Potato Ham Chowder
A warm and filling chowder that’s incredibly creamy and rich, perfect for those chilly winter nights!
I hope you’re not getting tired of all these soup recipes I’ve been posting lately. I promise you, once the new year hits, it’ll be salad/quinoa galore here at Damn Delicious but until then, let’s talk soup.
Now I don’t know about you guys but chowders are one of my favorite kind of soups. They’re so incredibly creamy and rich, perfect for those chilly nights sitting in front of a fireplace and slurping on a bowl of soup. Now I don’t actually have a fireplace but a girl can dream, right?
No, but really, this soup is a wonderful way to use up your leftover Christmas ham but if you don’t have a giant 16-lb ham nearby, you can always use a ham steak as well. And don’t forget that crisp crumbled bacon for that added smokiness. After all, bacon is always needed as a garnish, right?
Potato Ham Chowder
Ingredients
- 4 slices Jones Dairy Farm Sliced Bacon, diced
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 ½ cups frozen corn kernels
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 ½ cups milk, or more, as needed
- 2 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 7-ounce package Jones Dairy Ham Steak, diced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; set aside.
- Melt butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in corn and thyme until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in potatoes.
- Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 12-15 minutes.* Stir in ham, salt and pepper, to taste. If the chowder is too thick, add more milk as needed until desired consistency is reached.
- Serve immediately, garnished with bacon, if desired.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Jones Dairy Farm. All opinions expressed are my own.
This chowder is awesome! It’s my go to recipe when I have left over ham and want a nice creamy potato and ham chowder. I would love if I could find out the nutritional information on it! Thanks for the great recipe!
I wish ever recipe publisher included nutritional information. My Fitness Pal says 372 calories per serving if 2% milk is used. Here’s highlights per serving:
372 calories
Sat fat 9.7 g
Sodium 315 mg
Carb 29.2 g
Sugar 11.6 g
Protein 19.9 g
This one is a keeper – sooooo good!!! I used about 1 3/4 to 2 cups of 2% milk and the rest whole milk and garnished with the bacon and some Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar, shredded. I didn’t have scallions or would have included them in the garnish. Great recipe!
Can Ii use instant mashed potattoes instead of fresh? All ou and snowed in!
What’s the bacon for? And why use unsalted butter…and then add salt to the recipe? So I went ahead accordingly – and it was still perfect!
: )
Delicious recipe, I put the bacon in right after the potatoes, just so the flavor could blend with the broth. I also let it simmer for about 45 minutes after adding the ham. I will be saving this recipe for the future.
I now know this recipe by heart! One of the best soup recipes out there!
Yummy ham chowder! I love the flavor of the thyme and the overall taste is so good. I used the leftovers from my Easter ham. Very easy and quick delicious chowder.
Very tasty, quick and easy. Too much thyme for my taste and I used have the suggested amount. Great way to get rid of the Christmas ham though.
I made this last night and usually rely on reviews and always intend to write for great recipes (which all the recipes on this site I have tried are great), but forget. This one is a winner, my husband asked for a chowder for dinner tonight, so looked through the recipes and found this one. Super easy to make and very tasty. My kids who are not “soup” people, even ate it and liked it. My younger son gave it a 9/10!! This is big!! Its a pity there was not much left for leftovers. Will definitely make again..
This is a really delicious recipe! The only minor changes I made are as follows: cooked the onions in the bacon grease so as not to waste all that delicious flavor. I also add a can of creamed corn. My kids love this recipe and ask for it all the time. Making a batch as we speak. Thanks a bunch!
Hi Chungah!! I love your recipes and I made this one recently. It is outstanding! I did add a jalapeno just to spice it up. We served it with buttered-cornbread. Have a wonderful holiday weekend!
I made this last night and it was excellent!
I added about a cup and a half of barely steamed frozen broccoli at the same time as the ham, and used ham bits pan fried in bacon fat instead of thawing a pound of bacon for just the topping, and it was fantastic!
