Farm Fresh Corn Chowder

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Farm Fresh Corn Chowder pretty much says it all.

In a word: Comfort. In two words: Comfortingly delicious.

This chowder is wonderful anytime of the year, but when corn is at its peak, this is about the best soup you’ll ever try (and make!).

A green bowl full of farm fresh corn chowder with ears of corn nearby.

FARM FRESH CORN CHOWDER IS EASY TO MAKE

For many soups, we love using homemade stock, but that’s not always possible. A good quality store bought stock will work just fine in this recipe.

Be sure to get the freshest ingredients available for this amazing corn chowder.

Watch us show you how easy it is to make Farm Fresh Corn Chowder!

 

You may wonder what the difference is between “soup” and “chowder.” Well, they are quite similar, however chowder is usually thick and is often cream-based, but not always. All we know, this corn chowder is off-the-charts good.

We think the smoked bacon adds such a depth of flavor to this chowder, that we strongly encourage you to visit the butcher in your market and get 6 thick slices of his or her best smoked bacon.

Yukon gold potatoes, a red bell pepper, and fresh thyme add such amazing flavor! And of course: ground cumin. YES!

Ears of corn, potatoes, uncooked bacon and red bell pepper for corn chowder.

USE FRESH CORN WHENEVER POSSIBLE

Fresh corn right off the cob is absolutely the best for this corn chowder.

The corn is sweet and the milky liquid from the cob is so flavorful.

Carefully use a large, sharp knife to remove the kernels from the cob. Four ears of corn should get you about 2 cups of corn. It’s always safe to have an extra ear of corn on hand, just for a little extra, if needed. Plus, we love to sprinkle some freshly cut kernels as a garnish to the soup just before serving. It adds a wonderful texture and taste to the chowder.

A hand using a large knife to remove corn kernels from an ear of corn.

SAUTÉING THE VEGGIES IN BACON GREASE ADDS FLAVOR

After cooking the cut bacon in a large pot (such as a Dutch oven), you’ll need to remove all but about 1 to 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease.

We always save our unused bacon grease for another use (such as Restaurant-Quality Hash Browns!).

Add a couple pats of butter to the hot pot, then toss in the onions, red bell peppers, thyme, and cumin, and cook until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. This makes a beautiful foundation for this Farm Fresh Corn Chowder!

Chopped onion, red bell pepper sautéing in a blue Dutch oven.

Let’s keep building this corn chowder! It’s time to add the stock, corn and potatoes.

Bring it to a boil then cover for just 10 minutes.

After removing the lid, you’ll see the potatoes are nice and tender and the corn is perfectly cooked. Using a wooden spoon, we like to smash some of the cooked potatoes and corn against the side of the pot. This naturally helps to thicken the chowder and adds a nice texture.

A wooden spoon smashing cooked potatoes and corn on the side of a blue Dutch oven for corn chowder.

CREAM ADDS A VELVETY RICHNESS TO THE CORN CHOWDER

The last ingredient that we think puts this Farm Fresh Corn Chowder over the top is a bit of heavy cream.

It may seem a little indulgent, but the cream adds a lush texture to the chowder and melds beautifully with the other ingredients.

Stir in the cream until fully incorporated.

A dairy bottle of cream being poured into a large pot of farm fresh corn chowder.

The corn is the star of this chowder, no doubt, but the potatoes and other ingredients compliment each other so beautifully.

Every spoonful provides layer after delicious layer of culinary delights.

Just amazing.  A few other of our favorite recipes that showcase fresh corn are: Jalapeño Sweet Creamed Corn, Zesty Black Bean and Sweet Corn Salad, and Cowboy Cornbread!

A spoon holding a spoonful of farm fresh corn chowder.

CORN CHOWDER IS COMFORT FOOD AT ITS BEST

As we may have mentioned, Farm Fresh Corn Chowder is absolutely one of our most favorite comfort soups to make. If you like this, however, you’ll probably also love our:

Portuguese-Style Clam Chowder
Cream of Mushroom Soup
Lobster Bisque

And another awesome thing about this Corn Chowder is that it comes together in only about 30 to 40 minutes.

So, hurry and go make this spectacular Farm Fresh Corn Chowder recipe!. You and your family will be so glad you did!

A green bowl containing farm fresh corn chowder.

A green bowl of farm fresh corn chowder.

Farm Fresh Corn Chowder

This Farm Fresh Corn Chowder will just make you smile. Make it in the summer when you can get corn fresh from the farm, or even in the colder months, when you can use frozen corn. Either way, It's just so good. Of course, the homemade chicken stock brings it to incredible heights. So amazingly good!
5 from 8 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Chowder, Fresh Corn
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 268kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 ears fresh yellow sweet corn have an extra on hand, just in case
  • 6 slices thick cut bacon cut into 1/2-inch dice
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 medium yellow onion diced
  • 1/2 large red pepper cut into 1/2-inch dice
  • 1 tbsp fresh thyme chopped
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 4 Yukon gold potatoes peeled and cut in 1/2-inch dice
  • 3 cups chicken stock
  • 1 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch stirred and dissolved into 2 tbsp of water
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tbsp chives minced, for garnish

