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
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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)
This is the best! I’ve made it a couple of times including today and my family loves it. I add extra like red & green peppers and corn & peas but still stick to the original way of making it. Delicious!
I made this soup today. It was absolutely delicious. The only change I made was I an extra cup of vegetable stock. My kids loved it and asked for seconds. Thank you for another spectacular recipe.
I absolutely loved this recipe! I highly recommend it!
I’ve made this numerous times and we love it the best clam chowder I’ve ever had. Might be weird but we eat this with grilled hot dogs. Other chowders I’ve had are to thick and gloppy, this is perfect!
Not weird at all! 🙂
I will be making this tonight wish me luck!
Made this tonight and it was DELICIOUS! Next time I’ll add another can of clams, but other than that, the flavors were perfect. As a New Englander currently residing in the Midwest, this recipe satisfied my cravings for a warm bowl of Maine clam chowder. Thank you!!
I did it today, oh, very yummy; but next time I’ll add flour at the end since too theack for boiling potato in it
not into dairy can this be made manhattan syle with a red sauce. Thank you.KAR1218@hotmail.com.
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Yes! Just omit everything except the clams 🙂
Kidding aside, I’ve been surfing for a clam chowder recipe that isn’t a fish-flavored white sauce and this looks like the winner. **May add some canned clam juice with the broth. Will be back with a review.
This was fabulous! I skipped the cream and bacon, since I didn’t have any. It still had my entire family licking their bowl clean! Even my picky eater ate the entire bowl. So delicious…. damn delicious 😉 Thank you!!
If I add some chucks of white fish, when should I do that and how long should I leave them cook? Had a fabulous clam chowder in Ireland that had them. We tried 3 places. The first was tops but they won’t share the recipe..
I recommend adding the fish with the potatoes, letting it simmer until it’s fully cooked through and opaque. But as always, please use your best judgment.
A lot of people went on vacation during Memorial Day Weekend, but I didn’t. So, I decided to explore the culinary world a bit. I eventually got tired of eating all the foods like Cup Noodle and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. And in addition, I needed to start trying out a bunch of new recipes that I could then use at college. I came across your site last week, and I’ve got to say: all these different recipes look amazing! Anyway, (I decided to make this soup yesterday…) thank you for sharing such a delicious, easy recipe! The soup tasted so good, and it was all gone by the end of the day. I’ll definitely be making this again very soon. <3
I made this with 1 # cod loins cut in bite size, instead of clams. I also used clam juice instead of vegetable broth. This chowder was easy and tasted amazing.
Can’t have dairy, any advice on making this with almond,rice or coconut milk? Thanks
Almond milk or any other milk alternative like rice or soy milk should work!
Nice recipe, the thyme really provides the overall flavor profile. I followed your recipe exactly, yet I’m looking for a bit more clam flavor. I taste vegetable, thyme, light bay leaf and overall creaminess but the clam flavor it lacking.
Will make again with the addition of extra clam juice.
Thank you
Thank you for this easy recipe! I have been looking for one since I my vacation in Oceano, CA ended. I have to watch my sodium intake so I omitted the bacon. Then, I substituted the vegetable stock with clam juice. Other than that, I kept it the same. It was damn delicious. 😉 My father, who is hard to please, said if he hadn’t know I made it, he would think it was from San Francisco. Kudos to you for a great recipe! Thanks.
this clam chowder recipe is excellent if you are a first time cooker. i added some pancetta instead of bacon, and corn for texture, doubled the recipe and two containers of clam juice was still enough, and used mushroom stock.
it will come out tasty if you season correctly with thyme, bay leaf, rosemary, and italian spices!
^ my version may not be authentic to new england but sure was delcious!