Fresh Corn Chowder loaded with sweet summer corn and tender potatoes in a creamy and flavor-packed corn broth. You’ll love that you have options using either fresh corn on the cob, frozen or even canned corn when it’s not in season. It also keeps well in the refrigerator, which I love for meal planning!
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Helpful Reader Review
“This is hands down the best corn chowder that we have ever had. I made it for company and they said that we could have just served them the chowder and skipped the main course because the chowder was so scrumptious! Thank you!” – Karen ★★★★★
The Best Corn Chowder Recipe
If you love the comfort of Clam Chowder, this corn chowder recipe is sure to become a new favorite. This crowd-pleasing soup is perfect for entertaining on cool summer nights. Pair it with warm homemade biscuits and dinner is made!
Corn chowder is quite a treat when fresh corn is abundant. We love to use both the kernels and the stripped cobbs for sweet corn flavor. This corn chowder has the creamy richness of a Potato Soup and the addition of tender corn and bacon makes every bite memorable.
Corn Chowder Video Tutorial
Watch my video tutorial and I’ll show you just how easy it is to make corn chowder. Corn chowder is actually one of the first soups I learned how to make when I got married 21+ years ago. I remember researching the top restaurant copycat soups and then developing this recipe – it’s a keeper!
Ingredients for Corn Chowder
The ingredients here are simple pantry and refrigerator staples that come together to make the best pot of soup.
- Corn: Corn that is still on the cob is best so you can utilize the kernels and the corn milk from the husks. Check out my tips for buying corn. If fresh corn is out of season, no problem – see below for corn substitutions.
- Potatoes: we use Yukon gold potatoes for their tender, waxy texture which is perfect for a chowder.
- Carrot, Celery, and Onion: This aromatic trio is critical to adding flavor and we use them in nearly all of my soup recipes.
- Bacon: Sauteeing the bacon and then cooking the veggies in the bacon grease adds wonderful flavor and we use the cooked bacon to garnish the soup. No one will resist that bacon topping!
- Chicken Broth, Milk and Cream: These form the base of the corn stock. We simmer the shucked cobbs in this combination for a deeply delicious chowder base.
- Cayenne Pepper: This simple seasoning is all you need, plus salt and black pepper of course.
Can I use Frozen or Canned Corn?
Fresh corn on the cob and especially local produce will give this chowder the best flavor. For winter corn chowder or when fresh corn is not available, try these instead:
- Frozen Corn: frozen is usually produced at the peak of freshness so it will work and will save you some time. Since you won’t have the cobs for making corn stock, add a 15 oz can of creamed corn for a tastier broth.
- Canned Corn: 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.
How to Make Corn Stock
Using the whole cob of corn will give you the best-flavored corn stock. Allowing the stripped cobs to simmer for 20 minutes with the broth, cream, and milk draws out every bit of rich and sweet flavor from the corn. After discarding the cobs, you are left with really delicious corn stock.
- Make the Corn Stock – Cut the kernels from the cobs and set kernels aside for making chowder.* Place the bare cobs in a stockpot.
- Add broth, milk, and cream, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes while making the chowder. Use tongs to remove and discard cobs before using corn stock.
How to Cut Corn off the Cobs
Cutting corn from the cob can get messy with kernels landing all over your kitchen. You can avoid making a big mess with this simple trick:
Set a small bowl upside down inside of a larger bowl. Place your corn vertically on top of the smaller bowl, hold the top, and cut the kernels off by running your knife straight down against the cob. The kernels will fall into the larger bowl, just be careful not to hit the bowl with your knife. You can also do this over a bundt pan.
How to Make Corn Chowder
- Sautee bacon in a Dutch oven until crisps and renders fat. Remove bacon to a plate, reserving 2-3 Tbsp of bacon grease in the pot.
- Sautee veggies (onion, celery, and carrot) in the bacon grease until softened.
- Add potatoes and corn kernels and season with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper.
- Add corn stock into the pot and simmer until potatoes are tender.
- Serve in warm bowls garnished with bacon and chives.
How to Remove Corn Silk
After the corn is shucked, it’s important to remove the silk threads for the smoothest consistency. The easiest way to remove corn silk is to brush the corn with a bristled brush or even a clean toothbrush. The bristles catch the silk and it comes off quickly and easily.
Storing Corn Chowder
- To Refrigerate: Cool the soup completely to room temperature before storing, then transfer it to airtight containers and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: I would not recommend freezing corn chowder since the dairy in the recipe can separate, and potatoes can get grainy and mushy.
- To Reheat: Add soup to a saucepan and reheat over low heat, stirring frequently to bring back the creamy texture. You can also reheat in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until heated through.
Topped with bacon and chives, this Corn Chowder becomes such a comforting bowl of soup. It’s a family favorite, right up there with Zuppa Toscana!
More Corn Recipes
If you love sweet summer corn, these corn recipes are the best way to enjoy corn while it’s at the peak of freshness and flavor.
- Boiled Corn on the Cob
- Avocado Corn Salad
- Grilled Corn in Foil
- Instant Pot Corn on the Cob
- Mexican Street Corn
- Shrimp Boil
- Corn Guacamole
Corn Chowder Recipe
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.
- 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:
- 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).
