One Pot Thick New England Clam Chowder Recipe is creamy and full of clam flavor. It’s comfort food that doesn’t disappoint on cold winter days. Ditch the canned soup and make this delicious homemade soup instead.
Seafood Chowders
There was a time I’d NEVER try to make New England Clam Chowder. I really thought you had to go to Boston to get the real deal.
Then, I tinkered with a recipe I found and came up with this delicious, thick New England Clam Chowder recipe all by myself! It’s made with canned clams and clam juice. This clam chowder is a filling meal to have for lunch or even dinner.
It’s just about as delicious and filling as One Pot Corn and Crab Chowder! I suppose it just depends if you’re in the mood for crab or clams. If you have more clams, make this Linguine in White Clam Sauce!
Nonetheless, this New England clam Chowder recipe is one of this blog’s top ten recipes for 2020!
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links which means, if you make a purchase, I’ll receive a very small commission which helps with blog expenses so you can continue to receive FREE recipes but, the price you pay is the same.
It’s a creamy, comfort food soup you’ll love eating on a cold, snowy day with some OTC crackers. And, sometimes you need a little comfort food to curb your winter blues. Right?
One Pot Thick New England Clam Chowder
Also known as Boston Clam Chowder, this soup is a tradition in New England.
It tastes really incredible with fresh clams but, fear not, you can make a great Boston Clam Chowder using canned clams.
Why eat soup from a can? Canned soup is full of sodium and preservatives you don’t need and it just doesn’t have the flavor of homemade soup. Nope…not even close!
When I was much younger, I thought people who made homemade soup were performing nothing short of a miracle. I thought making a soup base had to be difficult.
I understood adding in some vegetables but, how did a soup actually start? Then, I found out that it’s so much easier than I ever imagined.
Making a big pot of soup for your family is a great home cooked meal they can have for lunch or dinner.
Serve it with crusty bread and they won’t need to eat much else.
What’s the difference between New England clam chowder and regular clam chowder?
New England Clam Chowder, a.k.a. Boston Clam Chowder, is a cream-based soup. Therefore, it’s white in color. Regular clam chowder, a.k.a. Manhattan Clam Chowder, is tomato-based and red in color. Once you know this, it’s easy to spot the difference.
How do you make clam chowder thicker?
Add a tablespoon of cornstarch to thicken clam chowder. You may also stir in 1/4 cup of potato flakes.
How to Make One Pot Thick New England Clam Chowder Recipe
*The full, printable recipe is at the bottom of this post.
Instructions
- First, in a large non-stick pot on medium heat, add chopped bacon. Cook for a few min and remove bacon pieces to drain on a paper towel. Leave grease in pot.
- Next, add 2 tbsp of butter, chopped celery, garlic and onions and seasonings. Cook for 5-7 min.
- Then, alternately sift some flour and clam juice while always stirring until all of the flour and clam juice has been combined. It will be pasty and thick.
- Slowly add about one cup of chicken stock at at time while stirring.
- Then, add, potatoes and stir. Continue cooking for 15 min or so until potatoes are tender.
- Last, add half and half, clams with clam juice and stir while cooking on low heat for a few minutes and keep cooking another 20-25 min. It will thicken as it sits.
NOTE: Stir often so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
How to Thicken Soup
It’s possible that you may follow the directions and your soup still isn’t thick. In this case, make a slurry by stirring together until smooth 2 tbsp of cornstarch and 2 tbsp of water. Stir it into the soup and cover. Cook it on low for 10 to 15 more minutes. Cooking it longer also helps to thicken it.
If you don’t have cornstarch, you may add 1/4 cup (or more) of potato flakes to thicken it.
Optional: Top with cooked bacon pieces or stir into soup.
Now, I know you want to steal a piece of that bacon… right?
Substitutions
- Use whole milk instead of half and half.
- Use vegetable stock if that’s what you have on hand.
- Use chopped leeks instead of onions
- Add more bacon if you like!
This chowder is not difficult to make. It’s so thick, creamy and filling. You’ll love it! Because who likes a runny clam chowder? O.k. maybe some people but, not YOU!
Choosing what to make on a cold winter day is easy when you have a tasty, homemade soup recipe such as this One Pot Thick Creamy New England Chowder.
Without a lot of prep, you can make a yummy soup for your family.
