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Corn chowder served ready to eat.

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Corn chowder

Yield
4 servings

Make this when sweet corn is piled high at the market. It teaches you to get every bit of flavor out of the ear: the kernels, the milky pulp you scrape off the cob, and the bare cobs themselves, simmered right in the pot. Blending part of the chowder gives it body without a heavy hand of flour.

Ingredients
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Ingredients

Servings
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Batches and reset

4 servings · US measures · 1 batch

Batching

Cook one batch in each 5- to 6-quart pot. For 8 servings, cook a second batch in its own pot. The cues stay the same; cooking time does not multiply with the ingredient amounts.

Original recipe: 4 servings.

The optional red bell pepper and bay leaf, the extra salt and the black pepper are left out of the base nutrition scenario. The chowder is made with water, not broth.

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Before you start

  • Read through the recipe before the pot goes on the heat. Gather the pot, knife and bowls for the corn, slotted spoon, lined plate, tongs, blender, ladle and the measured ingredients.

Directions

Corn kernels and milky pulp surround an inverted bowl beside scraped cobs and prepared vegetables.
1

Read and gather

For the whole recipe

Read through the recipe and gather the equipment. Use the ingredient lines to prepare and measure everything. To cut the corn, stand each ear on the small bowl turned upside down inside the large bowl, slice down the sides, then scrape each bare cob firmly with the back of the knife so the milky pulp falls into the bowl with the kernels. Line a plate with paper towels for the bacon. The kernels, pulp and halved cobs are ready, and everything else is measured.

Crisp bacon drains on paper towels beside a pot coated with rendered fat.
2

Cook the bacon until crisp

For each pot of chowder

Cook about 4 oz bacon in the 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over medium heat, stirring now and then, until the fat has melted out and the pieces are brown and crisp, about 8 minutes. Lift the bacon onto the paper towels with the slotted spoon, then spoon fat out of the pot until only a thin layer covers the bottom.

Translucent onion, celery, and red pepper soften around a wooden spoon in the pot.
3

Melt the butter and soften the vegetables

For each pot of chowder

Melt 1 tbsp unsalted butter in the bacon fat over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, the bell pepper if you are using it, and 1/4 tsp fine salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is soft and see-through but not browned, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Bare corn cobs simmer beside potatoes while a spoon crushes one tender cube.
4

Stir in the garlic and simmer the potatoes with the cobs

For each pot of chowder

Stir in the garlic and thyme leaves until they smell fragrant. Add about 3 cups water, the potatoes, the halved cobs, the bay leaf if you are using it, and 1/2 tsp fine salt, scraping up anything stuck to the bottom of the pot. Push the cobs down into the liquid; they do not need to be covered. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then turn to medium-low heat and simmer with the lid ajar until a potato cube crushes easily against the side of the pot, about 15 minutes.

Bright corn kernels and tender potatoes fill the pot beside a bowl of removed cobs.
5

Lift out the cobs and add the kernels

For each pot of chowder

Lift out the cobs, and the bay leaf if you used it, with the tongs, letting them drip over the pot, and throw them away. Stir in the corn kernels and their pulp. Simmer over medium-low heat until the kernels turn a brighter yellow and taste sweet and tender, about 5 minutes.

An immersion blender thickens one area while whole corn kernels and potatoes remain visible.
6

Take the pot off the heat and blend part of the chowder

For each pot of chowder

Take the pot off the heat. Ladle about a quarter of the chowder, heavy on corn and potato, into the blender, filling it no more than half full. Remove the center cap from the lid, cover the opening with a folded kitchen towel, and blend, starting on low, until the purée is smooth, about 30 seconds. Stir the purée back into the pot. With an immersion blender instead, give the pot four or five short pulses in one spot.

Creamy corn chowder warms around a wooden spoon with small bubbles along the edge.
7

Set the pot over low heat and add the milk and cream

For each pot of chowder

Set the pot over low heat and stir in about 1 cup whole milk and about 1/2 cup heavy cream. Warm, stirring, until the chowder steams and small bubbles form at the edge without breaking the surface, about 5 minutes.

