This Slow Cooker Clam Chowder is creamy and comforting! Perfect to start in the morning and it’s done by dinnertime. It’s a cozy winter meal!
This hearty slow cooker Soup is perfect for the winter months- it keeps you warm and full! Try out my Ultimate Clam Chowder and my Manhattan Clam Chowder too!
Sabrina’s Slow Cooker Clam Chowder Recipe
Crockpot Clam Chowder is an easy fall soup and great gameday food you can make for a crowd. My family went skiing a lot last winter, and one of the few meals I made in our hotel mini kitchen was this soup. You’ll love this thick, rich bacon-filled chowder after a long day of playing in the snow. Can I just be bold and say this is the best chowder in the world?
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound bacon , diced
- 3 cans clams , (6.5 ounce, not drained)
- 1 yellow onion , chopped
- 4 Yukon potatoes , peeled and diced
- 2 celery ribs , 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, 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 canned clams, and 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. You may want to heat it slightly since it will be cold from the refrigerator.
Nutrition
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Chef’s Note
Get your bacon nice and crisp but not browned. The browned bacon will add an overcooked flavor to the soup. Also, for a huge flavor boost, sauté your veggies in bacon fat before adding them (they will look less pretty in the soup but they will taste delicious).
Table of contents
About this Recipe
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. You are going to want to add this soup to your winter weekly dinner rotation.
Can this be made ahead of time?
Yes, this soup is perfect to be made ahead of time since it’s made in a slow cooker! Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker in the morning before you head out for the day and it will be ready to go by the time you are home from work!
Serving Ideas
This chowder is perfect in a bread bowl but more often than not I just serve it in a bowl topped with Oyster Crackers. You can top it with parsley, as I have, or chopped chives, which add flavor and freshness. You can also make a fresh batch of Parker House Rolls. Pair along a side a Classic Wedge Salad for a complete meal.
How to Store
- Store: Let the chowder cool completely, then store in an airtight container for 2-3 days refrigerated.
- Reheat: Reheat this chowder in a pot on the stove at medium-low heat until it is warmed through. You could also heat it in the microwave.
- Freeze: I don’t recommend freezing this clam chowder recipe because the broth contains dairy, and it won’t freeze well. It’s best to make a fresh batch, when you are craving this yummy chowder.
Variations
- Milk: 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.
- Cream: You can also made the chowder with heavy cream, which is an indulgent treat!
- Clam Base or Clam Juice: Want to make this Clam Chowder even more indulgent? My secret flavor boost is Clam Base. Since people generally don’t keep it in their kitchens, I leave it as an optional ingredient, but I always add it! Use 1 tablespoon for this recipe. If you don’t want to buy Clam Base, you can buy clam juice to replace the water in the recipe.
- Potatoes: I use Yukon potatoes because they are hearty and hold up well but you could also use red potatoes in this recipe.
- Vegetables: If you want to add some extra vegetables to this recipe, add some carrots, leeks, corn or diced red bell peppers. They will add some color but also some more nutrition to the dish.
- Garlic: Some recipes do not add garlic, but I find that it adds a great flavor to the soup, which still tastes like your favorite classic chowder. I used fresh garlic but you can also use garlic powder in a pinch. A ¼ teaspoon is the replacement for the 2 cloves of garlic. You can always add more but start there.
Related Recipes
More Seafood Soup Recipes
These photos were used in a previous version of this post:
Shouldn’t the canned clams be added toward the end of the cooking process, perhaps with the half and half? Most other slow cooker chowder recipes say clams can get over cooked if added up front. I’m getting ready to try this recipe and was just wondering…
Andy you are absolutely correct, thank you for pointing this out. You’ll want to add them in during step 5 with the half and half. I made the correction on the recipe card to avoid any future confusion. I hope you try this out, and please let me know how it goes!
Just made this yesterday. Taste/ flavor were excellent unfortunately came out extremely watery and was very disappointed. Had to add additional corn starch mixture with butter and worked. Next time will be doubling or tripling the cornstarch amount.
Hi Suzanne, thank you for letting me know, and I’m sorry it wasn’t to your liking. Everyone’s tastes are very different. Absolutely add 1-2 teaspoons of cornstarch if the clam chowder isn’t to your desired thickness.
Do you add additional 2 cups water above the clam juice in the clam cans?
Hey Suzanne, yes you’ll need 2 cups of water, as well as the liquid from the canned clams.
If I cook it on high, would i just cut the time in half?
Hi James, yes it would cut the time in half. I will warn you that cooking the clams on high will give them a more rubbery texture. If you want to avoid that, put them in with the half and half cornstarch mixture in the last 30 minutes of cooking. Let me know how it goes.
I live only 2 hours from Bodega Bay Ca. So I decided to go get some Gaper Clams and try your recipe. I followed it verbatim and boy was it delicious! I will never buy store bought clam chowder again. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
You’re welcome Timothy and thanks for the amazing review!
use bay leaves for flavor, touch of cayenne pepper lots sautéed onions, chicken bouillon
mashed potatoes and cornstarch to thicken
Very good I make it every year for Christmas
When do you add the cornstarch and half and half mix?
Hi Kiara, you add the half and half/cornstarch mixture on step 5. This will be after the soup has been cooking in the slow cooker for 7 hours.
This is a great recipe, however I do add a few extras to make it more delicious! A stick of butter you can never have enough butter and some chicken bouillon cubes and boom!
I agree Dawn, butter makes everything taste better!! Glad you enjoyed the recipe.
I’m not the best or most experienced cook so I asked google what a “stalk” of celery is. It said a stalk is “the main stem of the celery plant, which includes the whole bunch”. Well, even I know that 2 stalks would be a LOT of celery. So I added one stalk. Still far too much. What the recipe should say is is 2 ribs. Ahh, ok. Maybe that’s why the chowder was a bit bland and tasted a lot like celery chowder. If anyone out there is as dumb as me, be advised.
Thank you Robyn, the recipe card has been updated to say “ribs”.
If I use heavy cream instead of half and half, do I still need to add the cornstarch?
Yes you do!
Overall it was good, but I wish it was more flavorful.
Even though I followed all the directions, it was not seasoned very well and was runny.
I’m sorry you were disappointed. Everyone’s tastes are so different. Perhaps next time, add more seasoning to taste and perhaps another teaspoon of cornstarch to thicken your chowder.
We love this soup ( and I’m not a seafood lover)! We add a little sour cream and cheddar cheese along with the bacon to serve.
I just made this chowder. It’s absolutely delicious, and I will definitely make it again. I added a little bit of corn, just for added texture. Thank you for sharing.
Made it! Left out the bacon bc the gf said bacon doesn’t belong in chowder..lol. wasnt going to argue with her.
It came out pretty good for my first attempt. I got a little impatient and slow cooked 6.5 then added the rest and went on high for 30 mins.
It could be a little bit thicker but all in all, it was a good attempt for my first ever chowder from scratch. I appreciate the help!
*I will probably add the clam base next time
Just got a slow cooker. Started with a basic beef stew and now I am going to make this chowder. Bacon makes everything better!
I did not notice how much water to put in for the initial 7 hour cook. Im good at messing things up so im going to look at this recipe again.
Thanks for the great recipe, hope it comes out great!
I don’t care for the aftertaste of corn starch, so I always thicken any gravy, stews, or soups with potato flakes. Everyone looks at me like I’m crazy, until they try it.
You omitted the water from the recipe
Reread the recipe. The water is listed there. Guess you just missed it…