Creamy, hearty, and WAY better than canned, this New England style clam chowder is soon to be your family’s new favorite soup recipe!
New England clam chowder is an ionic and hearty soup that can be a little intimidating to make at home. No more! Even using fresh clams, this soup is a fun way to enjoy a favorite homemade soup that’s creamy, satisfying, and full of amazing flavors!! Don’t want to use fresh clams? No worries, I’ve detailed how you can make this with canned clams as well.
It’s officially cold fall weather here… perfect soup weather. Clam chowder is an all-time favorite of mine… so creamy, flavorful, yet it still tastes fresh. I got a little adventurous on this one (well, for me anyway), as I’ve never made clam chowder at home before, and have never steamed my own fresh clams… like ever. I’m not a huge seafood person (I’m more of a chicken and beef gal), but I have a soft spot for clams… specifically, clam chowder and fried clam strips.
Our local grocery store didn’t have fresh clams, but luckily my husband works over near a crazy, awesome, grocery store called Jungle Jims. LOVE that store. He got us about 2 lbs. of fresh “live” clams, packed in some ice, and they hung out in my fridge for a few hours before steaming them.
BUT ISN’T STEAMING FRESH CLAMS HARD?
It’s actually super easy! Granted, it’s an extra step and pan, but in my opinion, it’s worth it for the great flavor. Just bring your clam ingredients to a boil, add your clams, cover them, and steam until they open up (took me about 6-7 minutes). If one or two doesn’t open up, just toss those, they’re not good. Drain your clams, scoop out the meat, and chop. You can also steam and chop your clams ahead of time. Just toss them in a little bit of olive oil and refrigerate… but I wouldn’t do that for too long, like a day maybe?
WOULDN’T CANNED CLAMS BE EASIER?
For sure! Plus, they’re more readily available and more economical. Down in the recipe notes section I’ve detailed how you can adapt this recipe to be made with canned clams, because, hey… we’re all busy, and sometimes, we really need a shortcut 🙂
To me, no soup is complete without some great toppings and dippers. So below are my favorite ways to top the chowder, as well as what to serve alongside.
- Top with oyster crackers – traditional, but it’s a classic topping for a reason… it’s tasty!
- Top with croutons – this may sound weird, but try it… it’s like a SUPER flavorful oyster cracker!
- Top with more bacon – because more bacon is always a good thing.
- Top with fresh parsley – I like to top rich dishes with a pop of something fresh like parsley.
- Serve with a big piece of crusty bread – perfect for dunking!
- Serve clam chowder IN a bread bowl – doesn’t get much better than that!
When you’re in the mood for something hearty and perfect for those chilly nights, give this homemade New England clam chowder recipe a try. Once you try homemade, you’ll never want the canned version again!!
OTHER COMFORTING SOUPS:
- Slow Cooker Creamy White Chicken Chili
- Slow Cooker Cheesy Ham Chowder
- Slow Cooker Zuppa Toscana
- 30 Minute Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Soup
- Copycat Loaded Baked Potato Soup
HELPFUL TOOLS:
- Le Creuset Dutch Oven – if your budget is open, I HIGHLY recommend this one… I own several pieces of Le Creuset and they’re all fantastic!
- Lodge Dutch Oven – a much more budget-friendly option, which is still a very quality pot!
Recipe originally published in 2014 and has been updated with new photos added as well.
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Ingredients
STEAMING THE CLAMS:
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 6 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 lbs. fresh, live clams (scrubbed clean)
CLAM CHOWDER:
- 6 slices thick cut bacon, diced
- 1 cup onions, finely diced
- 1 cup celery, finely diced
- 1 cup leeks, finely sliced
- 4 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 3 cups red potatoes, diced
- 3 cups chicken broth or stock
- 3/4 cup clam juice (bottled is fine)
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 3/4 Tbsp dried thyme
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce
- 3/4 cup steamed clams, chopped
- 1 quart half and half (4 cups)
Instructions
STEAM THE CLAMS:
- Scrub your clams to get rid of any grit, set aside.
- Bring your water, chicken broth and garlic to a boil. Add your clams, cover, and steam until they open up (around 6-7 minutes).
- If one or two clams don't open up, toss those, they're not good. Drain your clams, scoop out the meat and chop.
CLAM CHOWDER:
- Over MED-LOW heat, add a small drizzle of olive oil to the bottom of a large dutch oven. Add bacon pieces and cook until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon (or tongs) to a paper towel lined plate, reserving drippings in pot.
- Increase heat to MED and add onion, celery and leeks and sauté about 3-4 minutes, until soft. Add flour and stir to coat vegetables. Cook 1 minute.
