Creamy Corn Chowder Recipe

This simple creamy corn chowder recipe pairs the flavor of sweet corn with hearty potatoes and savory vegetables. It’s rich and satisfying but not heavy, and is perfect all year!

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword Corn Chowder, Corn Chowder Recipe, Creamy Corn Chowder, Creamy Corn Chowder Recipe, Easy Corn Chowder Recipe, Potato Corn Chowder, Potato Corn Chowder Recipe, Roasted Corn Chowder, Summer Corn Chowder, Sweet Corn Chowder

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 40

Servings servings

Calories 262kcal

Author Faith Gorsky

Ingredients

Roasted Corn:

6 ears fresh corn on the cob white or yellow corn (see Notes)
1/2 cup water

Soup:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion diced
2 stalks celery diced
1 jalapeño de-seeded and minced (or more to taste)
3 large cloves garlic crushed
5 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 pound yellow potatoes cubed
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup fresh chopped chives

Optional Garnish Ideas:

Fresh chives
Sliced jalapeño
Minced red bell pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the Roasted Corn:

Preheat the oven to 450F. Shuck the corn and place it on a large baking tray with the water.
Roast until it starts to lightly char in spots, about 15 to 20 minutes, flipping the corn cobs once halfway through.
Cool to room temperature, and then cut the corn off the cobs. Because we’re making soup, after the corn is cut off the cob, carefully scrape the back of your knife along the cob to extract the corn juice (this is called “milking” the corn).

For the Soup:

Add the butter to a 5-quart pot over medium heat. Once melted, add the onion and celery and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the jalapeño and garlic and cook 1 minute more, stirring constantly.
Add the broth, potato, bell pepper, salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika. Give it a stir, and then bring to a boil. Cover the pot, turn the heat down so it doesn’t boil over, and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the corn (and any corn juices you extracted), and cook until the corn is warm, about 1 minute.
Remove from the heat and stir in the cream and chives.
Serve with any garnishes you like.

Notes

Recipe Yield and Serving Size: This recipe makes about 4 quarts (16 cups) of soup. This is about 8 (2-cup) servings.
Nutrition Information: The nutritional information for this recipe was calculated without the optional garnishes.
Milking the Corn: This refers to using your knife to scrape any juices out of the cob. This starchy liquid will help naturally thicken the soup.
Roasting the Corn: You don’t have to roast the corn for this soup, I just love the slight char and sweet, nutty flavor it lends. Alternatively, you could grill the corn if you like. Or to simplify, you can cut the corn off the cob and add it to the soup at the same time that you add the potato.
For a Thicker Soup That’s Still Gluten Free: Use a potato masher to mash 1 or 2 cups of the soup. Alternatively, you can puree 1 or 2 cups of soup in a blender or food processor. The potato will help naturally thicken the soup.
To Use Frozen Or Canned Corn Instead of Corn on the Cob: When corn isn't in season, instead of fresh corn on the cob you can use about 5 cups of frozen corn (thawed) or canned corn (drained). If you want to roast it, preheat the oven to 425F, oil a baking tray, spread the corn out in an even layer, and roast until it starts to caramelize in spots, about 15 minutes, stirring once halfway through.

Nutrition