The Ultimate Ranking Of Canned Clam Chowder Soups

While chowder has been around for centuries, our modern styles of clam chowder are newer concoctions. You'll find regional variations of this soup all over the United States, but there are two that stand at the top: New England and Manhattan. The rich, creamy New England style is the most widespread, but the tomato-laden Manhattan rendition has its fans, too. It also has its enemies, like the Maine politician who tried to make adding tomatoes to clam chowder illegal (the bill never passed, but the sentiment remains the same throughout much of New England).

As a former inhabitant of Massachusetts and a current resident of the San Francisco Bay Area, I've eaten more mugs, bowls, and sourdough loaves of chowder than I can count. I love making soups from scratch, but sometimes when a chowder craving hits, speed is of the essence. There's no time to scrub clams and dice celery when the mood strikes. Thankfully, there are plenty of canned, ready-to-serve clam chowders of both styles on the market that only take a few minutes to heat up. Curious to see what these canned versions have to offer, I've selected 11 cans of clam chowder — both New England and Manhattan style — to put them to the ultimate taste test.

When putting this ranking together, I was very conscious of my general preference for New England style. I really tried to enjoy this Manhattan chunky chowder from Campbell's, but there's no way around it — compared to the other soups on this list, it's got the least going for it. Visually and aromatically, it had a lot of promise. The soup base was chock full of ingredients, and as it heated up on the stove, my kitchen filled with scents of oregano and bell pepper in a tantalizing way.

As I tasted it, though, I found myself searching for any flavor resembling what the look and smell seemed to suggest. The base broth lacked flavor on its own, with any faint tomato taste overshadowed by bell pepper. If you're a bell pepper fan, you might like this more than I did, but that wasn't the only issue. The massive and plentiful chunks of potato and carrot contributed to the blandness. I appreciate that there were a lot of them, but they made every mouthful unde-seasoned, starchy, and chewy. I didn't pick up much in the way of clam flavor, either. This is more like a potato and bell pepper stew than any kind of clam chowder I've ever had.

Kroger makes a fine New England-style clam chowder. It's not offensively bad in any way. It's just not very exciting. Compared to the other New England soups on this list, it had my least favorite texture. The base seemed somewhat watery, and I had to keep stirring it up to get the solid ingredients to stop sinking to the bottom of the bowl. There's certainly no shortage of clams in this chowder, but they're chopped very small so they don't add much texture, making the overall mouthfeel of the soup fairly thin and unsatisfying.

As far as flavor goes, the clam stock and finely minced clams do impart a good oceanic flavor to the broth, but I found myself wishing for a little more salt to really make the clams pop. There's a subtle undertone of herbs and spices that I could have used more of, too. As it is, the overall thinness of the chowder seems to water down any potential for real flavor intensity.

Campbell's Chunky New England clam chowder is a full meal in a can, and then some. It's so thick and jammed full of solid ingredients that it's barely a soup, and seems much more like a stew — you can almost stand your spoon straight up in the bowl. The texture may be a little too much for some people. I love a thick, rich, opulently creamy soup, but this almost bordered on gloopy. It wasn't bad enough to be off-putting, but it verged right on the border.

Aside from cream and clams, the main flavor I picked up in this soup was celery. I happen to love celery, so this flavor profile worked for me, but there isn't a ton of complexity or depth here. There's a savory, vegetal edge, but the dense, viscous, creamy base tends to drown out most of the other flavors, including the clams. If you're really hungry and in the mood for a rich, filling clam chowder experience, you won't be disappointed. Just don't expect it to be too balanced, deep, or interesting.

Compared to the other two Manhattan chowders, Progresso's sits firmly in the middle. It's much more flavorful than Campbell's version, especially in the tomato department. While the broth is fairly thin, it has nice concentration and balance, with fresh sweetness from tomatoes and brininess from the clams. Its light texture lets the individual ingredients shine through. You really get to taste each element, especially as the vegetables and clams are chopped into big, rustic chunks. Carrots, celery, clams, and potatoes all contribute to the flavor, but they don't quite come together as a harmonious whole.

