Corn Chowder Recipe (VIDEO)
Fresh Corn Chowder Recipe loaded with summer produce at its peak of freshness. This is a crowd-pleasing chowder that is perfect for entertaining on cool summer nights and would make a great addition to your Labor Day Menu.
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Summer Corn Chowder
Thank you to our friends at Walmart who sponsored this delicious recipe and for making fresh LOCAL produce available to give this chowder the best flavor!
When shopping for ingredients, fresh corn is best and you can purchase everything you need for this recipe at your local Walmart. We love that Walmart partners with local growers so you know their produce is:
- Picked ripe for peak of freshness
- Guaranteed fresh
- Supporting your local community
- At a price that saves you money!
Walmart has a 100% fresh guarantee so if you aren’t satisfied, they will give you a full refund.
What is Corn Stock?
We love that Walmart carries fresh, locally grown corn* which will give you the best flavored corn stock. Allowing the stripped cobs to simmer with the broth, cream and milk, draws out every bit of rich and sweet flavor from the corn. To save time, set the corn broth to cook at the same time you are making the chowder.
What if Corn is not In Season?
For Winter Corn Chowder: Use (1) 15 oz can corn and (1) 15 oz can creamed corn. Add the liquid ingredients at step 3 without pre-cooking them. The liquid from the canned corn will add a boost of corn flavor.
Watch Natasha Make Summer Corn Chowder:
Corn Chowder Recipe
This fresh corn chowder recipe is loaded with summer produce at its peak of freshness. This is a crowd-pleasing chowder that is perfect for entertaining on cool summer nights.
Ingredients
For the Corn Stock:
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
For the Corn Chowder:
- 4 cups corn kernels (from 4-5 ears corn) reserve cobs for stock
- 4 oz (4 slices) bacon, chopped
- 1 large onion finely diced (1 1/2 cup)
- 1 large carrot cut into 1/4" dice (1 cup)
- 3 stalks celery finely diced (1 cup)
- 1 lb Yukon potatoes 3 medium, peeled and cut into 1/4" thick pieces
- 2-3 tsp sea salt or to taste
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or to taste
- 2 Tbsp Chives chopped, to garnish
Instructions
How to Make Corn Stock:
-
Cut the kernels from the cobs and set kernels aside for making chowder.* Place the bare cobs in a stockpot.
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Add 4 cups broth, 1 1/2 cups milk, and 1 cup cream to pot. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer un-covered 20 minutes while making the chowder. Use tongs to remove and discard cobs before using corn stock in step 3.
How to Make Corn Chowder:
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Place a 5 Qt dutch oven over medium/high heat. Add chopped bacon and cook stirring occasionally until browned. Remove bacon bits with a slotted spoon and set aside.
-
In the same pot, add chopped onion, celery and carrot to the bacon fat and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft (7-8 min).
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Add sliced potatoes, 4 cups corn kernels, 2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper. Pour corn stock into the pot, bring to a light boil then simmer uncovered 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste**. Ladle into bowls and garnish with reserved bacon and chopped chives.
Recipe Notes
*After cutting the corn off the cobs, remove as much of the silk threads as possible to give your finished chowder a smooth consistency.
**Corn can have varying degrees of sweetness, if your corn is super sweet, you can add a little more salt to balance the sweetness.
FOR A CREAMIER SOUP: transfer 1/4 of the soup to a blender and blend until smooth then stir it into the rest of your chowder.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Corn Recipes to Explore:
- Avocado Corn Salad is so fresh for Summer
- Chicken Salad with Avocado (our most popular recipe right now!)
- 15 Minute Corn on the Cob is our go-to method
What is YOUR favorite way to use fresh summer corn?
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Walmart. The opinions and text are all mine.
natashaskitchen
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Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Hi Natasha,
Do you think I could substitute this with frozen corn?
Hi Nico, I haven’t tried this myself but several of our readers have successfully made this with frozen corn.
I just finished making your Corn Chowder and I agree the taste was VERY VERY Good and so fresh !!
I should have gone lighter on the Cayenne pepper but I am impressed with ur ability to create. You are such a natural talent!!!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review, Blaine!
Great recipe. Partner loved it. I added more cayenne than the recipe asked for and it was extra fantastic. Will try puréeing part of it next time for a more chowder texture
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
Loved this recipe. The corn stock was amazing. The taste was over the top. This will be my new favorite corn chowder recipe.
That’s so great Lori! Thank you for that wonderful review!
That’s so great! I’m so happy you found a new favorite! Thank you for that great review, Lori!
