We love a big, creamy bowl of chowder and our Clam Chowder Recipe can’t be beat! It’s filled with loads of chopped clams, has a perfectly mild briny flavor, creamy texture and is so delicious!
We love enjoying a piping hot bowl on a chilly day and bonus points if it’s served in a hollowed out, sourdough bread bowl. Yum!
What is Clam Chowder?
Clam chowder is a chunky soup or stew filled with clams, potatoes and often time other vegetables like onions and carrots. Two of the most popular versions are New England and Manhattan-Style and we describe them and their differences below!
New England (Boston) Clam Chowder
This version is known for having a creamy, milky base and being thicker in texture. It’s believed to have been introduced to the east coast by either French, British or Nova Scotian settlers in the 1700’s, becoming a common dish in the area.
Manhattan Clam Chowder
This version is a thinner, tomato and broth based chowder that came into existence around the mid 1800’s when the popularity of tomatoes in the US grew.
How to Make Clam Chowder
Ingredients
Important Ingredients to Note for Our Clam Chowder Recipe
- canned, chopped clams – We love the convenience of using chopped clams from a can. They also contain clam juice, so you don’t need to buy as much since you are supplementing from the cans.
- clam juice – Bottles of just clam juice can be found in most grocery stores in the canned fish section along with the canned clams. Although our recipe calls for 2 1/2 cups clam juice, you’ll get anywhere from 1 to 1 1/2 cups clam juice from the canned clams, so will only need an additional 1 to 1/2 cups of clam juice.
- new potatoes – Most recipes call for russet potatoes, which naturally release starches into the chowder as they cook. Since our clam chowder recipe is already thick and creamy we like using small new potatoes. They hold their shape a little better and provide a better texture
- leeks – A unique ingredient you won’t find in most other chowder recipes. We love using them because they gently melt into the chowder as they cook down. They also impart a subtle onion-garlic flavor
- bacon – We add a touch of bacon to our clam chowder recipe for the rich, smoky flavor they add. You can totally omit it and still have a delicious chowder!
Process
- Crisp bacon in a large pot for a few minutes.
- Add butter and melt.
- Stir in onion, carrot, leek, and potatoes and sauté. Season with salt and pepper.
- Once onions and leeks have sweat and are slightly translucent, add thyme and corn. Stir together.
- Sprinkle flour over vegetable mixture and stir well to create a thick and even roux.
- While stirring, pour clam juice into the mixture in a steady stream until fully incorporated and no lumps remain. Turn heat down and allow the mixture to simmer until the mixture thickens, stirring frequently to prevent any burning on the bottom of the pot.
- Stir in clams and milk and continue to simmer continuing to stir frequently.
- Adjust seasonings if needed and serve hot (in hollowed out sourdough bread bowls, optional).
Tools You Will Need
- cutting board
- knife
- dry measuring spoons
- dry measuring cups
- liquid measuring cups
- soup pot
- wooden spoons
Fresh, Canned or Frozen Clams?
As we mentioned earlier, canned clams are our preferred clam for this recipe. Nothing beats the convenience. Although there are a few different types of clams that can be used.
Fresh Clams
If using fresh clams for this recipe, we recommend cherrystone. They have a good flavor and meaty texture. This is a fine option, although using fresh clams will require some prep for our chowder. They will have to be steamed ahead of time and removed from their shells, before being chopped.
Canned Clams
This is our preferred type of clam to use. Due to the canning process, the clams are already cooked, so the canned just need to be opened and drained (although save the clam juice for the chowder!), before being used. Canned clams are not only convenient, they taste great and have a decent (a couple years) shelf life, if stored correctly.
Our preferred brand is Bar Harbor. They’re easy to find at most grocery stores, each clam is hand picked instead of machine processed, they are all natural (with no preservatives), and are lower in sodium than other canned options.
Frozen Clams
Another clam option for our clam chowder recipe are frozen clams. Frozen clams can be found either in their shells or the meat only. Both types are usually cooked ahead of time, although we recommend using the ones already shucked. Frozen clams can be added to the chowder, frozen, although the texture will be softer than fresh or canned clams.
What to Serve with Our Clam Chowder Recipe
We love that clam chowder is so hearty and a mea in itself. There are just a couple of things we love to have with our chowder.
- Our preferred way to enjoy it is served in a hollowed out sourdough bread bowl. The interior or the bread bowl soaks up all the delicious flavors of the chowder, while the sourdough crust is sturdy enough to hold everything together. After we finish the chowder, we love ripping the bread bowl apart and chowing down on the chowder soaked bread!
- We also love enjoying this clam chowder with oyster crackers or saltines! They add just the right amount of flavor and texture to the chowder.
- A few (dozen) dashes of hot sauce is also a strong favorite for us. It perfectly cuts through the creamy chowder and balances the flavors out really well!
Make Ahead and Freezing Clam Chowder
This recipe can be both made ahead of time and frozen for later consumption!
Make Ahead
Our chowder can be made up to 2 days ahead of time. To make ahead fully make chowder and cool. Once cooled, transfer chowder to an airtight container and refrigerate.
When ready to use transfer clam chowder to a pot and heat over medium-low heat, frequently stirring. Gently simmer until chowder has heated through. Remove from heat and adjust seasonings as needed.
