Fall and winter almost beg for the warm comfort of creamy soups. I am sure it has something to do with all that chilly weather, but nothing satisfies on a cool evening better than a steaming bowl of hot soup.
I love this chowder because it goes together so quickly with relatively few, simple ingredients.
There is nothing too fancy for a wary child’s palette, and it is creamy without being laden with cream and fat.
You won’t believe there is no cream in this recipe!!
And you’ll love how quickly this warming soup gets on the table!
Can I freeze this soup?
Of course!! I love to freeze portions either in mason jars (leave room for expansion), or freezer safe Ziploc bags, or my new freezing best friend: Souper Cubes (which take all the mess and effort out of freezing soups, purees, and anything your heart desires!)
To reheat, let thaw, then heat gently over medium low heat on the stove!
Serving suggestions for the creamy dairy free potato soup
- A warm bowl of soup always goes well with my Corn-Free Millet Cornbread.
- These grain beauties are one of my absolute favorites : Flaky Paleo Biscuits
- If you need an gluten free, egg free biscuit, look no further! Gluten and Dairy Free Biscuits.
Potato & ham soup in your lunchbox?
This soup travels well in a thermos for lunch!
I learned the trick of ‘preheating’ my chosen thermos with hot water…and it made a world of difference in the heat of my lunch time goodies!
Low carb potato soup:
I like to make this with either part or all cauliflower!
If I use part potato part cauliflower, the kids are none the wiser…and everyone gets a healthy serving of veggies! I love the all cauliflower version…but it will not be quite as creamy. You can add 4-8 ounces of cream cheese to compensate if you like!
Another option is using chopped rutabaga…my newly discovered low carb root vegetable (I love these roasted rutabaga fries!) It is mild in flavor and has a creamy texture. You can also use part cauliflower, part rutabaga too!
If you are keto, skip the roux for thickening, reduce liquids by half, and add in 4-8oz of cream cheese to thicken at the end. Could also add 1/2t -1 teaspoon xanthan or guar gum to thicken further.
Additionally, this Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar soup looks fantastic!
Can I use any dairy free milk for this?
**It is important to note that ‘plain‘ non-dairy milks often contain some sugar. For savory dishes like this, I like to be sure and use an ‘unsweetened‘ variety, which will be stated explicitly on the carton. You can also look at the grams of sugar on the nutrition label to be sure, it should be zero!
You can use any preferred dairy free milk that YOU like! I prefer to use ones that are neutral in flavor. We don’t need full fat milks here since the potatoes and the roux make this soup nice and creamy without adding extra fat.
Dairy Free Potato Soup Recipe:
If you try this warming bowl of potato chowder, be sure to come back and leave a comment below!
Creamy Dairy Free Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups potatoes peeled and diced , I used a mixture of yellow and red. Yellow are more creamy I have also taken to using half cauliflower instead to increase the nutrients...no one can tell the difference!
- 2/3 cup celery diced
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 pound cooked ham I used thinly sliced deli ham, bite size pieces
- 3 cups chicken broth or veggie broth
- 5 tablespoons any allowed butter vegan or otherwise
- 5 tablespoons cassava flour or any rice flour
- 2 cups unsweetened non-dairy milk** I used unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk, in the green carton
- 1 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or to taste. Will depend on if the broth is salted or not, taste and decide.
Optional Garnishes:
- cooked chopped bacon shredded cheese, sliced green onions
Instructions
- Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham, and broth of choice in a stockpot.
- Bring to a boil and gently simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes.
- Lightly mash the potatoes with a fork or potato masher, right inside the stockpot, no need to remove them first. This mashing helps deliver the dairy-free creaminess to the soup. Alternately, you can use to get it extra smooth (see notes above, ham will need to withheld if you want to puree and added in after)
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter and whisk in the flour to remove any lumps. Add to the stockpot and whisk to blend.
- Pour in the milk while whisking.
- Cook until smooth, thick, and creamy.
- Add in salt and pepper to taste, and pinch of cayenne wouldn't hurt either!
Nutrition
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Would the green part of scallions work? I’m on a FODMAP diet.
I think so Jan!
This creamy ham and potato chowder really lives up to its namesake. What a delightful way to stay warm in this cold winter weather!
