• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Low Carb Yum
Easy Gluten-Free & Keto-Friendly Recipes
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • Start Keto
    • What Is The Keto Diet?
    • The Benefits Of A Keto Diet
    • What Are Macros In Keto?
    • Best Keto Fruits
    • Best Keto Vegetables
    • 5 Types Of Keto Diets
    • Low Carb vs Keto?
    • The Keto Food Pyramid
    • Keto Supplements
  • Recipes
    • By Course
      • Keto Appetizers
      • Keto Drinks
      • Low Carb Breads
      • Keto Casserole Recipes
      • Keto Salads
      • Sauces & Dressings
      • Keto Sides
      • Low Carb Snacks
      • Low Carb Soups
    • By Cuisines
      • Asian
      • Italian
      • Mexican
      • Southern
    • By Diet
      • Dairy-Free
      • Paleo
      • AIP
      • Nut-Free
      • Egg-Free
      • Vegetarian
      • Vegan
      • Kid Friendly
    • By Cooking Style
      • Air Fryer
      • Crock Pot
      • Instant Pot
      • One Pan
      • Freezer Friendly
      • 30 Minutes or Less
  • Fast Food Menus
  • Breakfast
  • Dinner
    • Beef
    • Casseroles
    • Chicken
    • Eggs
    • Pork
    • Seafood
    • Turkey
  • Desserts
    • Cakes
    • Candy
    • Cheesecakes
    • Cookies
    • Frosting
    • Frozen Desserts
    • Fruit
    • Pies
    • Puddings
  • Shop
    • 5-Ingredient Keto Cookbook
    • Simple Keto Meals Cookbook
    • Low Carb Casseroles eCookbook
    • Low Carb Keto Products
Home / Recipes / Kid Friendly

Keto Clam Chowder – Low Carb New England Style

By Lisa MarcAurele · Feb 1, 2021 · 20 Comments

3.5K shares
Jump to Recipe
Low Carb Keto Clam Chowder

A keto clam chowder replaces the high carb potatoes with a low carb alternative. It’s a creamy New England style chowder that’s sure to please any seafood lover.

keto clam chowder recipe
Article Index
  • How Many Carbs in Clam Chowder
  • What Are Other Potato Alternatives for Low Carb Clam Chowder?
  • How to Make Keto Clam Chowder
  • Notes on the Recipe
  • Other seafood low carb recipes
  • Recipe

The white New England clam chowder with the milk base is a favorite of mine. It’s usually made with a mixture of cream and milk as well as a bunch of diced potatoes. In this keto clam chowder, I use diluted cream instead of regular milk and daikon radish in place of the potatoes.

When it comes to my favorite soups, chowder in high on the list. I’ve even made a dairy free salmon chowder. However, traditional chowders tend to have a lot of starch.

How Many Carbs in Clam Chowder

According to the USDA, one cup of Campbell’s Chunky New England Clam Chowder has 22.6 grams of carbohydrates with 3 grams of fiber. That’s about 11 times more than my homemade low carb chowder containing daikon radish instead of potatoes.

One cup of daikon has about 4.3 grams effective carbs compared to one cup of potatoes which has about 31 grams. The taste and consistency of this type of radish is very similar to potatoes.

daikon radish in steamer basket

What Are Other Potato Alternatives for Low Carb Clam Chowder?

If you can’t find the daikon radish, you can use regular red radishes. Turnips are another great alternative for potatoes.

I used regular radishes in my Zuppa Toscana soup and turnips in my turkey stew. You’d never know there wasn’t potatoes in either of those.

The daikon radish in this chowder is very convincing too. I served it at a potluck and no one even questioned the ingredients.

celery and seasonings in pot

How to Make Keto Clam Chowder

In order for daikon radish to feel like a potato in the clam chowder recipe, you’ll want to steam it until it’s very soft. It takes about 40 minutes to cook over boiling water on the stove top. But you can do it in a quarter of the time under high pressure in an Instant Pot.

While the radish is cooking, cook the chopped bacon until crisp in a large pot or Dutch oven. Then transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate to absorb excess grease. However, if you’re on a keto diet and need the extra fat, don’t bother absorbing the grease out.

Add celery and seasonings into the bacon fat. Cook the celery until it softens before adding in the cream, low carb milk, and clam juice. If the soup is too thin, feel free to add a low carb thickener like cream cheese, guar gum, or xanthan gum.

Once a boil is reached, add canned clams along with the prepared radish and bacon. For added color, you’ll also want to toss in some fresh parsley. When the temperature gets to a simmer, the keto chowder is ready to serve.

pot of keto chowder

Notes on the Recipe

Overall, I enjoyed this New England clam chowder as much as high carb ones I've had in the past. It’s now one of my favorite low carb keto soups. 

