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Home / Main Dishes / Soup

Hearty Homemade Corn Chowder

4.84
/5
50 minutes minutes
376 Comments
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By: The Chunky Chefpublished: 09/16/2018

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Cozy up to a big bowl of this homemade corn chowder! Easy to make with either fresh or frozen corn, it’s a great year-round soup!

Cozy corn chowder, made with tender potatoes, salty bacon and sweet corn!  Perfect as a weeknight meal!  Crockpot directions too! #soup #chowder #cornchowder #fall #souprecipe #weeknightmeal #crockpot #slowcooker

I cannot wait to get into soup season!  Normally we eat soup year round, but this summer has been insanely hot.  And sadly, it still is.  Here is is mid-September, and we’ve only had 2 semi-cool days.  I say bring on the chilly weather!

There’s not a whole lot I love more than a thick and hearty soup… actually, a chowder.  Chowders are so rich and stick-to-your-ribs fantastic!

Ladle full of corn chowder

CAN YOU FREEZE CORN CHOWDER?

I love freezing soups, but due to the dairy and potatoes in this one, I don’t recommend freezing it as is.  If you REALLY want to try it, here’s what I would try:

  • Skip adding the half and half during step #8.  Instead, add it in when reheating the soup.
  • Cool soup completely, then add to freezer-safe containers and freeze 1-2 months.
  • To thaw, place containers in the refrigerator overnight or until thawed completely.  
  • Reheat in dutch oven or soup pot and once heated through, add half and half and stir to heat.  Serve as directed.

HOW CAN YOU MAKE CORN CHOWDER THICKER?

I would say this chowder is about a medium thickness, but if you’d like it thicker, there are a few options.

  • Puree more of the soup in the blender, or alternatively, mash some with a potato masher.
  • Before adding in the half and half, whisk a tablespoon or so of cornstarch into the half and half, then add to the soup as directed.
  • Add equal parts softened butter and flour and knead together with your fingers or a wooden spoon until a thick paste has formed.  Add to the finished soup and stir until the heat has melted the butter.  This is called a Buerre Manie and it’s a great way to thicken sauces, soups, roasts, etc.

Overhead view of corn chowder in white bowl

CAN CORN CHOWDER BE MADE IN THE SLOW COOKER?

Absolutely!  I get it, some days the last thing you want to do is stand by the stove for 30 minutes.  On those days, the slow cooker is my best friend!  Slow cooker directions are listed below the recipe.

CAN YOU ADD CHICKEN OR CHEESE TO THIS CORN CHOWDER?

Sure can!  Sometimes I add about a cup or so of shredded cheddar cheese to the soup, or add a sprinkling of cheese when serving.  Chicken is also a fabulous addition!  For this, I like to use shredded chicken, from leftovers or a rotisserie chicken.

Holding a bowl of creamy corn chowder

WHAT TO SERVE WITH CORN CHOWDER

  • Ultimate Grilled Cheese
  • Cheesy Garlic Crescents
  • No-Knead Artisan Bread
  • Simple Green Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette

Spoonful of corn chowder

HELPFUL TOOLS:

  • Dutch Oven – My favorite soup pot!
  • Immersion Blender – If you don’t have one, these are incredibly handy!  No need to transfer hot soups to a blender.
  • Traditional Blender – This is my favorite traditional blender!

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!

Cozy corn chowder, made with tender potatoes, salty bacon and sweet corn!  Perfect as a weeknight meal!  Crockpot directions too! #soup #chowder #cornchowder #fall #souprecipe #weeknightmeal #crockpot #slowcooker

Hearty Homemade Corn Chowder

4.84 from 161 votes
Author: The Chunky Chef
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes minutes
Servings: 6 servings
(hover over # to adjust)
Print Rate Pin
Cozy up to a big bowl of this homemade corn chowder! Easy to make with either fresh or frozen corn, it's a great year-round soup!

Ingredients

  • 8 slices bacon, diced
  • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 5 cups water (chicken broth or vegetable broth may be substituted)
  • 8 ears yellow sweet corn (husks and silks removed)
  • 1 lb. yukon gold or baby red potatoes , sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1/4 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
  • salt and black pepper, to taste
  • 1 cup half and half or heavy cream
  • handful of chopped fresh chives

Instructions

  • Slice corn kernels off the cob and set aside.  Take each ear of corn and hold it over a bowl.  Use either the back of your knife or a spoon and scrape any remaining pulp and juice from the cobs.
  • Cook bacon pieces in large heavy bottomed pot (like a dutch oven) over MED heat.  Cook about 5-8 minutes, or until bacon is crisp.  Use a slotted spoon to remove to a paper towel lined plate and set aside.
  • Use a clean paper towel to absorb some of the bacon grease, reserving about 1 Tbsp of grease in the pot.  Add butter and melt over MED heat.
  • Add diced onions and cook about 5 minutes, until soft and translucent.  Add garlic and flour and cook about 1 minute, stirring often.
  • While whisking, pour in water and increase heat to MED-HIGH.  Add in corn, potatoes, thyme, smoked paprika, and salt and pepper.  Stir and bring to a low boil, then reduce heat to MED-LOW and simmer.
  • Simmer, stirring every so often, for 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender.
  • Use an immersion blender to blend about half the soup until smooth.  Alternatively, remove about 3 cups of the soup to a blender and blend until smooth.  Stir the blended soup back into the pot.
  • Add in half and half, reserved corn juice, and about half the chives.  Stir in and heat through.
  • Serve sprinkled with remaining chives and cooked bacon pieces, if desired.

