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Instant Pot Clam Chowder (Gluten-Free)
This creamy, delicious Instant Pot Clam Chowder is made with all whole food ingredients (no canned cream soups!), is gluten-free, and is faster and easier to make thanks to the Instant Pot.
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon, chopped (sub: 2–3 tablespoons salted butter)
- 1 large onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 2–3 celery stalks, diced or sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 (6.5-ounce) cans minced clams
- 2 (8-ounce) bottles of clam juice (recommended brand: Bar Harbor)
- 1 1/2 pounds red potatoes, scrubbed and diced into 1/2-inch pieces (about 4 cups; no need to peel)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
- 1 large bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper, plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- Minced fresh chives, for serving
- Oyster crackers, for serving (optional, not gluten-free)
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Instructions
Make It Now:
- Saute Bacon: Place bacon in the Instant Pot, and then turn on the Saute function. Fry the bacon until crisp, about 7-9 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving the bacon grease in the pot.
- Saute Aromatics: Next, add the onion and celery and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic during the last 30 seconds.
- Additional Ingredients: Place a colander over the Instant Pot and drain the clams, adding the juices to the pot. Set the clams aside in a bowl. Stir in the bottled clam juice, potatoes, thyme, bay leaves, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to the cooker.
- Pressure Cook: Lock and seal the lid. Cook for 6 minutes at high pressure with a quick release of the pressure. Remove the bay leaf.
- Thicken Soup: Turn on the Saute function. In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water until smooth. Add this slurry to the soup and stir until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Press Cancel.
- Finish Soup: Stir the half and half and clams into the pot. Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if needed. The soup will thicken up more as it cools off.
- Serve: Serve warm in bowls topped with minced chives, bacon bits, and oyster crackers.
Freeze for Later: Fully cook the soup through step 6 and let it cool completely. Place the soup in 1- or 2-gallon freezer bags or containers and seal. Place cooked bacon in a quart-sized freezer bag and seal. Freeze together as a kit.
Prepare From Frozen: Thaw and warm over low heat in the Instant Pot or on the stove top, stirring occasionally, until warmed through. Follow step 7 for serving.
Notes/Tips
- When buying the minced clams, look for the brand with the least amount of ingredients listed.
- Note that you will not add the cooked bacon to the soup before pressure cooking it. It will get too chewy and the soup will become too salty. So, we just have you use it as a topping when serving.
- If you add canned cooked clams at the beginning of your chowder, they’ll get tough and rubbery from overcooking. So, for best flavor, we added the clam juice from the cans early in the cooking process to build depth, and then added the clams themselves at the end.
- I tested this in a 6 quart Instant Pot and do not think there would be room to double this recipe.
- Slow Cooker Instructions: Saute the bacon and vegetables in a pan on the stovetop over medium high heat. Add the other ingredients from Step 3 to the crock pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook on High for another 30 minutes at the end to thicken it. Finish the soup by following Steps 6-7.