This easy Instant Pot clam chowder soup recipe is packed with bacon and potatoes! One of the best pressure cooker soups I’ve made yet in just 10 minutes and it tastes just like Boudin Bakery’s in San Francisco! Creamy and delicious dinner that my kids rave about and there are never leftovers.
We love clam chowder!! It’s even my kids’ favorite meal and we’ve ordered it many places though I had never made it in my pressure cooker until now!! I’ve been tinkering with new Instant Pot recipes ever since I got this fancy appliance and decided to come up with an easy Instant Pot clam chowder recipe last week. It turned just as good as the one I love at Boudin Bakery inside that yummy sourdough bread bowl they serve it in! (originally published 10/17)
I like it thick so it took me some time to get just the right consistency as well as keep all the flavor in the clams I added, but in the end it was absolutely delicious!
This is what it looked like, so creamy and thick!
Of course you can add or as little as you want, load up the veggies or eliminate those if you wish.
I added bacon but of course you could leave that out if you’d rather. I also like a lot of potatoes in my clam chowder soup and you can adjust that amount as well. As is I promise you it will be your favorite easy Instant Pot clam chowder ever!!
This is what you’ll need to make this easy Instant Pot clam chowder soup:
- Clams (I used canned)
- Clam juice (I used jarred)
- Flour (to thicken it up and make a roux)
- Potatoes
- Celery (optional but good)
- Bacon (optional)
- Half and Half
- Spices
This is what it looked like when our easy Instant Pot clam chowder soup was done! I just threw a few frozen rolls in the oven and served those on the side.
Total time including prep and baking rolls was less than 30 minutes and it was a huge hit in our house!!
Looking for other Instant Pot soups?
- 8 oz clam juice
- 10 oz clams with juice
- 3 pcs bacon diced
- 3/4 onion diced
- 2 stalks celery middle, lighter pcs.
- 4 small potatoes skinned and diced
- 1 c water
- 1/2 tsp garlic minced
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 2 c half and half
- 1 chicken bouillon cube or 1 tbsp granules (optional but adds to flavor)
- 6 tbsp flour
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Put your Instant Pot on saute medium with a little olive oil and cook your bacon until it is not crispy cut cooked. (you can add onions to soften at this time if you like)
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Drain grease and return pot to IP. Turn Instant Pot off.
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Add diced onion (if you haven't already), potatoes, water, garlic, clam juice, white pepper, bouillon cube (crushed) and garlic. Stir.
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Put lid on Instant Pot or pressure cooker and set to manual, pressure, high for 5 minutes (6 minutes if you want your potatoes to be really soft).
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Do a slow release (move steam valve just slightly so steam comes out slowly).
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Take lid off and set to saute medium again.
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Add your half and half, celery and clams, stir.
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Put flour in a bowl and once the soup begins to boil add a few cups of hot soup, just the liquid, and whisk together to create a sort of rue to thicken your soup.
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Pour this mixture back into your Instant Pot and stir.
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Allow soup to bubble for 4-5 minutes, stirring intermittently, thickening as time goes on.
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Turn off and enjoy!
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Iām lactose intolerant but use lactose free milk. Could I use it in place of the half and half? Just love clam chowdet.
It just won’t be as thick, but could add a bit more cornstarch at end to thicken. Should work.
Are you draining the clams or putting the juice from the can into the soup also?
When do I add the boullion?
Sorry, added that instruction.
When do I add the boullion???
very tasfull, for health reason I used 1%milk only and used 2 cans of clam, added the clams after the soup was thicken up so they stay tender.
You say to set it on manual, pressure, for 5 minutes. Do you mean hi or low pressure? This is all new to me.
Thanks for catching that…going too fast…it is high. Added in recipe box too. š
I’m allergic to dairy, but this recipe looks fantastic! Do you know if there’s a good dairy free substitute for half & half?
You know I don’t, going to look though. My husband can’t have dairy either. Only thing I can think of is unsweetened almond milk but obviously that would have a different taste.
More clam broth. It will be less thick, though.
Do you have a crock pot or stove top version for this recipe?
No but you could make it similarly on the stove in the same order, just put on low boil longer than in the pressure cooker.
Can you use cornstarch for a thickener instead of flour?
I use cornstarch slurry to thicken as I have to eat gluten free.
Awesome, we love this one!
How large is one serving?
Do you put the clams in during step 3 too?
Sorry my fingers were typing faster than my brain and forgot to put that in! Added in the instructions now sorry about that. š