Clam Chowder Recipe (VIDEO)

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.

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.

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.

What to Serve with Clam Chowder?

This soup is hearty enough to serve as a full meal, but pairs well with these sides:

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.

Clam Chowder Recipe (VIDEO)

4.96 from 176 votes

Author: Natasha Kravchuk

Homemade clam chowder is easy and a real treat. It’s creamy, but light and so satisfying. This creamy clam chowder recipe is loaded with tender clams, silky potatoes, and crunchy bacon.

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 45 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr

Servings: 8 people (1 cup servings)

• 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

• 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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-5 days. Freezing is not recommended, because the texture changes when frozen.

236kcal Calories26g Carbs8g Protein12g Fat7g Saturated Fat1g Polyunsaturated Fat3g Monounsaturated Fat0.001g Trans Fat38mg Cholesterol549mg Sodium643mg Potassium3g Fiber6g Sugar3171IU Vitamin A20mg Vitamin C125mg Calcium1mg Iron

Nutrition Facts

Clam Chowder Recipe (VIDEO)

Amount per Serving

% Daily Value*

Saturated Fat

Trans Fat

Polyunsaturated Fat

Monounsaturated Fat

Cholesterol

Potassium

Carbohydrates

Vitamin A

Vitamin C

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.