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    You are here: Home / Recipes / Soup and Stew

    Corn Chowder

    Published: Sep 14, 2021 · Modified: Oct 4, 2022 by Susie Weinrich · This post may contain affiliate links. 3 Comments

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    This is the ultimate Corn Chowder recipe that is thick, creamy and comforting. It has triple corn flavor from the fresh sweet corn on the cob, the milk and pulp from the cob, and corn meal to add rich thickness and flavor. Serve this chowder topped with crispy bacon, sour cream, green onions and a shot or two of hot sauce.

    corn chowder in a bowl topped with sour cream and bacon

    If you have a bumper crop of sweet corn or are lucky enough to have an abundance of local growers near you (like in the Midwest!), here are some other fresh corn recipes:

    • Instant Pot Corn on the Cob
    • Homemade Creamed Corn
    Table of Contents hide
    1 Why This Recipe is Amazing!
    2 Listen To The Recipe!
    3 Ingredients
    4 Cornmeal for Thickening
    5 Step by Step Instructions & Tips
    6 Using Frozen Corn
    7 Serving
    8 Storing Leftovers
    9 Freezing Leftover Corn Chowder
    10 Troubleshooting
    11 Slow Cooker
    12 More Soup & Related Recipes
    13 Did you make this recipe?!
    14 Updated Recipe Notes
    15 Corn Chowder Recipe

    Why This Recipe is Amazing!

    • The recipe starts with crisp bacon and bacon grease. Hello flavor!
    • It has a really pronounced flavor of sweet corn from the fresh corn cut from the cob AND the milk and pulp scraped from the cob.
    • It is triple thickened with a puree of the soup, half and half, and corn meal. This means your chowder will be thick and creamy.
    • The corn boils just the right amount to be tender-crisp. The perfect texture.

    Listen To The Recipe!

    You can also listen to the full recipe with all the tips and tricks on the Let’s Make Dinner Podcast. There is an audio player included in the recipe card below!

    Ingredients

    Here are the ingredients you will need to make this Creamy Corn Chowder:

    Ingredient list with text for corn chowder

    Cornmeal for Thickening

    In this recipe you will use cornmeal to further thicken the broth at the end. Just a couple tablespoons of cornmeal thickens it up perfectly, and adds even more delish corn flavor!

    Step by Step Instructions & Tips

    Sauté the Bacon in a large pot. If you need to, do it in batches so it gets nice and crispy. Set the bacon aside, but leave about 2-3 tablespoon grease in the pot.

    Sauté the Onions, Garlic and Green Chilies in the bacon grease, for about 5 minutes. Scrape up any bacon bits and browning from the bottom of the pot.

    Remove the corn kernels from 5-6 cobs. Then take the blunt side of the knife and scrape it across the cob, removing the milk and pulp from the cob.

    Removing corn from the cob and scraping the pulp and milk

    Add the chicken base, potatoes, corn (with corn milk & pulp), broth, season salt and pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes.

    Puree 2 ½ cups of the soup until it is fairly smooth and creamy. Add back to the pot.

    part of the corn chowder pureed in a blender

    Whisk in the half & half, sour cream and cornmeal. Warm over low for another 10 minutes.

    Taste for additional seasoning (salt and pepper).

    a large pot of corn chowder

    Using Frozen Corn

    The very best type of corn for corn chowder is fresh corn on the cob, hands-down! However, if it is not available to you you can use frozen corn. Here are the changes I would make to use frozen corn:

    • Increase to 4 cups frozen corn.
    • Wait to add the corn, after the potatoes have simmered for 20 minutes.
    • Stir in 1 tablespoon honey with the cornmeal, to account for not having the corn milk and pulp.

