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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Made the soup just as the recipe called for except the bacon. I did use a tablespoon of bacon drippings though. Hubby loves it! Will be saving this one!
I made it, so delicious and so easy! I love that you can take control of the creaminess, the amount of vegetable and clam. I didn’t have bacon so I skipped, and I only have frozen clam meat, still so good but I’m sure using bacon and canned clam would be even better! I also added carrot for the vegetable, maybe I’d also include celery next time.
The recipe
This was so easy and fun to make. I followed it exactly as written and it was incredibly delicious. Even my picky toddlers gobbled it up! I will definitely make it again and again! Thanks for sharing!
Very good, just not sure why the recipe says to reserve 1 tablespoon excess fat from the bacon ?
This turned out AMAZING. For those of you looking for a good clam chowder that you can convert to dairy-free, this is a winner. We used Ripple Milk (made from peas), Original Unsweetened flavor, and I used Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk instead of half and half, and it was delicious. We couldn’t taste the coconut milk at all, and everyone raved about it. I made this in an Instant Pot, and after sauteeing onions and celery, I added in the thyme (plus some red pepper flakes), salt and pepper, and flour… stirred for one minute… then added broth and Ripple milk, then the potatoes, and set it to cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Then I released the pressure and added in the clams and coconut milk (and Hormel’s Real Bacon Pieces) and stirred. Then served. It was PERFECT. Thanks for an amazing recipe!
Amazing! I ended up with adding smoked trout and scallops instead of potatoes and clams, my potatos had gone bad and due to enlglish not being my first language I thought I was supposed to use scallops. Anyway, the recipe is really good, thankyou! Even tho it didnt turn out like it was supposed to, the soup taste amazing and can’t wait to try it again with the right ingredients
Easy to make, heavenly to eat, Thank You
What am I doing with that 1 tbsp reserved bacon fat???
Just a note, leave the table spoon of bacon grease in the pot and add the butter
Almost the same as one I make. I use corn starch instead of flour, I find flour makes cream soup taste chalky. I add it with the half and half. I also add a cup of kernel corn, sweeter the better.
Very good recipe.
This is my go to recipe! It’s really delicious, thank you so much for sharing it! (Sometimes if I have a bottle of clam juice or seafood stock, I use that instead of the veggie broth.)
Shhhhh….I also add 1/4 cup sherry.
I added celery and carrots to the onions and it was delicious! My spouse said I should sell bowls of it. Will definitely make again.
This is so quick to make but really flavorful. My granddaughter loved it!
So good! I added carrots and celery to the garlic and onions for extra texture and flavor. I doubled the recipe anf it was the right amount for my family of six.
It was quite tasty. I added celery and carrots. One suggestion I would make for this posting: Rinse your claims after draining the juice to remove sand. Mine was full of sand and made things quite crunchy, and not in a good way. I didn’t know to rinse them. 🙁
Otherwise, great flavor!
I made this today, with just a couple of embellishments.
I added a small amount of wasabi, maybe half a teaspoon, and also a couple of slops of Clamato juice just for the hell of it.
I will definitely bookmark this recipe!
This receipt was great! . I added more potatoes and more liquid , I think maybe next time more garlic less thyme and maybe heavy cream.
It really was so easy to make 🙂
First time I’ve tried to make clam chowder, couldn’t believe how easy and yummy it was. I added celery after the onion browned and added some cayenne after the stock simmered. Total hit with the fam, and will def make again. Thank you for the recipe!.
Thanks so much for this recipe. My family has been enjoying it for a few years now!
So tasty! Elevated flavors yet homey and comforting! And easy to make! Will definitely stay in my recipe stack, thanks! Used smoked ham, added a little sliced celery and used baby clams.
Fabulous! Rich and thick
Outstanding and easy. Made as written. My family loves clam chowder and this disappeared faster than most things I make for dinner. Double the recipe. Trust me 🙂
Thank you!