With so many workarounds in the keto world for various ingredients, I figured it was time to try my hand at a chowder. I was feeling pretty confident since I was able to fool everyone with my varieties of faux cauliflower potatoes at Thanksgiving—maybe it would work in a keto clam chowder recipe.

You don’t have to be from New England, the birthplace of clam chowder, to enjoy a nice bowl of chowder, or chowda as it is often referred to. In fact, you don’t even need to live near a body of water, as canned clams are available on your grocer’s shelves year-round and make for an excellent protein source in your favorite soup or stew.

The word “chowder” is thought to come from an old French term for cauldron or a big cooking pot: “Chaudière.”

Traditionally, chowder is made with salted pork, onions, potatoes, milk or cream, butter, and fish like cod or haddock, or, of course, clams. But to make this keto clam chowder recipe, I needed to make some modifications. Here is the kicker: what I modified to make this keto chowder took nothing away from the taste! Trust me, you will love this keto clam chowder recipe.

Keto Clam Chowder Recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 cups clam juice
• 1 head cauliflower, diced
• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus one tsp
• 1 cup chopped clams (canned or fresh)
• 6 pieces bacon, cooked
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• ¼ cup butter
• 6 leaves fresh tarragon
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 tsp garlic

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 F.
2. Bake cauliflower mixed with 3 Tbsp of olive oil for 15 – 20 minutes, until caramelized.
3. In a large saucepan, add clam juice, onion, and celery. Start reducing on high heat.
4. Chop up bacon and tarragon into bite-size pieces, and add to the sauce pan with the clam juice along with garlic and bay
   leaves.
5. When the clam juice has reduced to 1/3 volume, add the clams, butter, baked cauliflower, and heavy whipping cream. Bring to a boil for just 30 seconds.
6. Quickly remove from the heat to cool for 15 minutes.
7. Remove bay leaves.
8. Mix 1 tsp of xanthan gum with 1 tsp of olive oil and stir into the chowder.
9. Move it back onto the stove, and bring it to a rolling boil for 30 seconds or until thick, stirring constantly.
10. Add fresh cracked black pepper, to taste.
11. Remove from heat.
12. Enjoy!

Chef Note: If you would prefer to use a bone broth (or vegetable broth) in lieu of clam juice, this is a great substitute for this keto clam chowder recipe.

Chef Note: If you do not have xanthan gum, you may also use guar gum or even an egg as they are both great thickening agents.

Chef Note: Some folks have been known to toss a splash of red wine vinegar on top of their bowl of chowder just before serving to give it a little extra something-something. Give it a try and see what you think!

Nutrition Facts:
Yields 12 servings

• Calories: 270
• Fat: 26.3 g
• Carbs: 3.8 g
• Fiber: .9 g
• Sugar: 1 g
• Protein: 5.7 g

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