CopycatSpices
Copycat Red Lobster New England Clam Chowder
Red Lobster's New England clam chowder is thick, creamy, loaded with tender clams and potatoes — the kind of bowl you want on a cold day with their cheddar biscuits.
copycat · red-lobster · casual-dining · soup
🕑Prep15 min
🍳Cook30 min
⏱Total45 min
🍽Serves6
⭐DifficultyMedium
Ingredients
- 3 cans (6.5 oz each) chopped clams, drained, juice reserved
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon, diced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups clam juice (reserved plus bottled if needed)
- 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- 1.Cook the bacon. In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook the diced bacon over medium heat until crispy, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside. Leave the bacon fat in the pot.
- 2.Saute the vegetables. Add the butter, onion, and celery to the bacon fat. Cook for 4-5 minutes until softened and translucent.
- 3.Make the roux. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir constantly for 2 minutes. This thickens the chowder without making it gluey.
- 4.Add the liquid. Slowly pour in the reserved clam juice while stirring. Add the potatoes, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and white pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- 5.Add the cream. Pour in the heavy cream and milk. Stir in the chopped clams and reserved bacon. Simmer gently for 5 minutes — don't boil, or the cream will curdle.
- 6.Serve hearty. Remove the bay leaf. Ladle into bowls and serve with oyster crackers or Red Lobster cheddar biscuits.
Copycat Red Lobster New England Clam Chowder
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Red Lobster’s New England clam chowder is one of those bowls that makes you forget about everything else on the menu. It’s thick without being gluey, creamy without being heavy, and loaded with enough clams and potatoes to make it a legitimate meal. The bacon adds a smoky undercurrent that makes you wonder why all clam chowder doesn’t start with bacon.
The technique of cooking the vegetables in bacon fat before building the roux is what gives this chowder its depth. Every layer of flavor builds on the last — bacon, aromatics, clam juice, cream — creating a soup that’s far more complex than it looks.
Chowder Secrets
- White pepper, not black. White pepper blends invisibly into the creamy chowder and provides a different kind of heat — sharper and more front-palate. Black pepper works but changes the look and flavor profile.
- Don’t boil after adding cream. Boiling cream causes it to break and curdle, giving you a grainy texture. Keep it at a gentle simmer.
- Add clams last. Clams get rubbery when overcooked. Adding them in the last 5 minutes keeps them tender and plump.
Chowder House Pricing
A bowl of clam chowder at Red Lobster costs about $7-9. This recipe makes six bowls for about $12 total — $2 per bowl. Pair it with homemade cheddar bay biscuits for the complete Red Lobster experience at a third of the price.