Great way to use leftover ham from this weekend.
as it me or was there No instructions on when to add ham and potatoes : (
Maura, please refer to step 3 and step 4.
Step 3: Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in potatoes.
Step 4: Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 12-15 minutes.* Stir in ham, salt and pepper, to taste. If the chowder is too thick, add more milk as needed until desired consistency is reached.
My family and I love this soup, but I have a hard time getting it to the thickness that I’d like it. I have to double the recipe due to our large famy, and I always have trouble getting it to the thickness that I’d like. Any tips for this? I start off slowly with the milk, but it seems like when I have added about 5 cups of milk, the thickness is gone!
Try using corn starch as a thickener instead – it’s a little easier to use compared to flour (plus gluten free for people like me). Mix it with a little cold milk or water before pouring it in. You can do little by little so you get to your desired thickness!
I made this for dinner tonight and my family loved it. My husband said that’s the best chowder he’s ever had and he wish that I had made a double batch. Crispy bacon topping it was delicious and it just added that extra crunch to the smooth chowder. We will have this again
Great soup my wife loves it
Hi, Chungah! I love, love your recipes and use them all the time. I did make this soup with two tiny changes: I added some fresh thyme (bc I grow it fresh on my deck) and 1 (finger) ounce of velveeta (I know…. I know… LoL). It was amazing and I am certain it is just as good without my small changes. I wish you much success! I see your recipes (and also pin them!) on Pinterest all the time with rave reviews. THANK YOU so much for your wonderful recipes!
This is always one of our go to recipes!! So hearty and comforting on a brisk day! We like to use leftover ham after a big holiday.
LOVE THAT!!!! 🙂
Made this for dinner last night. It was cold and snowy so this was perfect. It turned out delicious!! We added extra bacon, corn and potatoes so we also had to add more milk. It is very filling and like I said, perfect for a cold winter day!! Thanks Chung-ah!
Made this for the first time last night. This chowder is perfect for the cold weather. Very filling and easy to make. Just have to remind myself to get the preo work done hefore I start making it. My som loved it and he’s a picky eater.
Love this soup! Have made it a zillion times with leftover ham! I have this link saved on my phone!
Love it!
I just made creamy potatoe and ham soup and just now sat to check out my emails and happened upon this recipe…..what a coincidence, reading reviews seen the potatoe comments. Just wanted to say my original potatoe soup is called baked potatoe soup in which you bake the potatoes in skin and cool and gently peel off outer skin leaving on alittle of the browned crispier part of the potatoe! I will tell you the extra time is soooooo worth it the texture of the potatoes is so much more pleasant and tastie! I also add some cheddar cheese and half and half. Also start out with chicken broth instead of milk. I garnish with sour cream, bacon & chives yummy yummy yummy!
Mmmm, just made this for my fam. I don’t eat potatoes anymore (nightshade veggie), but took a bite. It’s good! My husband thinks everything needs a little kick, so I added some dried ground jalapeno pepper to it and it’s perfect.
Any way to convert this to the crock pot?
It is very difficult to give exact conversion information to translate a traditional stovetop recipe to be used in a slow cooker without further recipe testing. However, here is an article worth checking out on a possible conversion guide. Hope that helps!
Amazingly easy is an understatement!!! I love quick soups and this is just that…quick. I took the advice of other comments and cooked my potatoes in the microwave while I prepared the rest of the soup. Ten minutes in microwave was perfect timing and I dumped the potatoes into the soup. Simmered for 10 more minutes and viola!! Perfection!!!
Thank you for your great recipes. I love them.
Do you simmer covered or uncovered
Uncovered.
I just made this tonight and it was really good. I added a bit of smoked paprika and a pinch of nutmeg and my husband could not get enough!
My mom made a French version of this. Instead of ham swap it out for tuna. Amazing.
thank for such a quick and easy way to make a creamy chowdah! i used half and half, instead of milk, which made it extra creamy, and a smoked sausage instead of ham. sooooooo good!
