Homemade clam chowder is an easy hearty soup that warms you up on a cold day, but it’s also so light and satisfying. This creamy clam chowder recipe is loaded with tender clams, silky potatoes, and crunchy bacon.
It’s so fun to recreate restaurant-quality dishes at home like our Zuppa Toscana Recipe, hearty Chicken Wild Rice Soup, and our wildly popular Chicken Tortilla Soup. If you’re a fan of hearty cozy soups that reheat well, you might just be adding this to your regular rotation. It’s that good.
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The Best Clam Chowder Recipe
Creamy soups are such a treat. I fell in love with them on our honeymoon in Mexico over 20 years ago where we enjoyed 5-star dining for the first time in our lives. Now we have all kinds of creamy soups from Creamy Carrot Soup to roasted Butternut Squash Soup. Nearly every bite of this New England-style Clam Chowder has clams in it which is awesome because what you get at seafood restaurants is very little clams and veggies but just a ton of cream. I find that our homemade clam chowder recipe is so much more enjoyable than dining out and it’s much easier to make than you think.
Clam Chowder Video
Watch the video tutorial to see how easy it is to make Creamy New England-style clam Chowder. Note that since filming this video, I’ve updated this recipe to increase the clams and also found that adding clams at the end ensures they are more tender. You’ll see these changes reflected in the recipe card below.
Here’s why you’ll love it:
- Ready in under an hour – a great weeknight meal, but fancy enough for company
- Tastes indulgent (but isn’t)– with only 1 cup of cream for the whole pot, it’s not as guilty as most clam chowder recipes, but it sure tastes like it is (WINNING!)
- Fresh or canned clams – we include tips for using fresh clams, but we always use canned clams for our clam chowder. It’s much easier, less expensive, and tastes just as delicious.
- Forgiving and foolproof – This soup has rustic roots, so it is not overcomplicated and can be modified easily to use what you have in the pantry
- Crowd-pleaser – my kids love this chowder, and it’s always a hit whenever we serve it to friends and family
- Make Ahead – The soup keeps well in the fridge, so you can make it now and reheat when ready to eat
Ingredients for Homemade Clam Chowder
This may seem like a lot of ingredients, but odds are you can make the best clam chowder recipe from what’s tucked away in your pantry then you can just add some canned clams to your grocery list.
- Bacon – chopped. Traditional New England clam chowder uses salt pork to make the base of the soup (the roux), but bacon is easier to find and just as delicious!
- Carrots, celery, and onions – sliced thin, this combination of veggies used at the base of many soups is called mirepoix. You can mince it thinly if you don’t prefer a flavor and it will disappear into the soup while adding tons of flavor.
- Flour – all-purpose, used to thicken the soup—for gluten-free, substitute GF flour
- Chicken broth – low sodium is best to control the amount of salt, can substitute chicken stock or use vegetable stock.
- Clams – 3 cans of clams – drain the clams, but keep the juice. If using fresh, see our tips below.
- Worcestershire sauce – adds great depth of flavor, you can substitute for soy sauce if needed, for gluten-free, check that your brand doesn’t contain gluten
- Tabasco sauce – adds a great kick, but can be omitted
- Bay Leaf, Thyme, and Salt and Pepper – Flavors the broth and add salt to taste since the sodium will change depending on your clams
- Potatoes – peeled and chopped, Yukon gold potatoes or red potatoes hold up great to cooking, any waxy potato will work, or use russet potatoes for a softer texture
- Milk – you can use any kind, or substitute with Half and Half
- Whipping cream – also called heavy whipping cream, this makes the base of the soup creamy. You don’t want to skip this ingredient!
- Cilantro – optional for garnish, but —try it! It’s brilliant—an idea I picked up from my favorite restaurant clam chowder.
Substitutions
New England Clam chowder has rustic roots as a variation of fish stew, so it’s very forgiving depending on what you have on hand. Here are a few tips:
- For Gluten-Free – Substitute the flour with your favorite GF option, or replace it with a slurry of 2 Tbsp of cornstarch and 1/4 cup of water stirred into the soup when adding the clams. Also, be sure the brand of hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce are gluten-free.
- Seasonings – replace thyme with dill, fresh parsley, or Old Bay seasoning, or add minced garlic to the veggies before sautéing
- Potato – try using cauliflower, turnips, or parsnips
- Add Veggies – try adding chopped red peppers with the veggies, or add some frozen corn at the end
Pro Tip:
To use fresh clams, buy about 7 lbs of Quahog (littleneck or cherrystone) clams to get 1.5 generous cups for this recipe, and use about 8 oz of clam juice (to replace the juice from the can).
Clean the clams well, and then steam them until they just open up. Remove the meat and chop finely so they don’t become rubbery. Here’s a tutorial on how to Steam fresh clams.
How to Make Clam Chowder
It’s quick and easy to make New England Clam Chowder following these few simple steps.
- Brown the bacon in a large pot or Dutch oven until browned and crisp. Then transfer to a power towel-lined plate.
- Sauté the vegetables (carrots, onion, and celery) in the same pot with the bacon drippings. Stir occasionally until soft and golden, and then sprinkle with flour. Sauté another minute while stirring constantly until you can’t smell the raw flour.
