Bring the flavors of the New England coast to your table with this Boston Clam Chowder Recipe! Packed with tender clams, fresh vegetables, and hearty potatoes, this creamy soup is easy to make from scratch in just 30 minutes. Serve it up in a bread bowl for a delicious comfort food meal the whole family will love.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick & Easy: This chowder will be on the table in 30 minutes, making it perfect for busy weeknights.
- Family Favorite: Boston-style clam chowder is a classic dish that appeals to both kids and adults, especially when served in a homemade bread bowl!
- Creamy & Comforting: This cozy and creamy clam chowder recipe is just what you need to warm you up on a chilly day!
If you love creamy soups, be sure to try our loaded baked potato soup and cheesy cauliflower soup next.
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Ingredients
- Olive Oil: For sauteing the veggies, use high-quality extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor.
- Veggies: I used fresh carrots, celery, leeks, garlic, and red potatoes for this clam chowder soup recipe.
- Clams and Clam Juice: You’ll need canned, chopped clams and jarred clam juice (aka clam broth) to enhance the clam flavor. If you don’t have or aren’t able to get clam juice, feel free to use chicken broth instead. For another way to use canned clams, try this cream cheese clam dip next.
- Roux: You’ll need butter and all-purpose flour to make the roux, which helps thicken the chowder.
- Half-and-Half: Gives this New England clam chowder recipe its creamy consistency.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Dairy-Free: Use non-dairy butter or olive oil for the roux, and make a dairy-free half-and-half by combining plant-based milk and coconut cream. Use 2 ½ cups of either unsweetened oat, soy, or almond milk plus 1 ½ cups of coconut cream to make the non-dairy half-and-half.
- Gluten-Free: Make this Boston chowder recipe gluten-free by replacing the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free blend.
- With Bacon: Throw in some chopped bacon when sauteing the veggies to add a smoky flavor to this chowder.
How to Make Boston Clam Chowder
To get started making this easy clam chowder recipe, clean the potatoes, celery, and leek, and peel the carrots and garlic.
- Step 1: Chop the veggies. Grab a sharp knife and a cutting board, and chop all of the vegetables.
- Step 2: Begin sauteeing. Heat olive oil in a large pot and saute the carrots until they are slightly softened.
- Step 3: Add veggies, clams, and clam juice. Add the garlic, leek, celery, potatoes, clams, and clam juice to the pot. Simmer, covered, until the potatoes are tender.
- Step 4: Make the cream mixture. Add the butter to a saucepan and heat until melted. Add the flour and whisk to make a roux. Then, whisk in the half-and-half until well combined.
- Step 5: Add cream and seasonings. Stir the cream mixture into the veggie and clam mixture and warm over low heat. Then, mix in the seasonings.
- Step 6: Serve. Garnish as desired. Creamy clam chowder is often served with oyster crackers, crumbled bacon, and chives, but you can top it however you’d like. Serve in bread bowls or with these homemade dinner rolls for dipping.
Expert Tips
- Whisk continuously: Be sure to whisk the butter and flour continuously as the roux cooks so it stays smooth and doesn’t burn. Then, keep whisking while slowly pouring in the half-and-half to prevent clumps.
- Use room temperature cream: Bring the half-and-half to room temperature before whisking it into the roux. Adding cold cream to the hot mixture can cause it to curdle.
- Store in the fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. I don’t recommend freezing, as this can cause the cream to separate. To reheat, warm the chowder gently in a saucepan over low to medium-low heat. You can stir in a splash of cream, broth, or water to thin it out if needed.
Serving Suggestions
- Pair a bowl of clam chowder with a salad for an easy dinner. We love it with this pear pomegranate salad or this baked apple salad.
- If you’re not serving the chowder in a bread bowl, try these homemade crescent rolls instead.
- Don’t forget dessert! Enjoy some warm apple crisp with ice cream for the perfect ending to your chowder dinner.
Recipe FAQs
Curdling can happen if the heat is too high when incorporating the cream mixture into the veggie and clam mixture. Be sure to lower the heat and avoid boiling or simmering once the cream has been added.
Boston clam chowder is actually another name for New England clam chowder. They both refer to a creamy, white chowder made with clams, potatoes, and veggies.
The three most common types of clam chowder are New England (Boston), Manhattan, and Rhode Island. New England clam chowder has a creamy base, Manhattan clam chowder is tomato-based, and Rhode Island clam chowder is made with a clear broth.
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Boston Clam Chowder Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 carrots
diced - 3 stalks celery diced
- 1 leek
diced - 4 red potatoes
diced - 3 cloves garlic
minced - 16 ounces clam juice or clam "broth", you may use chicken broth
- 13 ounces cans chopped clams juice included
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup flour
- 1 quart half-and-half
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ¼-½ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- fresh-cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Chop all the veggies.
- Saute the carrots in the olive oil until slightly softened.
- Add in celery, leek, potatoes, and garlic along with the clams and the clam broth. Cover, and simmer until potatoes have softened.
- In separate saucepan, melt butter, then whisk in flour to make a roux. Slowly whisk in the half-and-half until mixed thoroughly.
- Add this mixture to the veggies, heat on low without simmering or bubbling, as you want to keep the half-and-half from curdling. Add spices.
- Serve in cut-out bread bowls.
Video
Notes
- Allow the half-and-half to come to room temperature so that it doesn’t curdle when combined with the hot roux.
- Don’t stop whisking when making the roux or it could burn. You also want to whisk in the half-and-half, not just pour it in.
- The chowder can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Warm gently on the stovetop to reheat.
Nutrition
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Andrea Wise says
Super easy, amazing flavors with the convenience of cheap ingredients! Even the kids loved it!
Emily Kemp says
Wow this truly is the ultimate comfort food, it looks incredible!
Penelope Corcuera says
I can't wait to try it. My son is not a good eater but he is so creative and appreciates art. Every time I find something out of the box (like snails, caviar in nori and thins like that) he will eat it just fine. And the best part of all is that I will put mineral supplements in the food because the heat doesn't alter them at a molecule level... We have try this in San Francisco and loved it... Do you have any other creative yet simple recipe to share?... and tell us the little story so we can come up with dinner and entertainment (we love stories like the thing about your grandma's secret recipe) He is 9 so he wants to feel like powerful for knowing some secret that his friends do not know... Well, he loves attention also, that helps!
Pamela J Ochsner says
My kids eat what's on the table. Period. It's my job, not only to produce healthy, but also tasty and appetizing. The whiniest is the adult male, bion. 50+ other people would drop a daily schedule to come eat at my table, and he's definitely not one of them. It's simmering. He's whining and having a tantrum. Now we wait and see. Hugs, it looks, smells, tastes delicious!!!!