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!
- 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.
- 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.
- Add broth and half-and-half: add these ingredients gradually and stir constantly so lumps don’t form.
- Add potatoes and corn: these ingredients bulk up the soup and add delightful texture and flavor.
- 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.
What to Serve With This:
Summer Corn Chowder
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
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
Recommended Products
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)
This summer corn chowder is so yummy! I made it just as written and it turned out great. Thank you!
This was so yummy and all of my kids ages 8-16 ate it— a big feat! The fresh corn seems key in this.
The fresh corn adds a crunchy sweetness you just can’t get otherwise, so I agree! Glad you all loved this – thanks, Jenny!
Barely started to cool off outside and I knew we had to try this soup. So delicious! I made for some company, along with Peasant Bread, and everyone loved it!
Awesome, Melanie! Thanks for letting me know!
Seriously the best corn chowder ever! This is my go to chowder base now. Added cooked scallops!
Oh yum!!
This was super tasty. I’m trying to make recipes lower cholesterol so I experimented and swapped out the 1/2 & 1/2 for blended silken tofu with a bit of non dairy milk added. Used it in the same quantities as the dairy and worked out amazingly. (My husband had absolutely no idea, and even went back for more.)
For reference I used 16oz of silken tofu with about 1/2c of almond milk.which gave me about 3c total. (Silken tofu is a must as it’s a much softer texture than other kinds) will 100% make this again, and beyond happy that I found a way to make it a little more hearty healthy for me.
Thanks for the detailed comment, Jess!
I made this soup the same week you posted it. This was totally amazing delicious. I’ve never made anything with fresh corn off the cob and what a surprise yummy taste! I am definitely making it again this week!!
Thanks for sharing yummy recipes!!!
Thank you so much, Vi!
Made this tonight for a family birthday. It came out perfect! We found at the last moment we were out of Red Wine Vinegar so we did a combo of Balsamic/Apple Cider/and White Vinegars. We actually are excited to see what it tastes like tomorrow cold. The fresh corn was sooo good, we are glad you gave us a nudge to make sure we used fresh. This is a keeper!
The fresh corn really does put it over the top!!
This is one of the few recipes of Mel’s that was just OK to me. I’m giving it 4 stars because it was a 3 for us as written and a 4 after I made changes to the second half of the pot of soup.
I followed the recipe exactly and we ate part of it but found it bland. To the rest of it I added more sauteed onions, a pinch of cayenne, and some thyme. I will probably make the recipe again but will add at least a cup of onion, half teaspoon of thyme, and still a pinch of cayenne (I like heat but wasn’t going for that – just some warmth and flavor). I think I might sub a cup of the half and half with milk.
Thanks for the feedback, Kay. Sounds like your additional changes worked well for you and your family’s tastes!
This was such a good way to get in extra veggies. I was craving corn, so this was perfect timing for me. I am sure it would be better with cream but I used whole milk, and decreased the water a bit because that is what I had. I would make it again.
Thanks for your notes on how you adapted this! Glad to hear you liked it!
Can you freeze the leftovers?
It will probably freeze *ok* – soups with a high dairy content can sometimes be a bit grainy after defrosting.
This hit the spot!! Mine felt like it had a little too much of the liquid compared to the ingredients, but I imagine it will thicken up overnight. Flavors were wonderful and overall very satisfying!
Thanks for the review, Rebecca! Appreciate you taking the time to let me know.
I am impatiently waiting for soup weather, and this was the perfect way to start early. It was so, so good. Thank you for another great recipe.
Thank you so much, Misti! I am also anxiously awaiting full-on soup-everyday weather. 🙂
Loved the soup! Was a little leery about adding the red wine vinegar but it was delish!
I’m thrilled to know you loved the end result, Janel! Seriously, thanks for taking the time to let me know. It means a lot to me!
Fresh a delicious! Enjoyed by all!! Seconds a must!! Thank you for yet another wonderful meal!!
Yay, yay! Glad this was a hit, Elisabeth. Thank you for the comment and review!
Yum and yum!!! I made this last night for two of us. Big pot… my husband tasted it and said “do not give any away, we can handle the amount ourselves” 😂 it’s definitely delicious even on a hot day. Thanks Mel ♥️
Hahaha, your husband’s feedback is awesome. Glad you both enjoyed this!
