This Easy Instant Pot Clam Chowder is incredibly tender, flavorful, delicious, and creamy! My pressure cooker clan chowder recipe shows you how to make restaurant-style food at home with ease. For more recipes, visit Meals Made Simple.
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This Instant Pot seafood chowder is incredible. This easy recipe is something I like to share with my kids because, as a kid, I always loved clam chowder. I introduced them to my favorite restaurant in San Francisco that has a 5-star clam chowder recipe: they have been in love with it ever since.
We decided to venture into making a clam chowder recipe at home since our new home on the east coast did not have easy access to anything like Fisherman’s Wharf. Again, the goal is to learn how to cook things you love, and we really love our chowder. And in time, when our kids move out and have their own homes, they will probably try to have clam chowder every week!
The key is to choose good ingredients and make sure that you can make food quickly, easily, and enjoy the process of doing it. Teaching your kids how to use a pressure cooker safely is really important, too. It’s a great skill to have that will allow them to feed themselves for years to come. And having an arsenal of delicious recipes that they enjoy will help grow their confidence.
We love to use our pressure cooker to make Pressure Cooker Wild Mushroom Risotto, too.
This is the easiest clam chowder recipe to make from scratch. Using a pressure cooker for this recipe makes the process so easy and efficient. It’s my favorite way to make delicious clam chowder that tastes just like it came from a restaurant.
This easy recipe is ready in a little over 15 minutes, and you will love the fool-proof steps. Creamy and everything you could ever hope for in a New England clam chowder recipe, this recipe includes notes that are subtly sweet, yet savory. Since this recipe is made in the pressure cooker, it’s perfect for easy weeknight dinners.
Ingredients
- Clams
- Oil
- Onion
- Cornstarch
- Potatoes
- Water
- Half and half
- Salt and pepper
How Do You Make Easy Instant Pot Clam Chowder From Scratch?
First, turn the Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Next, add the oil and onions and cook for a few minutes.
Then, add the cornstarch to the Instant Pot.
Add the potatoes, salt, pepper, water, and half and half. Meanwhile, stir well.
Next, place the lid on the Instant Pot and set it to high pressure for three minutes. Do a quick pressure release by bringing the valve toward you and opening the pressure. Once your Instant Pot comes to a full release, then open the lid.
Then, set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode and stir the soup until the liquid thickens and reduces.
Finally, add the clams to the Instant Pot. Season with more salt and pepper if needed. Lastly, serve the creamy clam chowder in a bread bowl, with saltine crackers, or freshly chopped parsley.
How Do You Thicken Instant Pot New England Clam Chowder?
Add a tablespoon of corn starch to about one-fourth of the cream and mix. Add the cornstarch slurry to the pot and stir. The clam chowder will thicken as it cooks.
How Do You Keep Clam Chowder From Getting Watery?
Make sure you add enough cornstarch to the chowder and cook it long enough. The chowder will be watery if it has not had time to simmer.
FAQs
Manhattan clam chowder is red in color and not as thick as New England chowder. New England chowder is white, creamy, and made with soft potatoes.
Yes! The longer this recipe sets, the better it gets. We love to have this to eat on the very next day.
You will want to make sure to drain the clams, but you do not have to rinse them.
A variety of things taste great with seafood chowder such as challah bread, roasted veggies like carrots, or even oyster crackers.
Tips
- I do not like to add my clams in too early, it makes them firm, but some people like them that way. If you want your chowder to be on the firmer side, then add the clams prior to setting the pressure cooker on.
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
- To freeze this recipe, then transfer the cooled leftovers to a freezer-safe bag or container and place them in the freezer for up to six months.
- Lastly, I do not recommend rinsing the clams because you are going to want to keep all the flavor on the clams.
Other Recipes You Will Love
- Instant Pot Mushroom Risotto
- Grilled Vegetables Salad
- Sourdough Tacos
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Egg Roll in a Bowl
Easy Instant Pot Clam Chowder
Equipment
- Pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- ½ onion large, diced
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 Russet potatoes medium peeled (optional)
- 1.5 tablespoons salt
- 1 tablespoon pepper
- 4 cups half and half
- 3 cups water
- 4 6 1/2 oz cans chopped clams; juice drained
Instructions
- Firwst, turn your Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Once your pot becomes hot, add in the oil. Next, add in the onions. Stir and cook for about three minutes.
- Add the cornstarch to the Instant Pot.
- Next, add in the potatoes, salt, pepper, water, and half-and-half. Stir well.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot. Set the Instant Pot to high pressure for three minutes.
- Once your Instant Pot is done cooking, do a quick release by bringing the valve toward you and opening the pressure. Once your Instant Pot comes to a full release, open the lid.
- Turn the Instant Pot to Satué mode. Stir the soup occasionally for about ten minutes to reduce the liquid. Add the clams continue to cook and thicken your half-and-half.
- Add more salt and pepper to your liking. Pour your soup in a bowl, a bread bowl, top with parsley (optional), and enjoy.
Renae says
This looks delicious! I can’t wait to try it in the Instant Pot.
Karla Harmer says
Thank you Renae! It is really one of my favorite ways to make it now. Quick and easy!
Tiffany says
Looks so delicious! How fun you placed it in a bread bowl.
Karla Harmer says
A bread bowl is my favorite way to eat clam chowder 🙂