Instant Pot “Cheesy” Sausage Chowder
This Instant Pot Dairy Free “Cheesy” Sausage Chowder is so good it feels like you’re doing something wrong.
Comfort food at it’s finest! This clean eating dish is perfect for the cooler months ahead.
When we gave up dairy a couple of years ago I wanted to find things that satisfied our hunger like a nice cheesy and creamy soup without the icky ingredients and resulting belly ache. I began exploring vegan options and cashew substitutions. I could not believe how much the protein in cashews could satisfy just like heavy cream and cheese.
No need to feel left out this Fall while everyone enjoys their delicious dairy filled chowders. You can indulge in something that tastes equally as good without disrupting your digestion.
This recipe took a lot of trial and error but I finally found the perfect recipe to satisfy our cravings! Let me tell you there is never a drop of this left! My husband and kiddos gobble this up faster than I can sit it on the table. I can guarantee you won’t hear any complaints about this recipe and everyone will be begging for seconds.
If you enjoyed this cheesy recipe you’ll love my Instant Pot Vegan Lasagna, click here!
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If you make this delicious recipe, be sure to share a picture of it on Instagram with the hashtag #InstantLoss. I love seeing your kitchen creations!
Brittany Williams has taken the weight loss world by storm with her best-selling Instant Loss Cookbook. After reaching a peak weight of 260 pounds and spending a lifetime struggling with obesity, yo-yo dieting, autoimmune diseases, and chronic fatigue, Brittany changed her relationship with food and lost an astonishing 125 pounds in a year through diet alone.
Brittany’s latest book, Instant Loss Eat Real, Lose Weight shows how to make this a sustainable lifestyle with kid and family-friendly meals—from Strawberry Shortcake Oatmeal to Cowboy Chili to Easy 2-Minute Pork Chops. Members of her growing community have reported losing 50 and even 100 pounds themselves! This cookbook will help others achieve similar success with simple, delicious meals, nearly all ready in 30 minutes or less.
Instant Pot "Cheesy" Sausage Chowder
Print RecipeIngredients
- 3 Grass-fed Sausage/Brats diced into 1/4 in pieces
- 1 medium Sweet Potato cubed
- 1 medium Apple cored and diced
- 1/2 large Onion diced
- 2 large handfuls of Baby Spinach
- 8 oz Grain Free Pasta of choice lentil, chickpea, black bean (all work well)
- 1 cup Raw Cashews
- 4 cups Water divided
- 1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast
- 2 tsp Sea Salt
- 2 tbsp Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
- 1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
Instructions
- Place sausage, sweet potatoes, apples, onion, baby spinach and pasta in your Instant Pot Pressure cooker.
- Using a high powdered blender, like the Vitamix, blend 1 cup raw cashews, 2 cups water, 1/4 cup nutritional yeast, 2 tsp sea salt, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, and 1/4 tsp black pepper on high until cashews have completely dissolved.
- Pour mixture in the Instant Pot. Add the two remaining cups of water to the blender and swish around to get all the extra goodies. Add to the Instant Pot and stir.
- Put the lid on your pressure cooker, make sure the vent valve is in the SEALING position. Select the MANUAL function and use the +/- buttons until the pot reads 10 minutes.
- When the pot has finished cooking let it naturally release the pressure for 10 minutes. If the pin hasn't dropped yet open the vent valve.
Hiya! Loving your recipes!
For this one, what could one substitute for the vegan-cheesy-ness? We can’t have cashews in our house (or any tree nut), so what could I use instead? perhaps some type of pre-made vegan creamy soup? Or even a non-vegan one…. we eats lots of dairy around here 🙂
should the sausage/brats be uncooked or cooked prior to going into the instant pot?
Uncooked. 🙂
I made this last night and had leftovers for lunch today. It was delicious and even better today.
YAY! I’m so happy to hear that you liked it!
Trying to make this tonight. My pot won’t come to pressure. It’s been thru like 5 pressurize cycles. I think the sauce is too thick & it’s making like a crust at the bottom of the pot.
Hi Tracy, I’m sorry about that! If that happens again just add an extra cup of water to the top and don’t stir.
I’m having the same problem!
The first time I made this it was great. The second time I stirred and it did this. Will try the no stir method next time.
Yummy 😋Love it!
This looks heavenly! I think my husband would even approve of this meal!
Is there anything I can use instead of cashews? My son is allergic to pistachios and cashews.
