Can You Freeze Clam Chowder?

Yes you can! The trick is to freeze it before adding the corn and then thaw it out when you want to use it.

Clam chowder soup is very popular in winter, but nothing stops you from enjoying it any time of the year. They’re great because you can eat them in different ways, they’re easy to prepare, they’re basically a complete meal, and you can personalize the ingredients and seasonings to make your soup even tastier.

Homemade soups usually get leftovers and are refrigerated to reheat, and eat the soups later easily.

Clam chowders are popular and one of the most common soups to make.

But can you freeze clam chowders?

How?

Continue reading to find out!

What Is A Clam Chowder?

Clam chowder is delicious. Homemade clam chowder soup – even more. And although it’s better to eat it fresh, you can freeze clam chowder if you have too much of it.

To prevent food waste, we suggest you save your leftovers and freezing them is the best way to do so. Refrigeration preserves the soup’s flavour, but freezing can make it last longer.

This way, you’ll be able to enjoy them later without having to worry about them spoiling.

You can freeze clam chowder safely as clams are safe to eat after being frozen.

Chowder is a soup that contains vegetables as ingredients. It is usually thickened with milk, cream, cheese, flour or crushed pilot biscuits, which tend to break down or change texture when frozen, so stir them back into the soup before serving.

Keep in mind that vegetables are delicate ingredients, so stir carefully – this also helps you achieve the perfect consistency.

The clam chowder may not be freshly cooked; still, there’s no reason why you should throw out your perfectly good batch of clam chowder leftovers when you can easily freeze them. 

Here’s how.

How To Freeze Clam Chowder Properly.

Made too much of your favorite homemade clam chowder soup, or even a store-bought canned clam chowder soup, and can’t finish it all? No worries. Here’s a step by step guide to freezing soup that can extend its shelf life.

1. You should wait until the soup has cooled down before putting the lid in a freezer-safe container.

2. Put the container in the refrigerator to cool it down even more.

Don’t put the lid on the container and put it in the refrigerator or freezer while it’s still hot, or it might explode.

3. Put your clam chowder in a sealed bag or put the chowder into a freezer-safe, airtight container, leaving some room for expansion, then freeze.

Note: Make sure to label and date it.

The Best Way To Thaw And Reheat Clam Chowder

Ready to eat your frozen leftover clam chowder? Here’s how you can defrost and reheat it.

1. You can defrost your clam chowder overnight by transferring it from the freezer to the fridge and leaving it there overnight.

You can also submerge the soup container in a basin of hot water (not boiling) water to get a quicker cooling process. Let it sit for a few minutes.

Another way to defrost it is to let your container of leftover soup sit under running water for a few minutes.

Don’t stir it while it’s melting, or it might curdle.

Once you can separate the soup into chunks, you can already reheat it.

2. To reheat the soup, place it in a pan over low heat to melt or thaw it more

3. When it reaches a consistency where you can stir it, you can increase the heat to medium heat or medium-high heat to simmer it. At this point, you can add any additional ingredient you want to add.

Make sure to stir it well.

4. Boil the soup for about a minute and remove it from heat.

Note: Don’t let the soup boil for too long, or it will become too thick. If you notice that it has a thicker consistency than prefered, don’t worry, you can still save it. Just add some milk or vegetable broth (or any preferred broth) to loosen the soup and get a thinner consistency for your clam chowder. 

5. Serve warm and enjoy your bowl of clam chowder – or pot of clam chowder, no judgements here.

Tip: If you only want to reheat a portion of your soup, say a ladleful of soup, then you don’t need to defrost and reheat the whole thing and then go through the process of freezing it again.

You can either separate the soup in portion sizes even before freezing them and thaw in different batches of clam chowder or cut a piece on the chunk of frozen chowder and thaw and reheat that.  

How Long Does Cooked Clam Chowder Last In The Freezer?

You can use frozen clam chowder within three months for the best result, but you can keep it in the freezer for as long as 4 to 6 months if you freeze it properly. To ensure that the clam chowder lasts long, freeze it at the height of freshness, preferably the day it’s made, but no later than the day after. 

Conclusion

Can you freeze clam chowders? Definitely. Is it the best way to consume it? No. It’s still best eaten right after it’s cooked, but when you get leftovers, freezing is your next best option. Throwing a perfectly good and delicious soup, especially a homemade soup you put in effort in cooking, is just out of the question. So cook your heart out and if you get leftovers, freeze them!