This corn chowder is perfection!!! Sweet from the corn…Smokey from the bacon fat…creamy from the milk….crunchy from the bacon…slightly crisp sweet corn…soft textured potatoes…healthy from SO many vegetables…decadent from the bacon and cream,,,filling and stick to your ribs goodness…but also a fairly light meal in a bowl. It took some time, especially since I doubled the recipe. But SO worth it!!!! I also highly recommend my under $10 OXO corn stripper from Amazon. That made zipping that corn off the cob easy and fun. Oh, thank you for this recipe!!!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review, Nancy!
Cannot wrap my head around the boiled cream. Add cream last.
Thank you for sharing that with me.
Very easy to make. Delicious.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Made this yesterday, only 3 people here, including a somewhat picky teenager but it’s all gone already. I’ll be making it again.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Mark!
Thank you!
Hi! Does this chowder hold up well if I make it a day before I want to take it to a potluck?
Hi Mary, yes this recipe does hold up and reheat really well.
OMG!! This is seriously good!! I over-loaded this one with the ingredients in your recipe so it was extra “chowdery”. The cayenne pepper really makes it pop. This going to be a favorite dish to make this fall.
That’s so awesome Christopher! We love this soup, especially in the fall!
I made the soup today for myself, my husband, and my son! It was amazing!! What a great recipe and easy to make!! The crunch of the sweet corn is delish!!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Hi, Natasha! I’m a fellow Idahoan and I just made this a couple of days ago. Wow! It was so good! I’ve really enjoyed making your recipes (also the shrimp fajitas and balsamic veggies). Keep up the great work!
That’s so awesome Rebecca! I love that you’re also in Idaho! Thank you for sharing that awesome feedback with me!
Can you substitute potatoes with sweet potatoes?
Hi Randa, I think that could work – it would result in a sweeter soup but might be a nice combination. Let me know how it goes if you try it out.
This was absolutely delicious! Great way to use sweet summer corn!
That’s so great! I’m so glad you enjoyed that!
I had 6 fresh ears of corn and found this recipe which did not require a lot of ingredients to have to run out to the grocery store. I used Pancetta instead of bacon, added 6 cups of corn, substituted 2% milk rather than white milk and it came out very good. I pureed 1/2 of the mixture in the food processor which added to a slight thickness to the broth. My husband loved it.
I’m so happy you both enjoyed that! Thank you for sharing those substitutions with us!
Can I make this soup without milk and cream?
Hi Kate, I think that would still work. If you wanted to make it dairy free, it might be worth experimenting with canned coconut milk if you wanted that creamy look or texture or just make it a soup instead of a chowder and leave out the dairy. I hope you love the corn soup!
Made this last night and the family loved it! I did cook two chicken breasts in a skillet, shredded them and then added to chowder at the very end. I will definitely be making this again
That’s so great Jules! I’m so happy you all enjoyed that!
Can you make it ith half and half?
Hi Sharon! I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
I did make with half and half? I ended up adding a little cream cheese and lots of potatoes to get it rich and thick. Everyone loved it that way? Next time all buy the cream. Thank you for responding. I think you have alfredo sauce recipe, also added cream cheese with half and half.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that Sharon!
Great soup! We loved the rich, creamy and spicy soup base. Boiling the cobs to create the stock added great flavour! Using fresh corn is also a must, giving it a crisp and sweet bite. Thank you
You’re so welcome, Pam! I’m happy you enjoyed that!
I made this last night, very good. I added rosemary and celery seed. nice flavor.
great recipe, easy to make.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that, Dawn! 🙂
Made it today.
Oh my gosh good. My Daughter/Granddaughter loved it.
Same ingredients, a little more mild/chicken broth. I like lots of broth! Canned corn.
Looked at other recipes, wondering why no one used celery.
And Cayenne is pretty much my Favorite spice. Adds a nice kick to just about everything.
Oh,I always freeze corn chowder. Works fine.
Best recipe ever!!
Thank you for sharing that with us, Louise!! I’m so glad you both enjoyed that!
Can you freeze the chowder with the heavy cream in it?
Hi Laura, I haven’t tested that but one of our readers wrote great feedback regarding freezing this recipe.
Mmmmmmmmm! So good! I followed the recipe but added a couple things. I love a thick hardy soup so I did blend as it said too but I mixed up 3 tablespoons of cornstarch and about 1/2 of water in a glass and poured it in while boiling and also added a handful of shredded cheese and it is SO GOOD!!!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Ashley!
Delicious!! Love the bite from the cayenne pepper and black pepper.
I used diced ham instead of bacon because I had leftover ham from the holidays, and frozen corn so I just started with some olive oil instead of bacon grease and added broth ingredients after cooking the vegetables instead of boiling ahead of time. I blended about 1/3 of the corn with a cup of broth in the blender before adding to the soup. I also added about a cup of grated cheddar at the end. Loved this soup, it will be a winter staple!!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Do you think this would freeze okay? I have frozen chicken chili with heavy cream before and it did well. Just added a splash of milk when heating.