- 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.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Family-Favorite Soup Recipes
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Split Pea Soup – My Mother’s recipe
- Beef Stew
- Tomato Soup
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- French Onion Soup (Natasha’s Fave)
hello. how would you make this soup vegetarian?? would it still be yummy?
Hi Allison, feel free to experiment. I think it will still be delicious if you do a vegan version of this recipe.
I also used vegetable Better than Boullion instead of chicken stock
Yummy !!! I used Turkey bacon instead of regular bacon. Because there is no pan drippings I used butter to sauté the trio of veggies.
Thank you
Sounds great! Thanks for sharing that with us, Jackie.
I looked over all of the comments and reviews and still have not found out if you can freeze this chowder. Can this be frozen?
I have not tested this but one of our readers said this soup freezes very well.
I make this soup often and do not put the heavy cream in until the end. When its ready, I freeze the amount I want to keep and add the cream when thawed. I add cream to the amount we will be eating freshly made.
Thank you so much for sharing that with us!
This chowder is definitely on the menu this weekend! It looks amazing! Has anyone created a vegetarian version by omitting the bacon?
I hope you love this recipe, Hannah! We love it with bacon, but it should work without it also!
This is the best corn chowder ever! Part of our rotation. Thank you!
Aaaw, thank you for this short and sweet review!
I’ve made this many times, and it’s always a hit! One question- can this be adapted to be made in a slow cooker?
Hi Aga, I have not tested this in a slow cooker to advise. If you experiment though, I would love to know how you like that!
Sounds divine! I’m a bit confused about folks saying it froze well. Don’t the potatoes get too mushy once the chowder is frozen??????? And does the heavy cream separate after it’s been frozen?????? Anyone have those issues?????
Hi Lynne, I haven’t tested that, but one of our readers wrote great feedback regarding freezing this recipe.
You knocked this one out of the ballpark! I used 2 cans of corn (it almost equals to 15oz in Canada) + 1 can cream corn. I also used my stick blender to smooth it out nicely. I added 1 chicken breast in there (shredded) because it was sitting in the fridge. And I added the bacon to the whole soup since I cooked the bacon for the soup and I plan on freezing the soup. Wow! This soup is a keeper. I was worried there wasn’t a ton of spices in there, but the soup was really flavourful and filling!
Thank you for the wonderful review, Jeanna!
So delicious!! Didn’t have corn on the cob so boiled milk, cream and broth with a cup of frozen corn (not sure if it did anything for the flavor). Made the rest of the recipe as is and it was out of this world! Loved it! Will definitely make again! Thank you Natasha for another great recipe!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Linda! I’m glad you enjoyed that!
So good and easy!
Thank you!!!
I just used frozen corn – still awesome !
Thanks for the review, Maria!
If we’re using the canned corn version, should we still simmer the broth and heavy cream etc for 20 minutes without the cobs? Or just skip making the stock altogether and and them into the pot when it says add stock?
Thanks!
Hi Shawn, if using canned corn and cream corn, you do not have to do that step at the beginning.
Flavor was very good but there was too much liquid. I should have added the cream first and then decided on how much milk. I think the 1 1/2 c. milk made it too liquidy, at least for my taste.
Hi! You can thicken it with cornstarch, boil it down a bit or add less liquid. I hope you love the recipe!
Was delicious! I used 2 cans corn 1 can creamed corn. I also added smoked paprika and dill, and a tablespoon of melted butter as well.
It was what I had on hand. It came out fabulous! Thank you!
Nice one, Theresa! Great to hear that you substitutions worked well in this recipe. Thanks for your review.
First time making corn chowder..this was delicious.
Thinking of adding some cooked lobster next time.. any thoughts suggestions?
Yum! I’m so glad you loved it! I bet this would be amazing with lobster! I’d love to know how you like it if you experiment!
Added pre cooked lobster meat from local fish market, first I lightly warmed up in sauté pan with minimal amount of butter, then added to chowder to fully warm up. Delicious! Great recipe even without lobster!!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Sheila!
Just made this soup tonight. Added 1 extra slice of bacon, a little extra onion and it was amazing! Will definitely be making this, this winter.
Sounds great, I’m happy to know that you enjoyed it!
This recipe was excellent with some tweaks to make it more chowder-like. I used canned corn and added an extra can of whole kernel corn, but only used 1c of chicken broth instead of 4c. I’d recommend only adding 1/8 tsp cayenne with these changes.
Hi Haley, thank you for sharing some of your tweaks with us. We appreciate your review and suggestion!
Thank you Natasha! This corn chowder was delicious. Made it with fresh corn on the cob. So good that I Went out searching for more corn on the cob to freeze to try this recipe later in the winter, and I made another batch today.
That sounds like a great plan, Susan! Thank you for sharing your review with us, we appreciate it.
I actually froze 4 fresh ears of corn in September; today I made the chowder and it was perfect in February.
Thanks for sharing that with us, Debby. Good to hear that you liked this recipe!
Loved this! I’ve never added cayenne before – it really made the flavours pop!
Glad you loved it!
Perfect corn chowder! I upped the bacon and added it into the soup at the end instead of using as a garnish, and added extra cayenne. Yum! A household favourite!!
That sounds so yummy, thanks for the great review and feedback.