    Serving

    Serve your corn chowder topped with the crispy bacon, sour cream, green onions, and/or hot sauce! Here are some great side dish ideas:

    1. Warm crusty bread, like ciabatta.
    2. Corn Muffins or Sweet Corn Bread or Buttermilk Corn Bread
    3. A side salad with a tart vinaigrette, like this Basil Vinaigrette.
    4. We love kettle cooked chips on the side (like Panera!)
    eating a bowl of chowder with a spoon, topped with sour cream and bacon

    Storing Leftovers

    Store leftover Corn Chowder in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. It may thicken in the fridge, to reheat add milk or chicken broth to reconstitute.

    Freezing Leftover Corn Chowder

    I wouldn’t recommend freezing the Corn Chowder as it is because of the dairy content which doesn’t tend to thaw well.

    However, if you make a few changes you can freeze this recipe:

    • Leave the half & half, sour cream, and cornmeal out of the recipe.
    • Freeze the soup.
    • Thaw in the fridge overnight.
    • Add the half & half and cornmeal, warm over low heat for about 15 minutes. Stir in the sour cream and heat another 5 minutes.

    If the texture still didn’t come out quite right, puree the whole soup and eat it as a creamy corn soup.

    Troubleshooting

    Too Thick? Add a little extra cream or broth and simmer it in for a couple minutes.

    Too Thin? Add another tablespoon or two of cornmeal and let it simmer for another 10 minutes.

    Slow Cooker

    You can absolutely use your slow cooker to make this Corn Chowder. Jump down to the notes section in the recipe card for all the details!

    More Soup & Related Recipes

    • Creamy Potato Leek Soup
    • Creamy Red Potato Soup
    • Creamy Chicken Stew and Dumplings
    • 30 Minute Instant Pot Chicken Chili

    Susie Weinrich washing produce

    Did you make this recipe?!

    If you make this recipe I would love to hear your review. Pop down to the comment section and connect with me.

    Then sign up for our Weekly Newsletter so you never miss a new recipe!

    Rate This Recipe

    Updated Recipe Notes

    I decided to completely revamp this recipe (originally posted Sept 2020, updated Sept 2021). Here is why and how I made changes:

    • I wanted a little more corn flavor. Originally the recipe called for boiling the cobs after removing the corn. I found that if you scrape the blunt side of a knife across the cobs you get this delicious milk and pith that is FULLLLLLLL of corn flavor.
    • I also thought it needed a little extra corn. So instead of 3-4 ears of corn, the recipe calls for 5-6 ears of corn.
    • I wanted a thicker more chowder-ey texture that the corn meal alone was not providing. So we added potatoes and did a puree of 2 ½ cups of the soup, plus added the corn meal at the end. Perfection!!
    • The celery added a texture that competed with the corn, so we omitted it in the updated recipe.
    a bowl of corn chowder with a spoon and bacon

    Corn Chowder Recipe

    A delicious Corn Chowder made with fresh corn on the cob. It starts with a little bacon, and has tender potatoes, crisp corn and a really creamy texture. It is the perfect Corn Chowder Recipe!
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes
    Servings: 6 people
    Calories: 254kcal
    Author: Susie Weinrich

    Equipment

    • large pot
    • blender, food processor or immersion blender

    Ingredients

    • 6 pieces bacon, diced
    • 1 yellow or white onion, chopped
    • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
    • 4 oz can chopped green chilies
    • 2 teaspoon chicken base I use Better Than Bouillon brand
    • 32 oz chicken stock or broth
    • 5-6 ears fresh corn (about 3 ½ cups)
    • 2 cups Yukon gold potatoes peeled, ½ inch dice
    • ½ teaspoon Lawry's Season Salt
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper
    • 3 tablespoon cornmeal
    • 1 cups half & half
    • ½ cup sour cream
    • couple dashes Tabasco

    Serving

    • top with cooked crispy bacon, green onions, sour cream and hot sauce.
    Prevent your screen from going dark while you are cooking!

