Easy Corn Chowder Recipe

This corn chowder recipe is an easy, flavorful corn-season soup that’s simple to make with a handful of ingredients. It’s also perfect as a background for any variation you can think of!

It keeps well in the refrigerator and is perfect for summer when sweet corn is ripe in the field. But it’s also easy to make in the cool months with frozen or canned corn too!

If you love fish chowder, this corn chowder recipe will surely become a new favorite. It’s a favorite soup that is perfect for entertaining on cool summer nights.

What I Love About This Corn Chowder Recipe

This soup is one of the easiest chowders you can make. And so extremely versatile! If you want to add bacon, like in our Farmers’ Market Corn Chowder, along with lots of in-season vegetables, this recipe works! If you want to add curry powder with the onion and finish with coconut milk, this recipe works for that too!

I love base recipes where I can experiment and add any ingredients I find hiding in the refrigerator or pantry. This is one of those, and it’s a soup recipe I make often when fresh corn is abundant! This corn chowder has the richness of Potato Soup but with sweet and tender corn.

Ingredients for Potato Corn Chowder:

The ingredients are simple and few, often stapes you will already have on hand. Here’s a quick list of what you will need for this simple pot of soup.

• Corn: Fresh corn on the cob is best, as you can use the cobs to make flavorful corn stock.
• Potatoes: I’m using russet potatoes because I like that they break down a bit in the chowder, but waxy potatoes, like Yukon gold potatoes, are equally delicious and sometimes preferred in chowder.
• Onion: When slightly caramelized, this aromatic adds critical flavor to this soup recipe.
• Milk and Cream: Adds a creamy richness at the end of cooking. Whole milk or cream will give the best texture and creaminess, but use your preferred milk, whether dairy or non-dairy.
• Seasoning: This simple soup recipe requires very little seasoning. I like to add a bit of cayenne for a burst of flavor in addition to salt and pepper.
• Fresh Herbs: When making this soup in the summer, I always have fresh herbs growing in the garden and often use fresh basil, but parsley also works deliciously well in all seasons.

How to Make Corn Chowder

1. Saute onion in a large pot in either butter or oil until slightly caramelized.
2. Add potatoes and corn kernels and season with salt, pepper, and cayenne.
3. Add corn stock into the pot and simmer until potatoes are tender.
4. Serve in warm bowls garnished with fresh herbs.

What is Corn Stock?

Using the whole cob of corn will give you the best-flavored corn stock. Allowing the stripped cobs to simmer for 20 minutes with the broth, cream, and milk draws out every bit of the corn’s rich and sweet flavor. After discarding the cobs, you are left with really delicious corn stock.

Can I use frozen or canned corn?

Absolutely! While local fresh corn on the cob is always the most delicious and will bring the best flavor, you can substitute frozen or canned corn when fresh corn isn’t in season.

• Frozen Corn: Frozen corn is often harvested at its peak freshness, so it is a great option for out-of-season corn. While you won’t have the cobs to make corn stock, a can of creamed corn adds great flavor and texture to the soup.
• Canned Corn: You will need 2 (15-ounce) cans of corn. It’s best to use one can of undrained corn kernels and one can of creamed corn. The liquid will bring flavor to the soup. Add with the milk at the end of cooking.

Variations

There are endless variations for this base recipe. Here are a few I love:

• Chicken Corn Chowder: Add cooked chicken, like rotisserie chicken, or uncooked and cubed chicken breasts or thighs. If using cooked chicken, add it at the end with the cream and warm through. If using uncooked chicken, add it with the corn and potatoes. Cook until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Southwest Corn Chowder: If you love a spicier Tex-Mex version, try my Easy Southwestern Corn Chowder recipe for a delicious variation.
• Bacon: Bacon is always delicious and adds a smokey flavor to the soup. Begin with chopped bacon and cook until crispy. Then saute the onions in the resulting bacon fat.
• Curry Corn Chowder: I will take curry any way I can get it, and this corn chowder recipe can be tweaked to give it a worldwide twist. When sauteing the onions, add curry powder and fresh or ground ginger. Finish with coconut milk and garnish with cilantro.