Corn Chowder
Updated
Updated
Using either fresh, canned, or frozen corn, this easy Corn Chowder recipe is a great year-round soup. With added potato, bacon, and cheese, I always want a big bowl!
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5 STAR REVIEW
There are so many soups I absolutely love, including French onion soup and Hungarian mushroom soup, but if given the choice between a brothy soup and a thick creamy chowder, I’d choose clam chowder or corn chowder almost every time. Using either fresh, canned, or frozen corn, this easy homemade corn chowder gets made all year round.
It’s everything a chowder should be—thick, creamy, hearty, flavorful, and simple. The rich broth pairs perfectly with the sweet corn. Pure comfort food. And if you really love corn, serve a bowl with a little cornbread on the side!
Recipe Variations
- Add chicken. Diced or shredded cooked chicken can be added for extra protein and flavor.
- Vary the seasoning. Replace the thyme with dried oregano.
- Kick up the spice. Add paprika for a smoky flavor or cayenne pepper for a little heat.
- Change the cheese. The cheddar cheese can be swapped out for pepper jack.
- Make it vegetarian. Omit the bacon and replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth. Note, you might need additional seasoning to make up for the flavor bacon provides.
Corn Chowder
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon, diced
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 small sweet onion, finely diced
- 2 ribs celery, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, diced
- 1 tsp coarse salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 medium russet potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes, Yukon Gold (unpeeled) also work
- 3 cups corn kernels, (fresh from 5 ears of corn, canned and drained, or frozen thawed and drained)
- 1 tbsp honey, (if using canned or frozen corn)
- ¼ tsp dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 scallions, diced small
Instructions
- Add the bacon to the bottom of a large heavy soup pot set over medium heat. Stir until the bacon is browned and crispy. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon.
- Drain or spoon off all but 3 tbsp of the fat in the pot. Stir in the butter until melted.
- Add in the onion and celery; cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables just begin to become tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add in the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Sprinkle the flour into the vegetables to coat them evenly and make a paste. Cook a minute or two to get rid of the raw flour flavor.
- Pour in the chicken broth along with the potato, corn, honey, thyme, and bay leaves; bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cook until the potatoes are tender but not mushy, stirring occasionally, about 10-12 minutes.
- Discard the bay leaves from the soup.
- Add in the heavy cream.
- Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until the desired consistency is reached (alternatively, transfer about 3 cups of the soup in a food processor or blender and stir it back into the soup.)
- Stir in the shredded cheese until melted.
- Stir in most of the cooked bacon, reserving some for garnish.
- Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with some cooked bacon and diced scallions.
Video
Notes
- If using canned or frozen corn – add a bit of honey! A little drizzle helps replace the missing corn “milk” you get from fresh.
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
Did you make this? Leave a rating below!How to Make Corn Chowder Step by Step
Cook the bacon: Add the bacon to the bottom of a large heavy soup pot set over medium heat. Stir until the bacon is browned and crispy. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon.
Drain the bacon: Drain or spoon off all but 3 tbsp of the fat in the pot. Stir in the butter until melted.
Cook the veggies: Add in the onion and celery; cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables just begin to become tender, about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Add flour: Sprinkle the flour into the vegetables to coat them evenly and make a paste. Cook a minute or two to get rid of the raw flour flavor.
Add everything but the cream: Pour in the chicken broth along with the potato, corn, honey, thyme, and bay leaves; bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cook until the potatoes are tender but not mushy, stirring occasionally, about 10-12 minutes.
Remove bay leaves: Discard the bay leaves from the soup.
Stir in cream and puree: Add in the heavy cream. Then using an immersion blender, puree the soup until the desired consistency is reached (alternatively, transfer about 3 cups of the soup in a food processor or blender and stir it back into the soup.)
Add the cheese and bacon: Stir in the shredded cheese until melted. Stir in most of the cooked bacon, reserving some for garnish. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.
Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the some cooked bacon and diced scallions.
Crockpot Corn Chowder
This chowder is really easy and all made in one pot, but if you still need (or prefer) to make it in your crock pot, you certainly can. Here’s how you can do so:
- Cook bacon in a skillet.
- Add all ingredients (except the heavy cream and cheddar cheese) to a 6-quart or larger slow cooker. Stir well, cover and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours. (NOTE: If you like your potatoes to be less soft, add them in after a couple hours of cooking. They’re usually tender after 5 hours. Cook time will vary depending on the size of your potatoes.)
- Puree the soup to your desired consistency, then stir in cream, cover and cook another 10 minutes or so to heat through, then stir in the cheese until melted.
What to Serve with Corn Chowder
This soup is pretty substantial on its own, but some great additions that pair really well with it are these buttery popovers and homemade garlic bread, so you can mop up all the amazing chowder flavors.
How to Store
Leftovers will keep in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
Reheat on the stove or in the microwave over low heat until warmed through. If it seems too thick, you can add a little broth to thin it out.
