Creamy New England Style Clam Chowder Recipe

New England Clam Chowder Recipe

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New England Clam Chowder is one of my all-time favorite comfort soups. I dig it. Just the thought of this soup gives me fierce cravings. Luckily it’s easy to make. This recipe is a keeper. My sister Sveta shared it with me and I’m so glad she did. My boys gobbled it up like it’s nobody’s business.

Adding cilantro is an idea I picked up at a nice restaurant in town that makes some mighty fine chowda!; I can confidently say this New England Style Clam Chowder rivals the restaurant version! P.S. this recipe has a much lower fat content. Generally the amazing cream soups at restaurants use tons of cream and can leave you feeling guilty about your choices. This lighter clam chowder only has 1 cup of cream for the entire pot but maintains it’s super creamy appeal and has incredible satisfying flavor. I can sip slurp on that!

Watch How to Make New England Clam Chowder:

Ingredients for Homemade Clam Chowder:

6 slices bacon, sliced into 1/2″ strips
2 carrots, sliced into thin rings or half rings
2 celery stalks, diced into 1/4″ pieces
1 small onion, finely diced
4 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups Chicken broth, reduced sodium
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp Tobasco
1 cup chopped clams with juice (I used 2 small cans)
1 1/2 tsp worchestershire sauce
1/2 tsp dry thyme
1/4 tsp black pepper & Salt to taste (1 to 1 1/2 tsp salt)
1 1/2 lbs potatoes (about 6 medium potatoes), cubed into bite-sized pieces
2 cups milk (any kind; I used 2%)
1 cup heavy whipping cream

To Serve:

1/8 bunch of Cilantro, finely chopped
Crackers or fresh crusty bread to serve

How to Make New England Style Clam Chowder:

1. In a heavy bottomed soup pot or dutch oven, Saute chopped bacon over med/high heat until browned, then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on papertowels. You should have about 3-4 Tbsp bacon fat in the pot; remove extra fat if you wish, but I left it in ;).

2. In the same pot with bacon fat add in 2 sliced carrots, 2 stalks celery (diced), 1 small onion (finely diced) and saute over med/high until soft and golden (7-8 min). Sprinkle with 4 Tbsp flour and stir to combine. Sautee another minute.

3. Stir in 2 cups chicken broth, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 tsp tabasco, 2 cans chopped clams with juice, 1 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce, 1/2 tsp thyme, 1/4 tsp pepper, and about 1 to 1 1/2 tsp salt or to taste. Bring to a light boil.

4. Add 1 1/2 lbs cubed potatoes, 1 cup heavy cream and 2 cups milk. Stir to combine, cover and lightly boil until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, stirring occasionally (17-20 mins). It will thicken as it cools. If it’s too thick, you can add a little milk to thin it out.

5. To serve, garnish with your browned bacon, finely chopped cilantro (cilantro takes it to the next level) and serve with crackers or crusty bread

Clam Chowder Recipe

Ingredients

• 6 slices bacon, sliced into 1/2″ strips
• 2 carrots, sliced into thin rings or half rings
• 2 celery stalks, diced into 1/4″ pieces
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 4 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 cups Chicken broth, reduced sodium
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp Tobasco
• 1 cup chopped clams with juice, I used 2 small cans
• 1 1/2 tsp worchestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp dry thyme
• 1/4 tsp black pepper & Salt to taste, 1/2 to 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 lbs potatoes, about 6 medium potatoes, cubed into bite-sized pieces
• 2 cups milk, any kind; I used 2%
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

To Serve:

• 1/8 bunch of Cilantro, finely chopped
• Crackers or fresh crusty bread to serve

