This Vegan Potato Chowder is a really flavorful and cozy bowl that is so simple to make! It is full of hearty vegetables too, and makes for a delicious vegan take on ‘clam’ chowder. With lots of texture and ready in under an hour, it’s sure to become a family favorite!
When creating this recipe, I totally wasn’t expecting it to turn out as yummy as it did. I was just in the mood for something really cozy that was filled with vegetables and some protein for a satisfying meal. Well, let me just say how pleasantly surprised I was when this soup was indeed SO delicious. And bonus points that my husband loved it too!
Plus, it’s slightly creamy without being too heavy, with the help of vegan sour cream that gets added in at the end of cooking. The soup is topped simply with chives and a dash of cayenne pepper, which add the perfect pop of spice.
The Addition of Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
This Vegan Potato Chowder has so much texture from the various vegetables (carrot, onion, celery, potato) and the textured vegetable protein (or simply “TVP” for short). It’s made of soy flour and is an affordable vegan protein source (one serving is 1/4 cup dry TVP and has 12-13g of protein depending on type/brand).
Anthony’s and Bob’s Red Mill have very similar varieties, where I’ve tried both and haven’t noticed much difference between the two. The TVP is sold dry, where you add boiling water to re-hydrate it. Once re-hydrated, it gets somewhat larger in size, and has a mild flavor. Therefore, it needs a little love to really make it shine, and it’s a blank canvas for endless recipe possibilities.
The TVP has a somewhat chewy texture, and so it’s a great substitute for chicken in soups or in a vegan “clam” chowder. Another great use for TVP is in pasta sauces to add both texture and protein. You can saute it first to add a bit of crisp.
How This Vegan Potato Chowder Comes Together
This chowder is really easy to make in one pot. First you’ll chop the onions, carrots and celery and cook them first in a bit of olive oil.
While those are cooking, it’s perfect timing to peel and chop the potatoes, and gather some of the remaining ingredients.
After the vegetables have been cooking for around 10 minutes (give them a stir every few minutes), you’ll add the potatoes and cornstarch, some of the seasonings, and vegetable broth. Once the potatoes are tender, you’ll add in the remaining seasonings.
To avoid any clumping, we don’t add in the vegan sour cream into the super hot soup. Rather, add the vegan sour cream into a bowl and slowly whisk in around 2 cups of the hot broth. This slowly brings up the temperature of the vegan sour cream. Doing it this way also makes for a smooth texture rather than dealing with any lumps of sour cream.
You’ll then add the sour cream mixture back into the large pot and you’re ready to serve. Toppings possibilities include chives and cayenne as I did here, or some shredded cheese and sliced scallions would be great too. You can even top with finely chopped fresh parsley as another option.
Other Delicious Soup Recipes
Vegan Vegetable Soup with Bowties
Thai Noodle and Vegetable Soup
Vegan Potato Chowder
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups carrots
- 1 ¼ cups celery
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cups diced potatoes approx 1.5 cm cubes
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp ground thyme
- 4-5 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup textured vegetable protein (TVP) dry (not yet re-hydrated)
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp vegan worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp dried tarragon
- 1/2 cup vegan sour cream
Garnish
- Chives (fresh or dried) and cayenne for serving
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, add the carrots, celery, onion, and olive oil. Cook for 10 minutes until the onions are translucent, stirring occasionally and adding a bit of water to prevent burning (a bit of browning is fine).
- Add the cornstarch and diced potatoes, and stir well. Then add the garlic powder, thyme, and 4 cups of vegetable broth.
- Stir, cover and bring to a boil.
- Meanwhile, place the vegan sour cream in a small mixing bowl.
- Once the soup is boiling, lower the heat and add the dry textured vegetable protein, nutritional yeast, vegan worcestershire sauce, kosher salt, and dried tarragon.
- Cook covered at a gentle simmer for approx 15 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender (stir around halfway through).
- Then turn off the heat and take about two cups of the broth and slowly whisk it into the vegan sour cream, to slowly bring up the heat of the sour cream.
- Transfer the sour cream mixture back into the pot and stir well. Add the remaining cup of vegetable broth if desiring a thinner texture and check for seasoning.
- Serve and top with the chives and cayenne to taste.