, sauté over medium heat in steps 1 and 2. For step 3, bring to a boil, then cook, covered, over low heat until the potatoes and cauliflower are tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer 1 cup of the liquid and the whole cauliflower to the blender, and blend until smooth. Stir the puree into the soup and add the clams. Bring the soup to a simmer and then serve, garnished with reserved cooked bacon..