Hi Kathy, I honestly haven’t tried freezing this but I think it could work well. I think it’s worth testing a batch for sure! 🙂 I hope you love the corn chowder recipe!
Love that you post a picture of ingredients in original packaging and share where you buy them! It really helps.
Thanks!
I’m so happy to hear that! I appreciate your feedback!
Hi Natasha! I’m about to make this soup today using creamed corn and a can of corn. You said to add this at step 3….do you add an additional 4 cups of corn as noted in the steps? Do I still add chicken stock to the pot?
Hi Rose, I’m sorry I missed your comment earlier. If using canned corn, you can just add the can of creamed corn and can of corn and if you prefer more corn, you can add another can of corn which would put it closer to the amount of corn in the recipe. I hope you love the corn chowder!
I made it and used the bacon as suggested to create the oil for the sauté, but didn’t throw the pieces in at the end because I cooked the bacon a little too much. In the past I have always put cheddar cheese in my corn chowder, which I did in this recipe. It came out awesome!
I’m so glad you enjoyed that Jennifer!
This is listed in the Vegetarian section, yet it contains chicken broth and bacon. So, it’s clearly NOT vegetarian!!!
Hi Cat, you are correct! Sorry about that – it was mis-categorized and is now fixed 🙂
By far the best corn chowder I’ve ever had! Used frozen Colorado sweet corn from the summer instead of cooking with the stock and the flavor is incredibly rich!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Hey, Natasha, I don’t see the video link anywhere.
Hi Elena, sometimes if you have an adblocker on, the video may not display. Try turning off the ad blocker and refreshing the page. I hope that helps!
Hi again, I watch your videos on my laptop, and I don’t know how to pause the AdBlock. I looked it up and they said to long press the “reload” button – that’s what I did, but it didn’t work. Any ideas? (Although I’m not sure if you’re good at computer science or whatever) Sorry to bother you 🙂
ELena, What kind of browser are you using to run the site? Chrome? IE? The best way to do that is to open your Browser settings and manage the add-ons and blocker settings there.
Made this soup tonight. It was delicious. Will make it again. Thank you!
That’s so great Denise! Thank you for your feedback!
Fantastic recipe! I used the can corn that you recommended and the whole dish was super easy to pull together and served it with some rustic bread! Everyone devoured it! Really delicious! Thanks for sharing your recipe!!!!
I’m so happy to hear that Lisa!! Thank you for sharing this awesome review with me!
Great recipe, thank you Natasha! I also started out with rendering Jimmy Dean original sausage with the veggies , it gave everything great flavor and used frozen corn . In our area corn has gone by ..
I’m happy you were able to make this work! Thank you for the wonderful review!
Hi Natasha Just want to give you a shout out for being the BEST teacher on the internet with regards to making food. Pioneer Woman got nothing in you. You are much better in every way like your superior teaching abilities and how you make many hard things seem easy. I Loved the corn chowder and I will make this a weekly staple in the winter time. Please do a video on how to make Southern Italian onion pie (Scalcione). Thank you
I am so so happy you love the corn chowder recipe!! Thank you for the amazing review – that is quite a compliment! 🙂
she is the best cook on the net
she is the best cook on the internet. Always good ideas & recipes
So, if you’d put 1/4 of the soup in a blender BE AWARE that it will blow up all over the kitchen and on you. My arm and my face just had 180 degree corn chowder poured all over it and is burnt to pieces! Be careful, but I did not know this. And the top was on the blender. I guess the heat caused it to explode but if this helps one person not to burn themselves then this post is worthwhile.
Hi Rick! Yes if it is too hot, heat will cause that. Be very careful and secure properly, not all blenders covers are made for hot products. I hope you’re okay! Thank you for sharing this with us!
Can I make this with frozen corn kernals if I cant find fresh corn?
I haven’t tried this myself but several of our readers have successfully made this with frozen corn.
hi i used frozen corn and mine wad good
can i put this in a slow cooker and add chicken
Hi Pamela! Although I haven’t tried that bit it may work! I’d love to know how you like this recipe if you experiment.
hi i tried in the sow cook and it worked great thanks its a keeper
That’s so great, Pamela!!
If I am using canned corn and canned cream corn in at step three, do I still do the first step of boiling the heavy cream, chicken stock, and milk?
Hi Mary, if using canned corn and cream corn, you do not have to do that step at the beginning.
Just made this today! Only in added chicken because why not! It’s fantastic my family loves it! Thanks!
You’re so welcome! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review!
Just made a double batch of this and added chicken. LOVE how easy this recipe is. And it taste sooo good.
That’s so great! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review!
Can this be made a few days in advance? Will the flavors improve with age as some dishes do? Thanks
Hi Jackie. If stored in the fridge it should be good for at least 2 days. I haven’t tried it longer than that.
I made the Corn Chowder and it was spectacular! I could serve this to anyone and know that they would love it. Thx Natasha!!
