Rich and Creamy Instant Pot New England Clam Chowder
Experience the unparalleled comfort of homemade New England Clam Chowder, now made effortlessly rich and creamy in your Instant Pot. This delightful pressure cooker recipe transforms simple ingredients like canned minced clams, tender potatoes, and savory thick-cut bacon into a heartwarming meal that tastes like it simmered all day. Forget the long hours; with your Instant Pot, you can achieve that deep, authentic flavor in a fraction of the time, making gourmet comfort food an achievable weeknight reality.
Why Choose the Instant Pot for Clam Chowder?
The Instant Pot is a game-changer for soup lovers, especially when it comes to a classic like New England Clam Chowder. Traditionally, achieving the complex flavors and tender textures of a superb clam chowder requires patience and prolonged cooking. However, the Instant Pot harnesses the power of pressure cooking to infuse flavors rapidly and cook ingredients to perfection in minutes, not hours. It streamlines the process, allowing you to sauté your aromatics and bacon, then pressure cook the potatoes and broth, all in one pot. This not only saves time but also locks in moisture and develops a depth of flavor that’s usually reserved for restaurant-quality dishes or old family recipes passed down through generations. It’s the ultimate tool for delivering rich, creamy, and flavorful chowder to your table with minimal fuss.
The Quintessential New England Clam Chowder Experience
What defines a truly exceptional New England Clam Chowder? It’s that harmonious blend of rich, creamy broth, succulent clams, tender potatoes, and a savory backbone, typically from bacon or salt pork. The texture should be thick and luxurious, coating your spoon, yet still offer pleasant bites of potato and clam. For me, creating the perfect homemade clam chowder meant capturing specific elements I adore from my favorite restaurant versions. This recipe focuses on delivering a robust flavor profile and a satisfying texture, ensuring every spoonful transports you to the coasts of New England.
A glimpse of the famous sourdough bread at Boudin’s, Fisherman’s Wharf San Francisco, CA.
My culinary inspiration often comes from memorable dining experiences. I’ve had incredible clam chowder at places like Plank Seafood Provisions in Omaha, which, in my opinion, surpasses even the renowned Boudin’s in San Francisco. While Boudin’s offers amazing sourdough bread—perfect for serving clam chowder in a bread bowl—the taste of Plank’s chowder truly set a high bar. It was this quest for that ultimate creamy, flavorful chowder, combined with my love for the Instant Pot’s efficiency, that led to this keeper recipe.
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Essential Ingredients for Instant Pot New England Clam Chowder:
Crafting this delicious chowder begins with selecting the right components. While some ingredients are standard, a few thoughtful choices can elevate your dish significantly:
- Canned Minced Clams: Don’t underestimate the convenience and flavor these bring. Be sure to reserve their natural juice, as it forms the flavorful base of your chowder.
- Good Quality Thick-Cut Bacon (or Pork Belly): The smoky, salty flavor rendered from bacon is crucial. If you can find pork belly, it offers an even richer, melt-in-your-mouth texture that takes the chowder to another level.
- Potatoes: Yellow potatoes, such as Yukon Golds, are ideal. They become wonderfully creamy when mashed slightly, contributing to the chowder’s characteristic thickness while holding their shape for texture. Leaving the skins on adds a rustic feel and nutritional value.
- Aromatics: Onion, celery, and fresh garlic form the aromatic foundation, lending a subtle sweetness and depth.
- Fresh Oregano: A touch of fresh oregano adds a bright, herbaceous note that complements the seafood beautifully.
- Salt and Freshly Cracked Pepper: Seasoning is key to balancing the flavors.
- Butter: For sautéing and adding an extra layer of richness.
- Heavy Cream: This is non-negotiable for a truly authentic and decadent New England Clam Chowder. It provides the signature velvety texture and luxurious mouthfeel. While lighter options exist, the full-fat cream is what gives this chowder its comforting indulgence.
The full printable recipe with precise measurements is provided below.
Tip: Always prep all your ingredients before you begin cooking. This “mise en place” approach makes the cooking process smooth and enjoyable, ensuring everything is ready to go into the Instant Pot when needed.
Step-by-Step Perfection: Crafting Your Instant Pot Clam Chowder
Making this rich and creamy chowder in your Instant Pot is incredibly straightforward. Follow these steps for a perfect bowl every time:
- Sauté the Bacon: Begin by turning your Instant Pot to the “Sauté” setting. Add the chopped thick-cut bacon or pork belly and cook until the fat has rendered out. You want the bacon to be cooked through and flavorful, but not crispy at this stage, as it will continue to cook slightly during pressure.
- Build the Aromatic Base: Once the bacon is cooked, add the butter, fresh chopped oregano, diced onion, chopped celery, and minced garlic to the pot. Continue to sauté, stirring frequently, until the onion becomes translucent and fragrant. This step is crucial for developing the foundational flavors of your chowder.
