The Best Corn Chowder

Corn Chowder is made with fresh, sweet corn, hearty potatoes, and bell peppers for sweetness. It is quick to make, and is loaded with flavors!

If you love corn, this recipe is sure to become your new favorite. It tastes as if it is simmered for hours and only gets better. This soup is hard to resist and can be enjoyed all year long!

Jump to:

• About Corn Chowder
• Ingredients For Corn Chowder
• How To Make Corn Chowder
• Tips For Delicious Corn Chowder
• Frequently Asked Questions
• How To Serve Corn Chowder
• Storage
• More Soup Recipes
• Corn Chowder

About Corn Chowder

Corn chowder is a thick and creamy soup, made with all the goodness of fresh juicy corn, hearty potatoes, colorful bell peppers, onions, milk or cream, and butter.

Love how well the flavors come together in a bowl. Flavorful and easy to make is one of my family’s favorite chowder recipes.

I like fresh and the least processed ingredients. I believe the quality of ingredients does make a difference, the food tastes great and is healthy too.

The key ingredient or I must say the star of this recipe is corn. Fresh or frozen corn, both work fine in this recipe. I love to use fresh corn when in season.

Along with fresh corn, I used russet or baking potatoes to add starch and creaminess to the soup. Colorful bell peppers, red, orange, and yellow for added flavor and color.

To add a kick to this chowder, I used one whole jalapeno. I think jalapeno adds a nice lift to this soup. Feel free to adjust it according to your taste.

Onions, garlic, and spices such as smoked paprika and a touch of cayenne pepper.

I used vegetable broth for this recipe, as I would like to keep it vegetarian. You can use water or chicken broth, works just fine.

For the richness of the soup, you can use heavy cream, half and half, or milk, which works great. The higher the fat content, the creamier the soup will be.

Pepperjack or cheddar cheese adds a nice flavor to the soup. I used Pepperjack cheese. 

Ingredients For Corn Chowder

4 cups (16 oz.) fresh or frozen corn kernels

2 large russet potatoes, cubed

2 cups mixed bell peppers, diced; (red, yellow, orange)

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped; deseed for less spicy

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped

1 medium Roma tomato, chopped

3 cups broth or water

½-3/4 cup heavy cream or half-n-half or milk

4 oz. pepper jack cheese, grated; add more if you prefer

½ tablespoon white vinegar

¼ teaspoon smoked paprika

⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper, adjust to taste

salt & pepper, to taste

A handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

Freshly squeezed lemon juice, adjust to taste

For The Slurry

2 tablespoons cornstarch + 2 tablespoons water; as needed

Pic Shown: Corn Chowder

How To Make Corn Chowder

I love one-pot meals, all in just one pot, from start to finish. Summertime is perfect for enjoying the outdoors. I always look for quick one-pot dishes, that are easy to make and can feed an army. Seriously, who likes to sit in the kitchen in this scorching heat.

I love to cook in Instant Pot, it's so convenient. The best part is it requires zero monitoring, just set it and forget it. How cool it is? Here's how I make corn chowder in Instant Pot. 

Note: Post includes both Instant Pot and stovetop instructions.

Instant Pot Corn Chowder

Turn ON sauté (normal), when it displays "HOT", add butter. Once the butter is melted, add onions, garlic, jalapeno, bell peppers, and sauté for 1-2 minutes.

Add corn, potatoes, cayenne pepper, and smoked paprika. Add broth or water, and mix well. Turn OFF sauté.

Turn ON pressure cook (high), for 5 minutes. Followed by 10 minutes of natural pressure release.

Open the Instant Pot lid, and blend ⅓ of the soup to a smooth puree, leaving ⅔ of the soup chunky.

Note: Blend soup to the desired consistency.

Puree soup in batches, do not fill the blender jar more than ⅓. Keep the lid of the blender slightly open to let the hot air escape while blending, to avoid any accidents.

Use a kitchen towel to cover the lid to avoid any splashes. You can also use an immersion blender to puree the soup.

Return the mixture to the pot. Turn on sauté mode (normal). Add tomatoes, cream, or milk, and bring it to a gentle boil.

Add vinegar, and corn starch slurry, and mix well. Simmer the soup for 3-5 minutes or until desired consistency. Turn OFF sauté. Stir in cheese.

Note: The soup will thicken as it cools down.

Add fresh cilantro, lemon juice, and salt & pepper to taste.

Serve some summer corn chowder in some Homemade Bread Bowls for café style dining. Enjoy!!

Pic Shown: Instant Pot Corn Chowder

Instructions For Stovetop Corn Chowder

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, melt butter over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add onions, garlic, jalapeno, bell peppers, and sauté for 1-2 minutes.

Add corn, potatoes, cayenne pepper, and smoked paprika. Stir in vegetable broth or water, and mix well. Bring the soup to a boil, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes have softened.

Blend ⅓ of the soup to a smooth puree, leaving ⅔ of the soup chunky.

