Summer Corn Chowder

This amazing summer corn chowder makes the most of fresh sweet corn and is loaded with other vegetables, too. It is thick and creamy and so flavorful!

Do not sleep on this delicious chowder recipe! This might be the very best thing you’ll ever make with fresh, sweet corn. It is SO GOOD.

Step-by-Step Chowder Recipe

A really good chowder comes together in several fundamental steps. There is a fair amount of chopping to begin with, but after that, this summer corn chowder comes together easily!

1. Cook aromatic vegetables until slightly softened: onions, bell peppers, carrots and celery sauté in a bit of bacon grease. The bacon grease is leftover from crisping bacon and removing it from the pot to use later in the soup.
2. Add butter and flour to make a roux: cooking the butter and flour with the veggies for a minute or so helps cook out the flour taste and add golden flavor to the soup.
3. Add broth and half-and-half: add these ingredients gradually and stir constantly so lumps don’t form.
4. Add potatoes and corn: these ingredients bulk up the soup and add delightful texture and flavor.
5. Simmer the soup: cook the soup for 20 minutes or so until the potatoes and corn are tender.

Leveling Up Your Chowder

Following the above steps will ensure a maximally delicious chowder, but here are two additional ways to level up the flavor:

• At the end of cooking, stir in 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar. This might seem like an unusual ingredient, but it balances the rich flavors of the chowder and has become a necessary addition in every chowder recipe I make (not just this one). I promise, it’s a game-changer!
• Use in-season fresh corn. Shuck the corn and cut the kernels from the cob (don’t cook the corn first). Simmering the corn in the soup infuses the chowder with a hint of sweetness, and the crisp-tender morsels of corn throughout the soup are absolutely phenomenal.

If you’re making this chowder outside of fresh corn season, frozen corn kernels can be used – but only if you promise me you’ll make it with fresh corn at some point in your life. It is incomparably delicious with fresh sweet corn. 🌽

A Few Additional Notes

This summer corn chowder will thicken slightly as it cools. Serve it warm or let it cool, refrigerate, and reheat when needed. This soup tastes even better the next day.

For a slightly different texture, you can try blending some of the soup (up to half) with an immersion blender or transferring the soup to a blender (be sure to vent the lid to let steam escape).

Summer or not, this is one of the most delicious soups I’ve ever made. I will be buying up all the fresh, sweet corn I can find until the end of summer in order to make this chowder. It is phenomenal! I can’t wait for you to try it.

Summer Corn Chowder

Yield: 8 to 8 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 35 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

4.97 stars (27 ratings)

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Ingredients

• 5 strips bacon, regular or thick-cut, chopped
• ½ cup diced onion, about 1/2 medium onion
• ½ cup diced celery, about 1 large rib of celery
• ½ cup diced carrots, about 2 small carrots
• ½ cup red bell pepper, about 1 medium pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups chicken broth or stock
• 3 cups half-and-half (see note)
• 2 to 3 cups peeled and diced Yukon gold or russet potatoes, about 3 large potatoes
• 4 cups fresh corn kernels, about 6 medium cobs (see note)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ¼ teaspoon dried dill
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

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Instructions 

• In a large pot set over medium heat, add the bacon and cook until crisp. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving 2 tablespoons bacon grease in the pot.
• To the pot, add the onions, bell pepper, celery and carrots. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the onions are mostly translucent. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 15 to 30 seconds.
• Add the butter and stir until melted. Add the flour and stir until the vegetables are evenly coated. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Gradually add the broth slowly while stirring or whisking constantly.
• Add the half-and-half, potatoes, corn, salt, pepper, paprika and dill. Bring the soup to a low boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook for 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
• Stir in the red wine vinegar and reserved bacon. Add additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
• The soup will thicken slightly as it cools. Serve warm or let cool, refrigerate, and reheat when needed. This soup tastes even better the next day.

Notes

Half-and-Half: if you don’t have half-and-half on hand, use half milk and half cream. Or you can try using all milk, although the soup will likely be less thick and creamy. 

Corn: fresh summer sweet corn is other-worldly delicious in this soup (please promise me you’ll try it). However, if you are making this when fresh corn is not in season, frozen corn kernels can be subbed for the fresh corn kernels. 

Author: Mel Gunnell

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Method: Stovetop

Serving: 1 serving (about 1 1/2 cups of soup), Calories: 333kcal, Carbohydrates: 32g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 20g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 48mg, Sodium: 1107mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 9g

Recommended Products

6 Quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven

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Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (adapted from a “Perfect Chowder” recipe I published in an e-cookbook years ago that is no longer for sale)

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