Perfect for using up that last bit of fresh, sweet corn in late summer and early fall, this creamy corn chowder is a delicious, sweet, and savory soup with a little added smokiness from the crumbled bacon topping.
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Why This Recipe Works
This sweet corn chowder is rich and creamy and packed with corn, potatoes, and other flavorful vegetables. It's a perfect transition to soup season in late summer and early fall when the weather starts to cool and fresh local produce is still abundant.
Ingredient Notes
- Fresh Corn - I like to use both yellow corn and white corn in this soup. The key is to find the freshest corn possible as it begins to lose sweetness in storage. If you want a smokier flavor you can grill the corn beforehand.
- Potatoes - Yukon gold work great in soups but any kind will do.
- Bacon - you can omit the bacon for vegetarian corn chowder
- Chicken broth - water or vegetable broth will also work if preferred.
- Heavy cream - Avoid substituting milk as your soup may curdle. Substitute 1 can of coconut milk for vegan corn chowder.
- Butter - or olive oil for vegan
See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients and measurements.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Cook the bacon strips in a large dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat until crisp, then remove and set aside on paper towels to drain. Reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon fat in the pot, then add 2 tablespoons of butter and melt.
- Add your onion, carrots, and peppers and cook until softened, around 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for around 1 minute, stirring frequently to avoid burning. Add the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes until lightly golden brown.
- Add in the cream and broth and stir for around 30 seconds, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Then add in the corn, potatoes, half of the cooked bacon, thyme, and bay leaf, and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are soft and fork-tender.
- Ladle around 2 cups of the chowder into a blender and blend until smooth, then add back to the pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then serve in bowls garnished with the remaining bacon.
Vegetarian and Vegan Corn Chowder
This corn chowder can easily be made vegetarian and vegan friendly with a few substitutions. The bacon can be omitted entirely. If you still would like a little of the smoky flavor the bacon brings, you can grill the corn until lightly charred.
The chicken broth can be replaced with vegetable broth or water. Coconut milk works well for replacing the cream. The flavor works very well with the sweetness of the corn. The butter and reserved bacon fat can be replaced with a mild olive oil or vegetable oil when sauteing the vegetables.
Recipe Variations
- Chicken Corn Chowder -Shredded chicken is a great addition to make this a chicken corn chowder. Add around 2 cups of shredded cooked chicken when adding the corn and potatoes.
- Cheesy Corn Chowder - Shredded cheddar cheese is another good addition to turn this into a cheesy corn chowder. For this stir in 2 cups of cheese towards the end of cooking.
- Southwestern Corn Chowder - Add 1-2 seeded and diced jalapenos when sauteing the veggies. Add 2 teaspoons of cumin and 1 teaspoon of chili powder when adding the thyme. You can also add in ⅛ teaspoon of cayenne if you like it spicy. Towards the end of cooking add 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed. For this version grilled corn is fantastic!
Recipe Tips and FAQs
The flavor of this soup is even better the next day as the flavors have longer to combine and meld. Store leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.
Reheat on the stove over medium-low heat until warmed through.
Because of the cream this soup does not freeze well. If you want to make this soup to freeze, I would recommend making it without the cream. Then add in the cream later when you are ready to use the soup.
If not using fresh corn I highly recommend frozen over canned corn for the best flavor. If you do use canned or frozen corn I add a little honey or sugar to the soup to give you little more of the sweetness that fresh corn offers.
More Soup Recipes
📖 Recipe
Creamy Corn Chowder
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 slices thick cut bacon, cut into 1 inch strips
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion, diced
- ½ medium red bell pepper, diced
- ½ medium green bell pepper, diced
- 2 medium carrots, shredded or diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 6 ears corn, husked and kernels cut from cob
- 1 pound yukon gold potatoes , peeled and diced
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Saute bacon strips in a large dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat until crisp then remove and set aside on paper towels to drain. Reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon fat in the pot then add 2 tablespoons of butter.
- Add onion, carrots, and peppers and cook until softened, around 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for around 1 minute, stirring frequently to avoid burning the garlic. Add the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes until lightly golden brown.
- Add cream and broth and stir for around 30 seconds, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Add corn, potatoes, half of the cooked bacon, thyme, and bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are soft and fork tender.
- Ladle around 2 cups of the chowder into a blender and blend until smooth then add back to the pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- To serve ladle into bowls and garnish with the remaining bacon.
Nutrition
* All nutrition information we provide are estimates based on third party calculators. We encourage you to calculate these on your own for accurate results.
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