That’s so great Mary! I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
Hi, I made your corn chowder recipe last week and my family gave it two thumbs up…
I was wondering what you might think about adding crab meat.
Hi Patsy, I absolutely love that idea! YUM!!! Thanks for sharing your inspiration with me 😉
Can I use frozen corn instead of the fresh one? Will it affect the flavor/texture if I don’t put the bare cobs in a stockpot? Thank you
Hi Zhanna! I think that could work. I haven’t tried it myself, the flavor may be somewhat different.
Just made it today using frozen corn on the cob. It taste fantastic!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review!
I’m about to make this for the first time. This is going to sound like a stupid question but…. to make the corn stock do you cut the raw corn off the stock, or do you cook the corn then cut it off and use the cobs?
Hi MerryBeth! That is a great question. The corn goes in raw! It will get cooked in the soup 🙂 I hope this helps
Yummmy!Yummy! Love your clam and corn chowder recipes:) made both these last 2 weeks.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Irene! Thank you for the wonderful review!
Delicious!
Hi Yolanda, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
We loved this recipe!! Thank you so much for sharing! Definitely a keeper!
I’m so happy you enjoyed this chowder! Isn’t it the perfect meal to welcome fall?
Hey Natasha,
I’m looking to try this recipe tomorrow or the next day, at the latest. Walmart Canada is selling local (Ontario) corn on the cob at $.15 per cob, easily the best deal around. We picked up ten cobs yesterday and bbq’d some this evening.
Hasta La Vista!
That is a great deal! Can’t pass that up! Thank you for the wonderful review, George!
I am so excited for soup season! Bring on the chilly soup weather!
Andie, so am I! Although today’s weather sure seems very fall like and much cooler than the last few weeks! This chowder would be perfect today! Enjoy!
This was wonderful. I substituted the celery and carrots with colored bell pepper and used frozen cubed hash brown with great results. My family loved it.
I’m so happy you all enjoyed that, Lisa! Thank you for the great review! 🙂
This recipe looks good! But where’s the video?
Hi Olga, the video is towards the bottom of the post beneath the title: “Watch Natasha Make Summer Corn Chowder:” (it is just before the print-friendly recipe card)
Hi Natasha,
I was wondering the same thing as I am looking everywhere on the page and can not see the video anywhere.
Hi Heather, it is there, just above the print-friendly recipe. The only thing I can think of is maybe your ad blocker is on and that could be hiding a video player? I’m not sure why else you wouldn’t be able to see it.
Just made this for lunch today. So easy! I did make two small changes though – I put the bacon back in the chowder instead of using it as garnish and I used 1 tsp of Old Bay seasoning instead of cayenne since we don’t like a lot of heat. It was AMAZING!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review, Julie!
Made this last night and it was AMAZING!!! My husband loved it too and said it was the best soup I’d ever made. Definitely a keeper! Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful recipe!
My pleasure, Ann! Thank you for the wonderful review!
what state do you live in?
Hi Kathy, We live in Idaho.
Natasha, can you, please, post some back to school healthy lunch ideas? Would also love if they don’t take a lot of time to prepare (from a busy mom of 3)
Hi Iryna. We have a few great tips for you here and here I hope this helps!
My summer here is quite hot and humid sometimes so I’m thinking of rainy nights or cold weather when looking at this chowder. The corn looks so fresh and sweet. Save it! xD
– Natalie Ellis
That weather is coming and fast, this is perfect now and especially when the cold weather hits. Enjoy!
OMG YES! I need to make this now while I can find fresh corn! I always love having homemade soup sticked in the freezer for busy fall and winter evenings.
Yes! Yes! Yes! This is the perfect time for that! Thanks for the awesome review Charity!
I love corn chowder! And the bacon on top…perfection.
I agree Liz! 🙂
We have so much corn I need to use! This looks like the perfect recipe to use it on 🙂 Can’t wait to make!
This is the perfect recipe for extra corn! Thanks for the great review, Heather!
Looks so good!! I can’t wait to try this for Fall!
It will be perfect for the fall! but I wouldn’t wait 😉 make it again in the fall! Enjoy!
Everything is better with bacon!
We do love bacon!
What is the name of the appliance you use when doing a tutorial?
Hi Bunny. It’s a standard hot plate. (portable electric cook top)
This looks so fabulous and creamy! YUM!
Thank you for the great review, Julie! It is so good!
How long would you think this could cook in the instant pot? 5 mins?
Hi Lawrence, I haven’t tested it that way but my guess it probably closer to 10 minutes, but I think it’s worth an experiment and you could use the saute function to keep everything in the same pot! If you try it out, let me know how it goes.
Wow that sounds really nice right now. I’m going shopping!!
That’s awesome!! I hope this corn chowder becomes a new favorite for you!