I used small whole baby clams for the recipe. But you can use larger sized ones and just chop them up. Others may want to change the seasonings a bit. If you don’t like it too spicy, you can leave out the cayenne or use only a pinch.

low carb clam chowder

Other seafood low carb recipes

If you love seafood, you’ll want to try some of these other recipes.

  • Lobster Bisque is a delicious creamy soup for lobster lovers!
  • White Clam Sauce with Zoodles is another fantastic clam recipe.
  • Seafood Pizza combines different fish and shellfish for the topping.
  • Baked Sea Scallops are a crowd pleasing appetizer.
  • Oven Fried Fish Fillets is perfect for Lenten Friday dinners.

What's your favorite keto friendly seafood recipe?

Follow us on FACEBOOK, PINTEREST, and INSTAGRAM for even more tasty keto-friendly recipes!

Recipe

keto clam chowder

New England Clam Chowder

5 from 7 votes
This low carb New England clam chowder replaces the high carb potatoes with daikon radish and lower carb coconut milk replaces the regular milk.
Prep Time:10 minutes mins
Cook Time:1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
Total Time:1 hour hr 20 minutes mins
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Print Review Recipe Save Recipe View Collections
Servings: 12 people
Calories: 158

Ingredients

  • 3 cups daikon radish cut in small cubes
  • 8 pieces no sugar bacon
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 celery stalks diced
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon celery salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 ½ cups heavy cream
  • 1 ½ cups unsweetened coconut milk
  • 16 ounces bottled clam juice
  • 1 teaspoon guar gum or xanthan gum
  • 20 ounces canned whole baby clams
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Steam the daikon for about 40 minutes or until tender. Set aside.
  • Chop bacon into small pieces and cook until crisp. Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon grease. Drain bacon pieces and set aside on paper towels.
  • Fry celery in bacon grease until it starts to become soft. Add the garlic and spices. Stir and cook for about a minute. Stir in the liquid ingredients. Sprinkle in the guar gum. Cook until the mixture begins to simmer.
  • Add clams, daikon, bacon, and parsley. Heat again until just at a simmer.

Notes

Makes 12 servings
Carbs per serving: about 3g

Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 158 | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 414mg | Potassium: 42mg | Fiber: 1g | Vitamin A: 600IU | Vitamin C: 1.7mg | Calcium: 140mg | Iron: 1.3mg

Additional Info

Net Carbs: 1 g | % Carbs: 3.3 % | % Protein: 23 % | % Fat: 73.8 % | SmartPoints: 6
Values
Array
(
    [serving_size] => 1
    [calories] => 158
    [carbohydrates] => 2
    [protein] => 7
    [fat] => 10
    [saturated_fat] => 8
    [monounsaturated_fat] => 3
    [cholesterol] => 63
    [sodium] => 414
    [potassium] => 42
    [fiber] => 1
    [vitamin_a] => 600
    [vitamin_c] => 1.7
    [calcium] => 140
    [iron] => 1.3
    [serving_unit] => cup
)

Notes on Nutritional Information

Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.

Copyright

© LowCarbYum.com - Unauthorized use of this material without written permission is strictly prohibited unless for personal offline purposes. Single photos may be used, provided that full credit is given to LowCarbYum.com along with a link back to the original content.

First Published: October 10, 2010...
Last Updated: September 26, 2019
« Low Carb Pizza Casserole - Gluten Free & Keto!
Keto Shepherd's Pie or Cottage Pie »

Related Posts

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Rick

    July 25, 2024 at 3:28 pm

    Can diced turnips be substituted for the daikon radishes? If so, do you recommend steaming them prior as well?

    Reply
  2. Dennis

    July 02, 2022 at 6:13 pm

    Amazing. Kudos from my non keto family. Subbed red radishes, no problem. Thanks!

    Dennis

    Reply
  3. Jennifer

    September 26, 2019 at 3:04 pm

    A great recipe here, Lisa! My kids and I made this clam chowder recently and it was delicious! My family has seen some wonderful results with this Keto Diet.

    Reply
  4. Peter Leeman

    September 26, 2019 at 9:46 am

    Question on adding the Guar/Xanthum gum...

    Does one work or taste better or are they lost in the mix?

    I am concerned adding a teaspoon may just turn into a lump!
    Is it necessary to add it to water first like cornstarch or better to just broadcast sprinkle it all over so it can't clump?

    Reply
    • Lisa MarcAurele

      September 26, 2019 at 11:52 am

      No need to add to water first and neither has any taste. I find they work about the same and you only need a small amount.

      Reply
  5. Nathan

    July 31, 2018 at 3:49 pm

    Hi,

    Would you have any idea how to do this recipe in the Instant Pot? It sounds delicious!

