The BEST Corn Chowder Recipe
This is the best Corn Chowder Recipe! Fresh sweet corn is paired with spicy jalapeño and sharp white cheddar for the ultimate summer comfort food!
Corn Chowder Recipe
Corn Chowder is the perfect Summer comfort food! This creamy, flavorful soup recipe is loaded with fresh sweet corn, spicy jalapeños, and salty cheese. This chowder recipe contains no flour, making it naturally gluten free. The best part is that all of this easy, cheesy goodness can be made in just one pot in under 30 minutes!
Other chowder recipes often contain potatoes, or a protein such as ham or bacon. This recipe doesn’t, it truly lets the sweet corn shine! It makes an excellent vegetarian dinner option!
Corn Chowder Ingredients
This easy corn chowder recipe doesn’t require many ingredients, so it’s important that you use all the right ones.
- Vegetables: Fresh sweet corn, Onion, Fresh jalapeños
- Broth: good quality chicken broth or vegetable broth will work in this recipe.
- Spices: cumin, garlic powder, paprika
- Dairy Ingredients: Cream cheese, Heavy cream, Shredded white cheddar cheese
How to Make Corn Chowder
This creamy corn chowder recipe comes together with minimal effort on your part. Score!
- Add olive oil and chopped onion to a large sauce pan and sauté for 3 minutes. Next, add corn and chopped jalapeños, then sauté for 2 more minutes. Add spices and stir well.
- Cover and reduce heat, then let simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add in the cream cheese, heavy cream, and cheddar.
- Let simmer uncovered for an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
What to Serve with Corn Chowder
This creamy corn chowder soup pairs well with so many comforting sides! Here are some side dishes you can serve alongside this hearty soup:
- Keto Cheddar Garlic Biscuits
- Rosemary Garlic Keto Dinner Rolls
- Three Cheese Basil Biscuits
- Asparagus, Avocado, & Tomato Salad
- Mexican Cornbread
Can You Freeze Corn Chowder?
No, I don’t recommend freezing this summer corn chowder. The broth contains lots of dairy (cream cheese, shredded cheddar, heavy cream), and I worry that freezing the chowder would cause the dairy to split once reheated.
Tips for the Best Corn Chowder
- If corn isn’t in season right now, you’re welcome to make this corn chowder soup using frozen corn. You’ll need roughly 5 to 6 cups frozen corn.
- For a spicier chowder, leave the seeds in the jalapeños when you dice them.
- Let your cream cheese come to room temperature before adding it to the soup so that it melts easier.
More Easy Soup Recipes:
- Slow Cooker Cabbage Roll Soup
- Cheesy Taco Soup
- Black Bean and Sausage Soup
- Slow Cooker Potato Soup
- White Chicken Chili (Instant Pot or Slow Cooker)
Get the Recipe: Sweet Corn Chowder
Ingredients
- 1 small sweet onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 ears sweet corn, husk and silk removed and cut from the cobb
- 2 fresh jalapeños, seeded and chopped
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 4 ounces reduced fat cream cheese, room temperature so it melts well
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Heat a large sauce pan or dutch oven to medium heat.
- Add olive oil and chopped onion, sauté for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add corn and chopped jalapeños, sauté for 2 more minutes.
- Add broth, cumin, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper and stir well.
- Cover and reduce heat to medium low, let simmer for 20 minutes.
- Remove lid and add cream cheese, cream and cheddar, stir well.
- Let simmer uncovered for an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Garnish with cilantro and green onions if desired.
I applaud your clean up/out efforts! That is hard to do! Definitely makes you feel better. This chowder looks awesome! Definitely a delicious way to use that summer produce.
Yes I really do feel better! I am not sure why I put off things like this so much, it really isn’t all that bad once you get going!
Thanks Heather!
I also need to get into my closet and just clean it out. It’s such a daunting task, though…
I’d rather stuff my face with this beautiful chowder!
Oh yes, you better believe I am saving my closet for last! I would rather clean out the whole house twice verses my closet once!
Love this post! Beautiful photos and delicious recipe!
Thanks Becky!
Nothing makes me happier than getting rid of “junk”. Having a 900 sq ft house makes it very easy to pair down to the essentials. No space=no junk! Don’t you just sleep easier when your house is cleared out? This corn chowder sounds soooo good Annie! It’s been cloudy and hazy for like a month, so it is definitely soup weather here.
Absolutely!! Our house isn’t much bigger but I don’t really mind, I kind of like that we don’t have to maintain something big that we wouldn’t really use. Besides, we are always in the same room so why do we need more space?! ha!
