My creamy corn chowder recipe is a delightful marriage of the sweetness of corn and the savory smokiness of bacon. With plenty of tender potatoes added, this rich soup is filling, hearty, and guaranteed to be gone in a flash!
Using fresh corn and the corn cobs gives you an intense sweet corn flavor, balanced with savory thyme and smoky bacon. But this potato corn chowder is just as delicious with frozen corn, so you can make it year-round! Want more easy recipes for soup? Try my potato soup recipe, homemade chicken noodle soup, or chicken tortilla soup recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Bacon — bacon and its drippings (bacon grease) add so much smoky flavor to this creamy soup recipe.
Butter — opt for unsalted butter so you have control over how much salt is in the soup.
Mirepoix — onion, carrot, and celery are the dream trio for building flavor in any soup recipe.
Garlic — you need 3 cloves of minced garlic to add a bit of nuttiness and plenty of mouthwatering aroma.
Corn — fresh corn is the ideal choice since you can include the corn cobs to make a corn stock. But if you’re making this soup out of corn season, frozen corn kernels work very well.
Potatoes — buttery, tender Yukon gold potatoes are my favorite in this recipe for corn chowder. They hold their shape well during cooking and have a buttery flavor.
Broth — low-sodium chicken broth is the best option, but you can swap it for vegetable stock if you need to (see the Pro Tips below).
Milk — whole milk gives the chowder its signature creaminess. Use half and half for an extra creamy soup, but don’t use a lighter dairy like skim milk, as it doesn’t have enough fat to create the luscious creamy texture that makes this soup so delicious!
Thyme — fresh thyme adds a slightly minty, earthy element to the creamy chowder recipe.
Garnish — chopped chives are a colorful, subtly oniony garnish for the chowder.
How to Make Corn Chowder
1. Add 4 slices of chopped bacon to a large pot or Dutch oven set over medium-high heat. Cook for 6 minutes or until crisp. Remove the cooked bacon with a slotted spoon and place on a plate lined with paper towels. Leave the remaining bacon fat in the pot.
2. Add unsalted butter to the pot and melt it.
3. Drop the chopped yellow onion, celery, and carrot into the Dutch oven and cook until tender, which takes about 7 minutes. Then stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the corn kernels and corn cobs (if using fresh corn) to the pot.
5. Next, add the diced potatoes, chicken broth, whole milk, salt, thyme, and black pepper.
6. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for about 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat, and discard the corn cobs. Place 2 cups of the soup mixture in a bowl and blend until smooth with an immersion blender. Or, use a regular blender for this. Stir the pureed mixture back into the soup pot along with the cooked bacon. Serve, garnished with chopped chives, black pepper, and more bacon if desired.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Watch the heat: Make sure not to bring the soup to a full boil. If boiled, the milk can scorch on the bottom of the pot or curdle.
- No-mess method to cut corn off the cob: Use a bundt pan to cut the corn off the cob by standing the cob upright in the hole of the pan. Cut downward with a sharp knife. The corn kernels will fall into the pan and not all over the counter.
- If you need to use frozen corn: 3 cups of frozen corn can be substituted if fresh corn is out of season. No need to thaw before adding. Since there will be no corn cobs if you use frozen corn, add a 15-ounce can of creamed corn to the pot when you add the frozen corn. This will give your chowder a more intense corn flavor.
- To make vegetarian corn chowder: Water, vegetable stock, or both can be substituted for chicken broth. Leave out the bacon and replace the drippings with 1 tablespoon of butter or olive oil for a vegetarian chowder!
- For an extra creamy chowder: Replace ½ cup of the milk with half-and-half or heavy cream.
- If using a regular blender: Remove the center piece of the lid and place a kitchen towel on top to ensure that there is a way for steam to escape. Otherwise, the top can blow off the top and create a big, steamy mess.
Frequently Asked Questions
I thicken my easy corn chowder recipe by blending some of the soup mixture and adding it back to the pot. Blending the corn and potatoes together creates a thick, extra-creamy mixture. If you want your chowder to be even thicker, you can make a cornstarch slurry by mixing together 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of cool water. Slowly add some of the slurry to the chowder. Allow the soup to cook for a few minutes to give it time to thicken before adding any more.
Think of a chowder as a kind of chunky, creamy soup. It is not brothy like vegetable soup, nor is it smooth like potato leek soup. Instead, it is a thick, rich soup, with plenty of texture from potatoes, vegetables, and fresh sweet corn.
Serve it with my homemade garlic bread recipe, artisan bread recipe, or beer bread to make it an even more filling meal. If you are feeling corn-crazy, whip up a batch of my cornbread muffins recipe to serve alongside your creamy corn chowder.
It lasts 4 days in the fridge if stored correctly. Once the corn and potato chowder has cooled completely, transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate. Reheat it in the microwave or on the stove over low heat to medium-low heat.
Due to the dairy in this soup recipe, I don’t recommend freezing it as the texture may change when it thaws.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this corn chowder recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Corn Chowder
Video
Equipment
- Large pot or Dutch oven
- Paper towel
- Plate
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon chopped
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1 large carrot diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 3 cups corn kernels (cobs reserved if using fresh) (482g)
- 2 medium Yukon gold potatoes peeled and diced (369g)
- 3 cups chicken broth (720mL)
- 2 cups whole milk (480mL)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1½ teaspoons chopped thyme
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Chopped chives for garnish
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, add the bacon and cook over medium-high heat until crisp, about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the bacon pieces with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels, reserving the dripping in the pot.
- Add the butter to the pot and heat until melted. Add the onion, celery, and carrot and cook until tender, about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the corn kernels, corn cobs (if using fresh corn), potatoes, broth, milk, salt, thyme, and pepper. (For an extra creamy chowder, replace ½ cup of the milk with heavy cream.) Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat. Remove and discard the corn cobs.
- Place 2 cups of the soup mixture in a blender and blend until smooth. Return to pot and stir in the cooked bacon. Serve hot, garnishing each bowl with chopped chives and black pepper.
Notes
- Watch the heat: Make sure not to bring the soup to a full boil. If boiled, the milk can scorch on the bottom of the pot or curdle.
- No-mess method to cut corn off the cob: Use a bundt pan to cut the corn off the cob by standing the cob upright in the hole of the pan. Cut downward with a sharp knife. The corn kernels will fall into the pan and not all over the counter.
- If you need to use frozen corn: 3 cups of frozen corn can be substituted if fresh corn is out of season. No need to thaw before adding. Since there will be no corn cobs if you use frozen corn, add a 15-ounce can of creamed corn to the pot when you add the frozen corn. This will give your chowder a more intense corn flavor.
- To make vegetarian corn chowder: Water, vegetable stock, or both can be substituted for chicken broth. Leave out the bacon and replace the drippings with 1 tablespoon of butter or olive oil for a vegetarian chowder!
- For an extra creamy chowder: Replace ½ cup of the milk with half-and-half or heavy cream.
- If using a regular blender: Remove the center piece of the lid and place a kitchen towel on top to ensure that there is a way for steam to escape. Otherwise, the top can blow off the top and create a big, steamy mess.