Instructions

1. In a heavy bottomed soup pot or dutch oven, Saute chopped bacon over med/high heat until browned, then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on paper towels. You should have about 3-4 Tbsp bacon fat in the pot; remove extra fat if you wish, but I left it in ;).
2. In the same pot with bacon fat add in 2 sliced carrots, 2 stalks celery (diced), 1 small onion (finely diced) and saute over med/high until soft and golden (7-8 min). Sprinkle with 4 Tbsp flour and stir to combine. Sautee another minute.
3. Stir in 2 cups chicken broth, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 tsp tabasco, 2 cans chopped clams with juice, 1 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce, 1/2 tsp thyme, 1/4 tsp pepper, and about 1 to 1 1/2 tsp salt or to taste. Bring to a light boil.
4. Add 1 1/2 lbs cubed potatoes, 1 cup heavy cream and 2 cups milk. Stir to combine, cover and lightly boil until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, stirring occasionally (17-20 mins). It will thicken as it cools. If it’s too thick, you can add a little milk to thin it out.
5. To serve, garnish with your browned bacon, finely chopped cilantro (cilantro takes it to the next level) and serve with crackers or crusty bread.

Also, thanks so much for being awesome. I love cooking up new recipes for you all, reading your comments and connecting with you through this blog. And thank you for sharing pictures on FB and Instagram of the dishes you’ve tried and loved. I’m so happy every time I see your posts. Many blessings on you and your families! Have a happy week!
P.S. What is your favorite comfort soup?

Read comments/reviewsAdd comment/review

• This recipe is just as good as grandma’s.. that’s definitely saying something!!

• When I feel like something special to eat I always go to your blog and am never disappointed. Thank you

• My favorite soup is creamy mushroom soup. My Husband loves New England clam chowder. I have not made it though. I would hate to mess it up for Him. Love You recipes

• Hello Natasha,

  You have terrific recipes and great style in your videos. Would making your chowder with clam juice instead of chicken broth alter your recipe too much?

  Thank you

• I have frozen your stroganoff recipe for transport to feed 12. Made a batch for 16, froze it and took it on the plane. It re-warmed perfectly. Suspect the chowder will freeze well also. Making chowder for 12 tonight and will freeze the left overs then advise.

  PS The extra stroganoff was fought over….

• Love your recipes! God bless you for sharing. You sure know how to spread love.

  Vonnie

• Perfect for a cold winter weekend! If I wanted to add another can of clams should I add the liquid from that can or not?Thank you.

• I have made this several times already! My family loves it every single time! My mother-in-law always ask me to cook it! Thank you for your easy to follow instructions and videos!

• Since I am the only one in the family that likes Clam Chowder, can this New England Clam Chowder be frozen?

• I’ve made this twice, once using razor clams and it never disappoints. Absolutely delicious!

• I followed the recipe and it was a delicious soup! I’m making it again.

• Made this for the family very easy recipe to follow and tons of compliments

• I want to make this today for my daughter who had surgery on Tuesday but she wants THICK clam chowder. I have looked at other recipes and one has 3 cups of heavy cream. Would making this with 1 cup milk and 2 cups heavy cream get it thicker?

  • YOU Have to add cornstarch to make it thicker cream wont work.

• What size Dutch oven are you using for the clam chowder that is in this video.

• I had some razor clams I needed to use. The only change I made was leek instead of onion (because I had leeks). This was wonderful!! Will see what happens when we freeze the leftovers but either way this is now a go-to. Loved it!

• Esta receita aparece muito nas animações japonesas e não tem muito conteúdo sobre elas, agradeço por compartilhar essa receita de modo fácil conosco ♥

• this clam chowder was fantastic! so much better than any store bought. I added more clams to the soup and it was so yummy. It’s a keeper in our house. thank you.

• Made this week to celebrate Inauguration Day. There were six generous servings. Adding the bacon and cilantro garnish is genius! We enjoyed the second and third days just as much as the first. Am going to try this recipe again, with shrimp and some pieces of firm-fleshed fish for a fish chowder.

• I’ve used your clam chowder recipe a couple times and I have to admit that I find the Progresso brand in a can from the grocery store of clam chowder to have more flavor and taste better. I’ve even doubled the the amount of clams in your recipe and it still just tastes like potato soup, with very little clam flavor. I’ve tried other recipes for clam chowder that uses clam juice and they are better than your recipe. At this point I’ll continue to buy my clam chowder at the grocery store in a can till I find a recipe that is good to my liking. I have to admit that my taste buds are very fussy.