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Chef Tips

Recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated magazine (August 2011)

SLOW COOKER DIRECTIONS:

  • Cook bacon in skillet.  Set aside to drain on a paper towel-lined plate (this will be used as a garnish).
  • Add all ingredients (except half and half, chives, and cooked bacon) to a 6 qt or larger slow cooker.  Stir well, cover and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours.
  • Use immersion blender to blend about half the soup (or add 3 cups of soup to a blender and puree then add back to the slow cooker).
  • Stir in half and half and chives, cover and cook another 10 minutes or so to heat through.
If using frozen or canned corn, add a drizzle of honey to replace the corn "milk".
  • use approximately 4 cups of frozen or canned corn (32 oz)

Nutrition Disclaimer

The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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Cozy corn chowder, made with tender potatoes, salty bacon and sweet corn!  Perfect as a weeknight meal!  Crockpot directions too! #soup #chowder #cornchowder #fall #souprecipe #weeknightmeal #crockpot #slowcooker

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Meet The Chunky Chef

Hey there! I'm Amanda. Wife, mother, photography nerd, and bacon lover! I believe that delicious meals should be easy to make. Now that you’re here, stay a bit, browse a few recipes, and let’s get cookin’!

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4.84 from 161 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




  1. H Malina says

    Posted on 9/21 at 8:51 pm

    Delicious!

    Reply
  2. Olivia says

    Posted on 9/20 at 9:23 pm

    Best corn chowder ever! Thanks for the fab recipe!

    Reply
  3. Sandra DePeaux says

    Posted on 9/9 at 8:27 pm

    I did not do the last step of blending part of the soup. I used instant potato flakes thicken it…added a little cheese to the top as garish. My husband really liked it.

    Reply
  4. Amanda says

    Posted on 9/5 at 8:09 am

    Made this for my family last night and followed directions to a T. It was amazing!! Everyone was raving and ate it all up! I added some shredded sharp cheddar cheese, green onion and chives for a topping. Will definitely use this as my go-to recipe for corn chowder! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Jude says

      Posted on 9/8 at 5:58 pm

      8 “ears” of corn is quite arbitrary, especially if you are unable to GET ears of corn, so I recommend that you actually give an AMOUNT of corn (1 cup, 2 cups?) for those of us using frozen corn.

      Reply
      • Amanda says

        Posted on 9/8 at 8:58 pm

        I actually DID give an amount of corn, in the “chef tips” section where I mention how to make this using frozen or canned corn.

        Reply
  5. Ann Chillman says

    Posted on 8/28 at 9:59 am

    First time making corn chowder and it turned out delicious!!! I will make this again!!

    Reply
  6. BRIANNA C ERICKSON says

    Posted on 8/26 at 10:10 am

    what a great tip!

    Reply
  7. Diane Borders says

    Posted on 8/21 at 4:09 pm

    How many carbs per serving

    Reply
    • Amanda says

      Posted on 8/29 at 8:43 pm

      As this isn’t a health-focused website, and I’m not a nutritionist, I don’t provide full nutritional information for recipes as there is a potential for error and I wouldn’t want to potentially and/or unknowingly pass along incorrect information. If full nutrition information is important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer, or that you seek a nutritionist/dietitian for exact nutritional information.

      Reply
  8. Skylar Leger says

    Posted on 8/20 at 8:10 am

    Is half and half just half of the ingredients?

    Reply
    • Amanda says

      Posted on 8/20 at 10:23 am

      Half and half is a common dairy product in the US 🙂 https://www.thekitchn.com/what-is-halfandhalf-ingredient-intelligence-205959

      Reply
    • Kayson says

      Posted on 9/3 at 1:05 am

      Go for straight cream over half and half. Its just a better taste. Since this isn’t a health food/how to make things healthy site(hooray!!) I’d say this is a treat to make, so go all in.

      Plus I’ve read so many sites where half and half or milk becomes a problem. People have even had it curdle since you simmer/boil. This never has happened to me with cream.

      Either one you choose…it’s delicious (though I’d never use milk!)