There's nothing particularly unpleasant about this Manhattan chowder. I actually enjoyed eating it, for the most part. I love tomato soup, so that element was pleasing to me, and there are some interesting flavors and textures going on. However, I couldn't help but feel like it was missing something. Maybe it's salt, herbs, acidity, or some combination of any of those things. It's just not quite there.

Progresso's traditional New England chowder makes for a simple, comforting bowl of soup. The creamy base is sweet and buttery and has a pleasant richness without being too overpoweringly thick. Potatoes and cream are the main drivers here, along with a decent amount of coarsely chopped clams. While the flavor of this chowder is simpler than many of the other New England-style soups on this list, it has good balance and seems intentionally minimalist, rather than bland or boring.

When I got a good bite full of clams, the soup really popped with flavor. If the clams didn't make it onto the spoon, though, the soup came across more like a potato bisque. Thankfully, there are plenty of clams in the can, so that wasn't a huge problem. If you're looking for a brinier, more clam-forward, true seafood experience, this chowder may be a bit of a letdown. For those who enjoy a softer, mellower clam chowder, it'll hit the mark.

This New England clam chowder from Snow's is in a very similar vein to Progresso's traditional version. Like that chowder, this one has a mellow flavor that's very cream-and-potato focused, with clams swimming around in the background. The clam flavor is a bit more pronounced in this one which is why it took one spot higher. Anchovy flavor is listed as one of the ingredients, which perhaps contributes to the stronger seafood presence and the slightly more pronounced saltiness — anchovies can add an incredible burst of flavor to just about any dish.

The soup base, while rich and creamy, also has a lightness to it that makes this chowder easy to eat without it coating your palate or filling you up too fast. There are clams of all different sizes so you're practically guaranteed to get a good spoonful of shellfish in every bite, and the potatoes are uniformly tender. They're also smaller and more uniform than the potatoes included in most of the other chowders, which I appreciated because they added just the right amount of starchy texture without eclipsing the other flavors. If this had just a little bit more seasoning and a touch more depth of flavor, it'd be top-tier. As it is, it's a good but not great chowder.

Full disclosure: I love Old Bay seasoning. I always have a container of it on my spice rack, and when I can't decide on how to season my food, it's the first thing I reach for. A Maryland original, Old Bay was created for seafood, but I use it on potatoes, popcorn, fried chicken, you name it — and by the way, it also makes a great rimming spice for bloody marys and micheladas. When I saw Campbell's Chunky Old Bay seasoned clam chowder, I let out a gasp in the grocery store aisle. I suppose you could say I had very high hopes for this soup.

I won't say I was disappointed, necessarily, because this is a delicious chowder if you love the flavor of Old Bay. The salt and spices add an incredible amount of flavor; this is by far the most intensely taste bud-tingling clam chowder on this list. The zip, zest, and tang of Old Bay work beautifully as counterparts to the rich, thick creaminess of the chunky chowder, so I found this a far more successful soup than Campbell's regular chunky New England style. The clam flavor, though, gets a little bit lost in the mix. I never thought I'd say there's such a thing as too much Old Bay, but this chowder would be somewhat better balanced with a touch less of the seasoning.

What makes Campbell's Homestyle New England clam chowder so good is that it's simple and balanced without being simplistic and flat. That's not an easy feat to accomplish. When done right, you shouldn't even think about why a soup is so good — you should just enjoy it. This chowder hit that level for me. The liquid base is right in the sweet spot of viscosity, not too thin or thick. The clams and potatoes are uniformly sized, just big enough to give you a decent bite but not so big that you can't get a good amount on your spoon. A hint of celery adds a bright vegetal note, and the clams are meaty and tender with a subtle briny tang.

I didn't mean to eat the entire bowl of this soup, but that's what happened. It has a real comfort food vibe to it. I can't really pinpoint anything wrong with this soup, or anything I'd add or change, so it was definitely a contender for the top spot. There are a lot of Campbell's clam chowders on the shelves (and on this list), and with so many to choose from it can be a tough call. I recommend this one as the best of the brand.

