Easy Clam Chowder
by Chungah
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Clam chowder is easier (and much better) to make right at home! So unbelievably creamy, flavorful and chockfull of clams!
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Why you’ll love this easy clam chowder recipe
- Quick, weeknight super hero. Yes, homemade restaurant-quality clam chowder can be made in 30 min or less right at home, an absolute weeknight staple around here!
- Hug-in-a-bowl. This soup just hits right during soup season, perfect for fall and blustery winter nights, or any time you need a soul-warming soothing soup to warm you from the inside out.
- Pantry-friendly recipe. This is also a great budget-friendly recipe using pantry staples like canned clams, adding even more clam flavor goodness (and an abundance of clams!) to your chowder.
What is clam chowder?
Clam chowder is an American soup made with clams, potatoes, onions and broth, often times served with oyster crackers or saltines. There are two regional variations worth mentioning below.
New England Clam Chowder (white)
New England is a thick and creamy white soup, typically made with milk or cream.
Manhattan Clam Chowder (red)
Manhattan is a tomato-rich red soup without milk or cream, and typically includes more vegetables than New England.
How to make clam chowder
- Cook the bacon and aromatics. Cook a few slices of diced bacon in a stockpot or Dutch oven, sautéing the aromatics directly in the rendered bacon fat for all the smoky goodness. Reserve the cooked bacon for topping.
- Create the roux. Whisk in the flour for about 1 minute. This will help thicken the chowder, creating that favorited velvety-rich consistency.
- Stir in liquids and potatoes. Add in milk, vegetable stock, reserved clam juice (from the canned clams), bay leaf and potatoes, simmering until the potatoes are tender. The longer it simmers, the more it will thicken.
- Add half and half (or heavy cream) and clams. Stir in the half and half with the clams until heated through over low heat, working carefully not to boil the dairy (or else it will separate), seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve. Remove the bay leaf and serve warm with the reserved crispy bacon, oyster crackers and cornbread.
why use canned clams in clam chowder?
- Convenience
- Budget-friendly and economical
- Extra clam flavor, especially when using the canned juices
- Abundance of clams
Which potatoes are best for clam chowder?
A lot of recipes recommend waxy potatoes such as Yukon gold or baby red potatoes because they will hold up well in soups. Instead, we opted for russet potatoes here – they are naturally very starchy, ideal for creating a thicker, chowder-like velvety, rich consistency.
what to serve with clam chowder
Tools For This Recipe
Dutch oven
Easy Clam Chowder: Frequently Asked Questions
The most popular chowder is New England (white) made with milk or heavy cream and associated with Boston. There is also the Manhattan (red) made with a tomato-based broth and commonly associated with Manhattan.
Absolutely! Substitute 1 – 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh clams along with bottled clam juice to replace the juice from the can. Chopped fresh clams will need additional cook time to cook through.
Yes! Always thaw properly, adding at the end of cooking as they are already precooked.
Overcooking the clams can cause them to be rubbery. Always add the clams (fresh or canned) at the very end, cooking for just a few minutes so they stay tender.
Clam chowder is commonly paired with oyster crackers and cornbread.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Leftover clam chowder can be reheated on the stovetop over low heat until warmed through, adding a splash of milk or stock to thin it out as needed.
We do not recommend freezing this as cream-based soups tend to separate when frozen.
Easy Clam Chowder
Video
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon, diced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 2 (6.5-ounce) cans chopped clams, juices reserved
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 cup half and half or heavy cream
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Heat a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving 1 tablespoon excess fat in the stockpot.
- Melt butter in the stockpot. Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in thyme until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk, vegetable stock, clam juice and bay leaf, 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.*
- Reduce heat to low. Stir in half and half and clams until heated through, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste. If the soup is too thick, add more half and half as needed until desired consistency is reached.
- Serve immediately, garnished with bacon and parsley, if desired.
Equipment
Notes
- Start with a smoky base. A good clam chowder starts with a smoky base, beginning with the bacon and sautéing the aromatics (garlic and onion) right in the bacon fat.
- Use the reserved juices. The juices from the canned clams add all the extra, deep clam flavor.
- Russet potatoes serve as a natural thickener. The potatoes will release starch into the broth to create that velvety, restaurant-quality richness.
- Use half and half or heavy cream. Half and half will yield a thinner soup whereas heavy cream will result in more of a rich, velvety, indulgent clam chowder.
- Always add the dairy at the very end. Avoid boiling the half and half or heavy cream, adding it in at the end of cooking time (or else it will curdle).