I’m not a fan of freezing this soup since the heavy cream tends to separate once thawed and the potatoes break down creating a weird texture – the overall soup just doesn’t taste all that great. If you simply must freeze it, omit the cream initially and add it once thawed and when reheating the soup. Freeze up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
Hi The recipe looks fantastic and I am getting ready to make it. I’m confused at why you puree with an immersion blender it after the corn and potatoes are in? It’s nice to have a creamy texture but the vegetables should not be pureed, right? How do you puree the cream but keep the corn and potatoes chunky?
The immersion blender just blends some of the soup so it’s creamy but with texture remaining like a chowder. That’s my preference for this soup, but if you prefer to have all the vegetables intact and in large chunks, then you don’t have to blend it.
I made but did not bother using an immersion blender. I used canned corn. My friend suggested using creamed corn and not sure how that would work. My husband and I enjoyed the chowder and have enough leftover for tomorrow’s dinner. Will put a little spice in it tomorrow to kick it up a notch.
This was awesome! Did not use immersion blender and it still tasted amazing. 5/5!
Big statement incoming but I would say corn chowder is one of my top favourite meals of all time and this is… the best I have ever had. Followed recipe nearly exactly as written except added diced carrot, reduced corn kernels and added a can of creamed corn and did not blend.
It was so good I had for breakfast the next day lol
Made it for church potluck, it came out excellent. I used chicken bone broth and substituted half and half for cream as well as a bit more whole milk. Did need to adjust the salt and pepper( added a bit more). I made another batch today as it was all consumed at the potluck!
Love this recipe!! And leftovers even taste better the next day! Easy recipe for those cold, snowy days! Thank you!
Very good however…next time I’m keeping the corn out . I’m even going to add some thawed frozen corn to my leftovers. Personal preference but I want corn in my corn chowder. I’m going to add some thawed corn to my leftovers.
This literally makes no sense. It’s corn chowder. With corn in it.
Person who said there wasn’t enough corn in the chowder probably used the blender on all of it. I just blended the 3 cups as suggested and had plenty of corn and potato chunks after adding back the processed 3 cups. Love this recipe.
I made this without the bacon for my vegetarian and he loved it!
Made this recipe and it was so easy and delicious. No changes. Family loved it.
I enjoy all of your recipes and ideas.
We used fresh corn and this rrcipe was spot on. Very good. Do all your prep up front. Then it’s quick!
This soup is delicious! The Thyme, bay leaves & honey make it unique!
Made this today for Wednesday Church bible study, the chowder is wonderful, thank you for sharing
Awesome soup!! Will make again. I added a can of cream of corn. And substituted Evaporated milk for the heavy cream as I did not have any!! Didn’t use emersion blender, as I like chunky soup!!
This recipe is going into my fall rotation! A thumbs up from the whole family!
This soup was delicious! Made it exactly according to the directions and it turned out perfectly!
Delish , Second time I have made it,
I did not have celery nor bay leaves but this recipe delivers! This will be my go to receipe for corn chowder from now on. Guest worthy!
Very tasty soup. Will definitely make again. Easy too.
Very nice tasting. Used frozen corn and half and half instead of cream. Doubled recipe and only 2T honey added. Will make again.
Loved this. Added extra bacon and used frozen corn. It was perfect.
Awesome soup!! Will make again. I added a can of cream of corn. And substituted Evaporated milk for the heavy cream as I did not have any!! Didn’t use emersion blender, as I like chunky soup!!
Thank You for this yummy recipe. It’s my grand daughter’s favorite. She drove 600 miles for a 2 day visit and insisted that I make it. It is the best!
Delicious and easy to make. My granddaughter loves it
I’ve been making this twice a month, we love it!
Great recipe
My family loved this so much. Didn’t change anything. Great recipe!
How do you think it would be without the cheddar cheese?
Ican’t omit the cheese. It really makes the receipe I used half cup strong balderson cheddar and it was perfect.
Soooo good…
Have you ever tried using sweet potatoes instead of russet potatoes? Just wondering since I have them on hand.
This recipe is in pretty constant rotation in my house. My kids love it and my hubby is pretty fond of it too (and he’s really picky). I use golden potatoes instead of russet and find that it makes it creamier. I don’t know if the different type of potato makes a difference with the cook time but I have never had them cook sufficiently until at least the 20 minute mark. If you’re using canned corn, 2 cans equals 3 cups so no need to dirty up a measuring cup. Thanks for the great recipes, I have yet to try a recipe from this site and be disappointed.
This soup was amazing. My whole family loved it. Didn’t change a thing. Thy
Pretty good recipe. I made a bowl woth recipe as is but, for our preference, I added a little sugar, seasoning salt and hot sauce. Was just perfect for our taste buds then. Thanks for the recipe
Very very good soup! Exactly what I was looking for