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Home / Comfort Food

Slow Cooker Cheesy Ham Chowder

4.75
/5
8 hours 25 minutes
146 Comments
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By: The Chunky Chefpublished: 09/17/2017

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

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.

Slow Cooker Cheesy Ham Chowder | Creamy, cheesy and hearty, this slow cooker ham chowder is the perfect way to use up any leftover ham!  Perfect for a busy weeknight meal! | https://www.thechunkychef.com | #chowder #soup #ham #leftover #slowcooker #crockpotOkay 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.

Slow Cooker Cheesy Ham Chowder | Creamy, cheesy and hearty, this slow cooker ham chowder is the perfect way to use up any leftover ham!  Perfect for a busy weeknight meal! | https://www.thechunkychef.com | #chowder #soup #ham #leftover #slowcooker #crockpot

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.

Slow Cooker Cheesy Ham Chowder | Creamy, cheesy and hearty, this slow cooker ham chowder is the perfect way to use up any leftover ham!  Perfect for a busy weeknight meal! | https://www.thechunkychef.com | #chowder #soup #ham #leftover #slowcooker #crockpot

Slow Cooker Cheesy Ham Chowder | Creamy, cheesy and hearty, this slow cooker ham chowder is the perfect way to use up any leftover ham!  Perfect for a busy weeknight meal! | https://www.thechunkychef.com | #chowder #soup #ham #leftover #slowcooker #crockpot

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Slow Cooker Cheesy Ham Chowder | Creamy, cheesy and hearty, this slow cooker ham chowder is the perfect way to use up any leftover ham!  Perfect for a busy weeknight meal! | https://www.thechunkychef.com | #chowder #soup #ham #leftover #slowcooker #crockpot

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!

Slow Cooker Cheesy Ham Chowder | Creamy, cheesy and hearty, this slow cooker ham chowder is the perfect way to use up any leftover ham!  Perfect for a busy weeknight meal! | https://www.thechunkychef.com | #chowder #soup #ham #leftover #slowcooker #crockpot

Slow Cooker Cheesy Ham Chowder

4.75 from 62 votes
Author: The Chunky Chef
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours 25 minutes
Calories: 340
Servings: 10 servings
(hover over # to adjust)
Print Rate Pin
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!

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.

Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!

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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.

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Slow Cooker Cheesy Ham Chowder | Creamy, cheesy and hearty, this slow cooker ham chowder is the perfect way to use up any leftover ham!  Perfect for a busy weeknight meal! | https://www.thechunkychef.com | #chowder #soup #ham #leftover #slowcooker #crockpot

Slow Cooker Cheesy Ham Chowder | Creamy, cheesy and hearty, this slow cooker ham chowder is the perfect way to use up any leftover ham!  Perfect for a busy weeknight meal! | https://www.thechunkychef.com | #chowder #soup #ham #leftover #slowcooker #crockpot

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Meet The Chunky Chef

Hey there! I'm Amanda. Wife, mother, photography nerd, and bacon lover! I believe that delicious meals should be easy to make. Now that you’re here, stay a bit, browse a few recipes, and let’s get cookin’!

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Recipe Rating




  1. Kristin A Anetsberger says

    Posted on 12/27 at 7:14 pm

    Easy and very good! I’m glad I found a way to use my leftover spiral ham from Christmas. Thank you!

    Reply
  2. Alana E. says

    Posted on 12/23 at 8:47 am

    What a DELICIOUS, recipe! My compliments to The CHUNKY Chef!
    I wanted to comment on the question about freezing with a lot of dairy…
    It’s not a good idea; because it creates this clumpy, gross consistancy. Something you could do to make it more freezer accessible would be: Instead of 2 cups of milk, you could add 1 + 1 cup chicken broth. Also, instead of the cheddar, add VELVEETA. Not even close to as healthy, bit still delicious. Velveeta doesn’t separate while frozen. I would also only add 1 cup of VELVEETA, lol you don’t want to make yourself sick. Hope this helps!

    Reply
  3. jack frost says

    Posted on 12/6 at 2:22 pm

    made this yesterday and it is incredible !! family loved it.. i actually doubled the recipe and cooked on high in crock pot,,, had a bowl for lunch today and its even better today !! but really what soup/stew isnt the next day.. cant wait to try some of your other crock pot recipes, being we live in minnesota we love crock pot recipes.. thank you !!!

    Reply
    • Jenny says

      Posted on 11/27 at 11:33 am

      How long did you cook it on high for?

      Reply
  4. Lori Wiederholt says

    Posted on 9/22 at 2:25 pm

    This is delicious! I do have a question if this can be frozen?

    Reply
    • The Chunky Chef says

      Posted on 10/5 at 9:33 pm

      I’ve not tested freezing this recipe, since freezing dairy can be tricky and it has a tendency to separate.

      Reply
  5. Sara says

    Posted on 9/6 at 9:11 pm

    Delicious, this is one of my family’s favorite dinners.