- Add Potatoes and Liquids: Stir in your bite-sized yellow potatoes. I prefer leaving the skins on for added texture and nutrients. Next, pour in the reserved clam juice (supplement with water if needed to reach 2 cups total), along with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Give everything a good stir to combine.
- Pressure Cook: Secure the lid on your Instant Pot and ensure the steam release valve is set to “Sealing.” Change the setting from “Sauté” to “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” and set the timer for 5 minutes.
- Natural and Quick Release: Once the cooking cycle is complete, allow the pot to naturally release pressure for 3 minutes. This short natural release helps the ingredients settle and prevents foam from escaping during the quick release. After 3 minutes, carefully use the quick release feature to vent any remaining steam. Once the pressure pin drops, it’s safe to open the lid.
- Mash and Thicken: Using a potato masher, gently mash some of the potatoes and vegetables against the side of the pot to your desired consistency. This helps thicken the chowder naturally and creates that lovely hearty texture.
- Finishing Touches: Turn on the “Keep Warm” setting (or a low “Sauté” setting). Stir in the minced clams and the heavy cream. Continue to stir gently until the chowder is heated through. Avoid boiling after adding the cream to prevent curdling.
Just look at that deliciousness!
Serving Your Homemade Clam Chowder
Serve this incredible Instant Pot New England Clam Chowder piping hot, generously garnished with freshly chopped chives and extra bacon bits for a burst of flavor and color. And don’t forget the oyster crackers for that classic chowder experience! For an extra special presentation, hollow out a crusty sourdough bread bowl and ladle the chowder inside. The bread will soak up the creamy goodness, making for an unforgettable meal. Pair it with a crisp white wine or a simple green salad to complete your dining experience.
The Instant Pot: Your Culinary Swiss Army Knife
Even if you haven’t yet discovered the magic of the Instant Pot, its versatility makes it an indispensable kitchen appliance. It’s more than just a pressure cooker; it’s a multi-functional device that can replace numerous kitchen tools, simplifying your cooking and expanding your recipe repertoire.
What the Instant Pot Ultra Can Do:
- Pressure Cooker
- Slow Cooker
- Rice Cooker
- Cake Maker
- Yogurt Maker
- Egg Cooker
- Steamer
- Warmer
- Sauté
- Sterilizer
Models like the 6-Quart Instant Pot Ultra come with convenient accessories such as a steam rack, recipe booklet, serving spoon, soup spoon, and measuring cup. Enhanced features like altitude adjustment, a cooking indicator, and a steam release reset button further improve the cooking experience. This appliance truly offers “deep flavors like you cooked it all day, in just minutes!”
Cooking soup in the Instant Pot is incredibly simple! You get the rich, deep flavors that usually take hours of simmering, all achieved in just minutes.
Other Instant Pot Soup Favorites:
- Instant Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup (pictured above)
- Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
- Pressure Cooker Bean and Bacon Soup
- Instant Pot Thai Butternut Squash Soup
- Easy Instant Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Whether you’re a seasoned Instant Pot user or contemplating adding one to your kitchen, this New England Clam Chowder recipe is a fantastic way to experience its capabilities.
What would be the first dish you’d create in a brand new Instant Pot pressure cooker?
Happy eating!
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Instant Pot New England Clam Chowder
Equipment
- Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt 7-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound good quality thick sliced bacon or pork belly chopped
- 3 6.5 ounce cans of minced clams, juice reserved
- Reserved Clam juice to measure 2 cups (add water if what comes from the can isn’t enough)
- 1/2 stick of butter 4 Tablespoons
- 4 stalks of celery chopped
- 1 medium sized onion chopped
- 1 1/2 pounds of yellow potatoes skins left on, cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 sprigs of fresh oregano roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon salt freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- Freshly chopped chives and bacon bits for serving
Instructions
- Turn your pressure cooker on the sauté setting. Cook your bacon until the fat is rendered out, but the bacon isn’t crispy.
- Then add in the butter, fresh chopped oregano, onion and celery, and garlic, continue sautéing until the onion is translucent. Stir often.
- Add in potatoes. I bought the yellow potatoes from the Little Potato Company. I quartered them, and left the skins on.
- Next, add in the 2 cups of clam juice, salt and freshly cracked pepper.
- Lock the lid on your Instant Pot. Turn steam release to seal. Change setting from sauté to Cook/Manual, and set the timer for 5 minutes. When it’s done, let pot rest for 3 minutes, undisturbed. Then use the quick release feature to let out the steam. When pressure is gone, release the lid and using a potato masher, mash your veggies/potatoes up to your desired consistency.
- Turn the warming feature on and add in the minced clams and heavy cream. Stir and heat through.
- Serve with freshly chopped chives and bacon bits on top. Don’t forget the oyster crackers!
Notes
Nutrition
Calories: 826kcal |
Carbohydrates: 37g |
Protein: 39g |
Fat: 58g |
Saturated Fat: 28g |
Polyunsaturated Fat: 27g |
Trans Fat: 1g |
Cholesterol: 185mg |
Sodium: 1994mg |
Fiber: 3g |
Sugar: 9g