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The best New England Clam Chowder recipe is thick, creamy and full of flavorful clams, tender potatoes and rich, smoky bacon! Prepare your own pot of easy clam chowder for a hearty and comforting lunch or dinner whenever the craving strikes.
With one spoonful of this New England Clam Chowder, you will instantly be transported to a sunny seaside vacation (at least in your mind)! The soup reminds me of summers on the Vineyard with my family, but it’s equally appropriate for those chilly winter nights when you’re looking for a simple, warm and cozy one-pot meal.
What is New England Clam Chowder?
Clam chowder can refer to any soup containing clams and broth. In addition to the clams, a classic chowder recipe often includes diced potatoes, onions and sometimes celery. The dish originated in the Eastern United States, where many regional variations exist.
The Difference Between New England Clam Chowder (“Boston Clam Chowder”) and Manhattan Clam Chowder:
New England Clam Chowder (also known as “Boston Clam Chowder”) and Manhattan Clam Chowder are two of the most common versions of clam chowder. New England Clam Chowder is white (thanks to the addition of milk or cream), and has a thick, creamy texture. It traditionally includes potatoes, onions and salt pork or bacon. This is the earliest established variety of clam chowder, which was introduced to the northeastern United States by French, Nova Scotian, or British settlers. By the 18th century, the rich, creamy clam chowder had become a popular dish in the region.
Manhattan Clam Chowder, by contrast, is a bright red color, has a thinner broth, and is made with tomato and tomato paste. It often includes additional vegetables such as onions, celery, carrots, potatoes and sometimes garlic.
Other Varieties of Clam Chowder:
Here in Virginia, on the Eastern Shore, in the Chesapeake Bay region, and in other coastal parts of the southeast (such as North Carolina and Georgia), we serve a clam chowder that’s closer to the Manhattan style — with a thinner broth, tomatoes, bacon and potatoes.
Long Island clam chowder is a combination of the New England and Manhattan styles, which creates a delicious creamy tomato base. Rhode Island clam chowder, by contrast, just has a clear broth.
Today we’re focusing on the most common (and most popular) clam chowder: a thick, old-fashioned New England Clam Chowder recipe. This is the soup that I came to know and love while spending summers in Massachusetts. It’s total comfort food, and I’m excited to share it with all of you!
How to make New England Clam Chowder from scratch:
While this is a classic restaurant dish offered at just about any seafood joint across the country, you can easily make New England Clam Chowder from scratch with just a handful of basic ingredients.
New England Clam Chowder Ingredients:
- Bacon (see note below to make a New England Clam Chowder recipe without bacon)
- Butter
- Onion
- Flour
- Clams (canned or fresh)
- Potatoes
- Half-and-half or heavy cream
- Milk
- Salt and pepper
Step 1: Cook Bacon
In a large pot, cook the bacon until it’s crisp and brown. Then use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving the drippings in the pot.
Step 2: Sauté Onion
You should have about 1/4 cup of drippings from the bacon, and you’ll need a total of about 1/2 cup of fat to make the roux. Therefore, you’ll need to add butter to the bacon drippings to total 1/2 cup. Adjust the amount of butter that you use, based on how much fat is rendered from your bacon.
Sauté the onion in the bacon grease and butter until soft and translucent.
Step 3: Add Flour, Clam Juice and Potatoes
Once the onion is soft, add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1-2 minutes. It will bubble and thicken.
Drain the clams, reserving the liquid in a large measuring cup. You should have about 2 cups of clam juice, so you can add water to the clam juice, as necessary, to equal 2 cups if you’re a little bit short.
Slowly stir the liquid into the pot, then add the potatoes and bring the liquid to a boil. Once the liquid boils, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer over very low heat for about 15-20 minutes (or until the potatoes are fork tender). The mixture will be very thick, so it’s important to stir the pot regularly to prevent it from scorching. If the mixture becomes too thick, you can add a little bit more water in order to make it easy to stir.
Step 4: Stir in Clams, Heavy Cream and Milk
Once you have a nice, thick roux from the fat, flour and clam juice, as well as tender potatoes, it’s time to add the clams, cream and milk! Just stir these ingredients into the pot and warm over low heat. Be careful not to let the chowder boil, or the milk and cream could curdle.
Step 5: Garnish
Taste the chowder and season with salt and pepper, as needed. Finally, garnish with the cooked bacon and a little bit of fresh parsley.
What to serve with Old Fashioned New England Clam Chowder:
New England Clam Chowder has a rich, creamy and mild taste, so it pairs beautifully with a crisp green salad. You’ll traditionally find a bowl of chowder served with saltines or oysters crackers (for a great added crunch) or a loaf of crusty bread for dipping.
Preparation and Storage Tips:
- How to store Clam Chowder: Properly stored in an airtight container, the New England Clam Chowder will last in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- To reheat New England Clam Chowder: Place the chowder in a pot and warm over a low flame, just until heated through. Be careful not to let the chowder boil.
- I do not recommend freezing this chowder, as the milk and cream have a tendency to “break” or separate when thawed.
Cook’s Tips and Recipe Variations:
- For the best homemade New England Clam Chowder, always use russet potatoes. They have a soft, creamy texture that practically melts in your mouth and is perfect for chowder. The russets also add a rich potato taste that you don’t get as well from a waxy variety.
- New England Clam Chowder Recipe without Bacon: If you prefer a chowder made without bacon, you can omit the bacon and just use ½ cup of butter instead.
- Fresh Clams versus Canned Clams: I usually make my clam chowder with canned clams, and you know what? So do many reputable restaurants! The canned clams are affordable, easy to find, and easy to just add right to the chowder — no prep work necessary. Of course, if you do have access to fresh clams that you’d like to use, they will also be delicious. You’ll need to chop the fresh clams and include 2 cups of clam juice (since you won’t have the liquid from the cans).
