Make Red Lobster Clam Chowder at home with this easy recipe. It tastes so close to the Red Lobster’s version. You can make our copycat recipe to enjoy whenever you have a craving.
Make Red Lobster Clam Chowder at Home
Enjoying a bowl of clam chowder is an ideal way to warm both your body and soul after a hard, cold day outdoors. This recipe for New England clam chowder is as good as any chowder stand and far surpasses the premade soup available at your local supermarket.
This straightforward recipe is easy to make and you can get it on the table in less than 30 minutes.
Don’t Be Afraid of Using Canned Clams
This recipe calls for canned clams, but don’t let that scare you off. While fresh clams are best for many clam dishes, canned clams are an excellent option for chowder.
Canned clams are packed at the height of freshness, and are available all year. Unless you live in the Northeast, you will be hard-pressed to find high-quality fresh clams locally without spending a fortune!
There is a wide variety of canned clams available at the store, but not all of them are the same. For the best tasting New England clam chowder, purchase pre-minced clams in juice from a quality brand such as Doxsee.
Avoid buying whole clams because they won’t have as much flavor or baby clams since they tend to be overly gritty. Remember to save the juice from the clams to add back into the chowder.
Potatoes Make the Chowder
Besides decent clams, a good chowder needs great potatoes. The variety of potatoes you use for your chowder makes a considerable difference in its taste and consistency.
The clam chowder recipe below calls for Russet potatoes. There are several types of Russet potatoes, so feel free to use any kind of Russet potato you can find in the store.
There are good reasons why you should opt for Russet potatoes. Russets are hardy enough to hold their shape in a chowder without becoming gummy. This can be a problem when using Red Bliss or other waxy potatoes.
In addition to their sturdiness, Russets also have a large amount of potato starch for additional thickening power. If you can’t find potatoes labeled as Russet in your local grocery store, look for Burbank or Norkotah, two of the more popular potato cultivars of the Russet variety.
Ingredients
Here is what you need to make the chowder:
- Russet potatoes
- Butter
- Flour
- Green onion
- Canned minced clams
- Salt
- Half and half
- Whole milk
- Clam juice
- Parsley for garnish
How to Make Red Lobster Clam Chowder
- Peel and cut potatoes into bite-sized cubes.
- Boil potatoes until tender. Drain and set aside.
- Melt butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat.
- Add diced green onions and cook over medium-low heat until onions a slightly clear.
- Add flour and stir briskly. The mixture will start to thicken.
- Add half and half slowly while stirring briskly.
- Add all remaining ingredients except parsley and stir to combine.
- Bring mixture to a slow boil. Allow chowder to simmer for 15 minutes.
- Serve garnished with chopped fresh parsley if desired.
Additional Cooking Tips for New England Clam Chowder
- Avoid lumps by vigorously whisking and sprinkling the flour slowly into the pot by hand. Make sure the heat is set to low and cook gently while continuously stirring until you start to notice the odor of cooked flour.
- Don’t over-reduce your clam chowder. Remember that as it cools to serving temperature, the chowder will thicken noticeably. You are looking for a consistency that will just evenly coat the back of a spoon.
More Red Lobster Copycat Recipes
- Shrimp Linguini Alfredo
- Recipe for Tartar Sauce
- Loaded Seafood Nachos
- Red Lobster Garlic Shrimp Scampi
- Baked Bacon Wrapped Scallops Recipe
- Crab Meat Fettuccine Alfredo
- Spicy Shrimp Red Lobster
- Cajun Spice Mix
- How to Make Coconut Shrimp Sauce
- Recipe for Red Lobster Biscuits
Best Seafood Soup Recipes
Be sure to take a look at my restaurant seafood dishes and famous restaurant soup recipes.
Red Lobster Clam Chowder
Ingredients
- 2 cups Russet potatoes (peeled and cubed into 1/2″ X 1/2″ pieces)
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 tablespoon diced green onion the white part only
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 cans (6.5 ounce) minced clams (reserve juice)
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 16 ounces half and half
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/3 cup bottled clam juice
- fresh parsley (minced for garnish)
Instructions
- Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water; cook on medium heat until tender. Remove potatoes from heat, drain and set aside. In 2 quart saucepan on medium-low heat, melt butter.
