Slow Cooker New England Clam and Corn Chowder
ShareHearty slow cooker New England clam and corn chowder. A flavorful and easy dinner for any night of the week!
You’re either team New England clam chowder or Manhattan. Given that I’m a born and raised New Englander, it’s clear which version I’m drawn to. Rich and creamy clam chowder with tender chunks of potatoes and sweet corn throughout. Top it off with bacon or in this case, a dusting of black pepper and chives. Either way you serve it, everyone is sure to enjoy it! Big bonus, since this is made in the slow cooker, it’s that much easier to whip up!
Below is the original post from 2013. It was time to give this recipe some new pictures! I hope they have you craving a comforting bowl of clam chowder! Be sure to add this to your dinner plans soon! A perfect meal for the cooler months ahead!
Originally posted February 2013:
In case you missed it, Baked by Rachel turned three this week and got a big makeover. Even before the re-design, I knew I wanted to eventually go back and work on some of my old recipes. But when it came time to actually edit the ancient posts so they’d work with the new recipe setup, it was downright torturous. If you happen to make a recipe from long ago, don’t judge a book by it’s cover. If it’s on this site, it’s delicious… even if the pictures are hideous. Promise. I had no clue what I was doing photography wise when I started out. Not that I’m amazing now, but I’m trying and think I’ve definitely come a long way in a seemingly short time.
This is one of many recipes I wanted to bring back front and center. Instead of sharing the same recipe again with new photos, I gave the New England clam chowder from 2010 a makeover. Today’s recipe is based on that but it’s worlds better. The Mr described it as having a different taste in each bite, from bacon and corn to potatoes and clams. The corn was one of the bigger, albeit simple, changes. It just works and gives a basic clam chowder that something extra.
This New England clam chowder has all of the traditional items, with a few twists thrown in. It’s hearty, flavorful and super easy. In fact… this is the only New England style clam chowder recipe you’ll ever need.
If you happen to be facing the blizzard of ’13 this weekend and still need to brave the grocery store crowds, pick up ingredients to make this while you’re there. This chowder will keep you warm and full while it’s stormy outside. Happy and full bellies are always a good thing.
Slow Cooker New England Clam and Corn Chowder
Ingredients
- 2 lb potatoes roughly 5 cups, peeled and chopped into bite size pieces
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 C onion chopped
- 1 C celery chopped
- 1 : 7oz can corn drained
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp white pepper or ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes optional
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 tsp thyme
- 4 : 6oz cans clams with juice
- 1 : 8oz bottle clam juice
- 6 slices bacon ¼ cup reserved if desired for topping
- 1-2 Tbsp bacon grease optional
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 C heavy cream
Instructions
- Add vegetables, seasonings, clams and all clam juice to the slow cooker. Cover and begin cooking on high for 4 hours or low for 8.
- Cook and chop bacon, reserving ¼ cup as optional toppings. Add remaining bacon and optional bacon grase to slow cooker. Stir and replace cover.
- After 4-8 hours, whisk together cornstarch and heavy cream until smooth. Add to slow cooker, stir gently. Cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes.
- Serve hot.
Notes
Looking for a few other hearty slow cooker recipes? Try these out:
Slow cooker lobster chowder
Slow cooker white chicken chili
Slow cooker mini meatball minestrone soup
Slow cooker Guinness beef stew
Such a gorgeous chowder recipe, Rachel!
I adore New England clam chowder, and I love that you’ve shared this lovely slow cooker version! Beautiful photos!
pinning this!! and now i need a bowl of this chowder and a handful of oyster crackers :)
I just started going back through some of my old photos and holy cow they are bad. I kind of like them up on the site thought. This looks good! Stay warm this weekend!
Man do I love some good clam chowder! This sounds delicious! Ive never tried it in the slow cooker before though..what a good idea!
Yum! I wish my husband would eat this. I would make it today!
So pretty! This is the perfect soup for a day like today. One minute it is raining outside the next minute it’s snowing.
Love clam chowder! Perfect for a cold, blustery day!
I can’t look back at some of my old food photos either :) This chowder looks amazing!
I know the feeling of looking back on photos… and some of my recents too haha. I think your photos are really gorgeous! And this soup… OMG I cant wait to make it
I absolutely love Clam Chowder. The only other one in the house who will eat it is my 15 year old. So, I definitely need to make this because I will have to eat LOTS of it using the excuse that I don’t want it to go to waste
This was amazing! I made it last night to keep me warm and I loved it! I added a little more corn and red pepper flakes to make it spicy. Thank you so much for sharing!
