Instant Pot New England Clam Chowder

Overhead 2 bowls of Instapot New England Clam Chowder

4.75 from 39 votes

Print Recipe

Rich and creamy Instant Pot New England Clam Chowder, made with canned minced clams, potatoes and thick cut bacon.

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Instant Pot New England Clam Chowder, make clam chowder in the pressure cooker

Servings: -8

Calories: 826kcal

Author: Michaela Kenkel

Equipment

Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt 7-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker

Ingredients

1/2 pound good quality thick sliced bacon or pork belly chopped
3 6.5 ounce cans of minced clams, juice reserved
Reserved Clam juice to measure 2 cups (add water if what comes from the can isn't enough)
1/2 stick of butter 4 Tablespoons
4 stalks of celery chopped
1 medium sized onion chopped
1 1/2 pounds of yellow potatoes skins left on, cut into bite sized pieces
2 sprigs of fresh oregano roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon salt freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Freshly chopped chives and bacon bits for serving

Instructions

Turn your pressure cooker on the sauté setting. Cook your bacon until the fat is rendered out, but the bacon isn't crispy.
Then add in the butter, fresh chopped oregano, onion and celery, and garlic, continue sautéing until the onion is translucent. Stir often.
Add in potatoes. I bought the yellow potatoes from the Little Potato Company. I quartered them, and left the skins on.
Next, add in the 2 cups of clam juice, salt and freshly cracked pepper.
Lock the lid on your Instant Pot. Turn steam release to seal. Change setting from sauté to Cook/Manual, and set the timer for 5 minutes. When it's done, let pot rest for 3 minutes, undisturbed. Then use the quick release feature to let out the steam. When pressure is gone, release the lid and using a potato masher, mash your veggies/potatoes up to your desired consistency.
Turn the warming feature on and add in the minced clams and heavy cream. Stir and heat through.
Serve with freshly chopped chives and bacon bits on top. Don't forget the oyster crackers!

Notes

If the chowder isn't thick enough, you can always add a bit of corn starch and water. Start with 1 Tablespoon of corn starch mixed in 1 Tablespoon of water, add to hot chowder and stir to thicken.

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