Thick and creamy Clam Chowder is one of my favorite easy soup recipes, and this one has all the traditional elements we love, like diced potatoes, veggies and plenty of delicious clams.
Looking for more soup recipes? Try my Chicken Noodle Soup, Corn Chowder, or Creamy Zuppa Toscana!
What I love about this chowder:
- Comfort Meal: warm, creamy clam chowder with a slice of artisan bread is the ultimate comfort meal on a cold day!
- Restaurant quality: this soup is bursting with so much rich flavor, it tastes like it came from a fancy restaurant (but it’s much healthier, using less butter and cream that a restaurant would!).
How to Make Clam Chowder:
Drain clams, adding juice from the cans to a large stock pot. Set clams aside.
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.
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.
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 minutesÂ
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 with a slice of artisan bread, or 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 soup 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!
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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.
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