Warm up in the most comforting way… a big bowl of this cheesy ham chowder, made easy in the slow cooker! Perfect for a busy weeknight!
Have some leftover ham? This cheesy ham chowder is the most mouthwatering solution! Even if you don’t have any leftover ham, it’s perfect to make on a chilly weeknight, and hearty enough to feed your whole family!
This post was brought to you by the makers of Promised Land Dairy. I received compensation to write this post through the Far From Ordinary Milk program. All opinions expressed are my own.
Okay I know that it’s not officially Fall until September 22nd, but it’s after Labor Day, which makes it unofficially my favorite season… Fall! I can’t get enough of the comforting meals like this cheesy ham chowder.
On a chilly day, there’s nothing better than cozying up to a big bowl of thick, creamy chowder! The best part about this version? It’s made in the slow cooker!
Just add the first several ingredients to the slow cooker, cover and cook on low, and walk out the door! When you come back home for dinner, all it takes is a mere 20 minutes before it’s 100% ready to go.
One thing I love about this ham chowder is that it’s deliciously creamy, but with no heavy cream! Whole milk and some sour cream give it all the creaminess it needs, while also cutting down on fat and calories.
Over the next couple of months, there are a few holidays where you might serve ham, and inevitably have a bunch of ham leftover right?
I know every time I serve ham, I’m left with SO much. After some ham sandwiches, and these puffs, I’m usually stumped as to what to do with all the leftovers.
That’s where this chowder recipe comes to the rescue! It uses 4 cups of diced ham, so it’ll put a good dent in your leftover pile 🙂
BUT WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE LEFTOVER HAM?
Great question! You totally don’t have to use leftover ham for this recipe. Obviously it’s a great leftover idea, but not everyone serves ham and has leftovers right?
I like to grab some fully cooked boneless ham steaks from the grocery store and just cube them up. In fact, that’s actually what I did for these pictures.
The only ham I wouldn’t use would be really thin sliced lunchmeat… it might disintegrate during the long cook time.
LOOKING FOR MORE SLOW COOKER RECIPES?
- Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese Sauce
- Slow Cooker Shredded Italian Beef
- Slow Cooker Creamy White Chicken Chili
- Slow Cooker Copycat Zuppa Toscana
- Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
- Slow Cooker Ranch Mushrooms
Grab some crackers, a spoon, and dig in!! Also, we love to make this no knead bread to serve alongside… nothing beats it!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2" cubes (about 3 medium sized potatoes)
- 20 oz canned corn (drained), or frozen corn (thawed)
- 4 cups cubed ham steaks, diced into 1/2" cubes
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 4 ribs celery, diced
- 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 4 cups chicken stock (or broth)
- 2 cups whole Milk
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 Tbsp fresh minced parsley
- extra parsley, pepper and cheese, for garnish
Instructions
- To a 6 qt slow cooker, add the first 8 ingredients (potatoes through and including chicken stock). Stir, cover, and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours, until potatoes are tender.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk milk and cornstarch until smooth. Stir into soup in slow cooker, cover and cook on HIGH 20-25 minutes until thickened, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat, stir in cheese, sour cream and parsley until cheese is melted.
- Serve sprinkled with extra cheese, black pepper and parsley if desired.
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Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Diane says
Absolutely awesome! Loved it! Great way to use up ham. Yum 😋
Lisa says
I have minced garlic. How much would equal 4-5 cloves?
The Chunky Chef says
An easy google search shows that 1/2 tsp is equivalent to 1 clove.
Bonnie Benson says
absolutely delicious. My finicking eating son said “mom that is the best soup I have ever eaten”.
Alicia says
Im addicted to this soup!
Sharon Butler says
I’m a little short in time. Will my chowder turn out OK if I cook it on the high setting of my slow cooker with less time?
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested it, as I don’t like to cook entirely on high, but I think it’ll turn out okay (and I would try about 4 hours).
Alicia says
I cook it in a pot sometimes too. Just to save time
Dua says
Made this for the first time a couple of months ago, kids loved it so much that when I asked my youngest what wanted for his big 10 birthday meal he asked for your ham chowder.
Can’t think of a better compliment! 😀
Jennie says
I made this with a few quirks and it was delicious 😀. Great recipe !!! Thank you
Nikki says
I make this all the time and I love it. This time I want a little extra ham and potatoes without doubling everything. Will 3 cups of broth vs the 2 be too much for the rest of the ingredients later?
The Chunky Chef says
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. If you do some experimenting, I’d love to know how it turns out!
Rosemary says
This recipe is delicious! A great way to use leftover ham. Simple to make too. Thank you so much for sharing this keeper
Francis says
Wonderful recipe!!! I love it!
Jo Ann Fillman says
So good! I used a ham steak, and it turned out so well.
Lorie says
So creamy and easy to make. This is a definite keeper and my new favorite. I didn’t have whole milk so I used 2% and added a bit more corn starch. Worked great. Thanks for sharing!👏👏👏
Dana Reel says
I loved the flavors of the soup!
I didn’t use a slow cooker, but cooked it in 2 1/2 hours. I sautéed the onions and celery in 2 teaspoons of olive oil
Then continued on with the recipe.
I used 1% milk and 2 cups ham.
I used what I had and actually I don’t think I would want 4 cups of ham.
It was really good!
Manny says
This was great, however I used heavy cream instead of milk and made it on the range and not the slow cooker. Froze the leftovers and then made a few weeks later and still turned out great.
Kristina says
Can’t wait to try this! Do you know if it freezes well?
The Chunky Chef says
Due to the dairy and potatoes, I’m not sure if it would freeze well. Potatoes can sometimes take on an unappetizing texture once frozen and thawed, and dairy can potentially separate during the freezing and thawing process.
Tina says
It freezes great. I’m eating some right now that I took out of the freezer this morning.
Kim says
Love this recipe! Made it last year. I added carrots instead of corn because we are not a fan of corn. So yummy! I’m going to try it with cauliflower instead of potatoes to lower the carbs.
Lisa says
How was it with the cauliflower? Did you add it in the end so it didn’t turn to mush? Thanks Lisa
Sandra Rinne says
Made this, both my daughter and I loved it! Had no celery, substituted frozen bag of calif veggies (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower). Had no cheddar, used fiesta blend. My daughter said definitely a keeper!
Karen Quinn says
It’s just about time to thicken the soup and add cheese. I realize as I look at your pictures, that I missed putting in the carrots. But they aren’t on the ingredient list. Are they supposed to be? I see them in your soup and now I’m thinking they would have added a nice dimension but too late!
The Chunky Chef says
There aren’t any carrots in this soup, the ham may have looked a bit orange in some of the photos. You could certainly add some next time though, sounds delicious 🙂
Jennie says
This was terrific and I used all leftovers everyone loved it❤️❤️❤️