- Avoid overcooking the clams. Similar to the half and half, add the clams during the last few minutes of cooking. Overcooked clams can be rubbery!
- Simmer, simmer, simmer. The longer it simmers, the more it thickens, making it perfect to cook until the desired consistency is reached.
- Make it clammier. For those wanting extra clam flavor, add an additional can of chopped clams.
- Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread or cornbread for dipping, sopping and dunking!
- Reheat gently. Leftovers can be reheated gently over low heat, adding a splash of milk, half and half or stock as needed.
Did you make this recipe?
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I am not a particularly good cook but tried this recipe and it turned out great. After reading the other reviews about it needing more of a seafood taste, I added 1 tablespoon of Old Bay seasoning in with the flour and it was fabulous! The only other thing I did was add chopped celery with the onions and some extra half-and-half at the end. I will make this the next time I have company.
I am not a particularly good cook but tried this recipe and it turned out great. After reading the other reviews about it needing more of a seafood taste, I added 1 tablespoon of Old Bay seasoning in with the flour and it was fabulous! The only other thing I did was add chopped celery with the onions and some extra half-and-half at the end. I will make this the next time I have company.
Very good. Couldn’t find anything I didn’t like. Will definitely make again. Thanks for the recipe.
Delicious! Doubled the recipe,used clam juice instead of broth added shrimp, when it finished cooking I put it in the blender ladled into bowls and put a generous spoonful of lump crab meat and called it seafood bisque!
Amazing! We love this recipe and have made it before. I like to add small chopped carrots and celery as well. I too kept the grease in the pan, then added the butter and sautéed onion and garlic.
I feel stupid that I’ve never tried to make clam chowder before, so simple and this recipe is amazing! I made this for native New Englanders (and they’re snotty about their chowder) and they asked for the recipe! I did double the clams and had no vegetable stock, used chicken stock instead and the second time I made it I had some leftover corn on the cob and cut the kernels off and threw that in as well-delicious! This recipe is so much better than I’ve had in any restaurant, I’ve already shared it with 3 friends, thank you!
Delicious! I am watching my cholesterol so I didn’t use the bacon or half & half. I only had 1% milk so that’s what I used. Tasted so good I had 2 bowls for supper.
OMGOSH! I’m not believing how simple this was to prepare. Adding to our weekly rotation.
Quick, easy, and delicious.
Great tasting chowder! Easy to make! I thought it would have a more seafood taste. Never made clam chowder before. Next time I will use seafood stock.
I added a ts. Of kelp and extra clam jc to make it more of a sea taste
It’s delicious and filling. In Covid times, when dollars might be tight, this chowder and a loaf of (low cost) good bread is dinner.
Look for no knead bread. Soooo easy and inexpensive and better than France!
Really, really good. Never made clam chowder, so this was an excellent recipe for my first time out. Next time, I will replace broth with more clam juice.
I used one can of chopped and one can of whole baby clams. I also used all half and half (no milk). Regarding everyone’s question about bacon grease, I sautéed the onions in the fat (w/butter) after I took bacon out. Fairly certain that’s what chef meant when writing recipe.
So good! I had never made clam chowder before and was wondering what to do with the cans of clams I’d bought when I was stocking up on shelf-stable milk and meat for the pandemic. Followed the recipe to the letter and it’s really delicious!
We really enjoy this recipe! I think it takes more than 15 minutes of prep time. Definitely remember to cut and peel your potatoes before you start. We used 3 potatoes and 3 cans of clams.
What do you do with the bacon grease that was reserved?
I was wondering the same thing, do you keep in pot when you fry onions and such?
Yes. I cooked onions in the bacon fat along with the butter.
Exactly! Remove bacon and reserve (leave) a tablespoon of the grease and add butter and onion and garlic.
Easy and delicious! I didn’t read the instructions at the end and threw the bacon in the chowder instead of on top. Delicious that way too!
easy and excellent.
This was so quick and easy and hands-down delicious! I made it for the first time and served it to my family on a wet & chilly Xmas Eve. Everyone was raving about it!
This might be the best clam chowder recipe I’ve ever made! I substituted 8 ounces of clam juice for the vegetable broth, and probably substituted more half and half for the milk. It was absolutely delicious!
This made a perfect pot of chowder. I felt like I was as a beachfront restaurant (and I live in Nebraska)! I used locally-grown potatoes, onions, and garlic, locally-produced whole milk, cream, and bacon, home grown bay leaf, and Penzey’s parsley and pepper. Good ingredients helped push this excellent recipe to the apex of soup cooking.