Easy Clam Chowder
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Clam chowder is easier to make than you think – and the homemade version is unbelievably creamy, flavorful and chockfull of clams!
Featured Comment
why i love homemade clam chowder
- Cozy soup season vibes, perfect for fall and blistery 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 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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I could not find when to add the reserved grease so I put it in before the flour. will make it thicker next time
The reserved grease simply stays in the Dutch oven to cook the remaining ingredients. Hope that answers your question, Susan. 🙂
Thank for answering where the bacon grease is to go. Looked like you added it later. Delicious!!
Very good!
A bit different than the thick and creamy clam chowders I’ve eaten in San Francisco and Oregon but quite good. Next time I think I’ll puree the potatoes with an immersion blender, use more half-half and less milk, and add more clams.
I served it with Olive Garden copycat breadsticks and salad.
Excellent. I substituted salt pork for the bacon. Broth was deliciously rich.
Just made this for the family for the first time and it won’t be the last! It was a hit with my husband and three kids. Next time I may add more clams and throw in some celery. But the flavor is amazing. Thank you!
This is the second time I’ve made this receipe because it is soooo delicious. Just like I love it to taste. Thank you for posting this!!!
So good! Whole family were super excited that I was making clam chowder and were 100% satisfied with your recipe. Thank you!
Super duper easy to make 10/10 I even used vanilla almond milk instead of normal milk as well has the heavy cream. Also if u don’t have fresh parsley use the dried kind but only about a third of what the recipe calls for. YUMMY!
No, no, no don’t use almond milk in clam chowder! If you can’t use half and half, use reduced fat milk to keep calories down. Also, not a fan of dried parsley — use the real deal.
Not everyone can have dairy, so using reduced fat milk won’t work for some. And plenty of people like dried herbs. Not sure why you feel the need to criticize the way someone else is choosing to cook.
Nancy’s recipe is as good as it comes and it is HER recipe. I do not see a criticism, she is reinforcing what she has already said about HER recipe.
I personally freaked out when i read VANILLA. That would completely change the taste of the original recipe; perhaps using plain almond milk if the person is lactose intolerant may be ok, but I am making mine Nancy’s style.
This was amazing clam chowder and so easy! I did add a little more spice to it, added celery, used red potatoes, and reduced the milk by half for thicker soup, but the base recipe is awesome and I will definitely make it again!
This clam chowder is delicious! I had left over steamed grouper with the juices I added to the pot at the end. Mouthwatering!
Fantastic and easy soup!! Yummy
I found this recipe very rich so I definitely recommend cutting it with some acidity. We added some vinegar. We also added some paprika and red pepper flakes (if we had old bay seasoning in the house, we would have used that). I enjoyed it after making those changes.
Yummy and super fast! Two thumbs up from this lifelong New Englander.
Love this! So easy and DELICIOUS.
Followed recipe to a “T” and my family enjoyed it.
We love our clam chowder and this is a very good and quick recipe. I tried to follow the recipe as written, but due to trying to do it quickly and with what I had, some things were missed/forgotten or substituted. So it is hard to mess up the final product and I suspect the original recipe is just as good! I used canned clams because I had them and lots of broth left over sitting in the refrigerator from an earlier doctoring of some commercial clam chowder. I used half & half for all of the milk requested…so a total of 3 cups. I mixed up the fact that I was supposed to use thyme and instead used fresh dried rosemary…yummy! I will continue doing that. I had only frozen bacon…so I used real bacon bits (purchased) and sautéed them in some bacon grease I had. I had an opened container of chicken broth, but not quite a full cup…so I added more clam juice and used that rather than vegetable broth. The soup was a little thinner than what we like so I added a tablespoon of cornstarch to the last cup of half & half before adding. I forgot the bay leaf…of well, not missed. I used 1 yellow potato chopped into small pieces. Out of fresh garlic so used about 2 + teas. of garlic powder. I didn’t want to run to the porch and snip parsley…so I left that out. I did use white paper and about teaspoon of sea salt. The end result could only have been improved on by using fresh clams….but then I won’t have had the amount of clam juice that I had. I was told not to change from adding rosemary. It was a very yummy, quick clam chowder and a recipe I will definitely make again with or wothout the changes!!! Thanks
Turned out REALLY Good. Great recipe and Very Easy to make.
I’m Originally from Chicago and have lived in the New England area for the past 17 years.
New Englanders have their own preference/taste for what they think Clam Chowder is supposed to taste like.
I LOVE it. It’s like Having New Englanders make a Pizza that Chicagoans would like. LOL
AND YES…. MY wife who has lived in New England all her life and LOVES “Snow’s” Clam Chowder Likes it. LOL
Great recipe. I substituted coconut milk for both milk and cream. Nice and thick and fewer calories
Awesome idea! I’m going to give that a try. I LOVE clam chowder and was worried I would have to give it up with my new eating-healthy regime.
Can you taste coconut when you add coconut milk? I have a child with a dairy allergy. I love the idea of using coconut milk but not if it changes the taste of the recipe
Use cashew cream, it works perfectly!
This was absolutely excellent. I added a little more half-and-half because I didn’t want it as thick and I used fresh thyme it was perfect. Will definitely make it again and again. Loved the bacon! This is real clam chowder
Delicious receipe! was very easy. it’s a hit with the family. I will make it again.
It is awesome
Great recipe! The first time I made it it came out too thin but I fixed that the second time by making sure to add the milk/stock/clam juice a little bit at a time and whisking well in between each addition.
Question for the author – can this recipe be doubled (or tripled!) by simply doubling all the ingredients? Or should some be adjusted