- Add the chicken broth, clam juice, 1 bay leaf, Worcestershire, Tabasco sauce, thyme, 1 tsp salt, and pepper. Bring to a light boil.
- Add the chopped potatoes to the pot, and then stir in the milk and whipping cream. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, cover, and simmer until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes.
- Stir in the chopped clams, and return the pot to a light boil. Then remove from the heat so the clams don’t get overcooked and tough. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and garnish with the cilantro if desired, and cooked bacon.
Pro Tip:
The soup with thicken as it cools. If needed, you can thin it out by adding more milk or chicken broth and bringing it to a boil once more.
Common Questions
This filling stew is a staple American soup made with clams. There are three different types of clam chowder, named after the region where they were popularized.
It all comes down to the soup base or broth. New England Clam Chowder contains cream for a white, cream-based broth. Manhattan Clam Chowder has a tomato base, giving the broth a red color. The lesser-known Rhode Island Clam Chowder has a clear broth without tomato or cream.
We find that using flour to make a roux makes the perfect thickness for clam chowder, but you can also use a slurry of cornstarch and water/broth added along with the clams in the last step.
What to Serve with Clam Chowder?
This soup is hearty enough to serve as a full meal, but pairs well with these sides:
- Oyster crackers or saltines for dipping
- Crusty bread like in our No-Knead Bread, Crusty French Bread, or sourdough bread bowls (boules).
- Side salad like our Caesar Salad, Wedge Salad, Beet Salad, or Broccoli Corn Salad
- Sandwiches like our BLT, Grilled Cheese, or Open-faced Eggplant and Tomato Sandwich
Make-Ahead
Clam Chowder keeps nicely in the refrigerator but changes texture when frozen due to the potatoes, flour, and heavy cream. It’s still safe to freeze and reheat as long as you’re ok with a slightly different texture and look.
- To Refrigerate: once cool, store in an airtight container for 3-5 days
- Freezing: separate single portions into zip-top bags and freeze for up to three months
- To Reheat: heat in the microwave or on the stovetop until warmed through. Add a dash more milk if it gets too thick
Homemade clam chowder is creamy, hearty and so satisfying. Our recipe is full of clams in every bite and topped with crunchy bacon. Don’t wait to try this recipe during soup season and all year long.
More Classic Soup Recipes
If you love this Clam Chowder Recipe, then you won’t want to miss these other classic soup recipes.
- Vegetable Soup
- Potato Soup
- Easy Chicken Noodle Soup
- Corn Chowder
- Classic Borscht
- Beef Stew or Lamb Stew
Clam Chowder Recipe (VIDEO)
Ingredients
- 6 slices lean bacon, cut into 1/2" strips
- 2 medium carrots, sliced into thin rings or half rings
- 2 celery ribs, finely diced
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 4 Tbsp all-purpose flour, or GF flour
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, or stock
- 1 1/2 cups canned chopped clams, drained with juices reserved, from 3 (6.5 oz) cans
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper, or to taste
- 1 1/2 lbs 6 medium potatoes (Yukon gold or russet), peeled
- 2 cups milk, any kind
- 1 cup whipping cream or heavy whipping cream
- 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro, optional for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over med/high heat and add the chopped bacon. Sauté, stirring occasionally until browned and crisp then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Keep 3 Tbsp of bacon grease in the pot (discard excess if desired).
- Add prepared carrots, onion, and celery and continue cooking over med/high heat, stirring occasionally until soft and golden (7-8 min). Sprinkle in 4 Tbsp flour, and saute another minute, stirring constantly.
- Add 2 cups chicken broth, reserved clam juice, 1 bay leaf, 1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire, 1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 1 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Bring soup to a light boil.
- While the soup is heating up, chop potatoes into bite-sized pieces about 1/4" thick. Add potatoes to pot then stir in 2 cups milk and 1 cup whipping cream. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and lightly boil until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork (about 20 min).
- When potatoes are tender, add chopped clams, return to a light boil, and remove from heat. Don't overcook clams or they will get tough*. Season to taste with salt and pepper. To serve, garnish with cooked bacon and fresh cilantro if desired.
Notes
- The soup will thicken more as it cools. If needed, you can thin it out by adding more milk or chicken broth and bringing it to a boil once more.
- Add the clams at the end and be sure you just bring to a boil then remove the soup from the heat. Overcooking the clams will make them chewy and rubbery.
- Don’t skip the bacon. That little bit of bacon adds so much flavor, both in the soup and as a topping, and makes every bite completely irresistible.
- To Make this Gluten-free, make sure the Tabasco and Worcestershire are FG, then replace the flour with GF flour or create a cornstarch slurry with 2 Tbsp cornstarch and 1/4 cup broth. Add slurry with the clams.
- To use fresh clams, you’ll need 7 pounds of clams. Be sure to clean them very well and steam them until they open. Then chop the meat. See more tips in the post above.
- Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-5 days. Freezing is not recommended, because the texture changes when frozen.
Nutrition Per Serving
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I have this on the stove right now and it smells delicious!! I just did a taste test and it is wonderful but not clammy tasting enough but that is my fault, I only bought 2 cans of clams instead of 3. I have no doubt that this will be gone by tomorrow and next time I will make it clammy enough. Great recipe!
Made your clam chowder. The recipe is pretty easy. Just waiting to put lid on and cook another 20-30 minutes.