Slow Cooker Low Carb Clam Chowder with Bacon! More proof that everything is better with bacon. This is a nice, hearty New England style clam chowder. The only thing missing are the potatoes. If you were looking to add something to simulate the potato in a typical clam chowder, simply add some diced rutabaga or cauliflower into the mix. This is my favorite slow cooker. I have had it for years and it has never let me down! From it’s maiden voyage with my Slow Cooker Kickin’ Chili Recipe to the many, many batches of this chowder it has made, old faithful is always crocking out something delicious. If you are not a fan of clams, but love the thick and rich nature of a chowder, maybe this Chicken Bacon Chowder Recipe is for you! Looking for some slow cooker ideas that are not soups or stews? I’ve got you covered. Here are 50 Low Carb and Paleo Slow Cooker Recipes. Do you have a favorite slow cooker recipe? I would love to hear about it.
Speaking of slow cooker soups and stews… Did you know that I have an entire ebook dedicated to this topic? Peace Love and Low Carb – Slow Cooker Soups and Stews – 30 Recipes to Keep You Warm During Winter
In addition to this low carb clam chowder, check out some of my other favorite low carb soup recipes:
- Keto Bacon Cheeseburger Soup
- Cabbage Roll Soup
- Slow Cooker Kickin’ Chili
- Keto Chicken Bacon Chowder
- Low Carb Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Creamy Reuben Soup
Did you know that I have an entire ebook dedicated to low carb soups and stews? I love warm and comforting soup recipes, especially in the cooler fall and winter months.
Crock Pot Low Carb Clam Chowder
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Total Time: 6 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 Servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeIngredients
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 1 small leek, cleaned, trimmed, and sliced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 – 10 oz cans of fancy whole baby clams, drained
- 2 cups clam juice
- 1 pound thick cut bacon, cooked crisp, and crumbled
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
Instructions
- Heat slow cooker on low setting.
- To slow cooker, add chicken stock, garlic, shallot, leek, celery, onions, butter, and salt and pepper. Cover, and cook vegetables on low for 1 hour.
- To the slow cooker, add clams, clam juice and bacon.
- Add cream cheese, heavy cream, garlic powder and thyme. Continue mixing until there are no visible clumps of cream cheese and all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Cover and cook for 6-8 hours.
Notes
Per Serving – Calories: 276 | Fat: 28.5g | Protein: 12g | Net Carbs: 3.75g
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cup
***Please note that nutritional information listed on this page is an estimation based on the products I used. Ingredients and nutritional information can vary greatly between brands. Always be sure to read labels***
***Some links contained on this page are affiliate links and I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remunerations for any products purchased through these links***
Mimi says
September 3, 2012 at 6:02 pmThis looks delicious! I think this could be frozen, do you agree?
Anonymous says
January 6, 2013 at 1:13 amI have made it and frozen it…..works well!
Maricruz says
September 3, 2012 at 10:48 pmSounds and looks delicious, I need to buy the ingredients to try it……..Yummmm! Thanks again for the recipe.
PD: love your background, glad that you put it back.
Kelly Buzan says
September 7, 2012 at 12:38 pmI made this yesterday and it was delicious. Next time I would add less salt though. I also added some small chunks of cauliflower to be “potatoes”. My 3 kids loved it, even the picky one. I’m glad I found this site and can’t wait to try more of your recipes. Thanks so much!
Laurie Seals says
September 11, 2012 at 3:00 amMade this tonight, it was deee-lish!! Thank you for another awesome recipe!!
Dinah says
September 12, 2012 at 7:15 pmwhere do you buy your Peace and Love????? JUST KIDDING!!!! Buahahahahaha… this looks marvoooolous!!! one of my favorites. gonna try it this weekend.
Crissy Cris says
September 20, 2012 at 2:49 amI made this and added rutabaga for potatoes and I must say it’s so awesome, the kids loved it too, also I did freeze it and it reheated just fine. I run it on defrost for a few minutes before heating it on high.
