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)
I haven’t made it yet. I’m just curious…in order to print it, I have to sign up for your newsletter. I tried printing it and the sign up window kept popping up and stopping me from printing. I had to do a lot of maneuvers to print it.
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This was delicious. The corn cob stock really does add so much flavor. I added shredded chicken and garnished with cheddar cheese.
Filling and delightful!
I’m so glad you loved it, Christina!
Can you freeze this corn chowder recipe? Do I need to leave out the potato to freeze it?
Hi Nancy! I have not tried freezing it but one of my viewers said it freezes beautifully and they freeze it all the time.
You want to make this! I made this without onion or celery, as my husband won’t eat anything containing those. Instead I threw in some garlic and onion powder and hoped for the best. It’s incredible! The flavor is perfect. I did take some out and puree it and dump it back in. That just made it even better. If you have a picky eater like I do and can’t use onion, make this! The rest of the flavors are so good it more than makes up for a missing ingredient. I did also use the fresh corn method and boil the cobs in the stock. Thank you for the recipe!
We made this on a chilly September night in the Adirondacks (our summer home) with corn grown by the local Amish. It is spectacular! We could tell it would be tasty based on the smell while it was cooking, but didn’t expect it to be the absolute best corn chowder any of us have ever had! And as Natasha notes, don’t skip the corn stock, it adds so much flavor.
I was craving corn chowder and this recipe was perfect. I followed it exactly as written and it turned out so delicious. My boyfriend and I loved it! In my opinion, blending 1/4 of the soup is essential, especially if you like a creamy chowder. It makes a big difference! Thanks Natasha for this recipe, I will be making again.
Best damn corn chowder! Maybe it’s because I had nature’s bounty from my garden, but holy cow this is so good. The only change is I used 10 red potatoes from my garden in place of 3 russet, and I used a potato masher instead of puree ingredients in a blender to keep the chunkiness.
The chowder was delicious. Boiling the shucked cobs made the stock delicious. Followed the recipe as written BUT added some home smoked salmon to the finished chowder. This recipe is a keeper.
This recipe was a fail. I wanted to love it but it was so runny and spice without actual flavor
Hi Michelle, did you change anything about the recipe and did you start with making the corn stalk? Normally this has tons of flavor built into it. Also simmer uncovered which helps create a thicker richer broth.
Made this soup on rainy September day with fresh corn. Followed recipe suggestion and placed a portion of soup in the blender. It adds creaminess to this absolutely delicious soup! A new favorite recipe for our house.
I used the the scaled down measurements option included above the recipe to make 4 portions. I broke the cobs in half to make the broth. I must say the broth plain like that was very tasty. I did not use bacon to sauté the veggies. I used oil. Being this is a cream soup, butter would have been a better choice. I cut the potatoes into quarters so that they were bite sized. I found using the recommended 4 cobs gave me too many kernels to use. I did add some more milk as I did not feel there was enough broth. Never making chowder before (and not looking at the picture), I did not realize it is not a bowl of broth, but a bowl of veggies. Mind you, a woman at the next table at a seafood restaurant recommend it as it is corn season now.
I made this for dinner tonight and it was absolutely delicious and so easy to make. I loved this and will be a staple in my dinner and lunch rotation.
This soup was a hit in my house. I would have liked it to be a little thicker. I used skim milk and heavy cream. Next, and there will be a next time, I will use regular milk. I think it will make a difference. Natasha this is just one of several of your recipes that I have made and
They never fail to disappoint.
Amazing! The cob stock is everything! I was left dreaming about this chowder for days afterwards!!!
Hi Lynda! I’m so glad you loved it. Thank you for sharing.
I made this tonight without bacon, and I used 2-1/2 cups of half & half instead of milk and heavy cream. It was amazing!
Thanks for sharing that with us, Diane!
Delicious! Next time I want to try substituting Cajun seasoning for some of the salt. My kids and husband all liked this soup very much.
I have made this twice. Great hit with the family. I changed a couple of things. I added the bacon right into the soup and when the soup is basically done I take 1/2 cup brouth and add 1/3 cup flour make that into a paste and add to soup it will thicken beautifully. Pour into bowl and enjoy.
Can I substitute sliced green onion “scallions ” for chives to garnish garnish the soup.
Hi Thomas! Yes, that would work well,
I made this for dinner tonight. Everybody wanted seconds. It’s delicious! Definitely going to make this again.
Do I cook the corn cobs before I cut the kernels off? Or do I cut the raw kernels off assuming the kernels will cook later in the pot?
Hi Kelly! Cut them off prior to cooking the corn. I hope you love the recipe!