So glad you enjoyed it!
This looks yummuy, and your photos are always amazing!
Your photos are so class and pretty!
You have no idea how much I wish I’d had a bowl of this for lunch yesterday after shoveling for 2 hours! Seriously perfect comfort food for a snowed-in weekend :)
next time you make this I am coming up! BF doesn’t like clam chowder much so I feel weird about making a whle batch for mysekf. But really that shouldn’t deter me since this looks awesome!!!
What a perfect dish to beat the winter clues! I love clam chowder and cannot wait to try this!
This looks incredible! And I agree, going through old blog posts is such a pain. I’m glad you brought this recipe to the front, though – I can’t wait to try it!
Great recipe and easy to make — especially with a slow cooker. Had some friends over and they all thought it was the best. I will make it again.
Glad to hear it! :) Thanks for sharing!
I made this and it is WONDERFUL!
So glad you enjoyed it! :)
This looks great! We are definitely team New England here…go Pats! I like the corn in this version.
Thanks David!
This looks delicious, it has been years since I have had a good clam chowder.
Thanks Marye!
I love clam chowder, it’s such a treat for me to have a warm hot bowl of it! I love how thick and creamy yours looks and the updated photos are beautiful!
Thanks so much Danae!
Delicious chowder, and you know I’m drawn to the New England chowder too! Yes, we must have our chowder! So many great additions to this chowder and I’m loving the bacon. Have an awesome weekend!
Haha yes, definitely. Thanks Allie!
This is such a classic — it brings back fond memories of living in Maine!
So glad it brought back some great memories! :)
I’ve never made NE clam chowder at home because in my head it always seems so difficult. If you’re telling me I can do this in a slow cooker and get it to look half as good as this, I’m in :) Good one to refresh, drooling!
You absolutely have to try it sometime. Super easy! :)
This sounds so great– I love the addition of the corn from the normal clam chowder!
Thanks Megan!
Hi,
Do you think this would be ok without the bacon ? Pork gives me a bellyache ?
Thanks
You could definitely omit the bacon if you’re not able to eat it.
How much liquid should be in the crockpot before you add the cream? It seems very runny to me.
It will appear more like soup until you add the cream and cornstarch or flour at the end. This is normal.
Made this on the stovetop tonight after work because I didn’t have the time for a slow cooker. Holy cow! We absolutely loved it! Thank you for the recipe.
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, Robyn! Thanks for sharing :)
This looks soooo good. I want to make it today!! I’m just confused as to when the bacon goes in??? After 4-8 hours or at the beginning? Thanks for your help. Btw I love so many of your recipes. Keep ’em coming!!
As soon as your bacon is cooked, add it to the slow cooker and continue cooking for the remaining time. Enjoy!! :)
You may want to update the method section as you neglect to include directions for when to add all of the remaining ingredients like spices etc.
Actually re read and it’s clear. Thanks making this tomorrow with my mom!
Enjoy!!
I have no slow cooker and want to make this. It looks to wonderful I just want to dip my spoon in the picture. Please help me out with stove top temp and times please.
I don’t have times for you, since this is written for a slow cooker. If you’ve made other stovetop recipes, you would follow the same general idea with what goes in first. Beyond that, you would need to watch everything and test for things to be done, as you normally would. Good luck!
I made this chowder tonight as an excuse to use up some fresh corn I had on hand. May I say….incredible. As a native New Englander myself I can’t express enough how much this chowder spoke to me through smell and taste. It was warm, comforting, and nostalgic; easily my most favorite recipe to date. Thank you so much for posting this recipe! It served as an unexpected but highly welcome reprieve from the stresses of 2020
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Ariana! Thank you for sharing! :)
I made this last weekend and it was delicious, will make this again soon. The corn was a perfect addition. Thanks for the crock pot version
So glad you enjoyed it, Mary! Thanks for sharing! :)
If made with fresh razor clams, would I need to steam or cook them first or straight into the crockpot?
For the ease of eating, it would be best to cook separately. Then you can remove from their shells, chop and add to the chowder in the last 20 minutes or so of the cook time.
Hands down our favourite clam chowder recipe! Delicious!!
So glad you’ve enjoyed it!