Freezing
This clam chowder recipe can be frozen for up to 2 months. To freeze, make chowder but don’t add the milk. Cool chowder and transfer to an airtight, freezer-safe container.
When ready to use, thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Once thawed, pour chowder into a pot and simmer over medium-low heat. Once chowder has heated through, stir in milk and continue to simmer until thick, creamy and hot. Adjust seasonings as needed and serve.
More Delicious Soup Recipes You Will Love
Clam Chowder Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 3 strips bacon chopped
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 1 carrot peeled and diced
- 1 leek cleaned and thinly sliced (white and light green part only)
- 2/3 cup fresh corn (from 1 cob)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme minced
- 1 1/2 cups new potatoes diced
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups clam juice
- 2 1/2 cups chopped clams
- 1 3/4 cups milk
- salt and pepper to taste
optional
- sourdough bread bowls for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place a large pot over medium heat and crisp bacon, about 5 minutes.
- Add butter and melt.
- Stir in onion and carrot and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Add leek and potatoes and continue to sauté for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Once onions and leeks have sweat and are slightly translucent, add thyme and corn. Stir together.
- Sprinkle flour over vegetable mixture and stir well to create a thick roux, about 3 minutes.
- While whisking, pour clam juice into the mixture in a steady stream until fully incorporated and no lumps remain. Turn heat down to medium-low and allow the mixture to simmer for about 8 minutes or until the mixture thickens, stirring frequently to prevent burning on the bottom.
- Stir in clams and milk and continue to simmer for an additional 12 to 16 minutes, continuing to stir frequently.
- Adjust seasonings and serve hot (in hollowed out sourdough bread bowls, if desired).
Did you make this recipe? We want to see!
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wotapedia
I love clam chowder, this very good. Tanks for your sharing
Lowongan Kerja Terbaru
very good
sazkia
very good
Kathleen
Too bad none of the people (above) leaving comments about this recipe have tried it. Why leave a comment if you haven’t tried the soup…good question! I on the other hand, have tried the soup and found it to be easy to prepare as well as healthy and very tasty. I am new to this website, but have to say that after reading this recipes comments, I’m beginning to wonder about the seriousness of your readers.
Meghann
Yesterday it finally felt like cool fall weather here in Alabama so we made this. It was delicious! I loved all the extra veggies that were in it.
Matlab
Looks so good and making so hungry.
Liza
Thank you so much for this recipe! I’m originally from Eastern Europe. Clam chowder is one of those dishes I never knew about before I came to the US, so I was trying to find a really good but simple recipe. It turned out wicked good!!
LizFH
This is a good receipe but add some Worchester and hot sauce to give it more of a kick.
Lowongan Kerja
Looks yummy
Emily (New York, NY)
Ohhh okay – this is awesome. I looove new england clam chowder! When I try this, my bowl may empty quicker than that!
Jeff and Andrea
We are making this tonight, just got two lbs of clams and a little rock shrimp to add…weather here in Pittsburgh has been the same weather…weird. Amazing website by the way, it was because of you guys that we got aboard the pancetta train back in Nov with the pumpkin risotto and scallops! THANKS!!!!
Javelin Warrior
Normally, I’d be all about that bread, but this chowder looks fantastic! It’s so creamy and a such gorgeous color… Anyway, I am featuring this post in today’s Friday Food Fetish roundup (with a link-back and attribution), but please let me know if you have any objections. It’s a pleasure following your creations…
Caroline @ Between Your Ears
Each of your posts is more beautiful than the one before!! Gorgeous!
A Plum By Any Other Name
We must be getting your warm weather … it was 70 on Monday and I’ve heard it’s supposed to hit 80 next week here in Boston (unofficial clam chowder capital of the world). I’m game for clams in any weather though.
joey
Fabulous photos as usual and LOVE the gif!! I would love a bowl of this right now…except it’s sweltering over here! Sigh…our “soup weather” usually means a monsoon!
Sally - My Custard Pie
The gif is such fun – it makes you want to do exactly that ….clear the bowl. Love the colours here.
Sonia
Omigosh! That looks delicious! But really – what wonderful photography! Love it!!
Patti
that looks amazing!! I love clam chowder & always try it wherever I go! I will definitely try this recipe. looks so yummy!
Genie
I’m glad you posted this. “Make a chowder” is on my list of things to do this season. It’s autumn here and chowders are great for those shoulder seasons.
Leeks and corn sound like lovely additions to the chowder.
p.s. I love your food gifs too.
Amy
OMG this looks amazing (and colorful!). I’ve been looking for a good clam chowder recipe.
http://amyturman.blogspot.com
PS: I love your food gifs!
tracy
gimme gimme!
Adrienne @ How to Ice a Cake
I absolutely love your photo animations! How do you do them? This chowder looks amazing too and I don’t even eat meat :D
Aaron from The Amused Bouche Blog
Oooooooh yeeeeeahhh…
Ashley
LOVING the blue color of the surface you shot on.
Averie @ Averie Cooks
It looks so good and you have the best GIF files you upload…I love them!
And also the best props (gorgeous blue dishes, love the matte finish) and of course, the photography. I drool over here with every post :)
David
Looks delicious! Too bad it’s 70 degrees here now in Colorado. But I’m saving this page for the next time the temperature dips. Keep up the wonderful work!