Slow Cooker Clam Chowder–a thick and creamy chowder with bacon, corn, potatoes, celery and minced clams.
Get the Instant Pot clam chowder recipe here
Slow Cooker Clam Chowder
My 1o year old son has been begging me to make clam chowder for ages. He loves it and likes to order it when we go to restaurants. The janitor at his school, Rick, apparently also really likes it. Skyler begged me to make a batch that he could take to school and share with Rick. I thought that was pretty cute. So I made this clam chowder and it turned out awesome! Skyler said that Rick loved it too.
This isn’t a watered down clam chowder with a chunk of something in every other bite. This is a thick and creamy chowder with bites of potatoes, corn and clams. And it has a special ingredient–bacon! In the past I claimed I didn’t care much for clam chowder but I’ve definitely changed my mind after making this recipe.
More recipes you’ll love…
Slow Cooker Mexican Corn Chowder
Slow Cooker Creamy White Chicken Chili
What Slow Cooker Did You Use?
To make slow cooker clam chowder I used my 6 quart oval Kitchenaid slow cooker.* I love this slow cooker. It cooks low and evenly. I love the medium heat choice because most slow cookers that I’ve seen only have the option of cooking on low or high. If you’re going to buy just one slow cooker, this is the one that I recommend.
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Slow Cooker Clam Chowder
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 4-6 hours on low
- Total Time: 23 minute
- Yield: 8 cups of soup 1x
Description
A thick and creamy chowder with bacon, corn, potatoes, celery and minced clams.
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup water
- 3 medium russet or yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
- 2 (6.5 oz) cans minced clams with juice
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 cup crumbled bacon (I just used the packaged kind of real bacon bits)
- 3 celery ribs, cut into quarter inch pieces
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup half and half
- 2 Tbsp melted butter
- 1/2 cup flour
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Add onion, water, potatoes, clams with juice, corn, bacon and celery to the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
- Place the butter, half and half, milk and flour in a saucepan to make a roux. Cook on low and whisk until it is thick and bubbly. Take about 1/2 cup of the liquid from the slow cooker and mix it into the roux. Then add the roux to the slow cooker and stir. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook on LOW for an additional 30 minutes.
Notes
I used my 6 quart oval Kitchenaid slow cooker.*
- Category: Soup
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup of soup
- Calories: 266
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 794 mg
- Fat: 11 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Protein: 16 g
Keywords: chowder
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*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
This is the original post from January 2010:
This is a guest post by my fun, olympic-loving, trying to adopt sister, Alicia.
1/4 pound bacon
1 large onion, chopped
2 cans minced clams, undrained
1/2 cup water
2-3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 (11 oz) can corn, drained
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup milk
1 cup half and half
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup flour
Fry bacon until crispy, remove from skillet and place on paper towels. Crumble the bacon when it cools. Add onions to the frying pan and cook onions until clear. Place onions and crumbled bacon in slow cooker. Add clams (with the sauce), water, potatoes, celery, and corn. Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours. Place the butter, half and half, milk and flour in a sauce pan to make a roux. Cook on low and whisk until it is thick and bubbly. Take about 1/2 cup of the liquid from the slow cooker and mix it into the roux. Then add the roux to the slow cooker and stir. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook on LOW for an additional 30 minutes. Makes 8 servings.
Review:
Ryan and I loved this recipe. He would eat it everyday if he could. So we give it 5 stars.
How many ounces in the bag of real bacon bits?
between 3-4 ounces typically
I made this tonight and it’s a hit with my family. Thank you so much for this recipe!
★★★★★
So glad to hear it Amanda!
Questioning the one cup of water? Is that correct? Said it makes 8 cups of soup but there’s only 4 cups of liquids in recipe, confused
Sounds good though
yes just one cup. There is half and half and milk that you add too so that adds more liquid.
This sounds delicious. I'm having some friends over tonight and originally was going to roast some eggplants but this sounds easier and tastier.
When do you add the milk? To the roux or to the crockpot?
The milk is part of the roux. Once the roux has been made it is mixed in to the crockpot and allowed to cook for another 30 minutes, covered, on low.