Thick, rich and super creamy, this stick-to-your ribs Potato Corn Chowder is a family favorite. Swimming with tender potato chunks, sweet corn, smoky bacon and topped with garlicky chives, a bowl of this velvety soup is the best way to warm up when it's cold outside.
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When the temperatures drop, nothing beats a warm, comforting bowl of soup, and this creamy Potato Corn Chowder recipe is hearty, filling and guaranteed to please everyone!
Why you'll love this recipe
✔︎ Every bite of this rich, creamy soup satisfies your comfort food cravings. Plus it makes excellent leftovers!
✔︎ The rich soup tastes like it took hours on the stove, but it's super easy to make. You can have it on the table in just 45 minutes.
✔︎ Soups actually improve in flavor as they age, so you can make this soup up to 3 days ahead of time, and it will still be absolutely delicious.
Ingredients
Like most of your favorite home-cooked meals, this recipe uses a handful of items you probably already have in your fridge and pantry.
A few ingredient notes:
Bacon: I like to use center cut bacon as it is meatier than regular bacon, but feel free to use what you have on hand. If you use regular bacon, you may want to drain a bit of the extra fat leftover after cooking.
Corn: Use fresh corn if it's in season. Defrosted frozen corn works great the rest of the year.
Potatoes: I used Russet potatoes because of their high starch content. It helps create the creamy consistency when you add the potato puree back to the soup, but feel free to use any potatoes you have on hand.
Cream: You can use half and half or even whole milk for this recipe, but you won't get the same rich flavor that you do from heavy cream.
Instructions
You can make this corn and potato chowder in just a few simple steps:
Cook bacon in a dutch oven over medium heat until cooked through. Remove from pan with slotted spoon.
Melt butter in pan and cook celery, onions and carrots for about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
Add corn, potatoes, broth and cream, stirring to remove the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
Bring to a low boil, reduce heat to medium low, cover and gently simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
Remove half of soup from pot and place in a blender. Pulse until smooth.
Return pureed soup to the pot and stir in ⅔ of bacon and fresh chives. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.
FAQs
Soups and stews tend to have thinner broths where chowders are often thicker. A chowder is technically defined as a thick soup made with corn, potatoes, onions and milk or cream. It often contains chunky ingredients like a stew but it is also rich and creamy.
Many recipes use a roux (a combination of butter and flour) to thicken chowder, but I created creaminess by pureeing half of the soup in a blender and stirring it back into the pot. The starchy corn and potatoes naturally thicken the chowder and make it creamy without adding any extra ingredients or steps. If you don't have a blender, you can scoop out about half of the potatoes and mash with a potato masher before returning to the pot.
In general, potato and cream-based soups don't freeze well because their textures and consistencies change during the freezing process, so only make what you plan to use promptly. This soup will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days, and the flavor improves each day.
Expert Tips for making Potato Corn Chowder
✘ Heavy cream gives this soup its rich flavor. You can substitute half and half or whole milk, but it will not have the same flavor or creaminess.
✘ Short on time? No need to defrost the corn overnight. Simply microwave it for a few minutes or pour it in frozen and heat for a few minutes longer.
✘ You can make this soup up to three days ahead of time. After the soup has cooled completely, store covered in the fridge. It does not freeze well.
✘ Leftover meats make excellent additions to this soup. Stir in leftover ham or chicken, toss a spinach salad and heat up a loaf of garlic bread for a tasty meal.
More Easy Soup Recipes
These are some of our favorite soups on chilly fall and winter nights!
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Recipe
Potato Corn Chowder
Ingredients
- 6 slices center cut bacon, chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ¾ cup chopped celery
- ¾ cup chopped carrots
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups corn kernels (defrost if using frozen corn)
- 1 pound Russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- salt and pepper
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Instructions
- Cook bacon in a dutch oven or large soup pot over medium-low heat until cooked through. Remove from pan with slotted spoon and set aside to drain on a plate lined with a paper towel.6 slices center cut bacon,
- Melt butter in dutch oven and stir in onion, celery and carrot. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.1 tablespoon butter, ½ cup chopped onion, ¾ cup chopped celery, ¾ cup chopped carrots, 3 cloves garlic,
- Add corn, potatoes, broth and cream, stirring to remove the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Bring to a low boil, reduce heat to medium low, cover and gently simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.4 cups corn kernels, 1 pound Russet potatoes,, 4 cups chicken broth, 1 cup heavy cream
- Remove half of soup from pot and place in a blender. Pulse until smooth. Return to pot.
- Stir in ⅔ of bacon and fresh chives. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and garnish with remaining bacon and more fresh chives, if desired.2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, salt and pepper
Notes
- Center cut bacon is meatier than regular bacon but feel free to use whatever you have on hand.
- Fresh or frozen corn can be used in this recipe. If using frozen corn, defrost it first, if possible. If you forget, you can use frozen corn but you'll need to tack on a few minutes of cooking time to the recipe.
- Russet potatoes are nice and starchy to help add creaminess to this chowder but you can use whatever potatoes you have on hand.
- Heavy cream gives the best flavor to this recipe but you can substitute half and half or whole milk. Just know your soup won't be quite as rich or creamy.
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Nutrition
Nutrition info not guaranteed to be accurate.
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