This delicious New England clam chowder without bacon is easy to make and is ready to eat in about a half an hour. It’s creamy, comforting, and oh so good!
Creamy chowders are a filling and wonderful way to enjoy soup season. This New England style clam chowder is lent friendly and super delicious.
There are plenty of chunks to fill you up and the flavor is fabulous. You’ll be surprised how easy it is to make!
I have always been a fan of clam chowder. I grew up on the canned stuff and liked it well enough.
It wasn’t until the first time I had it in a restaurant that I knew how much better it could be. You too can have the good stuff, and it’s easier to make your own creamy chowder than you’d think!
Much like the recipe for my brother’s shrimp and fish chowder, homemade clam chowder is delicious with the vegetables cooked in bacon grease. It adds that certain something to the final flavor.
Feel free to do that and stir some bacon in at the end if you’d like. This time I thought I’d keep the recipe lent friendly and bacon free.
You won’t miss it. This pescatarian clam chowder recipe is absolutely delicious without the bacon.
Tips for Making Homemade Clam Chowder
Like most of our favorite easy soup recipes, this chowder uses simple ingredients to make something fabulous. There really isn’t anything complicated to do or source.
The most time consuming part of the recipe is chopping the vegetables. You will want to get the potatoes in nice small pieces.
It is easier to eat with a half inch or smaller dice. Plus the smaller chunks will cook more evenly and quickly. So it is worth spending the time chopping to get the best results.
Sautéing the chopped onions and celery makes them perfect in the final soup. It also gives the potatoes a chance to get started being cooked, ensuring they are cooked through before the soup is finished.
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If you live on the coast, using canned clams may seem sacrilegious. For us in the center of the country, cans of clams are an obvious best choice.
Sourcing great fresh clams is not always easy in a small town grocery store. Plus the canned chopped clams are ready to go!
The tender clams and the liquor give such a great flavor. The texture of the clam meat ends up great too with almost no effort.
Little dude says the best bowls of clam chowder have plenty of oyster crackers. Good clam chowder can also be topped with a sprinkle of fresh parsley or even a squeeze of lemon.
No matter how you top it, you’ll be happy you gave it a go.
While you are in the canned seafood aisle picking up the clams, pick up an extra. Then whip up some of our family’s favorite clam dip. It is creamy, delicious and perfect on potato chips or veggies.
Frequently Asked Questions About Chowder Recipes
What makes a soup a chowder?
Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines chowder as “a thick soup or stew made of seafood or corn with potatoes and onions and milk or tomatoes.” We have seafood, potatoes, onion and milk here so it’s officially chowder!
What is the difference between Manhattan chowder and New England chowder?
New England clam chowder has a creamy milk based broth like you see here. Manhattan clam chowder has a tomato based broth and is red in color. Both feature onions, potato and of course clams and both meet the definition of chowder.
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Creamy New England Clam Chowder
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 medium onion
- 3 medium potatoes*
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups vegetable or seafood stock*
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 bay leaf
- 19.5 ounces canned chopped clams 3 6.5 oz cans
- 1½ cups half and half
- salt and black pepper to taste
- Optional: oyster crackers or lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- Thinly slice the celery. Finely dice the onion and cut the potato into approximately ½-¼ inch cubes.2 stalks celery, 1 medium onion, 3 medium potatoes*
- In large pot or dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions, celery and potatoes along with a quarter teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are translucent.3 Tablespoons butter
- Add the garlic, thyme and flour. Stir to coat everything with the flour and cook for a minute or two, stirring frequently.2 cloves garlic, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, 4 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Slowly pour in the stock, scraping up the bits on the bottom of the pan as you do.2 cups vegetable or seafood stock*
- Add the milk, bay leaf and clams (with the juice!)1 cup whole milk, 1 bay leaf, 19.5 ounces canned chopped clams
- Cook over medium heat until it just starts to bubble then drop the heat to medium-low heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the half and half, heating until warmed through. Adjust the salt and pepper to your liking.1½ cups half and half
- If you would like to adjust the final thickness of your chowder, you can add a splash of milk to thin it further or let it simmer for a few more minutes to make an extra thick chowder.
- Enjoy your delicious chowder!
Notes
Video
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This came out amazing, great recipe!
Thank you!
This soup is fantastic, I’ve always been intimidated to make clam chowder. But this recipe was easy to follow and exceeded my expectations. I will be making this regularly!
I’m so glad!
Can you add dry sherry to this recipe? If so, at what point?
Sure! I would use it to deglaze the pan after you cook down the flour, before you add the stock.