• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Search All Recipes
    • Recipe Round-Ups
  • More
    • About
    • Work With Me!
    • Lifestyle
    • Outside the Kitchen
    • Kitchen Tips & Gifts
    • Contact

Framed Cooks

menu icon
go to homepage
  • July 4th Recipes!
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • July 4th Recipes!
    • Recipes
    • About
    • Contact
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ร—
    Framed Cooks ยป Recipes ยป Soup

    15 Minute Ham and Potato Chowder

    Published: Oct 22, 2013 ยท Modified: Jan 24, 2025 by Kate Morgan Jackson ยท This post may contain affiliate links ยท 16 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    The secret ingredient to this 15 minute ham and potato chowder recipe? Hint: you love them, and they are in the freezer section of your supermarket. Soup’s on!

    15 minute ham and potato chowder in a bowl.
    Jump to:
    • Why we love this recipe
    • Hereโ€™s how you make this recipe
    • What to serve with this recipe
    • Other soup recipes we love!
    • We want to know what you think! ๐Ÿค”
    • Ham and Potato Chowder

    Why we love this recipe

    Okay, I’m going to own up to something right here in the first sentence of this post: this creamy, comforting, hearty chowder is made with Tater Tots.

    There, I said it.  Tater Tots. Yes, there are also things like ham, and corn, and milk and chicken broth and scallions, but for me the wonder of this speedy minute soup is the Tater Tot part.

    Please still love me.  Please trust me. Please keep reading.

    Here’s how it works, and if you ponder it long enough it all makes sense.  A potato chowder involves, well, potatoes.

    And usually soups involving potatoes involve scrubbing the potatoes, and then peeling the potatoes, and then cutting the potatoes into teeny chunks, and then cooking the potatoes until they are tender.

    And while I’m totally up for doing that kind of a thing on a lazy Sunday, on a hectic Tuesday I want my potato chowder with a lot less potato complication.

    This is where the Tater Tots enter the picture.  Tater Tots are basically little nuggets of, yep, potatoes that have been scrubbed, peeled, cut into teeny chunks and cooked.

    They have the added advantage of being prepared with a little bit of flour and seasoning on the inside (which helps thicken the chowder) and fried on the inside (which adds a little something something to the flavor).

    See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.

    Here’s how you make this recipe

    Put some milk and chicken broth in a pot and bring it to a simmer.

    Now add a generous amount of Tots (either frozen or thawed – either way will work!) and cover the pot.  Let it simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring it now and then to break the Tots up as they fall apart into little teeny chunks.

    Meantime, cut up a cooked ham steak into cubes, and cut the kernels off a couple of ears of corn (or if it’s not corn season and/or if you are super-tired on this particular day, you can totally use frozen corn).

    When the chowder has transformed from Tots floating in milk to honest-to-goodness chowder, stir the ham and corn in and simmer for another couple of minutes until everything is heated through.

    Now ladle your beautiful chowder into bowls and serve it up!

    And we can totally keep the whole Tater Tot thing between us.

    What to serve with this recipe

    • Cream cheese Stuffed Biscuits on a cooling rack.
      Cream Cheese Stuffed Biscuits
    • Cooked skillet corn in a cast iron skillet.
      Skillet Corn
    • Butter biscuits in a basket.
      Butter Biscuits
    • Mashed Honey Butternut Squash in a bowl with honey.
      Honey Butternut Squash

    Other soup recipes we love!

    • Bacon Lettuce and Tomato Soup in a bowl with a spoon.with a spoon.
      BLT Soup
    • Beef barley soup in a bowl.
      Slow Cooker Beef Soup
    • Italian wedding soup in a bowl with a spoon.
      Italian Wedding Soup
    • Shepherd's Pie Soup in a bowl with a spoon.
      Shepherd’s Pie Soup

    We want to know what you think! 🤔

    If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section below the recipe.

    Print

    Ham and Potato Chowder

    15 minute ham and potato chowder in a bowl.
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    5 from 1 review

    The secret ingredient to this speedy minute ham and potato chowder recipe? Hint: you love them, and they are in the freezer section of your supermarket.

    • Author: Kate Morgan Jackson
    • Prep Time: 5 minutes
    • Cook Time: 15 minutes
    • Total Time: 20 minutes
    • Yield: 4 hearty servings
    • Category: Lunch
    • Method: Stovetop
    • Cuisine: American

    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 2 cups milk (whole milk works best)
    • 2 cups chicken broth
    • 4 cups frozen Tater Tots
    • One 8 ounce cooked ham steak, cut into cubes
    • Kernels from 2 ears of corn, or 1 cup frozen corn
    • 2 scallions. sliced

    Instructions

    1. Put milk and broth into a large saucepan and bring to a simmer.
    2. Add Tater Tots and reduce heat to medium low. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to break up the Tots.
    3. When Tots are broken down, stir in ham and corn. Simmer for another few minutes until everything is heated through.
    4. Ladle into bowls, garnish with chopped scallions and serve!

    Did you make this recipe?

    Share a photo and tag @FramedCooks on Facebook or Instagram…we want to see it!

