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This creamy corn chowder recipe is loaded with sweet corn, crispy bacon, and hearty potatoes. It’s a really satisfying one pot meal that’s simple to make, and everyone will ask for seconds!
Got corn to use up? Try my Easy Creamy Corn Pasta or Cajun Grilled Corn on the Cob next.
Why you’ll love it
This comforting and filling corn chowder recipe has it all. There’s bright sweetness from the corn, savory goodness from the bacon, melt-in-your-mouth potatoes, and of course a flavorful and thick, robust broth you’d expect in any good chowder to make it totally irresistible. There’s also nothing fancy here, just a few wholesome ingredients.
You can use either fresh or frozen corn to enjoy this easy corn chowder year-round. It’s great as a summer soup when corn is in season, but there’s no reason why you can’t make it as a cozy meal when it’s chilly out! I know I do. I based this one off my popular Easy Chicken and Corn Chowder, another family favorite you may enjoy.
What you’ll need
- Bacon – I find it easiest to cut it up with a pair of kitchen shears
- Onion, celery, and carrots – a classic base to start off many soups and stews right. I like sweet (Vidalia) onions best.
- Flour – it’s a thickening agent for the broth
- Garlic – this garlic press makes it easy to mince the cloves. You don’t even need to peel them first.
- Chicken broth – it adds more depth of flavor to this chowder. Just use an entire 32 oz container to make up the 4 cups. Easy peasy.
- Heavy cream – it’s what makes the broth so luxurious
- Corn – fresh is ideal, but frozen works too
- Potatoes – I prefer using Russets for chowder. They’re nice and starchy and thicken it up even more.
- Italian seasoning – if you’re a regular reader, you know this tasty dried herb blend is my go-to for so many recipes. It comes all in one single, convenient jar.
- Cayenne pepper – it’s optional, but the slightest amount gives a gentle warmth and zip. It doesn’t make it spicy.
Do I use fresh or frozen corn for chowder?
- Frozen corn is great, but if you’ve got fresh corn, then by all means use it! Just cut it off the cob and add it to the soup. You could even use grilled corn and then add it for extra flavor. I’d buy 4-5 cobs of corn to make what’s needed for this soup.
- I don’t recommend canned corn unless you’re really in a pinch. I find the flavor and texture of frozen or fresh to be a lot better. Canned corn lacks that crisp quality.
Pro tip
I usually like to prep the the ingredients as I go along to save time, but feel free to chop and measure everything ahead before starting the recipe if that’s more comfortable for you, especially when making this chowder for the first time.
What is chowder vs soup?
- There’s no true consensus as far as I know, but chowder is generally a rustic soup made thicker with flour, and they’re always creamy and normally have chunks of potatoes. Chowder has seafood if it’s made on either coast, but it isn’t a requirement in something like a southwestern chowder or this one with corn. However you define it, I’ve never found one I didn’t like!
How to make corn chowder
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Prep the bacon, and cook until crispy in a soup pot or Dutch oven. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate leaving a couple of tablespoons of the fat in the pot, and sauté the onion, celery, and carrots until softened.
Still in the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add in the flour, and stir it constantly for about a minute. Pour in the chicken broth and stir until the flour has totally dissolved. Scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
Add in the cream, corn, potatoes, Italian seasoning, and cayenne along with most of the bacon. Bring to a boil, and then simmer until the potatoes are tender and it thickens up. Season with salt & pepper, and garnish with the rest of the bacon and fresh parsley if desired.
Substitutions and variations
- I don’t recommend subbing the cream for milk or half-and-half because there’s a good chance the soup will curdle. It happened in another of my chowder recipes and I wouldn’t want that happening to you, so use your best judgment if trying that.
- You can sub the Russet potatoes for another kind if you wish, but they’re ideal since the starch released helps thicken the broth even more.
- Some readers have added in shrimp near the end of the cooking time with fantastic results.
- I get asked fairly often if you can make this in a Crockpot. We haven’t tested it, and you’d have to do the sautéing steps in a skillet anyway, so it’s much easier as a one pot stovetop recipe!
What to serve with it
- This corn chowder is a meal in itself, so it doesn’t need much else to go with it. I do like a dinner roll or a big slice of bread to dip into it. A French baguette or sourdough is my favorite.
- If you’d like to pair it with a salad, try some mixed greens with my Homemade Ranch Dressing. It’s super quick and easy. I also am fond of throwing together this Super Simple Parmesan Arugula Salad.
Leftovers and storage
- Corn chowder is one of those better-the-next-day kinda soups, in my opinion. The flavors meld even more. It’ll keep for 3-4 days in the fridge in an airtight container.
- Reheat in a saucepan over a low heat, stirring every so often, until it’s warmed through. It’s quite thick to begin with, and it thickens up more the longer you leave it. Feel free to add a little more chicken broth to leftovers if you need to thin it out a touch.