A tasting spoon holds corn and potato above creamy chowder flecked with black pepper.
8

Taste and adjust the seasoning

For each pot of chowder

Taste a spoonful with corn and potato. Aim for sweet corn up front, savory from the bacon, and creamy without feeling heavy. If it tastes flat, add fine salt to taste. If it tastes sweet but dull, stir in 1–2 tsp fresh lemon juice, a little at a time, then add black pepper to taste. The chowder tastes sweet, savory and bright.

Four bowls of creamy corn chowder carry crisp bacon pieces and sliced chives.
9

Ladle and serve

For the whole recipe

Ladle the chowder into warm bowls to make 4 servings, and top each bowl with the bacon and the chives. Refrigerate leftovers within two hours. Reheat them over low heat, stirring, until the center reads 165°F (74°C) on an instant-read thermometer. The chowder is portioned and topped.

About this recipe

Research preview: these details come from our sourced research and haven't been reviewed by our chef yet.

Why it works

Simmering the stripped cobs in the water pulls more corn flavor into the pot, blending part of the soup thickens it without flour, and keeping the milk and cream below a boil keeps them smooth.

Associated with

American (New England) chowder cooking

Corn chowder recipes appear in Boston cookbooks from the 1880s and 1890s, when canned corn and salt pork were common. Shaker cooks later made a simple version with cream, butter and fresh corn, and the soup is often served as a meat-free alternative to clam chowder.

Taste

  • Sweet
  • Sour
  • Salty
  • Bitter
  • Savory
  • Heat

Sweet fresh corn with smoky, savory bacon., Creamy but not heavy; a little lemon juice lifts the finish. · creamy, partly blended body with tender potato cubes and sweet kernels, crisp bacon on top · hot

Skill level

Easy

Every step is a basic stovetop task. The care points are cutting the corn, blending hot soup safely and keeping the dairy below a boil.

You'll practice: Cut kernels off the cob and scrape the cobs, Render bacon until crisp, Blend hot soup safely, Warm milk and cream without boiling

Allergens

Contains: milk.

Bacon cures and flavorings vary, so check the bacon label. Bottled lemon juice can contain sulfites; check the label.

Diets

Vegetarian: Doesn't fit as written Vegan: Doesn't fit as written Pescatarian: Doesn't fit as written Dairy: See the allergen lines Egg: See the allergen lines Gluten: See the allergen lines

Occasions

  • Lenten Fridays (Catholic) · Fits with a change

    Bacon is meat. Leaving it out and using butter with smoked paprika makes the chowder meatless for days of abstinence.

    Ash Wednesday (Western Easter minus 46 days), Good Friday and every Friday of Lent

    Next: February 10, 2027 (expected)

    Next: March 26, 2027 (expected)

  • Fresh sweet-corn season · Seasonal fit

    The recipe is built on fresh sweet corn and its cobs; frozen or canned corn can stand in out of season.

    Late summer in the Northern Hemisphere, when fresh sweet corn is at the market

Course: main-dish, soup-course · Technique: render, sweat, simmer, blend · Time: 30-to-60-minutes, make-ahead

Serving and keeping

Best served: Right after the final seasoning In warm bowls topped with the crisp bacon, chives and black pepper

Make ahead: Reheat gently and add the bacon and chives when you serve.

Storage: Refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90 °F), divided into shallow containers so it cools quickly. Freeze for longer keeping; frozen soup stays safe, and federal charts suggest using it within 2 to 3 months for best quality.

Leftovers: Keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Reheat gently, stirring, to 165 °F (74 °C), then taste for salt and lemon again.

Food safety

  • Fill the blender no more than half full, remove the center cap and hold a folded towel over the opening; hot soup can push the lid off.
  • If you use the bay leaf, lift it out with the cobs; it stays stiff and is not eaten.
  • Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, in shallow containers.

We make no statement about cross-contact in your kitchen or in packaged ingredients. Check the bacon and other packaged items.

Nutrition notes

Corn and potatoes supply most of the carbohydrate and fiber.

Bacon, cream and butter supply most of the saturated fat.

