This post may contain affiliate links and we will earn a commission if you purchase through those links. Thank you for supporting us!
We love New England clam chowder. I mean how can you not love full-fat cream and butter? I wanted to make a creamy, buttery New England clam chowder without all of the cream and fat. But where you would still have that decadent rich flavor. Success! This soup is so good!
I used baby gold potatoes and just a little light butter in this recipe to add to the flavor, butteriness, and creaminess without using any cream. I used fat-free milk instead of heavy cream. This soup is so thick and creamy I promise you won’t miss all the butter and cream. It’s that good! Don’t walk, RUN to the store to get the ingredients and warm your heart and soul with this delicious soup.
Table of Contents
Ingredient Substitutions For New England Clam Chowder
What Kind Of Potatoes To Use
I really like the baby gold potatoes/small dutch potatoes for this New England clam chowder. I wash them and cut them into quarters. For this recipe, don’t worry about peeling the potatoes. The small potatoes are delicious and I actually love the texture of the skins in the soup. The potatoes have a buttery flavor and create a creamy, rich soup. Additionally, Yukon gold potatoes are a great choice and have the same flavor but are larger. Also, red potatoes would work in this recipe. All of these potatoes don’t have to be peeled and I love that because it saves time and the skins are delicious in the soup so it’s a win-win.
Which Milk To Use
I used fat-free milk in this clam chowder recipe. You can use any milk of your choice. Some other great options are 1% milk, whole milk, oat milk, and unsweetened almond milk.
Which Clams To Use
We used one can of canned clams in this recipe. If you want more clams in your clam chowder, you can absolutely use 2 cans of clams. Fresh clams will also work. I was trying to be budget-friendly using one can. Any clams you choose will be a delicious choice in your chowder.
Why Use White Pepper?
This recipe calls for white pepper. It is often used in dishes with potatoes and in white soups. White pepper is more earthy and mild than black pepper. However, if you don’t have white pepper you can use black pepper. There isn’t that much pepper in this recipe so it will work.
Use Fresh Herbs
We love using fresh herbs in our recipes whenever possible. I love the fresh thyme in this recipe. Fresh ingredients and herbs always bring a dish to the next level. However, if you don’t want to use fresh herbs, dried herbs will work.
Lightened Up Clam Chowder Recipe
This New England clam chowder is lightened up. It is super creamy and there is no heavy cream and only a small amount of butter in this recipe. We used fat-free milk instead of cream. Also, we used gold baby potatoes, which are creamy. This recipe is incredibly delicious and you can’t even tell it’s lightened up!
How To Make New England Clam Chowder
First, dice the celery and white onion. Then, cut the potatoes into quarters.
After that, add the light butter to your dutch oven or large pot and saute the celery, onions, garlic, salt, pepper, old bay seasoning, and fresh chopped thyme. Cook these ingredients.
Then, add the flour to the dutch oven and mix.
Next, add the clam juice and milk. Also, drain the juice from the canned clams into the dutch oven, but do not add the clams yet.
After that, add the chopped potatoes and bay leaf to the dutch oven. Bring everything to a low simmer and stir occasionally.
Once the potatoes are cooked, remove the bay leaf from the dutch oven and mash the potatoes. Then, add the clams to the dutch oven and simmer for a few minutes. Serve the New England clam chowder and enjoy!
Serve The Clam Chowder
Once the soup is done, sprinkle some fresh flat-leaf parsley on top. Also, we love to enjoy this clam chowder with soup crackers. To kick it up a notch add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce.
How To Make New England Clam Chowder Thinner
We love the chunky creamy thickness of this clam chowder. It’s so hearty and satisfying. If you want to make the soup thinner in consistency you can always add more milk at the end once the soup is done or use fewer potatoes.
How Long Does New England Clam Chowder Last?
This New England clam chowder will last 2-3 days in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.
More Soups To Try Next!
- Creamy Potato Soup Easy and Healthy
- Easy French Onion Soup Recipe
- Healthy Roasted Carrot Ginger Soup
- Roasted Tomato Soup With Basil
- Join us on our YouTube channel for recipe videos!
LIGHTENED UP NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon light butter
- 3 ribs of celery
- 1/2 cup diced white onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed white pepper or black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon old bay seasoning
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 8 ounce bottle of clam juice
- 2 cups milk of choice, we used fat-free milk
- 6.5 ounce can of clams
- 1.5 pounds baby gold potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Chop the celery and dice the white onion. Then, cut the potatoes in half and then into quarters.
- Add the light butter to your dutch oven or large pot and saute the celery, onions, garlic, salt, pepper, old bay seasoning, and fresh chopped thyme. Cook these ingredients for about 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent and the celery is soft.
- Dust the flour on the ingredients in the dutch oven and mix.
- Add the clam juice and milk to the dutch oven. Also, drain the juice from the canned clams into the dutch oven, but do not add the clams yet, reserve them for later.
- Add the chopped potatoes and bay leaf to the dutch oven. Bring everything to a low simmer. It takes about 10 minutes for everything to start summering. Once it starts simmering, allow another 10 minutes for the ingredients to simmer, or until the potatoes are cooked. You can check if the potatoes are done by inserting a fork. Also, make sure to stir occasionally so the ingredients don’t stick.
- Once the potatoes are cooked, remove the bay leaf from the dutch oven. Then, use a potato masher or a stick blender to mash the potatoes in the dutch oven to the desired consistency.
- Add the clams to the dutch oven and simmer for 5 more minutes.
- When the soup is done, sprinkle some chopped flat-leaf parsley on top and optional soup crackers. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Healthy: This New England clam chowder is lightened up. It is super creamy and there is no heavy cream and only a small amount of butter in this recipe. We used fat-free milk instead of cream.
- Milk To Use: I used fat-free milk in this clam chowder recipe. You can use any milk of your choice. Some other great options are nonfat milk, whole milk, oat milk, and unsweetened almond milk.
- Consistency: If you want to make the soup thinner in consistency you can always add more milk at the end once the soup is done.
- Clams: We used one can of canned clams in this recipe. If you want more clams in your clam chowder, you can absolutely use 2 cans of clams.
- Storage: Leftovers of this New England clam chowder will last 2- 3 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