- I wouldn’t recommend freezing it since the texture of the potatoes could change and dairy doesn’t do so well in the freezer. If you plan on having lots of leftovers, though, you could leave out the cream, freeze, and add when warming it up.
Try these cozy soups next
I hope you agree that this is the best corn chowder recipe you’ve tried! Leave me a review if you made it or have any questions. I’d be happy to answer them in the comments below. You can also find me on Instagram.
Creamy Corn Chowder
Ingredients
- 4 strips bacon
- 1/2 medium onion chopped small
- 3 sticks celery chopped small
- 2 medium carrots peeled & chopped small
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup flour
- 4 cups chicken broth or stock
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 4 cups frozen or fresh corn
- 2 large Russet potatoes peeled & diced
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper optional
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prep your bacon (I use kitchen shears to make cutting it up easy) and add it to a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook until crispy (about 10 minutes).
- Once the bacon is crispy, take it out of the pot and remove to a paper towel lined plate. Leave about 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the pot.
- Add the onion, celery, and carrots to the pot and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Stir in the flour and cook for about a minute, stirring nearly constantly.
- Add in the chicken broth and give it a good stir to ensure the flour has dissolved and the brown bits are scraped up from the bottom of the pot.
- Add in the cream, corn, potatoes, Italian seasoning, cayenne pepper, and most of the bacon (I save the rest for garnishing the bowls later on). Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Once it's boiling, reduce the heat to a rapid simmer so it's gently boiling. Cover the pot so the lid is slightly ajar.
- Cook until the potatoes are tender (about 15-20 minutes). Stir every so often. The soup will thicken up more the longer you cook it.
- Season the soup with salt & pepper as needed. Garnish bowls with the rest of the bacon.
Notes
- Serves 4-6 depending on portion size.
- I prep the onion, celery, carrots, and potatoes while the bacon is frying to make the recipe go faster.
- You may need to add more broth to leftovers as the soup thickens the longer you leave it.
- Since the cream is boiled, I would NOT recommend subbing it for milk or half-and-half because there’s a good chance it’ll curdle from the high heat.
- This recipe is also in the Salt & Lavender: Everyday Essentials cookbook.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Hi there! Hoping to make this recipe this weekend. Does it freeze well?
Hi! I haven’t tried freezing this recipe myself, but I think it should be ok as long as you reheat on a low heat.
Just made this today and it is really good!
Thanks for the recipe and can’t wait to try some others.
Wonderful! You’re very welcome! 🙂
could you use soy heavy cream ? and omit the bacon im vegan?
Hi Tammy! I have never cooked with soy heavy cream, so I really can’t speak on the results. The bacon builds a lot of flavor, so I’m not really sure if it’ll still taste as good. Sorry I can’t be more helpful. I do have some vegan soups in my vegan category that have been tested, though: https://www.saltandlavender.com/category/vegan/
This is the best one I’ve tried. I did add more stock as it ended up being too thick for me, but it’s very flavorful, since everything cooks on bacon fat…
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Jane! Yup, it’s definitely easy to thin it out as needed.
Could you make this as suggested but not add the cream for the boiling part, and then when slightly cooled, add a healthier cream substitute ?
It sounds and looks delicious!
I think that could work… let me know how it goes if you do try!
Do u think it’s possible to substitute coconut milk instead of heavy cream ?
Hi Lisa! Honestly, I’m not sure with this recipe. It would take on a slight coconut flavor, and I’m a little worried it may turn out a bit greasy. You could give it a try… maybe cut the recipe in half for a test? I did recently receive a comment on another one of my chowder recipes where they subbed the cream for coconut milk and they enjoyed it, so maybe it’s worth a shot?
What size Dutch oven do you use for the soup?
Hi! I think it’s 5.5 quart.
Nice recipe, but why bother to cut up the raw bacon? It’s easier to cook it in strips. It’s also easier to remove it from the pan. After it drains, crispy bacon is easily crumbled into small pieces.
Personal preference, I guess! Either method works fine.
This looks fantastic! I’m a turkey bacon kind of girl, do you think the flavor of the soup will be good if I subbed turkey bacon for regular bacon? Thanks in advance! Can’t wait to try this.
I know this will sound nuts, but I’ve never tried turkey bacon in my life. I imagine it should be fine though if you like the taste of it! Let me know how it goes. 🙂
Ha, that’s funny! I tried making this last night and used turkey bacon. It was delicious! Comforting and hearty, perfect for a cold, rainy day. Thanks for a great recipe!
You’re welcome!!
Easy to make and delicious chowder maybe a little bit more bacon 🥓 another great recipe from salt and lavender
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! You could definitely add more bacon. 🙂
Everything I make from your blog turns out phenomenal, this chowder being no different! Creamy and comforting, with a little kick from the cayenne, this is a HIT in our house.
Aww I’m so happy to hear that!! Really appreciate you taking the time to comment! XO
Made this today and WOW! Better than restaurant chowder. This is going to be a staple in our house!
Yay! So glad to hear that. Thanks for commenting!