We need an instant pot version! LOVE this soup!!
This one is easily modified for the Instant Pot. Instead of on the stove top, pressure cook for 7 minutes, quick release, then puree/mash right in the insert and add in the milk/flour combo. Turn on saute feature, and cook until thick!
I share this recipe over and over again. It’s a great choice for a non allergen soup. I have a group of friends that are dairy free, gluten free and vegan and this recipe is very inclusive to each of them.
I always have shredded cheese, bacon and chives on the side for the omnivores to add ?
Great Lisa, so glad it works for so many friends for you! We make,it regularly,here too, and often for large groups…it always goes over well!
I’ve made this 2x this last month and plan to do it again tomorrow! Love it! Had a friend over and gave her the recipe too since she loved it so much!
Hi Brittan!! We adore this soup and make it everytime we have ham around…it is always a crowd-pleaser! Thanks for your feedback!!
Soy worked great, too. Hard to find unsweetened soy milk but we get ours at Trader Joe’s.
Good to know Jacqueline, thank you!
This is FABULOUS! Didn’t make any changes and bought the coconut milk you recommended. FABULOUS!!
I need to make this soon! Sounds really good 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! Being dairy free has not been a big deal for me until it got chilly and I had a craving for my potato soup. I will definitely give this a try!
I made this tonight. I don’t generally like potato soup but my husband loves it so I thought I’d give it a whirl. As a side note, I made the “best whole chicken in a crockpot” last night from the blog 100 days of real food and used her tip to make chicken stock in the crockpot overnight. So today, I had fresh stock. And myself, the hubby, and 2 out of 3 kids GOBBLED it up! It was seriously restaurant quality. I should mention that we can do dairy so I used organic whole milk, but since it’s so rich I used 1/2 the recommended amount. Cut back a tiny bit on the fat and used rice flour and cayenne like called for. Man it was the BEST soup I’ve had in s long time!! Thank you!!!
Some lofty praise Rebekah! I am not a potato soup kind of gal either, yet I always love this one too..I have lots of friends and family who make the regularly in their favorites rotation!
I just made this for dinner and it is SO GOOD! I didn’t have celery so I used celery seed. MMmmmm! Thanks!
I love how quick and flavorful this soup is…making it for a friend this week myself Tiya!! Thanks for coming back and letting me know!
What a lovely comforting chowder for a cold day! I love how you have made it dairy free without compromising any of the flavour or texture 🙂
I think this is what we'll try tonight for dinner. I was going to do ham & bean, but potatoes don't take as much preparation as dried beans. Plus, I just love creamy potato chowders. And, I made homemade chicken broth from our whole chicken. It simmered in the crockpot all night and smells/looks so rich. I can't wait to try it! Thanks for pointing me in this direction. I'll let you know how it turns out.
I love this healthy version of a classic. It sounds delicious.
double yum! my family loved it!kirsten
I would try unsweetened almond or rice!
I was going to ask if anyone has used another dairy-free milk besides coconut. I want to try this but am sensitive to the coconut taste myself. :)kirsten
Glad you enjoyed it!
I tried this last night and doubled it! But, I only used on onion still! I used chicken broth and Water. Added turkey bacon instead of Ham! Very delicious! A keeper recipe! thank you very much!
@ Annaliese: I am glad this recipe gives you courage…the whole point of my blog!! If you have questions, please shoot them my way…via my facebook page would be easiest, or another comment!
Chowders are my favorite soups, and it's been daunting for me to attempt to make them gluten-free. I'll have to try out this recipe!
@ Linda: find the So Delicious brand to have the least coconut flavor of any of the brands I have tried. If your son still shies from it (I'd be surprised) it disappears in baked goods! You're right though, any non-dairy milk usually works great. Some leave aftertastes, as I am sure you know. I like how the coconut milk varieties are a little thicker too.
I love any kind of potato chowder. I was so pleased when I went dairy free to find that almond milk worked just as well as dairy milk in my chowder recipes. I haven't tried coconut milk because one of my kids is picky about the taste of it. This recipe looks really good, and I'm sure you're right that it would be good for a lunch box meal.
yum! love how it's creamy without the dairy! i think i will definitely be giving this a try!
~Michelle @ The G-Free Wifey