This easy potato corn chowder is thick, creamy, hearty, and full of flavor. This soup is loaded with corn, potatoes, onions, celery, and topped with crispy bacon and chives. It’s a delicious meal that’s sure to become a family favorite.
For this easy corn chowder recipe, we use canned cream style corn and frozen corn instead of starting with fresh sweet corn. Convenience ingredients let us take a shortcut, so we get a wonderful soup without a lot of time or fuss. So, you can get a great meal on the table even on a busy weeknight.
This is a great year-round soup. The sweet corn flavor is perfect for summer. And the creamy texture and hearty potatoes make this a cozy soup that hits the spot on chilly days. If you love creamy soups like we do try our artichoke soup, or a creamy vegetable soup. They’re wholesome and made with simple ingredients.
Ingredients
- Dairy – Butter is used to sauté the vegetables and works with flour to thicken the soup. Use regular or unsalted butter. Half and half or whole milk is used to add a creamy touch to the soup at the end.
- Vegetables – Onions (use a white or yellow onion), celery, and garlic add flavor to the base of the corn chowder soup. Canned cream style sweet corn and frozen corn are the stars of the show. Find cream style corn in the canned vegetable aisle of the grocery store. For the potatoes we use russet potatoes but Yukon gold potatoes, yellow or red potatoes will also work. I like the russets because they break down some and thicken the soup further. The Yukon, yellow or red potatoes will be firmer with a creamy texture.
- Spices – This creamy soup is simply seasoned with salt and pepper.
- Flour – Use all-purpose flour.
- Broth – We use chicken broth, but vegetable broth can be substituted if you want to make a vegetarian corn chowder.
- Optional garnish – Chopped cooked bacon, chives or green onions are a great way to top this soup.
- See the recipe card for quantities and preparation.
Instructions
- Melt the 3 tablespoons of butter in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. When the butter is melted and foamy add the onions and celery. Cook for 3 minutes. Stir frequently.
- Next, add the garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook for 1 minute, stir often.
- Then, add the flour and cook for 1-1½ minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. Stir almost constantly.
- Now, start adding the broth while stirring briskly with a whisk or a wooden spoon. Continue adding and stirring until the flour is dissolved.
- Then, add the creamed corn, stir well. Raise the heat and bring the soup to a simmer. Lower the heat to medium-low when it starts simmering. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally and keep the liquid at a simmer. Raise or lower the heat as necessary.
- Add the potatoes and defrosted corn to the corn chowder. Bring to a simmer, lower the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Stir occasionally.
- Finally, lower the heat to low, add the half and half (or milk), stir well, cover and cook gently for 2-3 minutes to heat through.
- Taste and add salt if needed. As a reference we added ½ teaspoon to ours.
Ladle the potato corn chowder into soup bowls, garnish with smoky bacon bits and chopped chives and serve with slices of crusty bread, if desired.
Cook’s note
Simmering store-bought broth for a few minutes with a flavor base (like onions, celery, garlic, spices, etc.) helps infuse it with the flavor of the base. This step adds to the cooking time, but it gives soup a deeper flavor and that “homemade” taste.
Storing and reheating instructions
Store leftover corn chowder in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. To freeze the soup, cool it quickly and place in freezer-safe containers. Leave an inch or two to allow for expansion. Freeze for 2-3 months.
Gently, reheat the soup in a covered saucepan over medium-low to low heat until heated through (at least 165°F), stir occasionally – or reheat in the microwave. It may be necessary to add a few tablespoons of broth or water when reheating because the potato corn chowder thickens when stored.
For more information on food storage and safety guidelines visit U.S. Department of Agriculture and foodsafety.gov.
One final note
You can make a vegetarian version of this corn chowder by using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and skip the bacon topping.
A big bowl of this corn and potato chowder on a cold day is comfort food at its best. If you like this easy recipe, you may also like our popular navy bean soup, a warming carrot ginger soup, and this classic potato soup.
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📖 Recipe
Easy Potato Corn Chowder
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons Butter
- 1 medium Onion small dice (yellow or white onion)
- 1 Celery Rib diced
- 2-3 Garlic Cloves minced
- ½ teaspoon Salt plus extra at the end if needed
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 4 tablespoons All Purpose Flour
- 4 cups Chicken Broth
- 2 (16 ounce) cans Cream Style Sweet Corn
- 10 ounces Frozen Corn defrosted (cooked to approximately half the suggested time on the package)
- 1½ pound Potatoes peeled and diced (we use russet potatoes but Yukon gold potatoes, yellow or red potatoes will also work)
- ½ cup Half and Half or Whole Milk
- 4-5 Bacon Slices cooked crispy for garnish – optional
- 1 tablespoon Chopped Chives or Green Onions for garnish – optional
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. When the butter is melted and foamy add the onions and celery. Cook for 3 minutes until the onions are translucent. Stir frequently.
- Add the garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook for 1 minute, stir often.
- Add the flour and cook for 1-1½ minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. Stir almost constantly.
- Next, start adding the broth while stirring briskly with a whisk or a wooden spoon. Continue adding and stirring until the flour is dissolved.
- Then, add the creamed corn, stir.
- Raise the heat and bring the soup to a simmer (will take about 5 minutes). Lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally and keep the liquid at a simmer. Raise or lower the heat as necessary.
- In the meantime, cook the corn enough to defrost. Usually, half the recommended time on the package will be sufficient. Drain well.
- Add the potatoes and corn to the corn chowder. If it does not start simmering right away raise the heat a bit. Then, lower the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Stir occasionally to make sure the potatoes are not sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Finally, lower the heat to low, add the half and half (or milk), stir well, cover and cook gently for 2-3 minutes to heat through.
- Taste and add salt if needed. As a reference we added ½ teaspoon to ours.
- Serve the soup into individual bowls, garnish with chopped bacon and chives, if desired.
Nutrition
The nutritional information above is computer generated and is only an estimate. There is no guarantee that it is accurate. This data is provided as a courtesy for informational purposes only.
Chrissy C
Made it the only modification was I used the bacon drippings and a tablespoon of butter to sautee with the onions and celery. Plus I used plant based cream instead of half and half to keep it dairy free. The Chowder was delicious. I've never made it with creamed corn before. I will make it again. Thanks!