Made this chowder after reading the recipe. OMG! Fantastic. The wife, my son and I all loved it. I added a little grated cheese to the top when serving just for a little extra. Very tasty. Thanks for a great recipe.
Why can’t you use your new Dutch oven?
If your new stove is a glass-top stop worrying!
I’ve been using my LaCrusette on my glass top oven for years no problem.
Do you think you could brown the ham a bit with the onions before adding in the liquid and potatoes? Would it hurt to bring the ham to a boil w the potatoes and let it simmer?
Nope – it should be just fine.
This was awesome! I made a couple of minor changes, I added a couple of sprinkles of liquid smoke ontop of my bacon for a bit more flavor, and I finished the soup with green onions & asiago cheese. The whole family loved it (including 2 toddlers). My husband delcared this was easily the best chowder, he had ever tasted.
I absolutely love your site, I’ve made dozens of your recipes, and I’ve never been disappointed by any of them (and I am generally pretty critical of recipes). Thank you!
This is a great recipe! I made it gluten and dairy free. Absolutely spectacular and the family loved it:) It’s so wonderful to find a great recipe I can make allergy friendly. Thanks for sharing, this will be made many times over.
I’d like to make mine gluten free. Did you use cornstarch?
I made this for dinner tonight using 1% milk and topped with bacon and shredded cheddar – delicious, thanks!
I have a quick question. I was debating either making this potato ham chowder or the cauliflower chowder for supper tonight. Is there any reason why I couldn’t just sub the potatoes in this chowder for cauliflower? How much caulilflower would you add instead?
Thanks!
The amount of cauliflower used is really up to you, although I would use about 1 head.
Added cumin and red pepper flakes to this recipe to make it nice and smoky. Delish!
Just made this chowder with 2 very minor changes and those only because I didn’t want to go to store. Used onion powder as no onion, canned (white) corn instead of frozen and this is absolutely yummy. I could eat the whole pot if I had room in my tummy.
Many thanks to you for the recipe. It is so cold here and this just hits the spot on so many levels.
BRAVO!!!
Tried this potato soup for my first time; it was delicious. Didnt have corn, and not able to use onions (husband allergic) so I added sliced anaheim peppers, and peas. I will certainly make this again with the corn too. Thank you for this recipe
This looks delicious and a great way to use my leftover ham this week!
On another note – I found your recipe through a wild-goose chase. I saw a pin on pinterest with your photos, and it looked so good. I clicked to discover it was one of those recipe collecting sites, with a bogus source link. I did a Google image search and found your recipe. It may not bother you that others are taking your content, but if it does, you might want to watermark your photos to make it clear where the content originated. I HATE pinning stuff that doesn’t point back to the original post/content, so I always try to find that and pin from the original site. Here is the link where your recipe is located in case you want to look into it: http://recipeknead.com/potato-ham-chowder/. Anyway, just thought you might like to know.
I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Made it two days in a row since my family loved it! Used leftover Christmas ham and added some garlic salt.
Instead of ham , my mom used to put a can of tuna, drained, so good and satisfying.
I have been adding diced ham to my potato soup for years. Diced Polish Kielbasa is also great to use. i saute the ham and/or kielbasa until nicely browned to add a deep flavor to the soup.
Soups on the stove as I type, It smells wonderful and tastes great too. I’m looking forward to it being done so I can ladle into bowls for hungry people who will be obliged to ooh and ahh at my version of your soup. I am using leftover baked ham from the holidays and added a chopped serrano from the garden. Thanks for the recipe, seems like the perfect base for many cream soups!
Delicious! I added a pinch of sage and Rosemary. Also used half milk and half water, more potatoes…made a family size pot! Thanks
Hi there! I used this link for a post about using leftover ham. All credit to you and your picture. Thank you so much!
http://myeffingcookbook.com/2014/12/play-ham/
What size roughly should the potatoes be? Or about how many oz/lbs? Thanks.