This looks delicious and I’d love to make it! But…I don’t have a Vitamix. Any suggestions?
Just got my pot & have not even done water test yet. Need to lose 100#. You look great. What does the yeast do in this recipe? What makes the soup thick? I can’t think only 1 cup of cashews do. Can the yeast be left out?
Hi Donna, Nutritional yeast is different then rapid dry. 🙂 Here’s a bit more information on it:https://draxe.com/nutritional-yeast/
The cashews thicken once cooked. Do not leave the nutritional yeast out.
The yeast makes it taste like cheese
I tried this recipe and it was delish, and very filling. Just curious about calories. Because of cashews i imagine one serving is about 400+. Keep recipes coming!!!! Love them.
So I have nut allergies in my house but dairy is actually ok. What were you technically subbing out for the cashews? Milk?
I just found your recipes and am very excited to try the Instant Pot ones! I am allergic to cashews. What other substitution would you suggest?
Just curious if the Cashews are required, or what could replace that ingredient, I have a severe Nut allergy.
Yes, cashews are required it what makes it thick and “cheesy”.
Cashews are legumes, not nuts! Does that help?
I have had a very bad reaction to the trader joes nutritional yeast. Is there another nutritional yeast I can try. I had such a bad headache migraine
and thought I needed to go to the doctor.
Sarah, most NY is fortified. You want something unfortified. I use this brand:http://amzn.to/2iRWPu4
What other type of sausage can you used if you do not eat pork.
Turkey or chicken. I don’t eat pork either.
Have you tried using Cashew “Milk”? I’m curious if it makes any difference?
Just made this tonight!!! Super yummy!
This is one of my favorite recipes so far!. I didn’t know there were different kinds of Nutritional yeasts, so I bought Bragg’s. It turned out a little too thick (I’ll add more water next time) and it looked “grainy”, like it had quinoa in it, but that could be the Bragg’s yeast? I used red lentil rotini pasta and my family didn’t even notice b/c it completed “dissolved” into the chowder to make it even more thick and creamy! I was amazed at how cheesy it tasted! I will definitely make this again! Thank you for your recipes! (By the way, Bragg’s has folic acid….I was confused at first until I saw the link to the brand you buy!)
I made this tonight and was surprised how “cheesy” it actually was! I did find it to be a bit too sweet for my taste preference. Have you made this without the apple or with any additional spices like garlic? I really enjoyed the texture! Thanks Brittany.
I heard from a friend how awesome the lasagna recipe was so I am looking forward to trying this over the weekend.
Thank you for sharing. ALWAYS looking for ways to lose some weight, a lifetime struggle.
Do you soak the cashews first?
It depends on if I have the foresight. They’re easier to digest if soaked first but it’s not required.
I’d like to make this, but don’t have an IP. Any suggestions on how I could make it in my crockpot? Thanks for any help!
I made this over the weekend and it was great! It was a nice “cheesy” texture and taste even without cheese.
Absolutely 🙂
Thank you for this recipe. It was fantastic! I’m always trying to find non-dairy “creamy” eats for my husband. This hit the mark. I can’t wait to make it for my all about dairy family and see if they can tell a difference!
We just made this tonight. It is so yummy!! I didn’t have a sweet potato, so I used a white potato.
My one problem… It gave me my first ever burn notice! After the notice I added 1 cup veggie broth, stired and scrapped the bottom, and tried again. I then got another burn notice! Luckily by then the noodles and everything were cooked so I called it a day. I will definitely make it again, just not sure how to avoid the burn.
I’m currently trying to make this and I keep getting the same thing!! I never have this happen- I wonder what it is
I made this again last night. After adding 3 extra cups of veggie broth, I was still getting burn notices. 4 in total last night. By then everything except the potatoes were fully cooked so I left it on keep warm with the lid on for about 15 minutes while I finished other things. By then the potatoes were cooked. I would love to be able to make this without it burning to the bottom, but it’s so good, I might just put up with it and keep making it anyway.
Those photos look really appetizing. Thanks for sharing your recipe. I can’t wait to try this at home.
What can we do for cheesy flavor if we are allergic to cashews
The nutritional yeast gives it the cheese taste. I believe the cashews are for fatty texture. Try macadamia nuts instead.
I’ve made this before with no problems but tonight I made it and it gave me the burn notice 3 times. I finally took it out and put it in a pot to cook it. The only thing I did different is I used frozen sweet potato but it wasn’t stuck to the bottom. It was the pasta that was stuck.
Please help.