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 doubled the recipe, added :4 doz frozen cooked clams in the shell, i shelled them. Added 2 stalks of diced celery, 1 cup clam sauce, teas. Crushed celery seed , 1/4 teas garlic powder, 1/2 teas thyme crushed 3 bsy leaves, 1 # of thin sliced cooked crisp bacon , with grease,s handful of chopped flat leaf parsley. 2 cups heavy creme, 3 cups milk 2 cups organic veg. Stock, Very good.
Delicious and easy directions to make no left overs
The only thing I changed on this was I added some old bay seasoning for a bit more flavor. Other than that it was perfect!
Wow that was delicious, i omitted the salt and bacon and just used a tablespoon of canola oil with the butter. Next time i will probably also add dill and double the recipe.
I had never made clam chowder but made several of Chungah’s recipes. This is easy and so tasty. Next time I might add more clams and some fresh thyme, too. Way to go Damn Delicious!
I made a big pot of this chowder to serve at my coffee shop today. In full disclosure, I have never ventured to make clam chowder. But, my customers keep asking for it on Friday. THIS*IS*THE*BOMB!
I WILL BE SERVING THIS EVERY WEEK FROM NOW ON!
Thank you for your talent and contributions to the culinary community.
Raylyn Idella
I had a co-worker bring back a can of chopped clams when she went home for the holidays in the New England area. Every year we have a gathering with family and friends and I decided to make clam chowder and followed this recipe. Yes it was my first time ever making clam chowder. The can of clams I had was a 32 oz can so I added a few more potatoes and all the clam juice from the can. It was a huge hit!! I received compliments left and right. Will definitely keep this recipe.
Wow! How lucky were you? I can’t imagine a 32 oz. can of clams. All I can find are the little tuna-sized cans.
This was easy and so delicious! I’d never made Clam Chowder before and now? I will never buy it again!
Rxcellent !!!!!
Really like this soup and it was easy and fast to make. Next time I will omit the bay leave.
Being from New England, I was not a fan of this. I did not have a nice clam flavor like at home. I typically make with real clams and this could be why, also typically use chicken stock not vegetable. I likely won’t use this recipe again.
My first time making clam chowder and these came out awesome! I subbed more clam juice for veg stock. Easy, and damn delicious indeed! Thank you!
I love to cook, I am glad I found this site
Excellent dish, but what is the easiest way to thicken?
I made this for dinner tonight and it was a huge hit. Hubby requested “about a gallon more” and the kids gobbled it down, rated it 5 stars, and asked if I could make it again tomorrow. I added some diced carrots and celery to the onions since I had them in the fridge and seasoned with a 1/2 and 1/2 mixture of pink salt and soy sauce.
This is an easy recipe, flavor was average but just not quite there with the clam flavor we love. Couldn’t find where to add the 1 tablespoon of excess fat from bacon, but that’s okay! It’s definitely a comfort soup for cold nights with some garlic toast on the side. I’d probably make it again using actual clam juice sold in a jar (adjusting the liquids to make up for less vegetable stock) and the juices from the canned clams to add more richness. Also, I always use fat-free half and half to keep the calories down.
This recipe was excellent. The changes I made was to almost double it for my large family and I used heavy whipping cream instead of half and half and extra vegetable broth to balance it out. I also used spicy smoked sea salt for a little kick.
Best clam chowder ever! The entire family loved it!
Delicious! Served this with my Christmas Eve buffet. It is restaurant quality chowder. I’ll be making this frequently.
I really liked this-it was easy! I used 3 cans of clams and 1/2 heavy cream in place of milk-so it’s super rich!
I would take 3 tbls of the bacon grease, the 3 tbls of flour and make a roux with it. Add’s flavor and thickens the soup.