• Made it exactly as directed !! Awesome !! My kids love clam chowder and this recipe is delish !!

• Can I freeze this soup after it is cooked?

• I just made this for lunch. It is AMAZING!

  Thank you so much for the recipe!

• Can you add the bacon and cilantro into the pot of soup?

• just tried your chowder, it was terrific and so scrumptious, I did not have any heavy cream so I re-adjust with

  Two cups of coffee cream and 1 cup of 1% milk. Also used freshly cooked NBrunswick clams with its juice instead of chicken stock, was excellent.. thanks for the recipe.

• Natasha, every recipe of yours that I have tried came out absolutely AWESOME! Today I made your New England clam chowder and came out “bangin’”

• Sooooo goooood!

• This is the BEST clam chowder recipe I have ever made, thank you!

• Can you let me know how much to increase for 10 people?

• Hi Natasha,

  I love your recipe and its first time when I decide to make this soup. I am a little bit confuse what is a cup as a measure for you.I tried to follow you on your video ,because 2 cup(16 oz)is nothing when you make a soup.I hope I did it correctly (right now its on )and its smells amazing.thank you for all your recipes.

• Unbelievable!!! I made it and it taste better than most of the clam showder soups I tried before! Please, please, please can you post a recipe for Lobster Bisque! Can’t wait! Thank you!!!

• Can this recipe be frozen?

• Hi Natasha, this recipe looks so yummy but I’m not a big fan of clams, do you think I can substitute it with some kind of fish? Or it will ruin the soup?

• This recipe is soooooooo good!!! Yummmm! Great comfort food!

• This recipe is absolutely amazing! So easy and so good. Thank you for sharing.

• Thank you so much for this yummy recipe!!! Can’t wait to make it again! Just perfect

• Wow!!!! Natasha this recipe is so amazing thank u just made this soup, yes! Better then any restaurant I tried.

  Ps love all ur recipes I’m on ur website everyday I promise😀

  • Wow, that’s quite the compliment! I’m happy to hear how much you love the recipe Inna! Thanks for following and sharing your excellent review! 🙂

    • Natasha,

      This was the best recipe I’ve come across, and it was very easy to follow! Not to mention, it was a success in my house.

      Thank you!

• hello. I made the clam chowder recipe last weekend for a family gathering. followed directions and ingredients within reasonable bounds, [I used a 1/2 inch veg chop, didn’t have green pepper, used extra celery]. Excellent creamy texture and intriguing flavor. will make again. Easy breezy. Thanks

  • You’re welcome Phil! I’m happy to hear how much you enjoy the recipe. Thanks for sharing your excellent review!

• Hi Natasha, would you be willing to make a broccoli cheddar soup? Or know where I can find a good recipe?

• I had left over baked cod that I substituted for the clams, just used more chicken broth, added some sage and corn…came out so good! Thanks for this recipe…I’ll be preparing it a lot this winter.

  • You’re welcome Lorelei! I’m glad to hear you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review with other readers!

• Could the chicken broth be substituted with clam juice?

  • • Thank-you for the quick response. Will let you know the outcome since this menu item is on for Friday.

      • My pleasure Carlos! Please do 🙂

• Can i omit the bacon? Hubby and i dont like bacon

• 5 stars out of 5!! A thousand times yes! The best clam chowder I’ve ever had. It was so delicious, just the right amount of flavor and creaminess! Definitely going to be a soup I keep on making.

• Love this soup! One thing I did different was instead of using 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, I simmered 3 cups of milk with 3 tbsp of flour. Made the clam chowder creamy without the extra fat! Also added some fresh parsley:)

  • What a great suggestion Stella! I’m happy to hear you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your tip and great review!

• EXCELLENT! Will make again and again!

  • I’m glad to hear you love the recipe Mary! Thanks for sharing your great review!

• What a great and easy recipe. My husband made it and it turned out absolutely delicious. Loved the cilantro garnish and touch of Tabasco.