    Sara

    Reply
  6. Madonna Madonna says

    Posted on 8/11 at 4:01 pm

    Hello Amanda, yes I made your Chowder today & it took all the 8 hours allotted in recipe. I haven’t tasted yet!!! I am still cooking the chowder !!!! Ok I am BACK now!! The Chowder is off the hook yummy & the Bomb Digity Bomb in the late Summer you ask Why Summer?? Well I will tell you Ms. Chunky Chef. I make SOUP almost Every Day of the year Not just when we need comforting, when chilly & a friend needs comforting bring that friend a pot of Soup. JUST Because!!! I just Love, breath, & littorly EAT Soup…… always looking for NEW Recipes Amanda Thank you for this Lucious Recipe to EAT Soup Yum Yum Yummy

    Reply
  7. Carrie says

    Posted on 5/2 at 6:47 pm

    could you pre cook the taters in water to par boil to speed this up?

    Reply
    • Amanda says

      Posted on 5/2 at 8:16 pm

      I haven’t done it myself, but I’m sure that would work 🙂

      Reply
    • Alana Etling says

      Posted on 12/23 at 8:54 am

      Yes ma’am, but you’d have to also reduce the liquid in the crock pot.

      Reply
  8. Alyssa says

    Posted on 4/18 at 10:48 am

    Plan on making this today! Do you think it would make a difference or work at all if I cooked it on high instead?

    Reply
    • Amanda says

      Posted on 4/18 at 8:20 pm

      It should be just fine, just cook it on high for about 4 hours or so 🙂

      Reply
  9. Andrea says

    Posted on 4/9 at 9:11 am

    Can I freeze the leftovers ?

    Reply
    • Amanda says

      Posted on 4/9 at 8:31 pm

      Freezing dairy can be a bit finicky, as it can separate during the freezing/thawing process. This doesn’t always happen, but it’s a possibility.

      Reply
  10. Frances says

    Posted on 4/5 at 9:48 pm

    Just finished enjoying this mouthwatering chowder. Wow is all I can say! I cooked a huge spiral glazed ham for Easter and have a ton of leftovers. The glaze on the ham added a sweet flavour that took this chowder to the next level. I added a little extra cornstarch for thickening. Thanks so much. This will be a go-to recipe from now on.

    Reply
  11. Jennifer says

    Posted on 3/25 at 4:45 pm

    Do you think it would change the recipe drastically if I used baby carrots chopping up instead of celery?

    Reply
    • Amanda says

      Posted on 3/25 at 9:06 pm

      I don’t think so, that sounds yummy 🙂

      Reply
  12. Paul says

    Posted on 1/1 at 7:01 pm

    Finally found my keeper recipe for this soup. Did ours on the stovetop instead of the crock pot and prebaked the potatoes to speed it up.

    Reply
  13. Tina says

    Posted on 12/30 at 11:39 am

    Can I cook this on High for 3-4 hours? I forgot to start it earlier today.

    Reply
    • The Chunky Chef says

      Posted on 12/30 at 2:35 pm

      I haven’t tested it myself, but I think that would work just fine 🙂

      Reply
  14. Maura says

    Posted on 12/29 at 6:57 pm

    My chowder is a lot soupy what can I do to thicken it up?

    Reply
    • The Chunky Chef says

      Posted on 12/29 at 9:36 pm

      You can either mash some of the soup with a potato masher, or add more cornstarch mixed with an equal amount of cold liquid 🙂

      Reply
  15. Christine says

    Posted on 12/29 at 6:12 pm

    Delicious! 

    Reply
  16. Sandy says

    Posted on 12/29 at 6:02 pm

    Just made this tonight and it was delicious. My husband and I both had two bowl fulls. I needed to use my ham and found your recipe. Thank you for sharing. 

    Reply
  17. Lisa Chachere says

    Posted on 12/29 at 12:22 pm

    Turned out absolutely amazing and plan on making again and not just after Christmas 🥰

    Reply
  18. Kaitlyn Mace says

    Posted on 12/27 at 5:01 pm

    I have red potatoes, do you think they’ll work?

    Reply
    • The Chunky Chef says

      Posted on 12/27 at 8:34 pm

      They should 🙂

      Reply
      • Kaitlyn Mace says

        Posted on 12/27 at 10:50 pm

        Thanks. This will be tomorrows dinner. Im do excited!!

        Reply
  19. Lisa L says

    Posted on 12/7 at 1:03 am

    This turned out very good! I’ll make it again! 

    Reply
    • Staci says

      Posted on 2/28 at 6:00 pm

      It was a great day for soup since it was rainy and cold here. Wanted to try something different and this was the one I decided to go with. We absolutely loved it! Will definitely make again. Thank you for sharing!

      Reply
  20. Jessica L Hotaling says

    Posted on 12/6 at 9:07 am

    I have regular white potatoes I’d like to use up. Can i use these instead of russets? Thanks!

    Reply
    • The Chunky Chef says

      Posted on 12/6 at 7:52 pm

      Without testing it I can’t say for certain, but I would think those would work just fine 🙂

      Reply
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