      Reply
  9. Christina says

    Posted on 8/15 at 10:11 pm

    I was perusing my freezer trying to figure out something for dinner without going to the store (a 30 minute drive—rural-living-problems) and I saw that I had A LOT of frozen corn, so I looked on line for a corn chowder recipe. Yours came up, and I am so glad. I also had frozen cauliflower so I microwaved about 2 cups and added it to the blender when I puréed some of the soup, which made it creamier plus added vitamins—bonus! I also had frozen broccoli so I microwaved about 2 cups again and chopped it up into little, tiny pieces (hopeful that it would get over-looked with all of the other yummy chunky-ness, and it did—more bonus!). I didn’t have any half and half on hand, so I used a 12 oz can of evaporated milk and it was great. I didn’t add in the honey that you suggested when using frozen corn, but I did add a dash of liquid smoke, which tasted great.

    Reply
  10. Brenda says

    Posted on 8/10 at 10:48 pm

    I will try your recipe this week but have no clue how many potatoes 1lb is. Please help.

    Reply
    • Amanda says

      Posted on 8/12 at 9:28 pm

      I can’t answer that definitively, since potatoes vary so much in size and shape. Golden potatoes are sold in 3 lb bags where I live, so I just use about 1/3 of the bag.

      Reply
    • Kayson says

      Posted on 9/3 at 12:59 am

      I personally think it needs as many potatoes as possible. I found I had plenty of of liquid and then some that it really needed way more than 1lb. I know the corn is the star if the show, but it needs some bulk. And more so, if you intend on blending any portion of this to make it creamier, you are going to sorely miss those chunks. This is one time when “you can always add bit you can’t subtract” doesn’t apply. You can pick around the potatoes, but once done, adding in more isn’t going to work very we without making the rest over cook. Go heavy with no worry and no regrets!

      Reply
  11. Jenn says

    Posted on 8/7 at 11:56 am

    Hello! I have used this recipe multiple times and made it vegan. I just leave out the bacon, use vegan butter, and coconut milk instead of cream. Using coconut milk also makes it freeze-able. It is a delicious recipe. Thank you.

    Reply
  12. Bebe says

    Posted on 8/1 at 4:01 pm

    I have made this twice now. Raves from everyone! Fresh simple and delicious.

    Reply
  13. Lori Warren says

    Posted on 7/27 at 11:23 pm

    Made it as you directed. Just sooooooo Yummy!

    Reply
  14. Dee says

    Posted on 7/15 at 7:24 pm

    Kids loved it. I boiled the corn first, with the silk, and then used that water for the chowder. Anything with bacon is a win for the kids

    Reply
  15. KM says

    Posted on 7/4 at 10:29 pm

    Made this but without the bacon, used russet instead of yukon or red potatoes and doubled the amount of spices. Not sure what the “reserved corn juice” refers to? Turned out great! Bacon would have made it even better 🙂

    Reply
    • Kayson says

      Posted on 9/3 at 12:50 am

      If you use corn on the cob, after removing the kernels, there’s usually some parts of the corn left if you don’t get right down to the cob on each knife stroke. Take a spoon and scrape the the remains. Scape the heck out of each cob, into a bowl. Doesn’t take much effort really. This step will result in all sorts of yummy bits that were missed, plus a liquid that is white like milk. Hence corn milk. It’s worth all the flavor.

      Of course this only applies to fresh corn taken off the cob.

      Reply
  16. Donna says

    Posted on 6/29 at 9:38 pm

    Sounds delicious I will try for the 4th!

    Reply
  17. Amanda says

    Posted on 6/27 at 9:51 am

    Could this be done in the crockpot once everything is all mixed together?

    Reply
    • Amanda says

      Posted on 7/3 at 9:35 pm

      I’ve only tested this recipe as written. So without testing and retesting it myself, I can’t say for certain if that would work, but I think it would. If you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out!

      Reply
  18. Valerie says

    Posted on 6/26 at 5:20 am

    Love this soup you can freeze it just don’t add the cream. I used my fresh frozen corn yum!!!

    Reply
  19. Mark Hughes says

    Posted on 5/13 at 4:18 pm

    So glad to find this recipe and can’t wait to give it a “test drive”. Last fall we had dinner at The Kitchen in Alexandria Bay, NY. They have an absolutely amazing corn chowder! After about two spoonfuls I asked the waitress if they sold the corn chowder. Yes. Promptly ordered four quarts to go. Their corn chowder included a small amount of mushrooms and a few slices of pimento. Two questions – does this corn chowder freeze well and could you add chicken?

    I am from PA dutch country and my mother used to make chicken corn noodle soup. (I will provide you with the recipe if you would like). While my mom used fresh cut sweet corn, she would also incorporate a can or two of creamed corn – secret ingredient. This was in the day before immersion blenders.

    Thanks again for the recipe. Plan on making it as written in the near future. Will ket you know how it turns out.

    Love your website.

    Mark

    Reply
    • Amanda says

      Posted on 5/26 at 9:04 pm

      I haven’t tested freezing this chowder, since dairy has a tendency to sometimes separate during the freezing/thawing process. But yes, you can absolutely add chicken! We like to do that from time to time and usually use some shredded meat from a rotisserie chicken 🙂

      Reply
  20. Peg says

    Posted on 5/10 at 10:02 pm

    Delicious and easy

    Reply
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