Vegan Potato Chowder w/ tomato & chickpea
Creamy, hearty, and heart-warming, this vegan potato chowder with tomato and chickpea is comfort food at its coziest. Move over clam chowder…
This is the ultimate vegan vegetable chowder. And one of the only potato chowders you will find without corn!
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Inspiration for this Homemade Vegan Chowder
One of my favorite meals growing up was my mom’s Captain’s Chowder, aka tuna chowder. Made with humble ingredients–mainly canned tuna, canned tomatoes, and potatoes–it was a simple dish, yet so tasty.
It was one of those easy recipes that was shared over the years…I think I even remember it in a Girl Scout recipe swap book?!
And it was one of two recipes that I brought with me to college. So tuna chowder was on regular rotation for most of my life.
A couple years back, I was craving tuna chowder and decided to veganize it one day. It was pretty close and hit the spot…but, of course, I didn’t write it down.
So this past winter, I had the craving and experimented again. After a few tries, this tasty version emerged…you could call it a vegan fish chowder or vegan clam chowder or sorts. Except this vegan chowder doesn’t try to replicate the fish exactly. Instead, it makes the vegetables the star of the dish using whole foods, with seasonings reminiscent of the sea.
Why I Love this Vegan Potato Chowder Recipe
This simple veggie chowder is the best! It is:
Easy to make
A simple, one pot meal!
Vegan
Gluten-free
Dairy-free
Healthy, it’s really just a wee bit of butter per serving, after all 🙂
Kid-friendly, my kids love this meal!
Versatile, you can include any veggies or beans that you love in this chowder
Makes perfect leftovers! Seriously, it is even more flavorful on day 2!
So delicious, I dare you to only have one bowl!
Pin this Potato and Chickpea Chowder for later:
Ingredients
- potatoes: I recommend Yukon gold if you can find them…they are creamy and smooth, and their waxier skin stays on more easily when cooked. Second choice is red potatoes.
- vegan butter: Since this recipe starts with a roux, butter is a must! Since most vegan butter is salted, the recipe is written assuming salted butter. If you use unsalted, you may need to add a bit more salt later.
- onions, garlic, & celery: like any good chowder, the base must include these aromatics!
- mushrooms: While optional, finely chopped mushrooms will add some earthiness and depth of flavor to this vegan chowder.
- flour: Necessarily for the roux and thickening of this chowder. See gluten free substitutions below.
- canned tomatoes: For natural sweetness, choose a high quality one if you can, like San Marzano.
- chickpeas: The chickpeas are the meat replacement in this recipe. They get nice and tender as the chowder cooks, and the aquafaba (chickpea liquid from the can) also aids in thickening the soup.
- thyme: A classic herb for chowders and other French cream-based dishes.
- sriracha: Because, sriracha in everything!
- cayenne: A more subtle hint of spice with just a few dashes.
- Old Bay seasoning: To really add that seafood chowder taste!
- spinach or greens of choice: Adds nutrient density without taking away the flavor.
- plant milk: It is amazing how creamy this vegan chowder is with plant-based milk instead of heavy cream! Consider using 2 different plant milks to tone down a pronounced flavor. I like to use oat milk and almond milk because I like the creaminess of the oat milk but think it is too sweet if I use only oat milk. And I like the almond milk because it has a more neutral flavor, but is not creamy enough to use solo. See other variations below.
- kelp granules: Essentially tiny pieces of dried seaweed, kelp granules give a mild sea flavor to the soup (think clam chowder or fish chowder but way milder).
Variations & Substitutions
This vegan potato soup recipe is adaptable to include your favorite ingredients, and/or omit any from the recipe, too.
- Vegetables: Leeks can be substituted for the onions if you prefer. Other veggies work great too, like green beans, squash, corn, and cabbage. These can be in addition to the ingredient list, or in place of the mushrooms or greens.
- Beans: White beans work well in this dish as well, if you prefer them to garbanzo beans. Or 1 can of each works too.
- Plant Milk: Any plant milk works in this recipe. While I like to do half almond and half oat, coconut, cashew, or soy would work as well too.
- Flour: in this recipe, we add flour to make a sort of roux with the butter and veggies. Instead of white flour, you can use wheat flour, chickpea flour, or coconut flour.
- Seasonings: While the seasonings in this recipe create an amazing flavor to the soup base, they can be omitted or substituted as desired.
- Old Bay seasoning is a typical addition to seafood dishes, so using it will give the chowder a similar flavor. But if you don’t have it or don’t want to use it, addition sea salt works too.
- Sriracha and cayenne add a layer of heat to the creamy broth. Use less or none if you prefer. Or, use another hot sauce or chili sauce in place of them.
- Kelp granules are essentially tiny pieces of dried seaweed. They give a mild sea flavor to the soup (think clam chowder or fish chowder but way milder), but if you don’t have them on hand, easy to omit.
