This creamy homemade gluten free clam chowder is a bowl of pure comfort food! My gluten free New England Clam Chowder recipe is easy to make, and I also teach you how to make these cute bacon-wrapped edible potato bowls!
Jump to:
This is one of my more unique recipes because you can enjoy this creamy thick Gluten Free New England Clam Chowder and eat the bowl too! These potato bowls are perfect for entertaining!
My son originally asked me to make clam chowder. His friend had it, and my son couldn't try it because it wasn't gluten free. I decided to try it without making a roux to simplify things. I am excited to say this easy gluten free Boston clam chowder is a huge hit!
If you love soup as much as we do, you will want to check out all of my delicious Gluten Free Soup recipes on the blog.
Why This Chowder Is Awesome:
- This homemade gluten-free clam chowder is so easy to make!
- It is also loaded with chunks of potato, bacon, celery, and clams! It has the same flavor as authentic New England Clam Chowder!
- It is quick to make and is ready in just 30 minutes!
- No roux is needed to make this soup; so easy!
I also have an incredible Gluten Free Fish Chowder recipe if you like to include other types of seafood.
This was excellent! I used pancetta instead of bacon and I cooked it first, then added the rest of the ingredients. I used the broth from both cans of clams and used a little less water. Needed 3 Tbs cornstarch to thicken it to our liking. Overall excellent and will definitely make it again."
Susanne R., Pinterest comment
Ingredient Notes:
- Clams - I use canned clams because you can get a lot of clams for very little money. Save the liquid in the cans; it adds even more flavor!
- Milk - Use full-fat milk for a creamy chowder.
- Heavy Cream - Do not use half and half.
- Bacon - There are so many flavors and types. Any should work, including turkey bacon. You are looking for the smokey flavor to infuse into the soup; most bacon has this smokiness.
- Onion - I prefer Hawaiian sweet onions, but you can also use yellow lemons.
- Garlic - Freshly minced or jarred garlic.
- Potatoes - I like to use russet potatoes for chowder, and russet potatoes are big, so they make great chowder bowls.
- Olive Oil - Use this or any mild-flavored cooking oil.
- Cornstarch - For thickening. You can also use potato or tapioca starch.
- Seasoning includes paprika, fresh sage, salt, and ground black pepper.
Allergen Information:
This soup is gluten-free, soy-free, egg-free, and nut-free. I have not tested a dairy-free version.
I use this big soup pot at least once a week in our house. It makes a lot of soup, so you can easily freeze extras. This pot is easy to clean and comes with a tight-fitting lid.
Recipe Step-By-Step Directions:
The first step is making the potato bowls since they need baking time. If you are not making the potato bowls, skip this step.
Step 1: Cut the potatoes in half. Cut the rounded bottom off so that the potato will sit flat on the cutting board. Next, use a melon baller to scoop the centers out of the potatoes.
🔑 Sandi says: Do not scoop too deep for scooping potato centers. The inside of the potatoes soften a little as they bake, and if you scoop out too much around the bottom, the soup can leak out!
Step 2: Once you have all the centers scooped out, get the raw bacon and some toothpicks. Wrap one or two pieces of raw bacon around the outside of the potatoes.
You will want to pin the bacon to the potato with a toothpick. Once the bacon and potato bake together, you can remove the toothpicks.
This is what your bacon-wrapped potato bowls will look like when they are cooked.
Step 3: Add the chopped raw bacon, onion, celery, and diced potatoes to a pan. Cook on medium heat until the bacon is cooked.
Step 4: Add a little of the cold milk to a glass and add the cornstarch. Whisk it into a slurry. Pour in the milk, slurry, clams, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Pour into potato bowls or a regular bowl. Serve with these Gluten Free Breadsticks or Gluten Free Garlic Knots!
Storage:
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This gluten free chowder will keep fresh for up to 4 days.
Recipe FAQ:
I highly advise using russet potatoes to make the bowls for this recipe. These potatoes are larger and will hold more chowder than a smaller potato.
Thickening chowder without flour is easier than you may think! Use cornstarch, potato starch, arrowroot starch, or tapioca starch. Any will work!
You can easily freeze this chowder. It will keep up to 4 months in the freezer.
More Gluten Free Soup Recipes:
You can fill these potato bowls with anything. If you don't want to fill them with clam chowder, you can fill them with:
📖 Recipe
Homemade Gluten Free Clam Chowder in Potato Bowls
Equipment
Ingredients
Potato Bowls
- 12 slices bacon
- 4 large russet potatoes
For the Chowder
- 2 cups chopped potatoes
- ½ cup chopped cooked bacon * see note
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 minced garlic clove
- 3 cups whole milk * see note
- 20 ounces canned clams 1 can drained, one can with liquid
- 2 cups water
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon dried sage
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch * see note
Instructions
Potato Bowls
- Preheat the oven to 375° F.
- Slice each russet potato in half. Slice off the rounded part on the bottom of each. This will allow the potato bowl to sit evenly.
- Use a melon baller to scoop out the center of each raw potato. Leave ½ inch towards the bottom so the soup won't leak out the bottom.
- Wrap the raw potato bowls with a slice of raw bacon. Use a toothpick to pin the bacon down. (You will be able to remove this toothpick when the potatoes and bacon are cooked.)
- Bake the potatoes for 40-45 minutes until soft.
Chowder
- While the potatoes are baking, add oil, garlic, and onion to a soup pot. Sauté for 3 minutes.
- Add diced potatoes and the chopped raw slice of bacon to the pot and cook another 5 minutes.
- Add a little of the cold milk to a glass and add the cornstarch. Whisk it into a slurry.
- Add milk, cream, slurry, water, clams, and spices to the pot. Cover and bring to a gentle boil.
- Allow to boil for 5 minutes, reduce heat to a simmer and cook an additional 30 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Add cornstarch and mix quickly to avoid lumps
- Remove the potatoes from the oven, remove the toothpicks.
- Fill each potato bowl with hot chowder and garnish with fresh parsley.
Notes
- I recommend using full-fat milk to keep this soup creamy.
- I like to use canned clams because you can get a lot of clams for very low cost.
- Drain one can but use the clam juice from the second can.
- You can use any type of bacon, including turkey bacon to keep this lower fat.
- You can thicken this chowder with cornstarch, potato starch, or tapioca starch.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn't test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
This post was updated from an old November 2018 post with more recipe details.
Fearless Dining
Looking for more? Get my FREE Gluten Free Lemon Desserts E-Cookbook when you sign up for my weekly recipe newsletter!
Jeff
Couple questions. The ingredients shows 1/2 cup of heavy cream but doesn’t mention it anywhere in the recipe. Also the notes talk about gluten free flower but also does not mention that in the ingredients or in the recipe steps. Just curious
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Jeff, add it when you add the slurry and the rest of the milk. I clarified this in the recipe as well. Thank you.
Sabrina
Has anyone made this with coconut milk (canned)?
Sandi Gaertner
I haven't seen anyone say they used canned coconut milk in this recipe.