This homemade Clam Chowder recipe is thick and creamy and loaded with delicious clams, veggies and potatoes. Pair it with a bread bowls and it’s easily one of my favorite soups!
Looking for more soup recipes? Try my Chicken Noodle Soup, Corn Chowder, or Creamy Zuppa Toscana!
What I love about this chowder:
- Restaurant Quality: I kid-not that this Clam Chowder is better than I’ve had at most restaurants, and it’s much healthier and less expensive made from home.
- Comfort Meal: It’s the coziest meal on a cold day, especially served with a slice of artisan bread, or inside a bread bowl.
- Make Ahead – I love that I can make the entire thing in the morning and heat it up for dinnertime. It makes great leftovers, too.
How to make Clam Chowder:
Drain Clams, adding juice from the cans to a large stock pot. Set clams aside.
Cook Potatoes: Add chicken broth and diced potatoes to the pot. Bring to a simmer, add bay leaf, and cook until the potatoes are barely fork tender, about 5-6 minutes.
Sauté Veggies: In a separate skillet, heat butter and olive oil over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add onions, celery, bell peppers and garlic and cook until tender, about 4-5 minutes.
Thicken: Stir in flour and cook for 30 seconds. Gradually stir in milk and half and half, whisking as you add them to break up any clumps of flour. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook until the thickened, about 5 minutes.
Combine creamy mixture into the potatoes. Stir in the salt, pepper, vinegar, and reserved clams. Cook for 5 more minutes.
Serve this easy clam chowder recipe in a homemade bread bowl or with a slice of artisan bread and a fresh salad. Enjoy!
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: The vegetables can all be chopped ahead of time to make dinner time even quicker, or make the entire creamy clam chowder ahead of time and store in refrigerator until ready to eat.
To Freeze: I generally do not freeze soups with potatoes in them because the potatoes can get soft and mushy (however, some people don’t mind). Creamy soups can also have a slightly different texture once thawed.
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Recipe
Clam Chowder
Ingredients
- 4 6.5 ounce cans chopped clams
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/2 pounds Russet potatoes , peeled and diced (about 3 medium potatoes)
- 3 bay leaves
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 3 ribs celery (about 1 cup), diced
- 1/2 red bell pepper , diced
- 1/2 green bell pepper , diced
- 2 cloves garlic , finely minced
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
Instructions
- Drain the clams, adding the juice from the cans to a large stock pot. Set the clams aside.
- Add chicken broth and diced potatoes to the pot (the liquid should just barely cover the potatoes). Bring to a simmer, add the bay leaf, and cook until the potatoes are barely fork tender, about 5-6 minutes.
- While the potatoes cook, in a second pot, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the onions, celery, bell peppers and garlic and cook until tender, about 4-5 minutes.
- Stir in the flour and cook for 30 seconds. Gradually stir in the milk and half and half, whisking as you add them to break up any clumps of flour. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook until the thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir the creamy mixture into the potatoes. Stir in the salt, pepper, vinegar, and reserved clams. Cook for 5 more minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe November 2018. Updated October 2021 and October 2023.
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man how to adulterate clam chowder – celery? ugh.. and most offensive – bell peppers? garlic? and you call this clam chowder? (i’m sure this won’t get posted)
Hi Cat, did you actually try this recipe? Clam chowder (like so many recipes) will vary in ingredients depending on the region its made, and I’m hugely passionate about this recipe–it’s the only one I’ll ever make. You’re welcome to share your own recipe for clam chowder online :-).
Lauren you’re perfectly right making your own clam chowder with the proper ingredients is so delicious with fresh clams from the sea much better than those that comes in the canned because they loose taste after awhile
I have made this 4 times and every time its delicious. Thank you someone does use it.❤💜
awesome chowder .. i used chicken broyh to cook with potatoes .. bit white wine and fish sauce .. cooked veggies using left over bavon fat and butter .. best chowder I’ve ever made ..added bit chives, dill, yummm yumm thank you
This was a deliciously rich recipe! Easy to make and so good! I used 2% “Not Milk” plant based milk for the milk and cream and it worked great!
fabulous