Note: Blend soup to the desired consistency.

Return the mixture to the pot. Add tomatoes, cream, or milk, and bring it to a gentle boil.

Add vinegar, and corn starch slurry, and mix well. Simmer the soup for 3-5 minutes or until desired consistency. Turn OFF the heat. Stir in cheese.

Note: The soup will thicken as it cools down.

Add fresh cilantro, lemon juice, and salt & pepper to taste.

Serve some summer corn chowder in some Homemade Bread Bowls for café style dining. Enjoy!!

Pic Shown: Corn Chowder

Tips For Delicious Corn Chowder

Fresh or frozen corn can be used in this recipe. Use fresh corn, when in season. 

Use russet potatoes, as they are naturally starchy and give the best results. They release their starches, as they get cooked, making the chowder naturally thick and creamy.

I like a combination of bell pepper (red, orange, yellow) for added flavor and color. Feel free to use peppers of your choice.

Jalapeno pepper adds a nice hint of spiciness to the chowder, adjust to your taste.

Garlic adds lots of flavors to this chowder, I like fresh garlic in this chowder. Try not to skip on fresh garlic, it does give this chowder a nice flavor.

White or yellow onions work best in this recipe, as they are mild in flavor.

You can use fresh cilantro, chives, and green onions to garnish.

To balance the sodium level in the chowder and to keep it vegetarian, I prefer low-sodium vegetable stock. 

Vinegar helps balance the flavors of the chowder. I use white vinegar for this recipe, rice vinegar would work just fine.

You can use spices as per taste, I find just a hint of smoked paprika and a bit of cayenne pepper, does the job.

Lemon or lime juice works fine, it brings out the freshness in the chowder.

About The Cheese

• Pepper Jack or sharp cheddar cheese adds a depth of flavor to this soup. If using cheddar, use extra sharp cheddar cheese for strong flavor.
• Choose to grate your cheese versus store-bought pre-grated cheese, for best results.
• Add cheese only after the soup is completely off the heat. The heat from the liquid is sufficient to melt the cheese. If cheese is boiled, it might start to separate, leaving an undesirable texture and looks.

 Use Cream or Milk

• You can use heavy cream, half and half, or milk, which works great. The higher the fat content, the creamier the chowder will be.
• Blend ⅓ of the soup to a smooth puree, leaving ⅔ of the soup chunky. I blended some chowder and used some corn starch to thicken it. Please refer to the post later - How to naturally thicken the soup?

Pic Shown: Corn Chowder served in Homemade Bread Bowls

Frequently Asked Questions

What type of potatoes to use?

For best results, use Russet or baking potatoes. They release their starches, as they get cooked, making the chowder naturally thick and creamy.

How to naturally thicken the soup?

There are many ways to thicken the soup naturally without using any flour or cornstarch. Here are some of the ways that I find very convenient to use these basic pantry ingredients.

1: Use Potato Flakes

• Potatoes are naturally gluten-free and are high in natural starch. Adding potato flakes helps thicken the soup without actually using any flour or cornstarch, keeping the soup gluten-free.
• Add around ⅓ cup of potato flakes along with all the ingredients and pressure cook. The starch from the potato flakes acts as a thickening agent. This is by far the easiest and the simplest way of making a gluten-free soup.
• You can use some mashed potatoes to thicken the soup as well.

2: Add Cooked Rice

If you have some leftover white rice, add it to the pot at the time of cooking. The starch from the rice acts as a thickening agent, adding thickness and creaminess to the soup, and keeping it gluten-free.

3: Add Maize Flour (Makka Ka Atta)

Maize flour (yellow cornmeal), can be used to thicken soups and chowder. The same way you use cornstarch slurry. Simply mix equal parts of maize flour and water, and make a slurry. Add it to the soup or chowder, and bring it to a gentle boil.

4: Blend Soup

You don't need any thickening agent, simply blend the soup to the desired consistency. Potatoes add thickness and creaminess to the soup.

How to make this soup vegan?

To make this corn chowder vegan, simply use vegan cheese and plant-based milk in the recipe. The recipe works great!

How To Serve Corn Chowder

I like to serve this chowder piping hot, top it with extra cheese and freshly crushed black pepper. You can serve it in a classic way, with crusty bread or crackers as my kids love it. For a café style dining experience, serve it in Homemade Bread Bowls and impress your loved ones.

Storage

The chowder stays good for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Reheat well in a microwave or on low heat on a stovetop.

If planning on freezing corn chowder, do not add any cream or cheese to it.

Note: Dairy products (cream, cheese) do not tend to freeze well, at times it turns grainy or loses their texture.

Cool corn chowder at room temperature. Divide it into freezer-safe containers and store it in the freezer for up to a month. Thaw the chowder overnight in the refrigerator. Heat it through, and turn OFF the heat. Add cream and cheese and allow it to blend in well. Serve hot!!

Pic Shown: Corn Chowder

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