- How to Thicken New England Clam Chowder: This recipe is traditional in that it uses a roux to thicken the chowder. The roux is made with fat (in this case bacon drippings and butter) combined with a hefty amount of flour. The mixture will be very thick, which is what you want! That way, you can add liquid to thin the chowder to reach your desired consistency. I’ve included the measurements for milk and cream that I find work best; however, you can add more milk or cream, as necessary, to thin the chowder. I doubt you’ll need less liquid since this soup is very thick from the roux, but you can certainly cut back on the amount of milk or cream, too.
More hearty soup recipes that you might enjoy:
- Slow Cooker Corn Chowder with Chicken
- Easy Cheeseburger Soup
- Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
- Crock Pot Potato Soup
- Chicken Pot Pie Soup
New England Clam Chowder
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon, diced
- 4 tablespoons butter (or more or less, as needed)
- ½ cup finely chopped onion
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 (6.5 oz) cans chopped clams (or substitute with 2 cups fresh shucked clams and 2 cups of clam juice)
- 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1 ½ cups half-and-half (or heavy cream), at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups whole milk, at room temperature
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Optional, for serving: saltine crackers; chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, cook bacon until crisp and brown (stirring often). Use a slotted spoon to remove bacon; leave the drippings in the pot. You should have about ¼ cup of drippings and will need a total of ½ cup of fat in the pot. Add the butter to equal ½ cup (you will need about 4 tablespoons of butter with the drippings to total ½ cup). If you have more or less drippings from the bacon, you can adjust the amount of butter that you use accordingly.
- Melt butter in the pot with the drippings over medium heat. Add onion; cook until softened and translucent. Add flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Drain clams, reserving the liquid in a large measuring cup. Add enough water to the clam juice to equal 2 cups. Slowly stir the liquid into the pot. Add potatoes; bring to a boil. Once the liquid boils, reduce the heat to low; cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes (or until the potatoes are tender), stirring regularly. Be sure to stir frequently and scrape the bottom of the pot to prevent scorching. The mixture will be very thick, which is good, but if it becomes too thick for you to easily stir it, you can add more water to thin it slightly.
- Once the potatoes are fork-tender, stir in clams, half-and-half and milk. Warm over low heat, being careful not to let the soup boil. Taste and season with salt and pepper, as necessary. Garnish with the cooked, chopped bacon.
Notes
- New England Clam Chowder Recipe without Bacon: If you prefer a chowder made without bacon, you can omit the bacon and just use 1/2 cup of butter instead.
- How to store Clam Chowder: Properly stored in an airtight container, the New England Clam Chowder will last in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- To reheat New England Clam Chowder: Place the chowder in a pot and warm over a low flame, just until heated through. Be careful not to let the chowder boil.
- I do not recommend freezing this chowder, as the milk and cream have a tendency to “break” or separate when thawed.
Growing up in a beach town in R.I., we always had clam chowder and clam cakes. Some Rhode Islanders and local restaurants call them clam fritters but my family always called them clam cakes. In the summer we would often head to one of the restaurants ( and there were lots that made this duo from small shack types to elegant restaurants. My parents liked the small shack type one just outside of town on Route 1 called The Hitching Post ( odd name for a seafood place but heck it’s New England!) because they served the R.I. style. I was not that fond of the broth based. One summer I worked at one of the restaurants on the beach. The cook that summer was a local boy who was going to the culinary school in NY during the school year. He started making his chowder from scratch and being a R.I. native and in R.I., he made R.I. style. I tried it and was very impressed. Even though I was not fond of that style, his was really really good. But the customers hated it. They were all out of staters, who said it’s “ watery” and kept sending it back. Even though I was just 21 and had manners to adults, I had to bite my tongue to keep from lashing out at them that they didn’t know diddly about chowder!! Was just a few days later I walked into the kitchen and saw stacks of industrial sized cans of Snow’s Clam Chowder. He said he’d had it. These people don’t know good chowder so he was giving them what they wanted. After serving many bowls of that canned chowder none came back to the kitchen!! People could have had the real deal but proved all they wanted was what they are use to.
I know clam cakes ( or clam critters) are a R.I. and southeastern CT thing, but did you have them on the Vineyard? We went to the Vineyard once but it was a short stay and I don’t remember the food!!
Hey, Debbie! That’s such a funny memory about the tourists and the canned chowder. It doesn’t surprise me at all! 🙂
I’ve never had clam cakes (or fritters), but I’m sure they’re delicious. I would imagine that you can find them in a restaurant on the island somewhere, but it’s nothing that I remember tasting myself. Hometown food memories are the best!
I made this about a year ago and it was fantastic! So creamy and full of clam flavor! I just made it today with all the same ingredients and it was meh…the reason? The clams were in water instead of clam juice! Next time I make this I will be buying a bottle of clam juice and using that instead of the water in the cans of clams
Yes, that totally makes a difference! Thanks for sharing your experience so that you can help others avoid a similar problem. 🙂
Blair, I made this today and while cooking the potatoes, it was nice and creamy, thick. That last step of putting the cup and half of heavy cream and whole milk in, that’s 3 cups that seemed to water it down right off. I tried letting it warm a little longer to see if it would thicken, but it was more soup than chowder. I guess I like my chowder thick and that last step seemed counter to being able to have that.
That’s funny — I always worry that it’s TOO thick. 🙂 I suppose it’s just a matter of personal preference. If you like a thicker chowder, you can certainly add less liquid.