    Instructions

    • On a rimmed baking sheet cut all the corn from the cobs.
      Turn your knife over to the blunt side (or use a spoon), and scrape the cobs. You will get a lot of corn milk and pulp. Add that to the corn kernels.
    • In a large pot cook the diced bacon until crispy. Using a slotted spoon remove the bacon and set aside.
      Leave 2-3 tablespoon bacon grease in the pot.
    • Over medium heat, add the 1 chopped onion and 3 chopped garlic cloves to the pot. Sauté in the bacon grease for 5 minutes, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot.
    • Add the 4 oz can green chilies, and 2 teaspoon chicken base. Stir around the pot.
    • Pour in the 32 oz. chicken broth, corn (with corn milk and pulp), potatoes, season salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
    • Remove 2 ½ cups of the soup and blend in a blender or food processor until smooth. Careful when blending hot liquids!
      You can also use an immersion blender and blend about ⅓ of the soup right in the pot.
    • Add the puree back to the soup and give it a good stir.
    • Whisk in the half & half, sour cream, and cornmeal. Give it a couple dashes of Tabasco.
      Cook over low for another 10 minutes.
    • Taste for additional seasoning/salt.
    • Let cool for 5 minutes and serve.

    Serving

    • Serve topped with sour cream, bacon, green onions, and/or hot sauce.

    Notes:

    Too thin? Add a tablespoon or two of cornmeal and simmer another 5-10 minutes.
    Too thick? Pour in extra half & half or broth until it is your desired consistency.
    Storing:
    The corn chowder may thicken in the fridge. Add a little milk or chicken broth to reconstitute when reheating.
    Freezing: Because the soup has dairy content you don’t want to freeze it as is. Here are some changes to the recipe to freeze your Corn Chowder:
    • Leave the half & half, sour cream, and cornmeal out of the recipe.
    • Freeze the soup, up to 6 months.
    • Thaw in the fridge overnight.
    • Add the half & half and cornmeal, warm over low heat for about 15 minutes. Stir in the sour cream and heat another 5 minutes.
     
    Using Frozen Corn: You will get the very best flavor from using fresh corn. However you can use frozen corn, just increase to 4 cups and don’t add the corn until after you simmer the potatoes. Also add 1 tablespoon of honey when you add the cornmeal.
    SLOW COOKER METHOD:
    To use your slow cooker sauté the bacon on the stove top. Set the crispy bacon aside for serving later, and add 2 tablespoon of the bacon grease to the slow cooker. 
    Add all ingredients except the half and half, sour cream, cornmeal and Tabasco. Cook over low heat for 7-8 hours. 
    Puree 2 ½ cups of the soup, add back to the cooker. Whisk in the half & half, sour cream, cornmeal, and Tabasco. Cook on low heat for another 20 minutes. 
     
    Did you try this recipe? Connect with me & let me know how it turned out by commenting below!
    Jump to Comments
    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 254kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 1064mg | Potassium: 453mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 374IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 1mg

    If nutrition facts are provided they are calculated as an estimate to the best of our knowledge.

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    About Susie Weinrich

    Susie Weinrich is the recipe developer, food photographer, and content creator behind Mom's Dinner. She has over 20 years experience in the food industry. Currently, Susie shares all her recipes and food knowledge on Mom's Dinner. You will find her recipes are easy to follow and full of tips and tricks to make sure the recipe you are making turns out perfect!

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Lori

      September 26, 2022 at 9:05 pm

      5 stars
      The perfect fall comfort food soup recipe! Not too heavy but loaded with flavor. We’ll be making this one on repeat!

      Reply
    2. Peter B

      September 25, 2020 at 9:55 am

      5 stars
      I like being able to adjust the serving size when I print, but it does not adjust the amounts in the instructions. Just FYI for others that might use that “feature” Otherwise, it’s a great recipe, and I also greatly appreciate the absence of advertising. THANK YOU!

      Reply
    3. JOHN

      September 22, 2020 at 8:40 am

      5 stars
      Love the little kick the green chilis add. A great chowder! 😋

      Reply

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