A delicious and creamy Boston Clam Chowder packed with veggies and clams makes the ultimate comfort food for any day of the year! This creamy from-scratch soup recipe takes just 30 minutes to make for a hearty dinner or lunch everyone will love.
You know what makes this soup even better? Serve it in a homemade bread bowl. Then you can eat the bowl and use it for dunking into your soup too!
We love soups, especially when there's a bit of chill in the air and this one doesn't disappoint! If you love these flavors, you might also enjoy this summer corn chowder.
Boston Clam Chowder vs New England Clam Chowder?
Did you know these two soups are actually both the same thing!! Yes, it's true. New England clam chowder is also sometimes called Boston Clam Chowder or Boston-style Clam Chowder.
It's a regional specialty throughout the New England area of the US. The soup has a milk or cream-based broth and often has a thicker consistency with chunks of potatoes, veggies, and pieces of clam.
It's quite different from another popular seafood chowder, Manhattan clam chowder. This dish popular in New York City is tomato-based rather than creamy.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Ready in just 30 minutes!
- Hearty, satisfying and so delicious!
- Fresh, wholesome ingredients.
- Easy to follow instructions!
Ingredients
For this recipe you will need:
- Olive Oil: Perfect for cooking the veggies for your chowder.
- Veggies and aromatics: Carrots, celery, and fresh garlic layer in the flavor for the soup right form the start.
- Leek: Part of the onion family, it's basically a larger green onion. When it's heated, the leek kinda melts into the soup simply leaving their behind. They're better than green onions which generally hold their shape even when cooked.
- Potatoes: Use red potatoes which hold up really well in the soup making it chunkier.
- Clam juice: This calls for clam juice, and YES, I shudder a little when I hear that too, but it really boosts the flavor without being fishy. I promise. You won't even know. It should be right next to the canned clams. If you cannot find clam broth or juice, you may use chicken broth, or even water to reach desired consistency.
- Clams: You can find canned chopped clams with juice in the aisle with other canned seafood.
- Butter and flour: Full fat butter and flour are the winning combination to make the creamy roux for your chowder.
- Half and half: Since it's half cream and half milk, it makes the broth creamier than using milk.
- Red pepper flakes: For just a touch of heat.
How to Make Boston Clam Chowder
Are you ready to start cooking? Here's a highlight of the main steps. You can find all the details in the recipe card so be sure to check it before you actually begin cooking.
- Dice your veggies.
- Heat the olive oil is a 5 quart dutch oven or large pot.
- Add the carrots and saute until slightly tender.
- Add the potatoes, leeks, celery, and garlic to the pot. Then pour in the clam juice and diced clams along with liquid and simmer until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Melt a half cup of butter in a medium saucepan to make the roux.
- Whisk in a half cup of flour and cook for about 1 minute. Then slowly whisk in half and half.
- Stir the roux into your pot of soup.
- Add in the seasonings and simmer to combine.
How to Store and Reheat
Leftover creamy white chowder is best stored in the fridge. Transfer the soup to an airtight container and allow it to fully cool before covering with a lid.
Store it in the fridge for up to four days. I don't recommend freezing it as the dairy may separate and the potatoes fall apart when frozen.
Reheat the soup in a saucepan on the stove. You may need to add some more milk, water, or a bit of broth if it's too thick after sitting.
What to Serve With Clam Chowder
- Bread Bowls: Serve up your chowder in a traditional bread bowl! They're easier to make than you'd think.
- Traditional toppings include crispy bacon and oyster crackers.
- This soup is made for dipping so if you skip the bread bowl, consider some homemade dinner rolls or cheddar biscuits.
- Add a salad such as this harvest apple salad or pear salad to complete your meal.
Expert Tips
- Constantly whisk the roux while mixing and slow add the milk to avoid it turning out too clumpy.
- Serve it up in a bread bowl or add your favorite rolls or bread for dipping up all the soup from your bowl!
- Don't skip the clam juice. It may sound kind of gross but it really adds so much flavor to your soup.
FAQ's
The best way to thicken any chowder is by making a roux. It's a base of butter and flour that is cooked for a minute or so before slowly adding milk to create a thick white sauce. The important part is to constantly whisk the roux as you're slowly adding the milk to avoid any lumps forming.
The simple answer is there isn't a difference between the two. Chowder basically means a soup that is often thick, chunky, and often creamy. There are SO many chowders out there.
One of Boston's oldest and most famous restaurants, Union Oyster House, has been serving this style of chowder since its beginnings in the 1850s. They've stuck to the same recipe, because why mess with something that's survived decades? Featuring fresh clams and plenty of history, this bowl is rich and creamy, a true classic.
Many regional variations exist, but the three most prevalent are New England or "white" clam chowder, Rhode Island or "clear" clam chowder, and Manhattan or "red" clam chowder.
More Soup Recipes
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Boston Clam Chowder
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 carrots
diced - 3 celery stalks
diced - 1 leek
diced - 4 red potatoes
diced - 3 cloves garlic
minces - 16 ounces clam juice or clam "broth", You may use chicken broth, or even water to reach desired consistency if you can't find the clam.
- 13 ounces cans chopped clams with juice
- 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 the rest of the veggies, the clams and the clam broth. 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.
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!!!!