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bowl of clam chowder with spoon inside
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5 from 7 votes

Mom's Clam Chowder Soup

My Mom's Clam Chowder Soup Recipe is the BEST ONE you'll ever eat. This New England Clam Chowder is creamy and full of clams and potatoes and delicious flavor.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 319kcal
Author: Dorothy Kern
Cost: $10

Ingredients

  • 2 cups (300g) cubed red potatoes (about 7-8 baby potatoes)
  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) olive oil
  • ¼ cup (15g) chopped green onions (about 2 onions)
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 4 tablespoons 57g unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup (32g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 pint (473ml) half and half or whole milk
  • 4 6.5 ounces each cans chopped clams (with juice)
  • 1 jar 8 ounces/236g clam juice
  • 1 teaspoon salt more to taste
  • ½ teaspoon pepper more to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon dried basil

Instructions

  • Cube the red potatoes bite sized. You can peel them or not, your choice. Place them in your soup pot and cover with enough water to just cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook until just fork tender. (Cooking time will depend on potato size.) Drain and set aside.
  • Open the canned clams and drain the juice into a measuring cup. Set the clams aside for the end of cooking.
  • Place the pot back on the stove over medium heat. Add the olive oil, then the green onions and garlic. Stir until fragrant, just under minute or so, then add butter and cook until the butter is melted. Stir in the flour and cook a minute or two.
  • Whisk in the half and half, making sure to fully mix in the flour mixture. Cook about 5 minutes or so, or until the mixture thickens, stirring often and whisking when necessary. Be sure to get all the bits off the bottom while you’re stirring so the flour mixture doesn’t stick.
  • Once the milk mixture has thickened, add the jar of clam juice and the reserved juice from the cans of clams. Stir to combine then cook until hot.
  • Once the soup is hot, add the potatoes and clams and cook no more than 5 minutes, or until clams are hot.
  • Serve immediately with crusty sourdough.

Video

Notes

  • We love this served with sourdough bread!
  • Feel free to use whole milk in place of the half and half.
  • Don't add the clams until the soup is basically done - if you cook them too long they'll get tough.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6 recipe | Calories: 319kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 7477mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g