HappyHappyJoyJoy says
September 24, 2012 at 11:45 pmThis was absolutely delicious! I halved the recipe since I would be the only one eating it and I didn’t want to freeze it. I also added 5 oz of frozen cauliflower that I heated up in the microwave and chopped. That gave it a potatoey texture and taste. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this recipe! Thanks for all you do on this blog – it’s amazing! Hugs!
Laurie Seals says
October 24, 2012 at 4:36 amMade this again tonight…it was the perfect “post ankle surgery i’m totally starving” dinner, thanks for all your hard work on these recipes!
Jenn says
November 19, 2012 at 2:51 amI’ve made this twice now…the first time I overcooked it some due to a late playing soccer game, but it was still awesome. Tonight I doubled the amount of veggies to make it a bit more chunky. I didn’t have regular cream cheese, but I did have some whipped with chives so I added that hoping it would be ok…well it was pretty amazing 🙂 It mixed in much nicer and the added flavor of the chive was a bonus. Thank you so much for such an amazing recipe, I love soups and this totally hits the spot on a cold northwest night!
Marcia says
October 23, 2017 at 10:40 pmWhen you say whipped with chives. Is that whipping cream or cream cheese
Hannah says
January 4, 2018 at 9:45 amThey make chive cream cheese
Tuffy says
November 20, 2012 at 2:56 pmMade this yesterday and invited a buddy and his wife over for dinner. He couldnt stop ranting and raving about it, told me was easily top 2 soups hes ever had. My question is this… It doesnt say to use the clam juice from the canned clams or not? I dumped mine.. It looked way too dirty so… I got rid of it, is that correct? I also added two cans of crab meat, which was rockin! Making this again soon, but tonight I’m having more creamy turkey taco soup!
Your blogs the best!
Dinah says
December 16, 2012 at 5:53 pmI’m making this now, but of course I don’t have all the ingredients on hand. I only have 3 6 ounce cans of clams so i’m halving the recipe. I didn’t have leeks and shallots so I’m replacing it with some small diced turnips. My only problem is I want it NOW! LOL I may very well transfer it to the stovetop.
Louanne campbell says
December 27, 2018 at 8:19 amHow did it turn out with the turnips
Kimberly Cameron, M.A. says
April 17, 2013 at 7:52 amKimberly Cameron Valencia CA
Wow!!! Can’t believe how amazing this turned out!!! My family was raving about it!! Next time I will make a couple of changes, but not many… this was amazing!!!!! For my modifications, feel free to check out my blog (where I also reference your site): http://kimberlycameronvalenciacaatkins.weebly.com/1/post/2013/04/crock-pot-clam-chowder.html. I will definitely be coming back for more recipes!!!!!! Thanks again!!!!!!!!!!
sue says
March 22, 2019 at 7:49 amHow many cups is a serving
Anonymous says
November 7, 2013 at 12:10 amAmazing soup! Thanks for the recipe!
Peace Love and Low Carb says
January 23, 2014 at 8:31 amNo problem. I’m happy you enjoyed it.
Sherrice McIntosh says
December 16, 2013 at 9:10 pmMy husband loves clam chowder.. we may have this for Christmas Eve! 🙂
Rhonda says
February 2, 2014 at 6:24 pmOh, goodness. I just made this recipe, adding daikan radishes. Wow! Never would have believed the radishes would mimic potatoes so well. Not 100%, but close enough. Hubby liked it, too. Will definitely be making this again. And again.
Carol says
February 14, 2014 at 3:29 pmThis looks so good. I have never heard of putting cream cheese in a soup, does it give a cream cheese taste? I do love clam chowder, but I hate clams. LOL I love the taste of it.
I was also wondering if I would be allowed to put your recipe on my blog if I link back to your site?
Thank you so much!