Bacon and the added salt carry most of the sodium. Using less of both and finishing with lemon juice lowers it.

We don't show nutrition claims (like “good source of”) until our legal review is done.

Swap notes

  • bacon · vegetarian

    Works with changes

    Use: extra butter with smoked paprika

    What changes: Skip rendering the bacon; melt the extra butter in the pot and add the smoked paprika with the garlic.; Cleaner, sweeter taste with gentler smoke and no crisp topping.

    Not a swap: A researched proposal: this page's ingredient list, allergens and nutrition still describe the recipe as written.

  • bacon

    Works with changes

    Use: extra butter with smoked paprika

    What changes: Same change as the vegetarian swap; dairy stays, which days of abstinence allow.

    Not a swap: A researched proposal: this page's ingredient list, allergens and nutrition still describe the recipe as written.

  • bacon · halal

    Works with changes

    Use: extra butter with smoked paprika, or halal-certified beef bacon

    What changes: Removes the pork. Check that the butter and any beef bacon suit the standard you keep.

    Not a swap: A researched proposal: this page's ingredient list, allergens and nutrition still describe the recipe as written.

  • bacon

    Works with changes

    Use: extra butter with smoked paprika

    What changes: Without the bacon the soup is a dairy dish; use certified dairy, herbs and spices.

    Not a swap: A researched proposal: this page's ingredient list, allergens and nutrition still describe the recipe as written.

  • whole milk · vegan

    Works with changes

    Use: unsweetened soy or oat milk

    What changes: Use with the bacon and butter swaps below and leave out the cream.; Soy milk adds soy, a major allergen.; Less rich and slightly thinner; blend a little more of the pot for body.

    Not a swap: A researched proposal: this page's ingredient list, allergens and nutrition still describe the recipe as written.

  • heavy cream · vegan

    Works with changes

    What changes: Leave out the cream and blend a little more of the soup for body.

    Not a swap: A researched proposal: this page's ingredient list, allergens and nutrition still describe the recipe as written.

  • unsalted butter · vegan

    Works with changes

    Use: olive oil

    What changes: Use the same amount of olive oil for cooking the vegetables.

    Not a swap: A researched proposal: this page's ingredient list, allergens and nutrition still describe the recipe as written.

  • bacon · vegan

    Works with changes

    Use: olive oil with smoked paprika

    What changes: Replaces both the bacon and its fat.

    Not a swap: A researched proposal: this page's ingredient list, allergens and nutrition still describe the recipe as written.

  • bacon

    Works with changes

    Use: about half the bacon

    What changes: Bacon carries much of the sodium; using half gives less smoke and a smaller topping.; Taste at the end and finish with lemon juice for brightness instead of more salt.

    Not a swap: A researched proposal: this page's ingredient list, allergens and nutrition still describe the recipe as written.

  • fresh chives

    Works with changes

    Use: chopped parsley

    What changes: Garnish with parsley instead of chives.

    Not a swap: A researched proposal: this page's ingredient list, allergens and nutrition still describe the recipe as written.

  • Yukon Gold potatoes · jain

    Not recommended

    Not a swap: No supported swap: potatoes give the chowder its body, and onion and garlic are also root or bulb vegetables.

These notes don't change the amounts, allergens or nutrition shown for this recipe.

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Recipe url
https://isthebestrecipe.com/soups/corn-chowder
Name
Corn chowder
Servings
4
Recipe yield
4 servings
Recipe ingredient
about 4 oz bacon cut into 1/2-inch (1.3 cm) pieces, 1 tbsp unsalted butter, 1 whole medium yellow onion finely chopped, 2 stalks celery finely chopped, 3/4 tsp fine salt, 2 cloves garlic minced, 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, about 3 cups water, about 1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes scrubbed, skin on, cut into 1/2-inch (1.3 cm) cubes, 6 whole ears fresh sweet corn husked, kernels cut off, the bare cobs scraped for their milky pulp and then halved, about 1 cup whole milk, about 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1–2 tsp fresh lemon juice, to taste black pepper freshly ground, 2 tbsp fresh chives thinly sliced
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Corn chowder