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This easy, creamy recipe for clam chowder with canned clams delivers restaurant-quality flavor with pantry staples. Perfect for busy weeknights when you crave something special or are needing some serious comfort food!
Making clam chowder at home is more delicious, flavorful, and cost-efficient than ordering it at a restaurant. This soup is also ridiculously easy to whip up. Need I say more?!
My kids RAVE over this meal. It is easily one of our family favorites, and for good reason. This homemade clam chowder uses cornstarch instead of flour, making it gluten-free. This recipe also omits the bacon, but we don’t miss it because it is big on flavor.
Making clam chowder is surprisingly simple and budget-friendly. I use canned clams and clam juice, which make the flavor out of this world. Canned clams are very affordable, and you get way more clams per bowl than any restaurant version.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Clam Chowder With Canned Clams Recipe
- Pantry-Friendly Convenience: Using canned clams and bottled clam juice means you can satisfy seafood cravings without a special trip to the fish counter.
- Customizable Creaminess: Easily adjust the thickness by cooking potatoes longer or using the cornstarch technique for your perfect consistency.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: The flavors actually deepen overnight, making this perfect for meal prep or entertaining.
- Budget-Conscious Seafood: Get the luxury of seafood without the premium price tag of fresh clams.
- One-Pot Wonder: Everything cooks in a single Dutch oven, meaning less cleanup and more family time.
🍲 Soup is the best tool for feeding a family nutritious food on a budget — and what an easy way to get tasty comfort food on the table!
Recipe Ingredients
- Butter
- Potatoes
- Celery
- Onion
- Garlic
- Bottled Clam juice
- Canned clams
- Stock — chicken or seafood stock
- Cornstarch
- Heavy Cream
- Seasonings — salt, pepper, and thyme
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Clam Chowder
- Cook onions, celery, and garlic in butter until soft.
- Add potatoes, clams, juice, and stock. Simmer until potatoes are tender.
- Thicken and allow to cook a few more minutes.
- Add the cream and seasonings.
Recipe FAQs
Don’t rinse canned clams because it will dilute the flavor. Also, be sure not to drain off the clam juice; just put it in the clam chowder. Trust me on this one. It will make a huge difference in the taste of your soup.
New England clam chowder is the more well-known chowder. It is the typical creamy, white soup. Whereas the Manhattan clam chowder has a red, tomato base.
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The flavors actually intensify overnight, making it even better the next day. Just reheat gently to prevent the cream from curdling.
Expert Tips
- Best Potatoes: I’ve made this with new red potatoes and didn’t peel them. Easy peasy.
- Cook Gently: A gentle simmer is better than a rolling boil to allow flavors to develop without overcooking the clams or vegetables.
- Easy Thickening: Cooking it a little longer makes the potatoes softer and helps thicken the soup.
- Great Leftovers: Clam chowder also makes for THE best leftovers. The flavors have a chance to really marinate together, and it is so good the next day or two!
More Soup Recipes to Consider
Beef Recipes
Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon
Soups, Stews & Chowders
White Chicken Chili
Soups, Stews & Chowders
Slow Cooker Veggie Beef Soup
Soups, Stews & Chowders
Texas Chili Recipe
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Clam Chowder
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 to 3 stalks celery, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic or 2 cloves minced
- 2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves, or 1 tablespoon fresh
- 2 jars clam juice, (8 ounce jars)
- 2 can minced clams with juice, (6.5 ounce cans)
- 4 cups chicken or seafood stock
- 1 cup cold water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- chopped fresh chives for serving, optional
- bread bowls or oyster crackers for serving, optional
Instructions
- In a large stockpot or Dutch oven add the butter, chopped celery, and onion, and cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the potatoes, thyme, clams with juice, clam juice, and chicken stock to the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce to medium. Add a lid to the pot and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
- When the potatoes are tender add the cold water to a small bowl and whisk in the cornstarch. Add the cornstarch mixture to the stock pot and stir to combine. Let the mixture simmer for 3 more minutes.
- Add the cream, salt, and pepper and remove from the heat.
- Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve in bread bowl or normal bowls with chopped chives and oyster crackers.
Notes
- I like Snow’s brand clams.
- You can add more clams to this recipe and replace some chicken stock with more clam juice. The taste is great. This is just how I make it for my family because it’s a little more economical like this.
- I don’t like bacon in my clam chowder, I think it hides the clam flavor. That being said, if you do like it, fry up 4-6 pieces in your Dutch oven first, remove the bacon and cook the veggies in the remaining bacon grease instead of butter. Add the crumbled cooked bacon before serving.
- If you have the time you can cook the potatoes longer than just to the tender stage. Sometimes I’ll cook them an extra 15-20 minutes until they are super super tender, it makes the soup thicker and we like it like this too.