Caroline Theberge says
August 13, 2014 at 6:54 pmDelicious chowder! I added some cooked cauliflower at the end as well in lieu of spuds.
Next time I won’t add any salt….with canned clams it’s not needed at all.
Thankyou for a winner!! I love it when I try a new recipe and it’s a hit…peace& love back to you!!!
Karen says
September 15, 2014 at 1:59 pmWhat did I do wrong?? Came home to a wonderful smell, only to lift the crock pot lid and find a disgusting curdled mess! Should the cream have been added at the end????? This recipe sounded awesome, as all of yours do (and ARE!!!!!). I have to throw it out, and that’s a lot of ingredients. Where did I go wrong, as everyone else said it was great!! It had to be me, because every single recipe I’ve made of yours has been a keeper!! So sad!!!
Peace Love and Low Carb says
September 18, 2014 at 9:45 amAs for what you might have done wrong, without being there and seeing the ingredients that you used, I can’t really be sure. Did you use all full fat products? Was your slow cooker on the right temp? Does your slow cooker run hotter than the average? Was it cooked the proper amount of time? Did you thoroughly mix in the heavy cream and cream cheese until it was creamy and there was no visible clumps? Were you sure to use heavy cream and not just half and half?
Karen says
September 24, 2014 at 4:16 pmHonestly, I followed to a “T”. I can’t figure out how no one else had this problem! Aarrgh! I want to try it again, because it had to be a fluke or something!
Cat says
July 18, 2018 at 8:59 amAdd the cheese & cream mixture at the end & if needed only heat it up. My crockpot cooks way too hot for some reason & yours probably did too. If cream & cheese are cooked too hot they curdle, any fat %.
Roxy says
October 13, 2014 at 3:38 pmThis is SO DELICIOUS!! I’m so thankful you made this low-carb version I’ve been craving clam chowder but thought I couldn’t have it because of the carbs 😀 thank you!!
Tina says
December 23, 2015 at 10:00 amDo you think this would turn out just as good if I tried it on the stovetop?? I really wanted to make this today but don’t have 6-8 hours for it to cook 🙂 I assume I could just simmer it for an hour or two?
Thanks 🙂
Heather says
October 27, 2014 at 6:54 pmOMGoodness!!! This was fantastic! I didn’t add the leek and threw in some turnips to give it the potato like texture. So, so, good! I could eat this every night. I noticed some people commented on it being too salty, for my family, the salt amount was perfect!
Jennifer Franks says
November 2, 2014 at 11:01 amMade this recipe for the first time. It certainly won’t be the last!!! I used the whipped cream cheese with chives as another comment suggested. I used dry sherry for the chicken stock. My husband wants me to make this every day, now. He is currently on the couch “enveloped in a soup trance”. He said it felt like the soup was giving him a hug. 🙂
Tina Ranous says
January 7, 2015 at 8:44 amI made this last night and it was Awesome!!!
Thank You for all your great recipes!!!
Peace Love and Low Carb says
January 7, 2015 at 9:09 amYou are so welcome. I am so happy you enjoyed it.
Rachel says
March 13, 2015 at 2:33 pmI have this slow cooking as we speak and the flavor is wonderful.. I did leave out the leeks and replaced it with celery, I added potatoes and some of the bacon grease for extra flavor.. I also added a but more chicken stalk, and cornstarch to thicken it. I can’t wait!
Carol says
January 20, 2016 at 7:31 amI just made this, it was a HUGE hit. love it. for the potato substitute, I use small radishes, diced up, they cook to the consistency of a potato and no one is the wiser! LOVE THIS ONE!! THANK YOU
Kate says
February 19, 2016 at 8:59 amMade this last night, loved it! Want it thicker though… maybe some parmesan? Just used to a thicker cream for the chowder, but it is seriously yummy as is… I meant to throw in frozen cauliflower at the end to cool it down and forgot… I did not miss it in my bowl though…
I did throw an extra can of clams in and another half cup of cream to compensate. I also used the whole 1 cup container of chicken stock I bought, because I didn’t want to save it. Probably is the reason it’s less thick than I was expecting. Still absolutely delicious! Will make again.