- Add potatoes, chicken broth, clam juice, salt, pepper, thyme, bay leaves, and tabasco sauce. Stir well, then bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover, simmering about 15 minutes or so, until potatoes are fork tender.
- Add half and half to chowder, along with the chopped clams, and stir well to combine.
- Increase heat to MED and cook, stirring often, about 3-5 minutes, or until heated through and thickened to desired consistency.
- Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Serve with cooked bacon and enjoy!
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Colleen McIntyre says
I love bacon but I was looking to make this today which is a Friday in Lent, do you think omitting the bacon would truly effect the taste?
Amanda says
No it shouldn’t effect the taste in a negative way 🙂
Marietta Christensen says
Can I use canned clam juice not chicken broth? Also heavy cream and mushrooms? No celery or carrots? What about red potatoes over russet?
Amanda says
I wouldn’t use ALL clam juice, as it would overpower any other flavors, and yes you can use heavy cream instead of half and half. Mushrooms would be yummy! You can omit the celery, but I’m confused as there are no carrots in this recipe, and it does use red potatoes? However, I’ve only tested this recipe as written. So without testing and retesting it myself, I can’t say for certain if that would work. Any substitution will change the taste, and there are a lot of changes going on here. If you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out!
Renee says
The best so far. Just made my first batch. Yum, yum!!!!
Danielle Friedrich says
So good… I used double the flour, added carrots, next time double the potatoes! So great, my family loved it! Thanks
Chelsea says
Is this a recipe that you could freeze? I am the only one in my household that will eat clam chowder. Instead of cutting the recipe in half, could I freeze the leftovers?
The Chunky Chef says
Freezing dairy can potentially cause it to separate, but without testing and retesting it myself, I can’t say for certain if that would happen. If you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out!
Amber says
I have frozen this recipe in the past. It worked out great. Just make sure you use freezer bags. Defrost before warming up in a pot. Enjoy.
Amanda says
Thanks for chiming in Amber! Glad to hear it freezes well 🙂
Kelsey says
Hi – I was wondering how to prepare the leek for the soup? Does it call for the white part of the vegetable?
The Chunky Chef says
You really only want to use the white and light green part. There’s a great video tutorial here https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/how-to-cut-leeks/
Brent says
I enjoyed your recipe as did my wife. In particular I was looking for a recipe that employed the use of fresh clams. I am wondering why you used the bottled clam juice instead of the clam juice created after steaming the clams? I suppose there would be more consistency using the bottled, but I used what came from my clams as I have done in the past. The key in my mind is to minimize the amount of water you use for steaming so the juice created is flavorful.
Another interesting this about the recipe is the amount of Thyme used. I had to look at the amount used twice to confirm it was 3/4 TBS vs TSP. I really enjoyed the flavor as it added a nice floral component. Well done! I will be keeping the recipe.
Stephen 3 says
Great chowder, really loved it.
Estelle Champlain says
Your recipe was delicious! I used a bit less cream and a bit more broth to keep the calories down, yet it still turned out lovely. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Stewart brashear says
Funny I should stumble on your website. I’ll not tell you my age LOL but I used to see and talk to Jim at his roadside stand about everyday on my way to worK. Heckava nice guy! Glad he has done good,he worked hard for it. I believe everybody that worked at GM/Fischer Body knew him! BTW….your recipe is 👍!
Destinee says
Do you have directions on how you would cook this in a slow cooker with canned minced clams?
The Chunky Chef says
Without further testing, I can’t say for certain how it would work in a slow cooker. Feel free to try it and use your best judgement.
William Benson says
Me my wife and our dear friend neighbor enjoyed it this evening five stars.
Third time I made it great every time
Nileje says
Added craw crab meat, delicious.
Jeffrey says
Just curious. After draining bacon on the paper towels, the recipe never mentions the bacon again when does it get added?
The Chunky Chef says
Step 6 mentions to serve with the cooked bacon 🙂
Alisha says
Seriously the best clam chowder I’ve had! And we just got back from Boston! This could be served in a restaurant! I added some carrots and white corn and used canned clams and it was still excellent!
Carrie Cullum says
This was Dee-lish! I had to use canned clams (funny thing… fresh clams are kind of hard to find in Millington, TN). They did not take away from the dish. I will definitely make this dish again!
Diane Collins says
Just finished making the chowder and it is very good.. thought maybe a couple more potatoes would have worked as well thank you!
Tim says
Made this chowder today. Must say it is very good.
Christin says
Does this make enough for a crowd?
Debby says
If I read your yummy recipe right, is 2lbs of fresh chopped clams is the same as 2-3 cans of chopped claims? Can wait to try this!!
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, but you could add more or less clams to your tastes 🙂
Rita says
Awesome my family loved it