Folks, make sure your apocalyptic bunkers are well-stocked and you've settled your worldly affairs, because the end of days is nigh — I found a Manhattan clam chowder that I don't just appreciate intellectually as well-made, but one that I actually really, truly enjoy. I like Snow's Manhattan clam chowder so much that I'm going to keep some in my pantry, and I might start eating this instead of my usual tomato soup. This chowder has made me a Manhattan-style believer.

The soup base is layered with tomato flavor, deeply concentrated and umami-laden from tomato paste, as well as bright and fresh from tomato juice and diced tomatoes. That combination of rich depth and acidic lightness creates the perfect backdrop for the solid ingredients. Red bell peppers bring a sharp, vegetal touch and there are plenty of herbs and spices to add even more dimension. Big chunks of clam, potato, and carrot give the chowder texture and balance in each bite. I could do with a bit more overt clam flavor in the broth itself, but I also wouldn't want to upset the excellent balance this chowder has achieved. This is a fabulous, delicious Manhattan clam chowder, and if you don't think you're a fan of the style, Snow's may just change your mind.

I wasn't expecting Progresso's two New England chowders to be so different. I'm familiar with the traditional one, which ranked pretty high up when I compared it with other Progresso soups, but it turns out that the chowder from their Rich & Hearty line is miles above that version in every way. The ingredients lists for the two soups are quite similar, so it's tough to pinpoint what exactly makes this one so special, but tasting them side by side, it became overwhelmingly obvious that this was the far superior chowder. If you're a fan of hearty, chunky, rich New England chowders, this Progresso offering is at the top of the pack.

The salt level in this soup is perfect, elevating the clam flavor so that it comes through in every bite. Swirling the spoon around the thick yet satiny soup base, I ended up with a spoonful of potatoes and clams every time. Each element is well-seasoned on its own, and together they create perfect harmony — there's nothing out of place, out of balance, or missing. This is the perfect type of chowder to throw in a sourdough bread bowl because it has enough structure to not soak through or leak out, but it's not so heavy that the bread seems like too much. It doesn't need bread, though, because it's pretty much perfect as it is.

Bar Harbor, Maine is one of the most beautiful places in the country, and the brand named for that town makes one heck of a chowder. From what I recall of my years in New England, Maine takes its seafood very seriously, so it's no surprise to me that this brand landed in the top spot. It's unlike any of the other chowders on this list with a completely unique texture and flavor profile, along with an authentic fresh clam flavor that transported me right to a rocky Atlantic shore. I swear I can smell the ocean air and hear the gulls when I take a spoonful of this soup.

Fans of a thicker, chunkier style may not enjoy Bar Harbor as much as I do, but I highly recommend giving this chowder a chance even if you're skeptical. The soup base is silky and elegant, with the texture of a béchamel sauce, boasting a sweet buttery flavor and a soft, velvety mouthfeel. Even without the solid chowder ingredients, this would be among my favorites for the base alone. Swimming in that delicious liquid are succulent surf clams and tender potatoes. The salt and spice blend complements the other elements perfectly without taking over. In addition to being delicious, Bar Harbor as a company is focused on sustainability and uses high-quality ingredients, and the results speak for themselves.

I selected these cans based on wide availability, and rather than narrowing the selection down to a specific style, I considered both New England and Manhattan-style chowders. While I personally prefer New England clam chowder, I attempted to remain as open-minded and unbiased as possible, and rate and rank each soup based on its individual qualities, regardless of style. I limited the selection to canned soups that are ready to serve, omitting any condensed, refrigerated, or frozen chowders.

Each soup was heated on the stovetop according to the directions on the can. I tasted each one individually and evaluated each first on its overall appeal, then on various specific factors. These included overall flavor, texture, balance, quality of ingredients, and seasoning. The highest-ranked chowders are ones that I'd like to keep stocked in my pantry; the lower ones I wouldn't bother going out of my way to buy again.