Andrew Ervin says
June 11, 2016 at 6:30 pmMade this for dinner tonight & it was delicious. I was pressed for time so I sautéed the onion, leek, celery & garlic in the fat from the rendered bacon. I didn’t add the heavy cream until the last 30 minutes of cooking.
Deborah Hopper says
September 17, 2016 at 9:21 amLook delicious, I will make this soon, thanks!
Christie says
October 13, 2016 at 5:38 pmMade this tonight on the stove top because I was pressed for time. Like another poster, I sautéed the vegetables in the bacon fat and butter. Simmered all the ingredients except the cream cheese (added that last) for about an hour. It was tasty!!!
Tanya says
December 4, 2016 at 11:22 amAnother great soup recipe, Thank You! Just finished my first bowl and my non-soup loving husband is on his second.
I decided to make this in my dutch oven since I’m just not a fan of the crock pot and YUM!!! I started with the bacon, drained it on a paper towel lined plate and then cooked the veggies in the bacon fat until soft adding them to the plate with the bacon. Wiped the pot clean and added the broth, clam juice & clams and then added in all the rest of the goodness! Ready for my second bowl now!
Alexa Carpenter says
December 20, 2016 at 9:06 amI made this last night, not in the crock pot (not enough time) and it only made 6 1 cup servings.
However it was amazing!!!
Marcie says
January 7, 2017 at 6:43 pmThis is so good!!! I used a turnip diced to make up for the lack of potatoes since I’m the only low carber here. I did it on the stove top and added a little more broth and a little less cream than called for. I was out of thyme so subbed oregano and it is still great. Full of flavor and lots of clams!!!
Nicole says
February 18, 2017 at 9:06 amMaking this tomorrow. Just want to ask to make sure – cook on LOW for 6-8 hrs? My crock pot has high, low, simmer and warm. Also, the first hour of veggies only – Low or High? Thanks!!!
And for those who added cauliflower for potatoes, how much and when? I’m also the lone low-carber in my house.
Susan Edmondson says
February 23, 2017 at 8:55 amThis chowder is amazing! You do not need potatoes as this soup is chock full of so many other things.
Don’t change a thing.
Connie Davis says
May 18, 2017 at 4:11 amHad a seafood chowder recipe that we loved in our pre-low carb days and greatly missed it. Tried your recipe with the addition of some crab meat and salad shrimp. Added diced celery root to replace potatoes and some old bay and all I can say is”…………WOW!!! They family loved it. Thank you for sharing your recipe
Debbie Archibald says
December 28, 2017 at 5:18 pmI want to thank you for this wonderful chowder! I made this for my family for our Christmas lunch.. I did use more chicken but, I followed the recipe to a T. It was amazing, there wasn’t a spoonful left. I used to make clam chowder every Christmas, so since starting Keto Jan 3, 2017 I needed to change the chowder. This has now become our new Christmas chowder. thank you again!!!
Sandra says
March 18, 2018 at 5:57 pmI am a misplaced New Englander living in the south… so fairly picky about my clam chowder! (Snobbish). This ROCKED1. I made 2 tweaks – added a little cauliflower and stalk for a potato feel and I took my immersion blender to the finished product for a few seconds (still wanted chunky yum – but definitely helped thicken the final soup). Adding this to my gotto gotta enjoy list.
★★★★★
Helen says
June 21, 2018 at 8:57 amWow love this chowder such a great flavor, and tastes even better the second day. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Helen, New Brunswick, Canada.
Mr. Clam Man says
July 10, 2018 at 6:47 amExcellent!!! The stock came out creamy, and had unbelivable flavor with the bacon in it. I have a new favorite! Thanks for posting “the ultimate comfort food.”.
