Vegan Corn Chowder

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If you’re looking for a lighter corn chowder without the butter, flour, heavy cream or bacon, try this vegan corn chowder! It’s loaded with vegetables, thickened with potatoes and still has a rich and creamy texture from the light coconut milk. It’s a cozy soup you can make all year round!

Vegan corn chowder ingredients

• Fresh corn: Use 3-4 ears of corn and go for yellow corn if possible to get the golden color. If fresh corn is no longer in season, you can use frozen corn. There’s no need to thaw beforehand.
• Potatoes: Instead of using flour, I use Yukon potatoes to thicken the soup. They give the corn chowder a creamy and thick consistency while keeping the recipe gluten-free. Use any buttery type of potatoes.
• Onions, celery, carrots and garlic: These create the mirepoix for the recipe, essentially the aromatics that flavor the soup.
• Light coconut milk: Instead of using heavy cream or half and half, the light coconut milk has less fat, less calories and keeps the recipe vegan, which is great for anyone with lactose intolerance.
• Vegetable broth: Creates a more flavorful base for the vegan corn chowder without adding too many calories.
• Paprika: Gives it a smoky flavor without using bacon.

How to make corn chowder

1. Start by cooking the onions with olive oil until they soften.
2. Add the garlic, half the corn, potatoes, celery, and carrots. Season with paprika, thyme, salt and pepper.
3. Sauté until the vegetables start to soften.
4. Add the vegetable broth and coconut milk. Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer until the potatoes are tender. You can stick a fork inside one of the potatoes to check if they’re tender after 15 minutes.
5. Use an immersion blender to blend the vegan corn chowder (or transfer in batches to a blender).
6. Blend until the chowder becomes completely homogenous. But this comes down to preference too, so you may want it more chunky.

Finally, add in the other half of the corn and let the mixture simmer for 10 more minutes to allow the corn to cook.

Tips for making corn chowder

1. Don’t discard the juicy residue from the cob. In fact, once you remove the kernels, use your knife to try to get as much of that juice as possible. It has a high starch content, which will thicken this vegan corn chowder naturally without using cream.
2. Use a high powered blender or immersion blender. Since this is a chowder, the thick and smooth consistency is crucial, so be sure to purée it well to get that creamy texture.
3. Leave some corn unblended. If you’d like, you can also leave some of the vegetables unblended. This makes the corn chowder more appetizing and creates a nice crunch to break up the creamy soup.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use frozen corn?

The corn is the hero ingredient of the recipe, so it’s my preference to use fresh whenever possible to give the best flavor. However, when corn is not in season or harder to find, frozen corn works just fine in this vegan corn chowder.

Can I freeze corn chowder?

Yes, you can freeze corn chowder. Cool the soup completely, then place in a large freeze-safe container or multiple individual ones and freeze for up to 3 months.

How do you thicken corn chowder?

This vegan corn chowder makes a pretty thick soup without using any flour. However, if you wanted it to be thicker, just purée more of the chowder in the blender, and the corn pieces will provide more starch to thicken the recipe. I don’t think there’s any need to add any flour or cornstarch as a thickening agent.

For more vegan soup recipes

• Roasted Tomato Soup
• Roasted Cauliflower Soup
• Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
• Vegan Asparagus Soup Recipe
• Crushed Lentil Soup

For more recipes with corn:

• Corn Tomato Avocado Salad
• Simple Guacamole with Roasted Corn
• Mexican Street Tacos
• Best Cornbread Recipe (from Bless This Mess)
• Corn Salsa

This vegan corn chowder is the perfect end of summer meets the beginning of soup season. It’s easy to make with basic pantry items but the result is a rich and creamy chowder that is so cozy and comforting!

If you’ve tried this healthy-ish feel good Vegan Corn Chowder recipe or any other recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!

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Review

Vegan Corn Chowder

Vegan Corn Chowder is an easy soup recipe made with fresh or frozen corn, potatoes and light coconut milk, then blended to create a rich and creamy texture!

5 from 19 votes

Author Yumna Jawad

Servings 6 servings

Course Soup

Calories 247

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Video

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1 onion chopped
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves minced
• ▢ 3 cups fresh corn uncooked
• ▢ 4 yukon potatoes
• ▢ 1 celery stalk chopped
• ▢ 1 large carrot chopped
• ▢ ½ teaspoon paprika
• ▢ ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 2 cups vegetable broth
• ▢ 1 14-ounce can light coconut milk
• ▢ Chives for serving

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook until they soften, about 4-5 minutes.
• Add garlic, half the uncooked corn, potatoes, celery, and carrots. Season with paprika, thyme, salt and pepper, and sautee until the vegetables soften, about 4-5 minutes.
• Add vegetable broth and coconut milk. Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
• Use an immersion blender to blend the soup, or alternatively you could transfer the soup to a blender and blend that way.
• Add the remaining uncooked corn to the pot. Return to a simmer to allow the corn to cook, about 10 minutes. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with chives, if desired.

Equipment

Zwilling Knife Block Set

Cutting Board

Garlic Press

Ceramic Nonstick Cookware Set

Cuisinart Immersion Blender

Notes

Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container. They will last about 3-4 days in the fridge or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Substitutes: For best results, follow the recipe as is. However here are some common substitutes that would work well in this recipe.

• Instead of potatoes, you can use cauliflower, rice or even rutabaga.
• Instead of canned light coconut milk, you can substitute any unsweetened non-dairy milk. If you don’t care for it to stay vegan, you can also use regular milk or regular half and half.

Equipment:  I love using my Cuisinart Smart Stick hand blender for blending soups. It’s quick and easy and gets me the perfect consistency, without any chunks of vegetables leftover. And it’s easier to transferring the soup in batches to a blender. But you can also use a blender.

Nutrition

Calories: 247kcal, Carbohydrates: 34g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Sodium: 602mg, Potassium: 740mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 2113IU, Vitamin C: 20mg, Calcium: 46mg, Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.

Cuisine American

Course: Soup