Slow Cooker Clam Chowder

Slow Cooker Clam Chowder is so easy to make with a deliciously creamy, briny flavor mixed with smoky crispy bits of bacon and rich buttery yukon potatoes.

Slow-cooker Clam Chowder is an easy fall soup you’ll enjoy and great gameday food you can make for a crowd. We often serve this clam chowder in a bread bowl, but even more often, I pile it into a giant bowl and throw a massive handful of oyster crackers on top.

The flavors in the soup scream, “Hey, it’s not swimsuit weather anymore!” with half and half, bacon, potatoes, and clams, but just a small bowl will keep you warm and full for HOURS. We went skiing a lot last winter, and one of the few meals I made in our hotel mini kitchen was this soup. After a long day of playing in the snow, you’ll love this thick, rich bacon-filled chowder. Can I just be bold and say this is the best clam chowder in the world?

The recipe for this chowder started as a back-of-the-can recipe that I’ve added and subtracted ingredients from over the years. Since then, I’ve entered it into multiple office contests when I worked in an office and one local soup challenge. The results: This is an award-winning clam chowder recipe! I have the free movie tickets I won to prove it!

Tips for making the chowder:

• Get your bacon nice and crisp but not browned. The browned bacon will add an overcooked flavor to the soup.
• You can swap out the half-and-half for milk. You may need to mash some of the potatoes to add thickness to the soup.
• I’ve also made the Clam Chowder with heavy cream before, and it is an indulgent treat!
• You can top it with parsley, as I have, or chopped chives, which add flavor and freshness.
• Want to make this clam chowder even better? My secret flavor boost is Clam Base. Since people generally don’t keep it in their kitchens, I left it as an optional ingredient in the directions, but I always add it!
• If you don’t want to buy Clam Base, you can buy Clam Juice to replace the water.

What is the difference between New England Clam Chowder and Manhattan Clam Chowder?

Manhattan Clam Chowder uses tomatoes and is often called Manhattan Red Chowder.

Q&A about the vegetables in this chowder:

• I used Yukon potatoes for their rich and buttery texture. You can also use red potatoes.
• I added celery because I love its added flavor, reminding me of a lobster roll. You can also add carrots.
• For a huge flavor boost, sauté your veggies in bacon fat before adding them (they will look less pretty in the soup).
• Garlic is a flavor not added to some clam chowders, but I find it adds a great flavor to the soup, which still tastes like your favorite classic chowder.

Tools used in making the chowder:
3 Qt. Slow Cooker: The perfect size for side dishes for 10-12 people, this slow cooker is an absolute bargain and a workhorse.
Cast Iron Skillet: If you don’t have a slow cooker with a stovetop-friendly insert, this is the most used pan in my kitchen. It’s heavy, keeps heat well, and gives the BEST sear ever.
Chopped Clams: I always use this brand and always use pre-chopped clams. You can also subsitute baby clams, but the texture would differ from a classic clam chowder.
Clam Base: I almost never buy boxes of broth because I keep the beef, chicken in thevegetable version of this Better Than Bouillon.

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Slow Cooker Clam Chowder

Slow Cooker Clam Chowder is so easy to make with a deliciously creamy, briny flavor mixed with smoky crispy bits of bacon and rich buttery yukon potatoes.

Yield 8 Servings

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 7 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 8 hours hours

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Author Sabrina Snyder

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Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

• ▢ 1/2 pound bacon diced
• ▢ 3 cans clams (6.5 ounce, not drained)
• ▢ 1 yellow onion chopped
• ▢ 4 yukon potatoes peeled and diced
• ▢ 2 stalks celery diced
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 2 cups water *
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• ▢ 2 cups half and half
• ▢ 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Instructions

• In a large cast iron skillet on medium high heat cook the bacon until crisp, then remove from the pan.**
• Add half of the bacon, clams, onion, potatoes, celery, garlic, water, Kosher salt, black pepper and thyme into the slow cooker and stir.
• Cook on low for 7 hours and refrigerate the remaining bacon for serving with the soup.
• In a measuring cup add the half and half with the cornstarch and whisk together.
• Add in the half and half mixture to the slow cooker and stir.
• Cook on high for 30 minutes.
• Serve with the remainder of the bacon sprinkled over the top.***

Notes

• * I add 1 tablespoon of Clam Base to the water to pump up the clam flavor in the chowder. Totally optional though.
• ** Truth? When I don't need it to look all pretty, I brown the onions and potatoes in this bacon fat before adding it to the slow cooker.
• *** You may want to heat the bacon slightly before sprinkling it on top since it will be cold from the refrigerator.

Nutrition

Calories: 256kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 525mg | Potassium: 531mg | Fiber: 2g | Vitamin A: 270IU | Vitamin C: 11.8mg | Calcium: 101mg | Iron: 3mg

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