Corn Chowder Recipe A Couple Cooks

When sweet corn starts to appear at farmers markets, we crave corn chowder—no matter how hot it is! There’s something about this cozy bowl that makes it work both in the heat of summer and on cozy fall days, too. It’s seriously creamy, with a savory, salty, and sweet flavor from simmering the corn cobs directly in the pot. And it’s even more fun paired with a side of flaky buttermilk Biscuits! (Or, try this Vegan Corn Chowder or Chicken Corn Chowder.)

Ingredients in corn chowder

Corn chowder is a simple concept: chop veggies, then simmer in milk and broth to perfection. This recipe takes a bit of prep time because of all the chopping. Depending on your prowess with knife skills, it can take a range of time to prepare. Even better: grab your partner or kids to help with all the prep! Here’s what you’ll need (with knife skills tips linked if applicable):

Onion, mincedCeleryCarrotsGarlic, mincedPotatoes, dicedCorn, cut off the cobButter and olive oilVegetable brothMilkHeavy creamSpices: Smoked paprika, dried thyme, onion powder, garlic powderSalt and pepper

Tips for this corn chowder recipe

After the vegetable chopping, the remainder of making this corn chowder recipe is a breeze! Sauté the veggies, then add milk and veggie broth and simmer. Here are a few tricks we’ve used in this recipe to make it ultra creamy and flavorful:

Simmer in milk and vegetable broth. Many corn chowder recipes use whole milk or cream. This spin uses 2% milk and a bit of veggie broth, with a little cream mixed in at the end.Skip the bacon. To keep it on the healthy side, this is a vegetarian potato corn chowder with no bacon. (And if you want one without dairy, try our vegan corn chowder.)Simmer with the corn cobs. To get major flavor into this corn chowder, the corn cobs are simmered in the broth. This infuses a sweet corn flavor throughout the entire soup.Puree some of the soup itself. Blending a few cups of the soup together results in a beautifully creamy soup body without adding calories.

How to cut corn off of the cob without a mess!

We love sweet corn recipes, but we used to have an issue with a spray of flying yellow specks all over our kitchen every time we tried to cut it. Cutting corn off of the cob can be a little messy, and this corn chowder calls for 4 to 6 ears! Here are a few ways we like to cut corn without making a mess:

Bundt pan method. Place the corn cob right on top of the raised center part of a bundt pan. When you slice downward, the Bundt pan catches all the corn kernels. Genius! Here’s How to Cut Corn Off the Cob.Inverted small bowl inside larger bowl. Same method as above, but if you don’t have a Bundt pan, you can use an inverted small bowl inside a larger bowl. (Here’s a video.)Mandoline. If you have a mandoline, you can use it to cut corn off the cob. It slides right off without making a mess.

What to serve with corn chowder

This corn chowder recipe is creamy and delicious, bursting with rich flavor, soft potatoes and pops of sweet corn. However, it’s not quite a meal in itself, since it doesn’t have a protein source. (If you prefer it with chicken, try our Chicken Corn Chowder!) Add a side to make it into a satisfying meal! Here are a few side ideas to serve with corn chowder:

Biscuits, homemade or purchasedPopoversGreen salads, like an apple salad, arugula Salad, wedge salad, pear salad, or romaine saladGrilled cheese, like gourmet grilled cheese or grilled cheese in the ovenQuesadillas, like this easy quesadilla or quesadillas in the oven

More corn recipes

There are so many great ways to use corn in recipes! Here are a few more ways to cook it:

Go for light Fresh Corn Soup insteadLearn how to grill corn on the cobTry Oven Roasted Corn on the Cob, an easy way to cook it! Go for Corn Fritters, Corn Salsa or Creamed Corn