I would aim for about 1 pound total.
We are celebrating fall here in PA and winter is fast approaching. This was the ideal chowder to make for dinner tonight. Very easy and super tasty! I was low on regular milk, so I had to make up for it with half and half I had in the fridge. Ummmm yummm! Topped it off with some garlic croutons and we had a hardy, delicious dinner for the evening.
I have leftover ham juice from my ham – can I use that in place of some of the milk? Or in addition to the milk (I was going to almost double this recipe anyway as I have a lot of leftover ham and potatoes)
Either option sounds great – adding in more or substituting a bit for the milk.
I made this tonight! I didn’t have corn, but I added some carrots and broccoli. So so good!
What a great tasting soup. My family loved it, so I will be making this again. After adding white whole wheat flour, I didn’t find that my soup really thickened. Hopefully will thicken a little more next time I make it but even without the thickness, we all still loved it.
I just love this soup!! I have made it a few times the only thing I add into it is some chicken bouillon cubes helps give it a little extra flavor served with fresh bread equals yummy!! Thanks for the recipe!!
Tried and tested today. Awesome soup, and it doesn’t get much easier than that! Thx for a great recipe.
This was a HUGE hit with my family. I added shredded smoked gruyere cheese to it, and omg it was delicious. Outstanding recipe!!!!
Omg, just made this today and it was awesome!
Wouldn’t change a thing!!!
I made it without the bacon and added a little celery with the potatoes. Topped with green onion. Delicious! Served with crunchy Italian bread.
Just recently discovered your site…..excellent recipes Thank you
I am making this tonight with some BLT’s .. It looks really yummy . Will let you know how it goes 🙂
I am a huge fan of soups as my young children are very picky eaters I can be a slick and put veggies in all different soups. However I am going to make this recipe this weekend as I love potatoe soups can’t wait to try it!! I’ll post after I make with the kids approvals thank you 😉
Oh My. . . Can’t wait to try this!!!
Pretty! This has been an extremely wonderful article.
Thanks for supplying this information.
I am making this without the ham and subbing it with chicken. Sounds soooo good! 🙂
What did I do wrong?? Mine burned all on the bottom of my pan…soo sad since soup looks amazing.
Laura, unfortunately, it is really difficult for me to troubleshoot what exactly went wrong in your kitchen. Your heat may have been set too high, causing the bottom of the pan to burn.
Could it be the flour that burned? Mine wasn’t thicking up so I added more flour. I noticed I had a thick brown, stuck on layer at the bottom, and I’m guessing it’s the flour.
It may have been the flour. Just be sure to stir occasionally to prevent that burning bottom layer.
Made this tonight for the family, slightly healthified (subbed in some cauliflower in place of some potato and some chicken broth in place of some milk, halved the butter). Still was very creamy and rich. We really enjoyed it!
Made this chowder this evening, but mine turned out way too sweet, probably bc my ingredients began on the sweeter side (i think my ham may have been honey cured?) or something. Anyway, I added about a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar to balance it out and it ended up DELICIOUS! Still sweet, but not overwhelmingly so. Thought I’d leave the tip in case anyone else has the same problem. Thanks for a great recipe!
My soup wasn’t all that sweet but I still want to take your suggestion and add in that balsamic vinegar – sounds amazing!
Your photos look like you added some green onion on top as well as the fresh thyme. Am I seeing it correctly?
I used chives and fresh thyme as a garnish.
Made this recipe on my day off today instead of braving the -20 weather we are having in MN, and I am SO HAPPY I did! I might brave the cold so I can bring some to my parents tonight for dinner!
I just made this soup, and it is delicious! I didn’t have any fresh time though so I used 1tsp of powdered thyme instead. 10/10 would make again.
