10+ Delicious Chowder Recipes to Make Forever

These comforting and creamy chowder recipes are bowls of deliciousness. With four- and five-star reviews, these timeless chowders are loved by EatingWell readers. Once you try recipes like our Lobster & Corn Chowder and New England Clam Chowder, you'll want to make them again and again.

01 of 13

Instant Pot Summer Corn & Crab Chowder

View Recipe

Sweet corn and tender lump crabmeat go together wonderfully to make this rich, hearty chowder. This colorful, quick and easy Instant Pot soup makes a great starter for a summertime meal.

02 of 13

Salmon Chowder

View Recipe

The flavor of this salmon chowder recipe is greatly enhanced by adding either fresh dill or dried tarragon: each herb lends its own distinctive flavor to the soup. To give this soup a thick, chowder texture, we use instant mashed potatoes, which eliminates the need for heavy cream or butter. Leftover mashed potatoes work too, but give a slightly less-velvety texture.

03 of 13

Lobster & Corn Chowder

View Recipe

The trick to making this healthy lobster chowder recipe have tons of rich flavor is to start with great fish stock. (The best is often in the freezer case at the supermarket.) Then cook the lobsters in the stock to intensify its flavor. There is no flour added in this healthy soup, so it's lighter than a typical creamy chowder--plus it's gluten-free.

04 of 13

New England Clam Chowder

View Recipe

Chopped clams, aromatic vegetables and creamy potatoes blended with low-fat milk and just a half cup of cream gives this chunky New England-style clam chowder plenty of rich body. Serve with oyster crackers and a tossed salad to make it a meal.

05 of 13

Alaskan Cod Chowder

View Recipe

In this healthy fish chowder recipe, heavy cream is replaced with milk and flour-thickened fish (or seafood) broth and we keep sodium amounts reasonable with lower-sodium broth. By making your own homemade fish chowder, you'll save up to 300 calories, 20 grams of saturated fat and 500 milligrams of sodium per serving compared to many store-bought or restaurant chowders.

06 of 13

Corn Chowder with Bacon

View Recipe

Pureeing some of the corn-and-potato mixture in a blender gives this soup rich creaminess without much cream. Red bell pepper imparts a beautiful golden hue to the chowder (and is a great source of vitamin C). For a final touch, a little bacon crumbled over this easy corn chowder recipe goes a long way.

07 of 13

Squash & Corn Chowder

View Recipe

In this healthy corn chowder recipe, heavy cream is replaced with milk and flour-thickened chicken broth and we keep sodium amounts reasonable with lower-sodium broth. By making your own homemade creamy vegetable and corn chowder, you'll save up to 300 calories, 20 grams of saturated fat and 500 milligrams of sodium per serving compared to many store-bought or restaurant chowders.

08 of 13

Clam Chowder with Broccoli Stems & Corn

View Recipe

Keeping frozen corn, canned clams and clam juice on hand means spur-of-the-moment chowder in any season. If you typically compost your broccoli stems, save them for this soup--they hold up better than florets. Set out bowls of toppings like diced red bell pepper, snipped chives or more bacon.

09 of 13

Southwest Salmon Chowder

View Recipe

Perfect for a cold day, this salmon chowder is an excellent source of high quality lean protein and omega-3 fatty acids. As an added bonus, this low-effort chowder can be prepared in less than an hour.

10 of 13

Cheesy Cauliflower & Sweet Potato Chowder

View Recipe

A touch of vinegar stirred in at the end of cooking adds just enough acidity to cut through the rich broth in this creamy soup.

11 of 13

Tilapia Corn Chowder

View Recipe

This light soup is a great way to slip fresh corn (and tilapia, of course!) into your late-summer menu. Make it a meal: Enjoy with a mixed green salad and oyster crackers.

12 of 13

Broccoli-Cheese Chowder

View Recipe

This satisfying remake of broccoli chowder benefits from the creamy texture of cooked potatoes and smooth, tangy reduced-fat sour cream instead of getting its richness from as much as a cup each of cream and cheese. Not only is the flavor vibrant, but a single serving gives you over half of the daily recommendation for vitamin C.

13 of 13

Seafood Chowder Casserole

View Recipe

New England seafood chowder inspired the flavors here, but we've enhanced them further with Gruyère cheese and a crispy crumb topping. We like the combination of shrimp, cod and crab, but feel free to experiment with other types of seafood--scallops, clams and mahi-mahi would also work well.

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

Tell us why!