How to Make this Potato and Vegetable Chowder
This simple one pot meal comes together in a few easy steps. Add veggies to melted butter and cook until soft.
Add garlic, cook for another minute. Sprinkle flour over veggies and then stir until dissolved, about 3 minutes.
Add whole or diced tomatoes. If using whole tomatoes, use spatula or clean hands to break into pieces. Then add potatoes, chickpeas, water, thyme, sea salt, black pepper, cayenne, Old Bay, kelp granules, and sriracha. Stir to combine.
Bring to boil, then cover and turn to low. Cook for about 20 minutes until potatoes are soft. Open pot to stir every 3-4 minutes, scraping bottom to avoid burning.
Add greens and take off heat. Cover for 2 minutes to allow greens to wilt.
Add plant milk. Stir. Cover and let sit for at least 10 minutes to allow flavors to blend and broth to thicken.
Ladle and serve with fresh cracked pepper, parsley, and fresh bread (optional).
Serving Suggestions
This dairy-free potato chowder is a complete meal all on its own. Top with fresh herbs, fresh cracked black pepper, red pepper flakes, or oyster crackers. Serve with fresh bread or toast (my kids love naan bread with it!).
Serve with a salad for a lovely balance of warm and fresh.
Storage & Reheating
Store leftovers in fridge for up to five days. Freeze leftovers in airtight container for up to five months.
FAQs
A chowder is a soup that uses milk or cream as part of the soup base. Or, plant milk or plant cream for a vegan chowder.
Milk or plant milk work great for chowder, using a roux or flour to thicken the milk.
Oat, coconut, soy, and cashew are great creamy options for plant-based soups and chowders.
Soup is a broad term and includes both stew and chowder. Chowders include cream or milk (or plant milk for vegan). Stews are made with water or stock and often include wine or beer.
Potatoes are the most common base in a vegetable chowder. Other common ingredients include onions or leeks, tomatoes, greens, corn, mushrooms, carrots, and celery.
There are a few ways to thicken plant-based soups, stews, and chowders. You can add flour or cornstarch to make a type of roux, add aquafaba (or liquid from chickpea can) to thicken soup, or blend/puree some of the veggies after they cook and add them back into the soup.
If you enjoy this Vegan Potato Chowder recipe, you may also like:
- Irristible White Beans & Greens
- Carrot & Lentil Soup (Stovetop & Instant Pot)
- Superfood Soup (with lentils, sweet potato, kale, & more)
- Semi-Homemade Veggie Dumpling Soup
- Savory Steel Cut Oats
- Green Vegan Pasta Primavera
Tried this recipe? I would love to know what you thought! Please rate and review below!
Cheers!
–Jenn
Vegan Potato Chowder with Tomato and Chickpea
Equipment
- cutting board
- sharp knife
- Dutch oven or other large pot with lid
- spatula
- ladle
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons salted vegan butter (1/4 cup)
- 1 large onion, diced about 1.5 cups
- 2 stalks celery, chopped about 1 cup
- 3/4 cup mushrooms, chopped optional
- 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup flour
- 6 cups Yukon gold or red potatoes, diced (about 7-8 medium/large potatoes) okay to keep skin on
- 1 28 ounce can tomatoes, whole or diced like San Marzano
- 2 cans chickpeas, including liquid
- 1 cup water
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
- black pepper to taste
- 2-3 shakes cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sriracha
- 1 teaspoon kelp granules* optional, see note below
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning or else add 1/2 tsp more sea salt
- 4 cups spinach or greens of choice
- 4 cups plant milk** see note below
Instructions
- Melt butter in pot over medium heat.
- Add onions, celery, and mushrooms. Cook for 5-6 minutes until soft, stirring occasionally to avoid burning.
- Add garlic. Stir for 1 more minute.
- Sprinkle flour over vegetables and mix. Continue stirring for 2-3 minutes until flour is dissolved.
- Add tomatoes. If using whole tomatoes, use spatula or clean hands to break into pieces.
- Add potatoes, chickpeas with liquid, water, thyme, sea salt, black pepper, cayenne, kelp, Old Bay, and sriracha. Stir to combine.
- Bring to boil, then cover and turn to low.
- Cook for about 20 minutes until potatoes are soft. Open pot to stir every 3-4 minutes to avoid burning.
- Add greens and take off heat. Cover for 2 minutes to allow greens to wilt.
- Add plant milk. Stir. Cover and let sit for at least 10 minutes to allow flavors to blend and broth to thicken.
- Taste soup. Adjust seasonings as needed (salt, pepper, sriracha).
- Ladle and serve with fresh cracked pepper, fresh parsley or fresh bread.
This soup was cozy and delicious. Perfect for our rainy day dinner!
what a creamy and hearty potato chowder. i love how you added chickpeas to it
Yum, this potato chowder is so creamy and flavorful, my whole family enjoyed this dinner!
So hearty and filling! Love it!