The clam flavor really comes through this creamy white clam chowder. It is the ultimate comfort food to curb the winter blues!
So don’t pack up your family and drive or fly to Boston just to get yourself a flavorful, thick New England Clam Chowder because you can make it yourself in no time!
I took this recipe to Weekend Potluck.
If you make this recipe, please RATE it below!
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This recipe was updated on November 16, 2023.
One Pot Thick New England Clam Chowder Recipe
Ingredients
- 2- 6.5 oz cans of chopped clams with juice
- 8 oz clam juice
- 1 cup half and half
- 1/4 cup of flour
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3 strips of bacon chopped
- 3 celery ribs chopped
- 2 med potatoes chopped
- 1 med onion chopped
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 3 cups of chicken stock
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- First, in a large non-stick pot on medium heat, add chopped bacon. Cook for a few min and remove bacon pieces to drain on a paper towel. Leave grease in pot.
- Next, add 2 tbsp of butter, celery garlic, onions, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook for 5-7 min.
- Then, alternately sift some flour and clam juice while always stirring until all of the flour and clam juice has been combined. It will be pasty and thick.
- Next, slowly add chicken stock one cup at a time while stirring.
- Then, add potatoes and stir. Continue cooking for 15 min or so until potatoes are tender.
- Next, add the half and half, clams (with clam juice) and stir while cooking on low heat for a few minutes and continue cooking another 20-25 minutes stirring often so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. Soup will thicken as it sits.
- Optional: Top with cooked bacon pieces or stir into soup.
Notes
How to Thicken Soup
It's possible that you may follow the directions and your soup still isn't thick. In this case, make a slurry by stirring together until smooth 2 tbsp of cornstarch and 2 tbsp of water. Stir it into the soup and cover. Cook it on low for 10 to 15 more minutes. Cooking it longer also helps to thicken it. If you don't have cornstarch, you may add 1/4 cup (or more) of potato flakes to thicken it.Substitutions
- Use whole milk instead of half and half.
- Use vegetable stock if that's what you have on hand.
- Use chopped leeks instead of onions
- Add more bacon if you like!
Hi Anna. This happened to me once too. It’s disappointing. If your soup comes out not as thick as pictured, try adding a tablespoon of corn starch to the flour. You could also add 1/4 cup of potato flakes (from boxed mashed potatoes) if you have them. I hope this helps.
I made the soup twice and both times it wasn’t as thick and creamy as I would have liked. It was actually thin and more “brothy” than chowder. I followed the recipe to the exact tea, both times, and it doesn’t look as a light in color as the photo or as thick as the photo. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.. it’s very flavorful and it was delicious but I would’ve liked it later and creamier as shown in the photo.
Great to hear! Thanks for coming back to let me know and comment. Please rate the recipe on the recipe card if you can.
I’ve made this three times in the last month because it’s such a hit with my husband! We are native New Yorker‘s, and know a thing or two about good food, but Southern California living doesn’t always require hearty dishes, so I’ve never made this before. This winter has been especially cold however, and it has proven to be a wonderful addition to my recipes. I followed it to the T, and it was absolutely delicious!
Hi Amy. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and on my recipe. Adding more clams sounds great. I’m glad you liked it overall as some people like a lot more seasonings than others. It’s all a matter of preference.
I have doubled the recipe – needs way more claims (it was more or less a potato soup with a splash of clams) it was a bit watery for my taste so i added wondra to thicken, but that took away a lot of the flavor, so i added a few teaspoons of chicken bullion. Overall, this is a really good recipe but I would add more flour and more seasoning to make it a thicker soup. Also, I would add more clams to make it taste more like a clam chowder. Obviously, this is only a guide to a base of a pretty well constructed soup, and I would use this recipe to start and then add my own flavor to make it more flavorful.
Hi Kathy. That sounds so good. Thanks for the Five-star rating.
Very tasty recipe! Even the 8 year old liked it!! I doubled the bacon and did the cornstarch at the end for thickening.
Adding to our favorites!!
I use dried thyme leaves in this recipe. I hope it turns out great for you.
Hi, I look forward to making this. I was wondering since there are a few forms of thyme, which one you use in your recipe. Thyme leaves (dried), ground thyme, or fresh? There is quite a difference between the options and didn’t want to overpower the recipe.
