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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. Lisa says

    Posted on 3/11 at 7:38 am

    I have minced garlic. How much would equal 4-5 cloves?

    Reply
    • The Chunky Chef says

      Posted on 3/12 at 3:25 pm

      An easy google search shows that 1/2 tsp is equivalent to 1 clove.

      Reply
  2. Bonnie Benson says

    Posted on 2/15 at 5:45 am

    absolutely delicious. My finicking eating son said “mom that is the best soup I have ever eaten”.

    Reply
  3. Alicia says

    Posted on 1/28 at 3:30 pm

    Im addicted to this soup!

    Reply
  4. Sharon Butler says

    Posted on 1/8 at 1:55 pm

    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?

    Reply
    • The Chunky Chef says

      Posted on 1/8 at 9:37 pm

      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).

      Reply
    • Alicia says

      Posted on 1/28 at 3:31 pm

      I cook it in a pot sometimes too. Just to save time

      Reply
  5. Dua says

    Posted on 1/3 at 8:42 am

    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! 😀

    Reply
  6. Jennie says

    Posted on 11/16 at 8:28 pm

    I made this with a few quirks and it was delicious 😀. Great recipe !!! Thank you

    Reply
  7. Nikki says

    Posted on 11/11 at 10:09 am

    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?

    Reply
    • The Chunky Chef says

      Posted on 11/12 at 2:38 pm

      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!

      Reply
  8. Rosemary says

    Posted on 10/8 at 7:43 pm

    This recipe is delicious! A great way to use leftover ham. Simple to make too. Thank you so much for sharing this keeper

    Reply
  9. Francis says

    Posted on 9/13 at 5:25 pm

    Wonderful recipe!!! I love it!

    Reply
  10. Jo Ann Fillman says

    Posted on 3/17 at 4:51 pm

    So good! I used a ham steak, and it turned out so well.

    Reply
  11. Lorie says

    Posted on 2/6 at 4:32 am

    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!👏👏👏

    Reply
  12. Dana Reel says

    Posted on 2/5 at 7:41 pm

    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!

    Reply
  13. Manny says

    Posted on 1/16 at 11:00 pm

    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.

    Reply
  14. Kristina says

    Posted on 1/14 at 8:29 am

    Can’t wait to try this! Do you know if it freezes well?

    Reply
    • The Chunky Chef says

      Posted on 1/14 at 12:09 pm

      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.

      Reply
      • Tina says

        Posted on 4/14 at 8:14 pm

        It freezes great. I’m eating some right now that I took out of the freezer this morning.

        Reply
  15. Kim says

    Posted on 1/8 at 7:30 pm

    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.

    Reply
  16. Sandra Rinne says

    Posted on 1/5 at 9:52 am

    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!

    Reply
  17. Jennie says

    Posted on 12/27 at 8:15 pm

    This was terrific and I used all leftovers everyone loved it❤️❤️❤️

    Reply
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