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 this tonight. Rich and hearty, coupled with a sourdough bread ~ muah!
I used a can of whole baby clams and 6 finely chopped razor clams (which I have a surplus of)! Added a tablespoon of old bay seasoning and lemon pepper!
Great recipe & lends itself well to customizing.
I did not need the flour; I used my hand immersion blender to break up most of the spuds and left some chunks. I used some paprika at the end. Very easy recipe. Don’t skimp with the butter!
Can you please tell us the brand of clams you use? I am a newbie at making clam chowder. Thank you!
Hi Carol! Any store-bought brand should work just fine here. 🙂
I made this early for dinner tonight. I added Umami seasoning and a couple splashes of dry sherry. Excellent!
I love clam chowder, This recipe sounds exceptionally yummy!! You state serves 6. My concern is I am making for myself only. Can the prepared leftover soup be frozen? Of course that would be the easiest way to do it, as I believe trying to cut the recipe in half would possibly deviate from the desired taste. Any suggestions. Thanks.
Unfortunately, soups that contain milk or cream, like chowders and bisques, do not hold up well in the freezer as they tend to take on a grainy texture and separate when defrosted and rewarmed. 🙁
I love clam chowder. Could you help me keto size this recipe please. To taste just as good.
When I search for a recipe, you are one of my 5 favorite sites. Dependably delicious every time. I appreciate you and your work so much. I wanted to make clam chowder on this frosty day, and you were the only one among my favorites, who specified russet potatoes. I was thinking I probably needed to go get red, but I think the russets will help thicken the soup much better.
I am a huge fan of clam chowder and feel like a lot of restaurants don’t offer it where I live. If they do offer it, it’s only on Fridays(which is dumb). So I came across this recipe and made it today….OMG..it is soooooooo yummy!!! It was super easy and I will be making this again, especially during the colder months!
I made this tonight for supper and LOVED it! It tasted like something from a gourmet restaurant! I substituted water for the vegetable broth and evaporated milk for the half and half. It will be added to my very favorite recipes for sure!
Amazing!! I changed it a touch and added fresh clams.
I will be making this again!
Fantastic
Just wondering why my clam chowder is more of a brown color rather than white?
Maybe u browned flour too long
Mine was also brown. It was white until I added the vegetable stock. I used the Kitchen Basics brand which is very dark. Tasted ok but the color was off putting.
Thank you for this recipe! Made tonight and was absolutely delicious! Used 1less can of clams and bit more milk but turned out wonderful! Will be making again and adding different seafood as other reviews mentioned!
Have made this for a several times already! Loved it every time!
Have tried adding scallops, mussels, or salmon. They all turned out great!
This is my go-to clam chowder recipe!
This recipe is AMAZING!!!! Thank you for sharing. My husband Loved It! He said Dukes Chowder house should watch out…lol… I used heavy cream instead of half and half. I tripled the recipe and added more clams. I’ll definitely make it again.
I made this for my family of 7 and it was delightful and delicious. Even my five children ate it all up! Definitely putting in my recipe box for another cloudy and chilly evening for dinner!
Great soup! I added crab meat, shrimp and crab boil (maybe half a Tsp), old bay and some cheese and soup crackers on top! DELICIOUS!!
Such great homemade soup on a cold wet spring day! So easy to make! I put in an etxra can of clams and more potatoes to make it even thicker and more delicious! Will definitely make this again!
We made this and it was so good.
Thank you for the easy recipe.
We made this and it was so good. thank
you for this easy recipe❤️