Thanks for the five-star rating Kristine and thanks for coming back to leave the comment too. Glad everyone liked it.
Definitely a hit! The leftover bowl didn’t make it past noon the next day. The picky one got to it first for his lunch! Will definitely be making again.
Thanks for the 5-star rating Neena. I’m glad your family enjoyed it.
Made this delicious chowder yesterday to feed 8. I doubled the recipe. It was a hit. I will definitely make it again. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Meloni. If it doesn’t thicken enough for you, try adding a tablespoon of cornstarch. Thanks for leaving a comment and rating.
Gave it a 4 star rating only because mine was very runny. Not sure why because I followed the directions exactly. Flavor was very good just have to make it thicker.
Thanks for the five star rating Lisa! Glad you liked it so much.
I made this last night and it was a hit. It was even better tonight. I doubled the recipe and added extra garlic powder to taste. I really like a garlicky clam chowder but that’s just me. Definitely will be making this again. Thank you for the recipe.
Thanks you Sandra. I’m glad you liked it. Yes, bacon adds so much flavor. I hope you’ll try my Crab and Corn Chowder too.
This is very good, I’m a native New Endlander and it pretty close to the stuff you get in a restaurant, I like the bacon in it, my mom didn’t put that in.
Hi Debby. Yes. Cornstarch should work. Hope you like the recipe as much as we did.
I love clam chowder, so I’ll definitely make this. Since I have to be gluten-free, I’ll substitute cornstarch for the flour. It should still be good! Thanks so much for posting this!
If you leave out the clam juice, it will not be as flavorful. If you decide to leave it out, add an extra cup of chicken broth. It should still be good but not the same as with clam juice. Good luck!
Can I leave out the clam juice as I have none?
Hi Jen.
You can leave out the clams and clam juice but, I’d double the quantity the recipes says for potatoes and add one more cup of chicken broth to this recipe. I’m sure it’ll be thick and creamy but without the clam flavor. Please come back and let us know who it turns out.
Can you leave out the clams and the clam juice for a creamy potato soup?
Thanks Diana. Glad you liked it. I’m going to make it soon too.
I made this a month ago and I want to make it again. So perfect for a cold day!
Thanks Denise. You can just put the cooked bacon into the soup or just put some on top as pictured. You can also omit it. Whichever you prefer is fine.
Hi the recipe came out delicious but I am you didn’t say what to do with the bacon how to cut up the garlic so I just put the bacon back and I don’t know thank you
I’m glad you like it so much Kathi! Happy New Year!
I really love this recipe. However, I made this soup without using any clams – just 3 bottles of clam juice. I don’t like the texture of clams but I love clam chowder. Thanks for sharing this recipe. It came out fantastlly delicious.
Ok great! Thanks so much!!
Hi Laurie, yes, definitely double the recipe! Hope it turns out great.
This looks fantastic!! We all LOVE clam chowder. I would need to feed more than 4. Would I just double the recipe? Thanks in advance!! Can’t wait to make this!
Thanks for stopping by Susan. I love Meal Plan Monday.
Being on the west coast, Ivar’s in Seattle is setting the bar here! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe…I’ll be making it since I don’t live in Seattle and can’t just pop over all the time to Ivar’s! Popped over here from Southern Plate – thanks for participating in Meal Plan Monday!
I’m so glad you liked it Kathi. I had to chuckle when you said you threw out the clams!
This soup is fantastic!!! I needed to make one adjustment – and that was I tossed the clams – I can not stand the texture of clams – but I love the taste of them in this soup – so I just used 2 bottles of clam juice and this soup came out fantastic. Thanks so much for posting it.
Thanks Diana. I’m so glad you liked it. I hope you’ll try some more of my recipes and please come back and comment.
I just made this and it came awesome. I didn’t even put Bacon in it because I didn’t have any on hand and it still did not disappoint. Thank you for this one pot recipe!! Definitely a keeper for my house.
Thanks Annie. I’m sure yours will taste great! I too had some amazing seafood in Maine.
Ooohhhhh this looks AMAZING. This is on my bucket list to make, but so many trips to Portland, Maine have made me afraid to try, because I’m not sure my own will live up to the yummy bowls I’ve had – but holy wow – this looks fantastic!!
This looks amazing Joanne ! 🙂