    846 shares
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Yummly

    Want every new recipe delivered right to your email inbox?

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Violet says

      January 23, 2025 at 2:41 pm

      The perfect easy weeknight recipe! Love the tater tots in there – genius!!

      Reply
      • Kate Morgan Jackson says

        January 24, 2025 at 12:25 pm

        Tater tots are magical! :)

        Reply
    2. Barbara C says

      November 05, 2013 at 11:12 pm

      Kind of made this today. I used tater tots and chicken stock, after that I went off on my own. I wanted something a little richer so I used evaporated milk, 2% of course, I gotta watch my figure! We were having pork steaks with it so I cut those up into hunks and put them in, didn’t have scallions so some chopped yellow onion subbed for that and we need our veggies so in went the corn. Garnished with some grated sharp cheddar and called it a meal. We had parker house rolls with it to sop up every last bit. It was pretty good. The tots broke down nicely but didn’t get as soft as I expected. Next time I will try simmering a little longer to see if that helps. It was quick, easy and a nice hearty meal on a cool fall day. Thanks for the recipe!!

      Reply
      • Kate says

        November 09, 2013 at 4:59 pm

        I always love your enhancements! If you thaw out the tots beforehand that might break them down a little more – although I do actually like the little chunks. :)

        Reply
    3. Nutmeg Nanny says

      October 31, 2013 at 11:07 pm

      This is the kind of delicious recipe I love to have on hand! Looks wonderful :)

      Reply
      • Kate says

        November 09, 2013 at 4:51 pm

        Fast and easy – isn’t that the best?

        Reply
    4. Catherine says

      October 23, 2013 at 9:17 am

      YUM… I’m going to try this. Folks might like to know that “Tater Tots” are called “Potato Gems” in Australia.

      Reply
      • Kate says

        October 24, 2013 at 8:26 am

        They definitely ARE little gems!

        Reply
    5. Emily @ The Apron Blog says

      October 22, 2013 at 10:58 pm

      Wow! I’ve never heard of a soup made with tator tots. I’m totally going to try that.

      I’m new to your blog, it’s cute and I love the pictures!

      Reply
      • Kate says

        October 24, 2013 at 8:27 am

        I’m so glad you found me, Emily – thanks for your sweet words!

        Reply
    6. Joanne says

      October 22, 2013 at 10:24 pm

      I am SO into this. And I might just even top it with tater tot croutons.

      Reply
      • Kate says

        October 24, 2013 at 8:27 am

        Tater Tot croutons. GENIUS.

        Reply
    7. Cathy says

      October 22, 2013 at 6:07 pm

      You had me at Tator Tots! Why haven’t I thought of this myself? Awesome idea! Thanks for sharing.. I think I’ll dump bacon in this rather than ham slices. :)

      Reply
      • Kate says

        October 24, 2013 at 8:28 am

        Well, you definitely can’t go wrong dumping bacon in ANYTHING. :)

        Reply
    8. Blewits says

      October 22, 2013 at 11:08 am

      I was scared but I trusted you. This should TOTALLY WORK! Genius for a weeknight. I’m going to email this to my cousin who comes in hot every weeknight. She’ll love it.

      Thanks Kate.

      Reply
      • Kate says

        October 24, 2013 at 8:28 am

        Hurray! You can always trust a Tater Tot. :)

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    Primary Sidebar

    Kate from Framed Cooks

    Hi, Iโ€™m Kate! Iโ€™m a recipe writer, food photographer and devoted bacon lover. Iโ€™m so glad youโ€™re here!

    More about me โ†’

    July 4th Recipes!

    • Grilled Buttermilk Rosemary Chicken on a Plate
      Grilled Buttermilk Chicken
    • Orange Avocado Shrimp Salad on a plate with mint leaves.
      Orange Avocado Shrimp Salad
    • Zucchini gazpacho in a bowl.
      Zucchini Gazpacho
    • Strawberry slab pie on a white platter.
      Easy Strawberry Cheesecake Tart
    • Easy Corn and Beet Salad with Ricotta
      Corn and Beet Salad
    • steak and cherry tomato skewers
      Steak Skewers

    Reader Favorites

    • Pastina with egg and cheese in a bowl.
      Pastina with Egg and Cheese, Otherwise Known As Comfort Food
    • Lemon Garlic Lobster Pasta in a bowl with a fork.
      Pasta with Lobster Sauce
    • Grandpa's Coca-Cola Ribs on a cutting board.
      Grandpa’s Coca-Cola Ribs
    • Pasta with Buttered Egg Sauce on a plate with a fork.
      Pasta with Egg Sauce
    • Soft scrambled eggs with ricotta on a plate.
      Ricotta Scrambled Eggs
    • Cheese Fries in a bowl on a wooden counter.
      Easy Cheese Fries

    Want every new recipe delivered right to your email inbox?

    Sign Me Up!

    Footer

    โ†‘ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up!

    Get in Touch

    • Contact

    Copyright ยฉ 2025 Framed Cooks

    All photographs ยฉ FramedCooks and may not be used for any purpose without written permission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    846 shares
    846 shares
    • 423