I Tried 9 Cans of Clam Chowder — And There Were Two Clear Winners

Clam chowder (or chowdah, as many New Englanders tend to say) is something people have strong opinions about. They love it or hate it; they believe real chowder is red and slightly soupy or white, thick, and creamy; they almost certainly have a favorite place to get a piping hot cup; and when it comes to the canned stuff, they lament that it doesn’t come close.

But not everyone lives mere miles away from a joint that makes the stuff fresh (or wants to leave their house when the craving strikes). So I set out to try every can of New England and Manhattan clam chowder that I could find at my local supermarket.

I made each New England chowder (sorry, chowdah) to start. When they were all still hot, I did a blind taste test. I repeated this process with all the Manhattan chowders.

I was looking for a few different things with each: flavor, consistency of the broth, and chunkiness. Flavor-wise, I wanted a soup that was clammy, but not too clammy. For both soups, I was looking for a soup that was not too thin and not too thick. And I wanted substantial, but tender chunks of clams and veggies.

Two winners, one for each type of chowder, clearly emerged from the bunch.

The main thing that set this soup apart was the broth: creamy, without being too thick or too thin. The other cans were too either too watery or so thick they jiggled — and I don’t want my food to jiggle unless it’s Jell-O.

Beyond the broth, this soup was also a winner when it came to flavor and chunkiness. While some chowders had clam pieces that were so chewy, I just had to swallow them to get them down and others, despite having a very clammy taste, had very few actual pieces of clams, this one had generous, tender pieces of clams and perfectly soft chunks of potatoes.  

Buy: Campbell’s Chunky New England Clam Chowder, $1.78 for 18.8 ounces at Walmart

During my taste test, it quickly became clear that I prefer New England-style clam chowder. But I know there are people out there who feel the same about Manhattan-style clam chowder!  

After searching five different grocery stores, I found only three Manhattan-style cans. To me, they all tasted kind of like veggie soup with clams. Ultimately, Campbell’s Condensed won because it had the most complex flavor and the thickest consistency, which I personally liked. Plus, it was chock-full of veggies and clams. 

Buy: Campbell’s Condensed Manhattan Clam Chowder, $1.59 for 10.75 ounces at Target

Your turn: Do you have a go-to can of clam chowder? Share with us in the comments!