Holy moly, the soup is phenomenal!!!! I was even able to use some fresh potatoes, carrots, and an onion from my garden too, which leveled it up even more. And that fresh sweet corn in there made it otherworldly delicious!! My six-year-old even asked if this could be her birthday meal in a few weeks. Freezing a ton of sweet corn now so I can make this in the wintertime and dream of summer!!!
I’ll be freezing corn right along with you for the same reason! So glad you and your family loved this, Michaela..thanks for letting me know!
This was fantastic! Creamy without being heavy, and a wonderful corn flavor (used local fresh corn). I used poblanos instead of green peppers, which added a nice smokey flavor, and omitted the carrots (as I did not have any). I’m looking forward to leftovers today!
Poblanos would be fantastic in this, Caitlin! Thanks for the recommendation and review!
Well, this is a home run my friend! Between the crispy, salty bacon, the picked-that-morning corn from my neighborhood farm, to the tang of the vinegar (I only had white wine vinegar and it worked perfectly!) 3 bowls later, I am full, happy, and grateful to have you in my internet world 🙂
Enjoy the rest of your summer!
Patricia
Ah, I appreciate you, Patricia! Thanks for the comment and review!
This was excellent! Super easy. Used thick cut bacon. Froze extra corn so I’m hoping that works for this recipe so I can make it in the winter months!
Frozen corn will work great for this recipe, Debbie!
This is the most amazing corn chowder I’ve ever had. We grew Yukon gold potatoes in our garden this year (easiest thing I’ve ever grown!) so it felt extra special to make this! My 13 year old had thirds. My soup-reluctant 10 year old scraped his bowl clean. I trusted you and added the vinegar – amazing! Will be making this again!
Homegrown potatoes! I bet those took this soup over the top! Thanks for letting me know what you thought of this recipe, Jenna!
This was so good! I’ve made other corn chowder recipes, and this is my favorite. It reminded me of a delicious bowl of corn chowder I enjoyed in Vancouver. I needed to use up some leftover, already cooked, corn on the cob, and it worked great. I’ll make this again soon!
Brittany, thanks for the comment! Glad this worked out well with previously cooked corn on the cob – I’ll store that tidbit away for later when I have extra!
My husband said “This might be the best soup I have even had” Great easy recipe with ingredients I had in my pantry.
Love that feedback, Brenda!! Thanks for letting me know!
Do you think this work with evaporated milk instead of 1/2 & 1/2?
TIA! 😊
I definitely think that is worth a try!
This recipe came out really good! Our whole family liked it and the leftovers were great the day after. My grocery store had fresh peeled corn which helped save some time. The only thing I changed was subbing some dried oregano and parsley for the dried dill since I didn’t have any.
I’m glad this was well-received by the family! Thanks for including your changes.
oh my goodness this soup is so good. i am officially replacing my long-time corn chowder recipe with this. so smooth and flavorful. also wondering what is the function of the red wine vinegar?
Thanks, Amy! Happy you enjoyed this! The red wine vinegar cuts through the creaminess and helps the flavors be balanced and a bit more nuanced.
So good! It’s a little time consuming but totally worth it! Delicious!
Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed it, Barbara!
I made this for dinner last night and everyone enjoyed it. We had six ears of corn to use up, but the cut corn came out to more like 8 cups of corn. I used it all anyway! It was fresh and delicious. My family would have enjoyed it a little more if I had added more meat than just the bacon. I might add some rotisserie chicken next time. Green onions on top were a nice sharp counterpoint to the sweetness of the corn. Lunch leftovers today were even better!
Thanks for adding your review and comment, Melissa! I appreciate it.
I don’t usually make a recipe the day it’s posted but I trust Mel with my dinner and my life! We have so much fresh corn right now and this is the perfect way to make it shine. This chowder is sweet, creamy and flavorful and tastes like summer in a bowl. Thank you Mel!!!
Elizabeth, I’m so happy to read this comment! Thanks for making this recipe so quickly…mostly, I’m thrilled you loved it! Yay!