OMG – you’re such an inspiration! I’ve been holding on to University stuff (books too) for 13 years!! Why? I think it’s because of all the teeth gnashing, hair pulling and pouring in of the heart and soul that makes me feel like that box is my right arm… augh. Your so right. It neeeds to go! Annie, I am so all over this recipe! I eat soup/chowder year round, and it’s rainy and cold out right now, so I am totally craving this right now! Delicious recipe!
It has rained here a ton in the past two weeks so even though it is warm it is certainly soup weather! 🙂 Thanks Traci, I hope you try it! You will love it!
Hi!
The soup flavor was great! How might I thicken it up to be more of a chowder consistency??
Thanks
Cheri 🙂
Hi Cheri, in our experience this has always been a thick consistency. You could always mix a tablespoon or so of cornstarch with hot water and stir it into the soup to thicken, but I can only recommend the recipe as written since that is the only way we have tried it. 🙂
Corn is one of those veggies that everyone loves, especially me! This soup looks flavorful and texture rich!
Sweet corn is seriously my favorite!! Thanks Medha!
I absolutely LOVE corn chowder. Although this just reminded me that I did buy some corn over the weekend and now, I can’t remember where I put it…
How funny! I hope you find it soon! 🙂 Thanks Kim!
You’re inspiring me to do the same spring cleaning in my house! If for no other reason than to find all the sweet memories. I LOVE sweet corn soup and this chowder looks sooo delicious – can’t wait to try!
Thanks Sarah!! Sometimes you just need comfort food!
I am ALL ABOUT sweet corn. I have sweet corn ice cream chilling right now and this is next on my list! It looks delicious!
Sweet corn ice cream?! That sounds amazing! I have got to try it!
How fun that you found all those memories hiding in your closets! I could eat sweet corn just about every day. This chowder looks like a perfect dish to make with it!
Thanks Rachelle! I could too! I think it is my favorite thing about Summer!
this looks so creamy! and I love the jalapeno in here, it must have given it a nice kick of flavor!
Thanks Michele! I love a little spice to bring it all together!
This soup looks so decadent! A totally deserved rewarded after all that cleaning! It’s so refreshing to sort through of all of that stuff, isn’t it?
It really is! It feels great to get things organized!! Thanks Michelle!
I love fresh sweet corn! This looks amazing!!!
I seriously need to clean up my whole entire life. I think this chowder would be the best incentive ever for me to get my act together. It looks so good.
It feels so good to get rid of old stuff, but I’m glad you found some treasures in the mix too! This soup looks so delicious, Annie. Your photos are beautiful!
Hello! That teal serving bowl is so lovely. Will you share where you found it/who makes it?
Can’t wait to make the chowder!
Hi Holly! Thank you so much! It came from World Market, I love it! They had a few different colors but I thought the blue was so lovely! 🙂 Here is the link: http://www.worldmarket.com/product/aqua+rustic+double-handled+soup+crocks%2C+set+of+4.do?&from=fn
When do you add the heavy cream? Not sure I missing that in the directions. Also do you cut corn off the Cobb uncooked?
Hi Stacy! Yes, you cut the corn off the cob totally uncooked. And you add the cream in step 6 with the cream cheese and cheddar. 🙂 I hope you enjoy! This is one of my favorites!
This recipe looks amazing! Do you think it would freeze well for the fall if I were to make a big batch using all this delicious summer corn?
Thanks for sharing!
Hi Sarah! I actually made a batch last week and frozen half. I haven’t thawed it yet but I expect it to work out just fine! 🙂 The only thing I would note is to reheat slowly because it does have dairy in it and you don’t want anything to curdle, so low and slow should do the trick! 🙂 I hope you enjoy we LOVE this chowder!
Thanks! I’m going to make it tonight!
Hi – How many will this recipe serve? I need to feed at least 6.
Hi Koz! This would serve four as a main dish very comfortably.
How many people does the corn chowder recipe feed? I was going to make it for a large group so I’m sure I need to double or triple. Let me know!
Never mind, just saw your answer to this!
I hope you enjoy Allison! 🙂
Maebells, I just tried your corn chowder recipe for the first time. I made it for my work soup cook off. Everyone loved it! It won first place! I think everyone was surprised by the rich smooth taste. I stayed with all the ingredients… even the Cabot sharp cheddar cheese. Winner! They ate every last drop, so sadly no leftovers. I will have to cook up another batch soon. Thank you!
Awesome Lori!! I am so glad this worked for you! We LOVE this one!!
If corn is not in season, could you use frozen sweet corn?
Hi Sam, sure thing. 6 ears of corn equals 5-6 cups of corn so you can use frozen or canned in it’s place. I hope you love it!