    Reply
    • Lisa

      August 01, 2018 at 12:44 pm

      You need to be careful with heavy cream under pressure as it can curdle. I'd do it on the slow cooker setting of the Instant Pot.

      Reply
  6. Janet Edstedt

    June 19, 2018 at 3:18 pm

    Can this be frozen?

    Reply
    • Lisa

      June 20, 2018 at 5:46 am

      I've never frozen it before but have had success freezing other soups.

      Reply
    • Ashley

      December 23, 2021 at 6:32 pm

      I had success with freezing my left over clam chowder. It was still delicious when I thawed and reheated it.

      Reply
      • Marilyn

        April 08, 2022 at 1:36 pm

        Could you use jicama instead of the radishes?

      • Lisa MarcAurele

        April 08, 2022 at 8:47 pm

        You can use jicama but I find they don't soften as much.

  7. Emily Kemp

    June 10, 2018 at 10:18 am

    5 stars
    Yum, this looks so delicious!

    Reply
  8. Darlene Periconi

    December 19, 2015 at 1:20 pm

    Did you use the liquid from the clams as well as the bottle?

    Reply
    • Lisa

      December 19, 2015 at 5:17 pm

      Yes. Adding the liquid adds extra clam flavor! ?

      Reply
  9. Debbie

    February 02, 2012 at 12:23 am

    I don't understand the "2 oz. bottles clam juice". It seems it's asking for 2 bottles of clam juice, but what size bottles? 8 oz?

    Reply
    • Lisa

      February 03, 2012 at 10:50 pm

      Yes. It is the standard 8 oz size bottle. Thanks for catching that.

      Reply
  10. June

    October 26, 2010 at 5:25 pm

    I've never tried daikon in place of potato...I usually stick to cauli or jicama, but I've long wanted to make a low carb chowder and neither of those flavors seemed to fit. I'm going to give this a try!

    Reply
  11. fooddreamer

    October 11, 2010 at 1:16 pm

    Oh Lisa, you have saved me! We do clam chowder (or around these parts, chowdah) for Christmas Eve dinner, and I was wondering how to make it less carby. Brilliant!

    Reply
  12. Betsy

    October 10, 2010 at 6:22 pm

    I love daikon and use it in all kinds of soups! And that So Delicious coconut milk is amazing. It works beautifully in every recipe that calls for milk.

    Reply
5 from 7 votes (6 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

BEST Keto Fall Recipes

Here are some of our most popular keto fall recipes you can make this season! From homemade dips to quick and easy dinner recipes, these low-carb recipes will be on repeat all summer long!

  • Keto Beef Stew Featured Image
    Easy Keto Beef Stew Recipe
  • Pumpkin Cheese Ball
  • Keto Pumpkin Deviled Eggs
  • overhead of shredded pot roast in the slow cooker after cooking with two forks in it.
    Mississippi Mud Roast (Crockpot Recipe)
  • healthy pumpkin smoothie featured image.
    Healthy Pumpkin Smoothie (With Pumpkin Pie Spice)
  • hot dog mummies on halloween platter.
    Keto Mummy Hot Dogs

Popular Fall Keto Desserts

Desserts can be a challenge while on a keto or low-carb diet. We have wonderful recipes to satisfy your sweet tooth while watching those macros!

  • Keto peanut butter cookies featured image.
    3-Ingredient Keto Peanut Butter Cookies
  • Keto cinnamon churro featured
    Cinnamon Churros (Keto + Low-Carb)
  • pumpkin chocolate chip muffins on wire rack
    Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins (Keto + Gluten Free)
  • pumpkin truffles candy featured image
    Keto Pumpkin Truffles Recipe (Sugar-Free Candy)
  • keto snowball cookies
    Keto Snowball Cookies
  • sugar free snickers Featured Image
    Sugar Free Snickers Bar

Footer

Featured On:

Parade FitnessHuffington PostHealthLineBuzzFeedThe KitchnShapeWomen's HealthCountry Living Men's Health

Keto

  • Get Started
  • Keto Calculator
  • Low Carb vs Keto
  • Low Carb Food List

Recipes

  • Breakfast
  • Desserts
  • Dinners
  • Salads
  • Sides

About

  • About
  • Contact
  • Newsletter
  • Work With Us

↑ back to top

LowCarbYum.com makes money through affiliate partner links: If you click on a link, we may earn a commission. Our writers create all reviews, recipes, and other content to inform readers, with no influence from our advertisers. LowCarbYum.com may earn from qualifying purchased made on Amazon.com. Learn more about our policies and disclosures.

Copyright © 2025. Low Carb Yum. All Rights Reserved.

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.