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!
Soup season has come and gone, but a bowl of clam chowder can really be eaten in any kind of weather, especially when it comes to the homemade version.
If you didn’t know, clam chowder is actually a very simple soup to prepare with a few pantry ingredients. Now some recipes call for fresh clams but I actually prefer to use canned clams for several different reasons.
1. It’s certainly easier – all you have to do is open up the can. Done.
2. It’s budget-friendly at $2.99 per can versus $9.99 per pound.
3. Last but not least, it brings in a lot more flavor when you use both the canned clams and juices, not to mention the abundance of clams as well, something you don’t really get when you order out.
Now what I love about this recipe is that you have absolute complete control over the creaminess of the soup. You can make it as thick as you’d like, or a little bit runny if that’s how you prefer your soup. Just be sure to have those oyster crackers ready to go because this soup is guaranteed to disappear from your dinner table!
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
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.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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We love clam chowder and the recipe I have takes so much time that I hate to make it. This clam chowder took me so little time and the flavor was superb! This soup is thick and so yummy! Thank you Chungah!
Very tasty!! And easy to make!
What a great basic recipe! I tweaked it a little bit to make it mine. I added the bacon back into it and I used 2 bottles of clam juice and no vegetable broth. Thank you for the directions!
Made it tonight. Doubled the recipe subbed clam juice for broth,half n half for milk.
It is divine!, thank you,! !
Perfect after the nor-Cal snow storm!
Thank you and thank you again. Perfect the absolutely Best I’ve ever and thanks to you really simple!
Wonderful recipe! I found out too late that I didnt have enough milk so I put 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 of half and half in with the veggie stock and clam juice and it came out wonderfully thick, just like I like it! Thank you so much!
Have I already reviewed this? I make it all the time. It is my one and only chowdah recipe. I do a bit of miraproix instead of just onions, and I do more potatoes and use a bottle of clam juice instead of veggie stock. I often use bacon grease that I have in the freezer if I don’t have bacon on hand. But this is one of those great recipes that you can do more of this, less of that, and still get great results!
Delicious! We made the Clam Chowder (with a few substitutes due to allergies) for a a family meal over a bread bowl. We all enjoyed it enormously. Thank you for sharing.
I just made this and its FABULOUS!!!! Family Loves It!!!!! Thank you! This recipe Rocks!
Oh my gosh! This is soooooo good thank you for posting it
Can this soup be frozen?
Unfortunately, we cannot answer this with certainty as we have never tried freezing this ourselves. Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
I saved the TBL of bacon grease, but never saw what to do with it! What do you do with the TBL of reserved bacon grease? It’s a wonderful soup recipe – have made it twice now.
The excess fat is combined with the butter in step #2. Hope that helps, Caroline.
Love this recipe! I’ve used it 3 times now and it’s always yielded damn delicious results! 😉
I have also altered it by adding 1/2 cup of frozen corn, cause I thought it would taste great in chowder.
I made this for my two oldest sons who came home for lunch during their lunch break the other day. They loved It! They both spent time in Oregon and got to eat clam chowder at the coast, but they declared this was the best they had ever eaten. I didn’t have any bacon, but had bacon grease that I used for frying the onion, etc. Also, I partially cooked the potatoes before adding to the chowder, and I used a combination of milk and sour cream instead of half and half, since I didn’t have any. Delicious!
This is THE best clam chowder recipe! It is now our go-to and has even impressed family members who are VERY picky about their clam chowder! Thanks so much! Have you ever tried to make this recipe in the instant pot? I just got one and wondered if you have tried it to save some time…
I actually haven’t – sorry!
The part about cooking the potatoes in the milk for 12-15 minutes. Wouldn’t the milk stick to the pan and burn?
Not at all!
This is our favourite clam chowder recipe! I just got an instant pot and am wondering if you know how to adjust the cooking times to make it in an instant pot? Thanks!
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications. Sorry, Julie!
How easy is this to double? Or increase by 50%? How much would that affect cooking time? Also, what size stock pot would you recommend for his recipe? I’m curious if my stock pot is even big enough to hold everything if I double it. Thanks.
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications. Sorry, Michelle!
I love your site, but have never commented before now. I’m from New England, love chowder, and almost never follow recipes. I followed this recipe almost exactly (I skipped the half and half and added corn), for a late weeknight dinner and it was AMAZING! Thank you for a new favorite!
I made this with a few minor changes… First of all I fried my potatoes and set them to the side… then I cooked the bacon in the pot and removed to cool/dry… Added onions, butter, garlic to bacon fat and cooked thoroughly… I used the clam juice and added corn starch to make a run and added that to the mix in the pot… Added bacon pieces, clams and half and half and let that simmer for about 30 minutes then added potatoes and let it cook another 10 minutes…. Rave reviews all around and everyone was wondering how I got the texture of the potatoes so wonderful! Thanks for the guidance…
Have you tried making a Manhattan clam chowder (this one for reference https://www.recipestroupe.com/recipe-traditional-manhattan-clam-chowder-50950.html)? I was talking to a colleague at work and we were trying to work out the difference between a chowder and a soup. I thought chowders were creamy, but the Manhattan style isn’t. Do you know the difference?
I actually haven’t made a Manhattan clam chowder just yet but it’s on my bucket list!
It’s delicious, I highly recommend it (although I do often prefer creamy kind for full on flavor)