Corn Chowder is hearty and creamy, made with potatoes, half and half, and sweet corn, then topped with thick cut bacon, ready in 30 minutes!
It’s comfort food season, and our kitchen is busy whipping up some of our classic favorites like Slow Cooker Beef Chili, Ultimate Slow Cooker Pot Roast and Ultimate Garlic Pork Loin Roast!
CORN CHOWDER
Corn Chowder is thick and creamy, made with fresh corn kernels, potatoes, and half and half in a seasoned broth. It’s the PERFECT comfort food for cold weather because it’s really hearty and filling. I make this at least a few times a month during the winter.
HOW TO THICKEN CORN CHOWDER
This corn chowder recipe has a creamy broth with big chunks of vegetables and bacon. If you want a creamier corn chowder, add 2-3 tablespoons of flour to the bacon grease and onions after you remove the bacon.
Whisk for 1-2 minutes until the flour starts to brown, then add the half and half, whisking to combine. Then follow the recipe as written, adding more broth until you reach a desired consistency.
You can also whisk 2 tablespoons of corn starch in with the cold broth before you add it to the chowder. As the broth heats, it will thicken the soup. You can add more or less corn starch and broth to reach your preferred thickness.
A third option would be to take the immersion blender and cream the soup to your desired consistency. When I do this, I usually reserve some of the cooked vegetables on the side to add back in at the end, and top with bacon right before serving.
HOW LONG IS CORN CHOWDER GOOD FOR?
Corn chowder will last 3-4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
HOW TO MAKE CORN CHOWDER IN THE CROCK POT
- Add all ingredients to the crock pot, except the half and half and the bacon.
- Cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4 hours.
- When the chowder is about a half hour away from being done, stir in half and half.
- In a skillet cook bacon until crispy and cut into pieces.
- Top with bacon and serve.
HOW TO MAKE CORN CHOWDER IN THE INSTANT POT
- Use the sauté feature to cook the bacon, then the onions until translucent.
- Add all ingredients except for the half and half or the bacon to the instant pot. Close the lid and seal the valve.
- Use the manual setting on high for 10 minutes, then let release naturally.
- Once the pressure is released, open the pot and stir in half and half. Top with bacon and serve.
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CAN YOU FREEZE CORN CHOWDER?
This recipe has potatoes and dairy, so freezing it may make it more mushy and cause some of the milk to separate and become grainy when you reheat it.
If you want to make this corn chowder recipe ahead and freeze it, I would stop before the potatoes are completely cooked through and wait to add the half and half until you’re reheating it.
WHAT OTHER VEGETABLES CAN YOU ADD TO CORN CHOWDER?
- Bell peppers
- Celery
- Parsnips
- Carrots
- Green beans
MORE CREAMY CHOWDER AND SOUP RECIPES
- Creamy Chicken Poblano Pepper Soup
- Tomato Bisque
- Slow Cooker Bacon Chicken Chowder
- Slow Cooker Clam Chowder
- Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Soup
TIPS FOR MAKING CORN CHOWDER
- Add a sprinkle of cheddar cheese to the top of the chowder for extra flavor.
- If you want to add some spice to this corn chowder recipe, add ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper and chopped peppers. Top with sliced jalapeños.
- You can use canned corn, frozen corn, or cut the kernels off of the corn cob yourself for this recipe.
- Serve with crackers or a warm slice of buttered bread or corn bread.
Ingredients
- 8 slices thick cut bacon chopped
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 4 yukon potatoes diced
- 4 cups sweet corn
- 2 cups half and half
Instructions
- Add the bacon to a large dutch oven on medium heat and cook until crisp, removing the bacon and reserving two tablespoons of bacon fat.
- Add the onions to the the pot and cook for 2-3 minutes before adding in the salt, pepper, thyme, broth, potatoes and corn and bringing to a boil before reducing to a simmer and cooking the potatoes for 20 minutes until they're tender.
- Add in the half and half, heat through and serve topped with the bacon crumbles.
Notes
Nutrition
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Yummy I did add diced peppers to this but very good
Making this now, using ham instead of bacon.
I made this and I cannot stop eating it!!!!! I’m in love with it ????
This is sooo good. I add rotisserie chicken and cream cheese to mine and have made this several times.
Sabrina
Your recipe is wonderful. I have a slight dilemma. I added celery but that’s not the problem. Corn Chowder with Potatoes….vs Potato Chowder with Corn! Hey, wait a second. I guess it’s all in the measurements?
Delicious !! Love this soup followed the recipe exactly except I did one cup half and one cup milk. Very tasty will definitely make this again.
Thanks for a great new soup
Hi,
For this corn chowder recipe, how many ears of corn make four cups?
Clay
Your recipe cane up when searching for ways to use remaining half-n-half from another recipe. It’s gotten cooler here, at least for today, and I had all the rest of the ingredients on hand, so corn chowder it is! I followed the recipe making the minor subs of red potatoes instead of Yukon, dried thyme for fresh. I had fresh (put up) corn, added a few sprinkles of red pepper flakes and thickened my half and half before adding to the soup. And for color, I added fresh minced green onion tops with the bacon topping. It was a hit with both hubby and I. I will definitely be making this again AND sharing with my daughter, as I know she and her husband will love it too!??
Yay!! I’m so glad you found this recipe.
This has become a household favorite! So much flavor in so little time!
Fantastic!
Excellent! Easy to make, and fast too! Husband actually said I can make this one again!
Yay!!
When do you add in the bacon fat?
You’ll want to use the bacon fat for cooking the onions. Enjoy!
I just made this chowder in the crockpot. EXCELLENT! This is incredibly flavorful and hearty. I did use the suggestion provided and I did thicken it. I also added a few shredded carrots and sliced up celery. The onion flavor really makes this a hit I think. Paired this with garlic toast. This is a great recipe! Had plenty of leftovers and froze them for future quick meals. Thank you!
Happy to hear you loved it! I like the pairing with the garlic toast 🙂 Thanks for the review!
Absolutely delicious! I’m so happy to add this to my soup rotation. Thanks so much.
So happy you liked it! This is the perfect time of year for it too!
Delish!! Made this with leftover spiral ham in the instant pot. Added cream once cooked and some instant potato mix to thicken! Turned out great!! Family favorite!!!
Yum! What a great way to jazz up leftovers!
This was awesome, it helped me alot. I kinda tweaked things alittle to the things I had, or had already started but came out perfect. I had some how ran out of flour, I had salt pork- corn on the cob, and just went for it- oh and I added more because I had more corn. My mom never blended some. But she passed away & Dad wanted corn chowder so Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad it turned out for you and your Dad. I’m sure that salt pork made it amazing!
When do you put in the thyme?
Thanks for catching that! You’ll add it in step 2. I hope you enjoy it!
Thank you for this recipe very delicious my whole family loved it.?
You’re welcome, Raelena.
I made this over the weekend and it was delish! Will be making it again.
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the 5 stars.
Wow! Made this soup yesterday in the slow cooker and it was great. I added some carrots and a tomato just because I had them and some roux at the end to thicken, Will make this again for sire. Thanks for the recipe.
You’re welcome, Samuel! I’m so glad you loved it.
I was thinking about boiling some chicken a adding what do you think
Sounds great! Enjoy!
Was wondering if you could sub 1 cup 1% milk and 1 cup cream for the half and half – don’t usually use cream but have some on hand and want to use it up.
Yes 🙂 Enjoy!
thanks!