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Sweet Corn Chowder is a warm, thick soup with lots of potatoes and fresh corn. It’s total comfort food during the cooler nights of fall and winter.
For more delicious soup recipes, try my Homemade Chicken Soup, Tortellini Soup with Italian Sausage and Bacon and Bean Soup.
Tips for the Best Sweet Corn Chowder
- Use fresh or frozen corn. Fresh corn gives you the best flavor in summer, but frozen corn works just as well the rest of the year.
- Add texture. For creaminess without being too heavy, mash or blend a portion of the corn and stir it back in.
- Add potatoes. Potatoes help thicken the chowder and make it more filling—just cut them into small cubes so they cook evenly.
- Build flavor. Experiment with adding bacon or sausage to your soup. All you’d need to do is cook and dice some bacon or sausage and add it to the stock pot when you add the corn and potatoes.
recipe walkthrough
How to Make Sweet Corn Chowder
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
- Peel the potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes and boil until soft and tender. Drain the water and set aside.
- Saute the diced onions in some olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add some butter, then minced garlic and red bell pepper. Cook for a couple of minutes.
- Add some flour to the pot along with red pepper flakes and parsley and stir around to coat. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes. The flour is how we will thicken the soup, so don’t skip this step.
- Add milk, water, potatoes and corn to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.
- Give it a taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
More Fresh Corn Recipes
Serving Suggestions
Top corn chowder with fresh minced parsley and serve in soup bowls. The soup on it’s own makes a nice light meal, but for something a little heartier, I like to serve with a copycat Olive Garden Salad and some fresh bread or Cheesy Garlic Bread.
Storage Tips
How to Store Leftover Soup
Refrigerator: Transfer cooled soup to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3–4 days.
Freezer: Transfer cooled soup to a freezer-safe container. Store frozen portions for up to 2 months.
Reheat:
- Stovetop: Warm gently over medium heat, stirring often so it doesn’t scorch on the bottom. Add a splash of broth or milk if it’s too thick.
- Microwave: Heat in short bursts (1–2 minutes), stirring between each, until warmed through.
- From Frozen: Thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat on the stove. Stir in cream or half-and-half at the end for the best texture.
More Soup Recipes
- Chicken Vegetable Soup
- Tortellini and Tomato Soup with Italian Sausage
- Turkey Meatball Soup
- Vegetable Soup
- Cheeseburger Soup
Sweet Corn Chowder
Ingredients
- 4 Medium red potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2″ cubes
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 Medium sweet onion diced
- 1 tablespoon Butter
- 2 Garlic cloves minced
- 1 Red bell pepper diced
- 1/2 teaspoon Red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon Dried parsley
- 2 teaspoon All-purpose flour
- 2 cups Milk
- 2 cups Water
- 4 1/2 cups Sweet corn kernels from fresh if possible, husked and cut from cob, or frozen
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel (optional) and cube potatoes and cook in pot of boiling water for 20 minutes, then drain in colander.
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in stock pot and cook onions for 5 minutes or until soft. Add butter and melt. Add garlic and red pepper and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Add red pepper flakes, parsley, and flour and stir constantly for 5 minutes.
- Add the milk, water, reserved potatoes, and the corn. Heat the soup to a simmer and turn down the heat and let cook over low heat for another 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
Can I cook the cubed potatoes all together in the chowder instead of pre boiling in water?
You can, but it will release extra starch into the soup and will continue to make it thicker as it sits.
If I’m using frozen corn are the cook times still the same?
Frozen corn wouldn’t really change anything.
I see it says to peel the red potatoes but in the photo, the potatoes are jacket-on. Does it matter which way we do it?
Hi! Peeling the potatoes is optional. I do talk about that in the post but forgot to note it in the instructions. Enjoy!