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)
It’s not corn season here, so I wasn’t able to make the recipe exactly as she did. I used frozen corn kernels. She mentioned using a can of creamed corn to enhance the broth if doing that method, which I did. The soup was thinner than I was hoping for, so I blended about 1/2 the soup, as recommended. It was still thin, but after blending, there wasn’t many chunky veggies left, so I doubled the amount of corn after the fact. Since I added more corn, I also added more cayenne (3/4 tsp total). Also, instead of putting the potatoes in the soup cubed, I made mashed potatoes out of them, then added them in this way to thicken the soup. I also added 8 oz (by weight) of shredded cheddar cheese. That did the trick of getting the consistency I was going for & it boosted the flavor! It was delicious! I will definitely make it again, but I think I might leave out the carrots (to me, they detracted from the corn flavor – unless I leave them in the part that gets completely buzzed up).
When it’s corn season, I would like to try the recipe as written.
Thank you for sharing, Leanne! I hope you get to try the recipe again as written as well when corn is in season. 🙂
I added garlic, paprika, and some cheddar cheese, as well as some a splash of vinegar because mine came out really sweet. And this is one of the best soups I have ever made. It’s better than I imagined it would be, and 100% worth all of the vegetable chopping.
That’s amazing, Samantha! Thank you for sharing. So glad you loved it.
I absolutely love this recipe. It’s my go to and the only corn chowder recipe I will follow. I do have a question: I want to make a crab and corn chowder using canned crab claw meat. At what step in your corn chowder recipe would you add the crab meat? Thanks in advance.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Alice! I haven’t tried this with crab meat, but here’s what one of my readers wrote: “I added corn starch to thicken a little. I also added garlic thyme and two cans of crab meat. Best soup I ever made!” I hope this helps!
Woweee!!! So good! I used 2 cans of creamed corn instead of corn cobs, so I skipped the entire step of making corn stock. I also subbed the milk and cream with cashew milk and cashew cream to make it dairy free. This one’s a keeper!
Hi Lena! Thank you so much for sharing that with us. 🙂
Super yummy soup! I made mine without celery and bacon but it was absolutely delicious and very simple to make! I was craving corn and this really hit the spot!
Wonderful to hear! So glad you loved the recipe, Carmen! 🙂
This was wonderful chowder. I also check your website for recipes before cooking anything else. You’re my go to and I really appreciate all the time you put into making us better cooks😊
Aw, thanks Rosie! I’m so glad this is your go-to place for recipes. That means so much to me.
Picture with ingredients show container of bone broth, recipe listed has chicken broth..I’ve not used bone broth in any soup recipe so far..
please advise which one… thank you
Hi Sheila, any chicken broth should be fine. I hope you enjoy it!
Hi, my Home Economics students made this today and it was very successful! Can you tell me what serving size the nutrition info is based on? How many mL is a serving? Thanks!
Hi David, I’m glad to hear that. This recipe makes 8 servings of about 1 cup each. The nutrition facts listed are for 1 serving.
Natasha,
Great recipe, the chowder was delicious. I really like the taste of smoke and a spicy punch, so I made a few modifications.
I substituted (2) rehydrated Morita Chiles for the cayene and black pepper.
Again, thank you.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Brian!
So yummy! I added a cup of shredded parm and red bell pepper as someone in the comments suggested. It was divine! Thank you so much!
You’re welcome, Carla! So glad you loved it.
Absolutely Delicious! I used an immersion blender a little at the end to thicken it up. So tasty. Thank you!
Great idea, John! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
this is a good recipe; however, the manner in which the instructions are written is not well done…it is somewhat confusing, reading back and forth.
Hi Linda, the recipe post itself goes into more detail we recommend reviewing, but to see the condensed version of the recipe, I recommend using the recipe card. If you click Jump to Recipe at the top of the post, you will have all the information you need in one spot. I hope this helps!
I have made this two weekends in a row with a request for not this weekend lol. My son and husband leave no leftovers for anyone else they love it so much. I did make a roux to thicken the chowder but that is the only difference. Thank you for this delicious recipe!
Hi Allyson! I’m so glad it was a hit. Thank you for sharing.
I was wondering, if I am using frozen corn, do I replace some of the chicken broth with the creamed corn? Or add the creamed corn to the 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.
Hello Natasha! I wanted to make corn chowder for the first time and searching online instantly found Natasha’s Kitchen! I read your story and was elated to find you. I made the soup with canned corn now that it is January and it came out delicious (I added some cheddar and parmesan/romano/asiago blend after reading the comments). this was my first time making soup with corn, first time making soup with bacon, and first time making soup with heavy cream. Three’s a charm, three times doing something for the first time! I will be making this soup for my guests. I am Natasha as well; I grew up in Moscow and have been living in the US since age 21. I will be sure to peruse your site for more inspiration and practical tips, and, of course, in summer I will try making my own corn broth.
Hi Natasha! Welcome! It is so nice to have you here. Thank you for trying my recipe. I’m so glad you loved it and I hope you will find many more recipes to enjoy on my website.
I’ve made many different corn chowder recipes over the years but this was the best ever! Will now be my go to for chowder. Being January in Ohio I used 14 oz. frozen corn and 1.5 cans of creamed corn. Before adding the cooked bacon into the soup at the end I added some grated parmesan (cheese is always welcome) and it was to die for. Thanks for a great and simple recipe.
You’re very welcome, Linda! Thank you for the feedback. So glad you enjoyed the recipe.
I’ve made this twice now and it’s always amazing. I use 2 cans of cream of corn and 1 bag of frozen corn that I let thaw rather than make the base with fresh corn. I add shrimp to mine that I’ve sautéed in the same bacon grease as the celery, etc.
It’s restaurant quality. Thank you!
That sounds delicious, Liz! I’m so glad you love the recipe.
This was absolutely delicious! My whole family devoured this meal and I’m sitting on the couch thinking about the next time I’ll make it because it’s that good.
I’m so glad it was a hit, Jenny! Thank you for sharing.
Very good, skipped the bacon. Added sweet red peppers and pulsed the potatoes. Add white and dark meat chicken. Thanks for your help!! Husband and kids gobbled it up.
Great to hear, Marg! So glad you loved the recipe.
This sounds so delicious, my only question would is can this be made in the crockpot as well? as a very busy mom I’m definitely a fan of my crockpot especially on Sundays when we’re at church the majority of the day.
Hi Nicole! I have not tested this in a slow cooker to advise. You’d have to experiment with it. Be sure to check out ideas for slow cooker recipes HERE. I have quite a few to choose from. 🙂
Waaaay too many adds. Didn’t even get half way thru your corn chowder video when interrupted by an add which then returned and jumped to your nxt video without completing the first one.
Thank you for sharing your concerns and feedback. The only way we can continue providing free recipes is by having ads on our site, so we are not able to remove those at this time. We find that most people would rather see the ads than pay to see the recipes. But we will definitely take note of your feedback and use it to improve our website.
I appreciate your feedback, and I hope you love every recipe you try.