★★★★★
Cat says
July 18, 2018 at 8:50 amI use mascarpone in most of my low-carb recipes & I dont understand why others dont! Mascarpone cheese has the same texture as cream cheese but is milder in taste & has no carbs!
★★★★★
Cat says
July 18, 2018 at 9:10 amIve been following this blog for a long time! Love your recipes, your blog presentation & your catchy nane! Keep up tge great work! I hope to feature some of your recipes when i create my new blog! Good luck Kendra!
THE DANCING CHEF says
September 7, 2018 at 7:16 pmI just made this for dinner using fresh clams(not little necks the next size up) I cut them up and used all the clam juice……OMG SOOOOOO DELICIOUS!
★★★★★
Rebecca Jandke says
September 16, 2018 at 11:08 amNew England Clam Chowder is my absolute favorite soup of all time and this recipe is by far one of the best and most favorable I have tried thus far! This is absolutely delicious! I don’t even miss the potatoes because honestly it doesn’t even need them! This is now my go to recipe! Thanks for sharing.
★★★★★
Lana May says
September 25, 2018 at 6:49 pmI made this tonight. As a few others commented, I didn’t cook it in the crock pot. Cooked the bacon then sauteed the veggies in the bacon grease and butter.. Moved the veggies to a ceramic coated stewing pot, added everything but the cream cheese and heavy whipping cream (added some frozen butternut squash – after learning how high they were in carbs, I won’t do that again.). Let it come up to a boil, then beat together the heavy whipping cream and cream cheese., added to the pot and let it simmer for about 30 min, AMAZING!!!! Definitely will be making this again.
★★★★★
Rodney says
October 13, 2018 at 12:18 pmLove these “chowder” recipes. I make them for guests and use turnips instead of potatoes. To make it more like a true chowder. No one can ever tell the difference And it stays low carb 🙂
★★★★★
Kevin Harwell says
November 3, 2018 at 3:32 pmI just made this recipe and it is delicious! I added mushrooms and next time I’ll leave out the thyme, but otherwise it is a great recipe
★★★★★
Kris says
November 15, 2018 at 10:42 amMade this last night.. I doubled the recipe just Incase I really liked it. Left out the shallot as our store didn’t have any. I did add 1/2 head of cauliflower. But this is by far the best chowder I’ve ever had. The flavors are so awesome.
★★★★★
Diana says
January 10, 2019 at 9:48 amI made this last night. Left out the potatoes and will try it next time substituting parsnips or rutabega. But this was truly delicious making the recipe as it is written minus potatoes. Took some to work and shared and was told it was the best clam chowder ever!
Thanks for your wonderful recipes 🙂
★★★★★
Janet says
January 29, 2019 at 10:35 amI am making this on the stove top. Added rutabaga….used chopped clams, and used pork jowl bacon…yummo
Kim Roberts says
February 25, 2019 at 4:12 pmI made this today and thought it was great. I highly recommend. I do wish that the serving size was included with the recipie. It says serves 12 but not the serving size. The next time I make it I will decrease the salt but that’s just me…I don’t like a lot of salt in my food.
★★★★★
sue says
March 22, 2019 at 7:55 amhow much did it make i am feeding 3 people for a dinner
Cynthia Jensen says
March 5, 2019 at 2:57 pmThis is seriously the best clam chowder ever!! Rich, flavorful, creamy…I don’t even miss the potatoes! Perfect cold weather soup!! Thanks for sharing it with us, Kendra…XoXo
★★★★★
Sue says
March 21, 2019 at 7:30 amWould this taste good without bacon and how would i add shrimp to it
Margie says
April 13, 2019 at 5:05 pmI cant do dairy so I subbed coconut cream and kite hill cream cheese but its delicious! I can imagine with real cream cheese it would be delectable but unfortunately that ship has sailed for me. I will definitely be making this again
★★★★★