- Add diced onions and cook until onions are slightly clear in color. Add flour to butter and stir briskly. The mixture will start to thicken. Add half and half a little at a time while stirring briskly. The mixture will be creamy and will look like thick cream. Place salt, clams, and juice from cans, potatoes, bottled clam juice and milk with the mixture.
- On medium-low temperature, bring chowder to a slow boil. Turn temperature down to low and let chowder simmer gently for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Chowder, hard rolls, fresh whipped butter, and a cozy fire will warm your tummy and your soul.
Juan Azua
Hello stephanie, i wanted to know if you have giovanni’s recipe for clam chowder please let me know k thank you sooooo much
Stephanie
I do not have this recipe.
Crystal
Awesome have made it b4. Thanks for the recipes. I made seafood chowder by adding lobster n crab. Its a great recipe 2 add 2!
Sherri
Delicious. Just made it for lunch
Deb B
I have just made, and eaten, this clam chowder recipe! I am not the least bit disappointed. I have to restrain myself from eating the entire pot. 🙂 Good job, Stephanie, and thank you for placing this recipe on your website.
Linda
Where’s the recipe for the Manhattan clam chowder?
Stephanie
I have not developed that recipe yet.
Linda
Please do, I also am looking for the Manhattan version.
John M Gates
Always looking for a good chowder to make..Going to make this one tomorrow
Cgotro
Made it for lunch and was impressed. I did add Greek Seasoning to it and I think that really helped add flavor. Next time I will add bacon pieces and diced celery. But even without those extras, the chowder was easy and tasty!
Shannon
This is a great recipe as is for a quick soup. I add some finely diced celery tops and parsley. Then top with crispy bacon bits on top. I also use heavy cream in place of the half and half.
Love it!
Julie Everett
Made this last night for dinner and wasn’t very impressed so I had to punch it up
with a few drops of dry sherry and old bay seasoning.
Megan B
I made this tonight, oh my goodness, THANK YOU!! We were all so very delighted! Very easy and absolutely delicious!
Stephanie
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Mary
Can I make the same Chowder with Shrimp instead of Clams?
Would I still use Clam Juice? We loved this recipe but some didn’t like the Clams. Could you let me know?
Stephanie
I think if you are going to make this out of shrimp, you would omit the clam juice as well. You might want to consider making a shrimp bisque and then simply add the vegetables in the soup.
sherry
I’ve had Red Lobster chowder and this recipe is so much better than theirs…I make it and serve it in a bread bowl like at pier 39 in San.F. it is sooooo good my husband and daughter loves it..I’m making it tonight.. 🙂 thank you for this recipe…
Stephanie
I am glad to hear you enjoyed the soup. I hope you get the chance to try other recipes.
meee
simply dilicious best ever no need for cans
Stephanie
Homemade soup is so easy to do!
mikael the archangel
redlobster uses the cheapest can of new england clam chowder. They buy tons of it and get it really cheap. The add half a carton of half and half creamer and a huge block of butter bout the size of 4 sticks. thats it and thats why it taste so good. profits galore!!!
Liveewire555
ur a damn troll and u know it 😛
Liveewire555
ur a damn troll and u know it 😛
Dalia
Thank you so much for this recipe! It tastes even BETTER than Red Lobster! Just doesn’t even compare!
gvf
i made this chowder and my family this weekend and they loved it! they said it was the best they had ever tasted. this will be a regular at our house. thanks, for sharing it.
Stephanie @ Confessions of a Trophy Wife
Made this for dinner last night and it was so simple and yummy! I followed the recipe as written, but I did toss in a bay leaf for some extra flavor. I’m amazed at how few ingredients can produce such a wonderful soup!
Definitely a nice bowl of comfort. I’ve never had Red Lobster’s clam chowder myself, but I can say that this soup is quite comparable to the good clam chowders I’ve had at other restaurants.
Thanks for a great and easy recipe!
Cin
This sounds really good although I’ve actually never had Red Lobster’s chowder.
Pamella S.
I added to bay leaves to this recipe, yummy! It is pretty good even with out the bay leaves
Tiffany
This recipe is sooo much better than Red Lobster’s. I love a nice warm clam chowder regardless of the time of the year and this one delivers. This recipe is quick and easy and very filling.
Brenda
Fanastic recipe I’m sure but to compare this vesion to Red Lobster’s is an insult to you!! Red Lobster gets their chowder out of a can and the adds half and half cream and a packet of CHOWDER BASE which has a thickener and spices in it…I have even seen the can they use at the grocery store!!!