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 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?
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!
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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!
Did You Make This Recipe?
If you made this recipe don’t forget to leave a review!
Hi Nicole, if you chose to sub seafood stock for chicken broth, you will still need to put in the clam juice for the sake of needing the liquid. However, I’m not sure if it would be too fishy. If that’s your concern, you could possibly put in water instead of the clam juice but, I’m not sure if that would be enough flavor. Come back and let us know if you do it.
I haven’t tried this yet, but was wondering…. could I substitute seafood stock instead of chicken broth? If I do that, should I also leave out the clam juice so it’s not too fishy?
That’s great to hear Linda. Thanks for coming back to comment.
It turned out great..thanks
Hi Suzy. Yes, letting it sit thickens it too. Thanks for the 5-star rating!
Found your recipe on Pinterest and gave it a try this rainy Cape Cod day. I have made clam chowder many times but searched for a recipe to make it thicker. I used a pound of fresh minced clams from the local fish market Still not as thick as I want, but will let it sit a bit to meld the flavors… I think that’ll do the trick.
I’m glad you liked it and yes, more clams is always nice. Thanks for the 5-star rating Yvonne!
I have put this recipe in regular rotation in our house this winter. I do 4 cans of clams for more thickness. It’s delicious as is, but we love an little extra meat. Thank you.
Hi Tammy. The answer is in addition to the juice that comes with the clams. Clam juice is sold separately and usually in a glass jar.
Is the clam juice measured from draining the clams or is the clam juice in addition to the juice that is in the can with the clams? Thank you!
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!