Instructions

  • Husk the corn and remove the silk.
  • Cut the kernels from the cobs into a bowl. This should give you a couple cups of corn.  Set a handful aside for garnish. 
  • Heat a 3 to 4 quart heavy pot over low heat and add the diced bacon.
  • Once it had rendered a few tablespoons of fat, increase the heat to medium and cook until the bacon is crisp and golden brown.
  • Pour off all but 1 to 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat, leaving the bacon in the pot.
  • Add the butter, onion, bell pepper, thyme, and cumin and sauté, stirring occasionally for about 8 minutes - until onions and peppers are soft.
  • Add the corn kernels, potatoes, and stock.  Turn up the heat, cover, and boil, for 10 minutes.
  • Carefully remove the lid, and then use the back of your spoon to smash some of the corn kernels and potatoes against the side of the pot.
  • Reduce the heat to medium and add the salt and pepper.
  • Stir the cornstarch mixture and slowly pour it into the pot, stirring constantly.
  • As soon as the chowder has come back to a boil and thickened slightly, remove from the heat and stir in the cream.
  • Taste, and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
  • Remove from heat and allow the flavors to meld for about an hour.
  • When ready to serve, reheat the chowder over low heat, but don't let it boil.
  • Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with chopped chives and reserved corn kernels. 

Nutrition

Calories: 268kcal
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14 Comments

  • 5 stars
    Guys ,
    We made the corn soup and it was as one thousand percent approved. This will be my go to soup
    It was so easy to make and loads of
    Have a wonderful weekend

  • 5 stars
    Guys ,
    We made the corn soup and it was as one thousand percent approved. This will be my go to soup
    It was so easy to make and loads of flavor.
    Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
    I think you need to put out a cookbook, I would buy it.
    Have a wonderful weekend

  • 5 stars
    Guys ,
    We made the corn soup and it was as one thousand percent approved. This will be my go to soup
    It was so easy to make and loads of flavor.
    Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
    I think you need to put out a cookbook, I would buy it.
    Have a wonderful weekend

    • Hi Sarah! We are so so thrilled you made the corn chowder and had such great success! We are working on developing a cookbook. You wouldn’t believe what all goes into that process! But, we’re on it!! Thank you so much for your support and for such a great review. That means the world to us!! Please stay in touch! All the best, Kris & Wesley

  • Guys.
    I’m going to be sending my husband to the store tomorrow, can’t wait!
    I know it’s going to be good.
    You two crack me, we also live in Texas.
    Love your Mexican recipes. I’ll let you know how it turns out. Can you use dried thyme?
    Have a great week,
    Sarah and Gary Jacobs

    • Hi Sarah and Gary!! Fellow Texans!! Beautiful weather, right now!!!! Sorry for the delayed response here. You can absolutely use dried thyme. Just go with about half of what is called for with fresh. It will be delicious! Keep us posted!!!! Kris & Wesley

  • 5 stars
    Excellent flavors! The only change I made is that instead of adding the cornstarch I poured about half of the soup into a blender and gave it a few pulses. Chowder turned out very tasty! Thank you for the recipe.

  • 5 stars
    Guys this was one of the best recipes I’ve ever tried! My husband is so picky and he loved it ….when we were down to the last bowl we fought over it…..well I let him have it cause I’m that kinda girl. I added a few hefty shreds of best quality parmesan and a good pinch of cayenne

  • 5 stars
    This recipe is AMAZING!! The only change I made was to use soy cream, alas milk allergies in our house, and frozen sweet corn as it’s past fresh corn season in Ohio. This recipe is spot on and will be in the regular rotation! I can’t praise it enough. Thanks for sharing it!!

    • Hey there Libby!! We are SO THRILLED you loved our corn chowder recipe! It really is super delicious and so comforting. And your tweaks to the recipe sounds absolutely perfect. And thank you so so so much for the comment and the great review, that truly means the world to us!! Please stay in touch, and stay tuned, lots more to come! All the best, Kris & Wesley

  • 5 stars
    My partner has had a massive craving for Corn Chowder for months now. We had tried a few different restaurants but nothing compared to one she had remembered a friend of hers making. After watching your video I decided to try and make something that would. She now has a new favorite and standard to compare others to. Great recipe, great soup!

    • Chad!! You can’t imagine how happy this makes us to hear!! We absolutely love corn chowder and we couldn’t be more thrilled to hear you and your partner loved the recipe!! And thank you so much for letting us know and the great review! That means the world to us!! Please stay in touch!! All the best, Kris & Wesley

  • 5 stars
    Don’t tell my mother this, but your Corn Chowder is better that hers! It was easy to make and everyone loved it. Made it for a church dinner. Did a few changes. didn’t peal the potatoes, used Creamed Corn, and added some red pepper to one of the batches I made. Thanks for your recipe.

    • Wow! Your secret is safe with us! So glad you like the soup, and sounds great the way you prepared it! That’s one of our favorite soups of all time! So comforting and delicious. Thanks for letting us know! And best to your mom! Stay in touch! Kris & Wesley

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