Is there anyway to do this in the crockpot if I precook most of it on the stove? I can’t use my dutch on our new stove top 🙁
Unfortunately, I have never tried this recipe in the crockpot. You can still use a stockpot or large pot if you cannot use your Dutch oven.
I managed just fine. 🙂 thank you. I did take the suggestion of a previous poster about microwaving the potatoes and NO GOOD, they were way to soft, next time I’ll throw them in with the onion and garlic and get a nice crust. I did add some sage and Rosemary as well as a few chopped carrots though and it was yummy! I may do the same recipe next year when I get turkey left overs
Aw, this looks scrumptious!! <3
Have you ever tried canning this? Just curious. I have been looking for different hearty soups to can for the hubs to take to work for lunch.
Haven’t tried the canning method yet!
I made with tonight and it is awesome. Totally going to make this again and put in my favorites book. I didn’t have any ham, so I picked up cubed ham and it worked out fine. Next time I’ll double the recipe to have some for the rest of the week. 🙂 Thanks
Made this for dinner tonight, but I put it in a bread bowl with bacon, cheese & a little green onion on top. Oh It was so good.
That bread bowl sounds amazing! Will definitely have to serve it one of those next time!
Great recipe. Yummy on a snowy winter night! We’ll definitely make this again.
This is definitely snowy winter food to keep you nice and cozy!
I made this last night for dinner and it was delicious! I ran out of milk and only had 2.5 cups and added Chicken broth and still was amazing. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad you had a chance to make this. This chowder is one of my favorites!
This looks delicious, going to try it tonight. I love soups and chowders in the winter, especially with crusty bread on the side.
Crusty bread is definitely a must with chowders!
Although this recipe it quite delicious… it has taken over 45 minutes for the potatoes (which i diced and cubed extremely small) to become tender I highly highly recommend cooking the potatoes in the microwave for a little bit to soften them up.
Crystal, it really depends on how you want your potatoes cooked. I like my potatoes with a little bit of a bite so 12-15 minutes is sufficient for that kind of texture.
I agree with Crystal my potatoes have been cooking for at least 30 minutes and are still hard. 12-15 minutes they could barely even be poked through with spoon. Love the recipe, the potato time should be change though =)
Shan, as I mentioned to Crystal, it really depends on how you want your potatoes cooked and the thickness of your potatoes. The smaller your potatoes, the quicker they will be cooked throughout.
I agree about dicing and then microwaving the potatoes (with a Tablespoon or two of water) ahead of time. The soup base was ready long before the potatoes were done and I was having to stir it too often so it wouldn’t scorch on the bottom of the pan.
Great recipe though and I will definitely make it again with that one little modification.
Ellen, it really depends on the size of your potato chunks – the smaller the potatoes, the faster they will cook through. Throwing them in the microwave is just another step that’s really not needed!
Wow … we had a fridge full of ham that I did not know what to do with …. this was perfect!
It’s the perfect use of leftovers!
Hello,
We are looking for ideas for our leftover ham bone. We are leaning towards the potato-corn chowder and Not using the bone. Can we freeze the soup for another day? Thanks,
CG
I would advise against freezing chowders as the consistency may change quite a bit.
Made this today – excellent! Thanks!
Gosh this looks insanely good!
Oh I love chowdahh. Especially one filled to the brim with ingredients and flavour! Love corn in soup. Natural sweetness is unparalleled.
I’m loving all of your soup recipes! Love how rich and creamy this chowder looks!
Oh i love the idea of adding ham to potato soup!
It’s so stinkin’ cold here right now that all your soup recipes are making me want to go on an all-soup diet!!!
I’m loving all your hearty soup recipes lately! Must try this one, too (have some leftover ham in the fridge)
not tired of soup at all. . it’s freaking cold here! love this! 🙂
This looks damn delicious!
I’m really fortunate that my family loves soup~and this looking amazing! Anxious to try it once this little mini December heat wave moves on…. Thanks for sharing!
I never ever complain when it comes to soup!! Loving how rich and creamy this is!