  • I’m happy to hear you both enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing 🙂

• This recipe came out awesome in my dutch oven! Perfect thickness. The only thing I’ll do differently next time is more bacon and probably 1 less potato

  • Glad you enjoyed it Kristi! Thank you for sharing!

• always turns out good. thank you so much!

  • Glad you enjoy it Alla 🙂

• Natasha,

  Can you stir all the bacon in the soup at the end? Or do you have to pack it away separately for left overs?

  Thank you!

• Natasha, your recipes are amazing! Clam chowder excellent!

• This is the best ever! Made it last night, and it was a huge hit… even better this morning (yes, I had to have a bowl for my morning snack!) I made it exactly to recipe with the addition of one can of whole clams (hubby insisted).

• All I have to say about this clam chowder is “WOW” it’s so delicious I have already made it twice this week and I think 3rd batch is a must it’s that good!

• My husband does not like clam. If not using clams what else can be used?

• love it, love it, love it ! so delicious and very easy to make. I love how simple and easy to follow this recipe and soup turns out tasty all the time !!! this is our family favorite dish for the last three weeks , no joke!

• I can’t wait to make this soup! Just went clam digging with my husband and want to try using those clams instead of the canned clams. Do you know how i would prepate the clams for this soup and what should I add instead of the juices that come with canned clams? Thank you in advance:)

• I have tried many clam chowder recipes and the one I really loved was just like yours but instead of using flour to make it thicker I add a can of cheddar cheese at the end. Yes, canned, not fresh. It makes the soup thick and doesn’t have that floury taste. Love your recipes and your site is so addicting!

  • • Campbells cheddar cheese, I think it’s 8 or 12 oz can (it’s in the isle where all canned soups are). I call it a cheddar clam chowder. You replied to my comment, yay! lol

• Delicious! Great recipe, easy to follow. We had a big family get together so I doubled all the ingredients and added an extra can of clams. A big hit with everyone. Will add this to our regular cycle of meals. Thank you for posting!

  • • Froze this recipe and then reheated. No problems, was still great!

• I have been making clam chowder since we got married (13 years ago), but never could find the perfect recipe.This clam chowder is by far the best I have ever tried!! Winter time I make it almost once a week. Thank you so much Natasha for all the hard work you put into all your recipes. May God bless you and your beautiful family!!

• Yummy yummy yummy.. my husband said the best clam chowder he’s had! Thank you Natasha! This will be a staple!

• After several months of putting it off, I finally made this recipe! My husband couldn’t stop saying how good it was 🙂 Now I don’t have to wait till we go to SF to have it again. Thanks for the recipe Natasha!

• This was soo good!! Probably the best clam chowder recipe I’ve tried and so easy to make . Can never go wrong with your recipes !

• Best clamp chowder recipe I have ever tried.

• Thank you for the reply, and natashaskitchen is # 1 source where I go to for recipes! Love, love, love your website. Thank you for all the work you put into it. I think ALL my family and friends know where I get all my awesome recipes. 😉 Everytime I make another yummy dish, I get the response….”natashaskitchen?” And I’m like; Yep! 😂

• Hi Natasha, I have a question, I’m making this soup in my dutch oven, and wondering if I’m either keeping heat to high or my pot is the cheap version that the bottom of the pot starting to burn.😕

• Natasha!! I comment on your recipies every week! U r awesome!! Keep it up:)

• Delicious recipe!!!!!!! Just made it for lunch and it was just so comforting on this rainy day…

• What brand of canned clams do you use? Clam chowder is also one of my favorites, the best I have ever tried (and i tried many places) is at beaches here in washington. If you are ever in vancouver Wa this is the best place to go for delicious food!

• Natalia, Thanks for the Receipy. I love Clam Chowder- the only soup I would it. Very easy to follow your recepy- and it worked from the first attempt (for me). I do admit I am not fun of strong teast like thyme. But the recepy is solid! Thank you very much! Spasibo!!!!

