Easy Clam Chowder
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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 i love homemade clam chowder
- Cozy soup season vibes, perfect for fall and blustery winter nights
- Restaurant-quality, if not even better
- Pantry-friendly recipe using canned clams (more on that below)
- Quick, weeknight hero made in 30 min or less
new england clam chowder vs. manhattan clam chowder
New England Clam Chowder
New England is a thick and creamy white soup, typically made with milk or cream.
Manhattan Clam Chowder
Manhattan is a tomato-rich red soup without milk or cream, and typically includes more vegetables than New England.
why use canned clams in clam chowder
- Convenience
- Budget-friendly and economical
- Extra flavor, especially when using the 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, I opted for russet potatoes here – they are naturally very starchy, ideal for creating a thicker, chowder-like consistency.
tips and tricks for success
- Use the reserved juices. The juices from the canned clams add all the extra, deep clam flavor.
- 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 for dipping, sopping and dunking!
what to serve with clam chowder
Tools For This Recipe
Dutch oven
Easy Clam Chowder: Frequently Asked Questions
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.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
We do not recommend freezing this as cream-based soups tend to separate when frozen.
Easy Clam Chowder
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*
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Equipment
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.*
- 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.
Video
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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Fairly easy to make. DELICIOUS. I’m a PNW’er and my husband and I just went to the Oregon Coast again and some great clam chowder. This totally rivals all the coastal chowder AND we had make it at home. Wins all around.
Delicious! I doubled the recipe and added one extra can of clams and extra clam juice to taste.
I’ve never been a big fan of this soup and decided to give it a try, it came out really good! Would definitely make it again. Thank you for sharing
Last week, my brother posted about the coming Field of Dreams baseball game between the Yankees vs. White Sox in the Fantasy Baseball league that we’re both in with 18 other team owners. After seeing the ending to the Field of Dreams game, I enthusiastically replied how incredible it was to see since all three of our players hit home runs in the 9th inning of the game! I also indicated that I had dreams of my late Uncle and Dad in the two weekends leading up, so I kind of knew beforehand that I should probably see that game based on that alone. I let him know that I received an invite to get a fried seafood lunch at work the same day and how much that reminded me of my Uncle’s out of the blue trips to Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk to get the same meal many years ago. My brother replied that he had a dream with another Uncle that week at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and remarked how they had the best Clam Chowder.
I’m the family cook on Saturdays, so I decide to get the ingredients to make your Easy Clam Chowder recipe on Friday. I also pick up a player making his debut as a starter on Saturday named Tyler Gilbert to help with my fantasy baseball team’s pitching stats, namely the strikeout category. I followed your instructions to the T and your Clam Chowder recipe was a big hit the following day, my first time making Clam Chowder that was not already pre-made from a can. We had leftovers, so we had Clam Chowder again for dinner and watched Tyler Gilbert pitch the Diamondbacks vs. Padres game on TV that night. Lo and behold, we find out Tyler is 4th generation electrician from Santa Cruz and his grandfather, watching the game at Chase Field in Phoenix, is a Vietnam War veteran, just like my Uncle who took us to Santa Cruz as kids. It was a magical night as Tyler pitched the first no-hitter by a pitcher making his debut start since Bobo Holloman did it in 1953. Tyler does so well that night, I end up winning 4 more pitching categories that I had no business winning. I find out the following morning that the recipe was written by you, a Korean American, and that the Korean War also ended in 1953! Thank you for your delicious Clam Chowder recipe and for being such a fun part of family (and baseball) history.
Thanks for your very lovely story. I am making the clam chowder later on today–my first, also. Hugs, Gayle Rush
Made it and my whole family loved it, even my kids!
Let me tell you the flavor is on point!! It’s so good. I prefer more clams and clam taste so if you are like me, add a few more cans ans juice. It’s more like a potatoe chowder to be honest. But overall one of the best I’ve made!
Delicious chowder! I also tweaked the recipe by sauteing 3/4 cup of chopped celery in one tablespoon of butter until crisp-tender. I added this along with the other vegetables. I substituted one cup of frozen corn and one half cup of water for the canned corn. No calamari for us. The next time I make this I will steam the carrots and potatoes before adding to the pot. Twenty five minutes was not enough cooking time for them.
Thank you for the best clam chowder recipe!! My dad and I made & loved Snows clam chowder as a kid. You can no longer find it and I have searched & searched trying to find a similar recipe. I wish he was still here to enjoy it.
This is definitely it!!! You truly are the best.
I need to make chowder for 18 people. Can I just triple this recipe? any modifications to spices?
Very quick and easy recipe. Also very delicious. I followed the recipe as written but added a dash Worcestershire sauce and a little extra broth. Thanks for the great recipe.
Absolutely delicious.. I used pork salts and bacon fat. Very rich and creamy.
Good but one onion is wayyyy to much. Otherwise texture is spot on.
Absolutely delicious! I’ve tried other recipes but this one hits the spot! The only thing I changed was I used chicken stock instead of vegetable, and I cooked the bacon with the soup rather than using it as a garnish
Best clam chowder recipe! Better then a certain restaurant here in the great PNW. It’s a keeper.
Forgot to mention, my daughter substituted Better Than Garlic roasted garlic base for the veggie broth. So good!
Very good!
So good. I also added scallops, shrimp, and crab to make it a seafood chowder. And then deliciously top it off with Frank’s :p
I made this recipe. Added fresh chucked shrimp, corn, extra bacon
This is a very delicious recipe, but I have a suggestion to make it much easier. Don’t add the flour until after the potatoes are cooked, and then just add a simple roux. I dissolved 2 tablespoons of Wondra flour in a little water and then added that to the soup at the very end. It turned out just as delicious as always. I didn’t like standing over a hot stove stirring it constantly until the potatoes were cooked to prevent sticking. It’s hot here in southern AZ!
Don’t you want the flour to be cooked, or not?
Wondra is pre cooked
Your tone seemed a bit snippy there, so try to be sure we post in as friendly of a manner as possible, as I’m sure you were trying only to be helpful, eh? 🙂
This is a good tip flour will be cooked as long as it’s bubbling for a couple of minutes
This was really good and very easy to make. I ended up using some additional broth because it was creamier than I like. The flavor was outstanding. Both of my young children loved it.
I made the clam chowder tonight.(my first time) it came out good. Thanks for the recipe.
This was delicious. I would recommend doubling if you have a large family or want leftovers. I did substitute clam juice for the vegetable broth.
Came out amazing! Substituted chicken stock for veggie stock and used twice as much. This is my new go to clam chowder recipe.