• Hi Natasha 🙂 how necessary is it to use Tobasco as well as Worchestershire sauce? If they add an important taste to the soup, what other dishes do you suggest they are useful for?

• Thank you for your recipe,do you have simple Chowder Broccoli Creamy soups by chance .or something similar .Thank you Natasha !!!! Your recipes are so yummy!!!!!!!!!!!

• This is not Ivars chowder and doesn’t need to be! 🙂 definitely light but creamy enough. Loved the bacon. Did not include thyme and it was just fine! 🙂 cilantro in my opinion is optional also. Tried with and without and was really great both ways. Btw, used gluten free flour and was as good! Definitely making this again on a rainy Seattle night! Thanks for sharing.

• Really good soup

• I made this today.. I did not have tobacco sauce or worchestershire sauce.. nor did I have chicken stock (used water).. I did however some some corn I threw into the pot. The soup was Ahhmazing! Thanks so much!! Although next time I would like it to be thicker.. any suggestions?

• Hey Natasha this recipe is the BUMM . Love this soup . Very easy to make .. Thank you so much

• Hi Natasha, what are clamsis it kind of like tuna?

  • • ok,thanks. it looks very good, i will give it a try. all ur stuff looks delicius, God Bless you.

• Delicious soup! Good job Natasha! I’m in love with your recipes! I personally had to add another teaspoon of salt and next time will buy two bigger cans of clans instead of smaller cans. Otherwise its amazing! God Bless you and your talents!

• natasha огромное спасибо за класные рецепты, супер!!

  вот уже неделю готовлю по твоим рецептам, все довольны.

• Dear Natasha! Thank you so much for your site. Today I tried your chowder. Its’ amazing. It’s super easy to make and tastes delicious. I served it on fresh sourdough bowl bread and my family was so impressed:) I wish I discovered your site a while ago.

• “Whoa Mom” Natasha! Just made this and my husband said “Yep I love this” lol. And get this- I forgot to pick up Bacon from the store so I went without it… I know, how can you skip the bacon? Well it was still AWESOME, but bacon would seriously be good in this. And you’re right about the cilantro taking it to a new clam chowder level! Wowza! You go girl, love your blog Natasha!

• Thank you very much Natasha for all your hard work and effort on all these recipes! I have enjoyed your website very much! and my family enjoys the meals! This soup was delicious! and so easy to make thanks to your website! I have been wanting to make clam chowder for a long time, finally did it!

• Me and my daughter, she is 15, made this soup yesterday. We like the process, and time spend together. The soup was awesome and disappeared in one evening. Thank you for the great recipe!

• I am going to try a vegetarian version by replacing chicken broth with vegetable broth and skipping the clams. Do you know of a substitute I can use?

• Just made this deliciousness. It looks great, smells great & once it cools down, I’m sure it’ll taste amazing.

  thank you yet once again for another great recipe!

• Natasha, you could of have not had better timing to post this clam chowder recipe. I’ve been wanting to make this soup on my next day off and have been hunting for the perfect recipe everywhere but there’s just so many of them. So I just wanted to say thanks for this simple recipe! And I’m sure it’ll taste delicious as anything else on your website!

• This looks so good. Clam chowder is one of my favorites. I want to try your recipe.

• also, i reserve the clams(not juice) just before serving. I read it best to do it that way, so the clams to overcook and become to rubber like!

• i make a similar clam chowder except i add red wine vinegar at the end-gives a boost of flavor. I see you add tobasco and worsch. sauce for similar effect. Cant wait to make yours!

• Only you could make soup look so beautiful!!! Gorgeous photography, as always! I love clam chowder too but I always feel super guilty ordering it! No more! I’ll just make your yummy, lightened up version!

• I’ve never had clam chowder before, but if this plate was put infront of me, I would dig in! Looks so good! And it has bacon!!! Will have to give this a try, looks delicious 🙂

• So much goodness here…wow…plus there is bacon!

• Ahhhh, that looks delish…… I love clam showder its my favorite. I have to try your recipe though. Thanks for the great recipes you are the best Natasha!