Vegan Corn Chowder

Delicious and creamy Vegan Corn Chowder Recipe that's super easy to make and naturally gluten-free. Thickened with potatoes and natural corn starch and made creamy with coconut milk, this Dairy Free Corn Chowder is as tasty as it is healthy. Go ahead and spice it up a lot or a little depending on how you like it! 

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Up there with blackberry pies, time with my family, and chilling by the ocean, fresh, sweet corn is hands down one of my favourite things about summer. There's nothing quite like gnawing fresh kernels off a hot, buttered cob on a warm summer night.

My goal is always to eat as much fresh, local corn as possible while it's in season. Other than just eating it straight from the cob, I love making this Vegetarian Frittata with Corn and Tomatoes, and of course, I love making this delicious Vegan Corn Chowder! 

But let's talk about making a delicious Vegan Corn Chowder! Or is it vegan corn soup? What makes a chowder a chowder?

According to Wikipedia, In Merriam-Webster's dictionary chowder is defined as "a thick soup or stew made of seafood or corn with potatoes and onions and milk or tomatoes."

Did you see what I did there? I quoted Wikipedia quoting the dictionary. Super reliable information, I'm sure, but if we go by that definition it seems like this vegan corn soup is, in fact, a chowder. Ha!

What's in this vegan corn chowder?

• Corn, B*tches! --> We're using the corn kernels, but are also making good use of the cobs for a super corny broth.
• Celery, onions, and garlic --> Also known as your aromatics.
• Potatoes --> To get this chowdah nice and thick, but still be gluten-free.
• Red pepper --> Makes the soup pretty and tastes good.
• Spices! --> We're going in with smoked paprika, cumin, and oregano. 
• Coconut milk! --> To replace the cream and make this a dairy free corn chowder.

How do you make vegan corn chowder?

Super simple, my friends. I'll talk you through it step by step!

Step 1: Start by cutting the corn kernels off of your cobs. Here's a super important kernel-removing hack that's going to save you from having corn parts splattered all over your kitchen:

Stand your corn cob up in a deep bowl, and use a small sharp knife to slice the kernels off and into the bowl. If you ignore this advice and do this on a cutting board instead, you'll end up with corn EVERYWHERE. Consider yourself warned. 

Step 2: Get out a big old soup pot. I like to use my heavy-bottomed Dutch Oven for this kinda soup making.

We're going to heat some oil in the pot, and then we're going to throw in the onions and let them sweat it out. Once they're nice and translucent, we'll add in the garlic and celery and let things get steamy with a little aromatics party.

Step 3: (above) Add the potatoes and spices to the pot, and give it a good stir.

Step 4: (above) Then add the corn cobs (not the kernels, these go in later) and the broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the 'taters are tender.

Step 5: At this stage you'll want to remove the corn cobs (scrape the liquid off of them and into the pot for maximum corn flavour), then go in with the diced red pepper and most of the corn kernels. (below)

Note! Reserve some corn kernels for garnish if you're feeling fancy.

Step 6: Give this 10-ish minutes to simmer, and then you have a big decision to make: to blend or not to blend?

Personally I'm a fan of a chunkier corn chowder, so I like to blend a little bit to get the the soup base to thicken, but not so much that I'm left with a puréed soup. I use an immersion blender and do a quick blend on just half of the pot, and that seems to do the trick.

Step 7: Now you can stir in your coconut milk, adjust the seasonings if necessary, and YOUR VEGAN CORN CHOWDER IS DONE!!!

Tips for making Vegan Corn Chowder:

• Fresh corn isn't in season, can I use something else? For sure. In lieu of fresh corn, use 3 cups of frozen corn kernels and you're good to go.
• Is this corn soup gluten-free? Yep! We're using potatoes and the natural starches from the corn kernels to thicken this chowder up!
• I prefer a thicker / thinner soup. You do you! Feel free to adjust the amount of broth accordingly.
• I don't like coconut. Fair enough. First of all, let me assure you that this soup does NOT taste super coconutty - there's too much other stuff going on. But if you'd prefer an alternative, I'd suggest the following for a dairy free corn chowder:
  • A thick and creamy plant-based milk of your choosing.
  • A bit of cashew cream stirred through at the end (I've made this with chipotle cashew cream and it was delish)
  • Half and half if you're not vegan / avoiding dairy.

Can I freeze vegan corn chowder?

You sure can. I've got a bunch in my freezer as we speak.

Simply pour cooled soup into a freezer-friendly container, ensuring you save enough room for expansion in the freezer. Pop on a lid, pop into the freezer, and you're good to go.

Can I make this soup in advance?

Yesss. I always find that soups taste better the next day. It'll keep in your fridge for 3-5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Hey Nutrition Lady, what's the deal with corn?

Guess what, folks? CORN IS NOT A VEGETABLE!!!

Nope, it's a grass, and a sweet, delicious, tasty grass at that. Scientifically known as Zea mays which is a nod to its ancient moniker maize, this late summer grass has a lot to offer.

I love corn for the digestive lesson it gives us – what goes in must come out – and those tough little cellulose casings can’t be broken down by our digestive acids. So chew your food!

Recent research has shown that the fibrous portion of corn can support the growth of friendly bacteria in our large intestine and can also be transformed by these bacteria into short-chain fatty acids, which can supply energy to our intestinal cells and help lower our risk of colon cancer.

Additionally, corn is a phytonutrient rich food with a plethora of antioxidant benefits. Of course different colours of corn (yellow, blue, red, etc) will yield different phytonutrients, but the most common varietal of yellow corn is rich in carotenoids.

Let’s also note that corn is a good source of niacin, thiamine, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, folate and vitamins B-6, E and K, and minerals such as iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese and selenium.

Other tasty soup recipes you might enjoy:

Spicy Carrot Soup with Tahini and Garlicky Greens
Tomato Fennel Quinoa Soup
Vegan Carrot Ginger Soup with Red Lentils
Instant Pot Lentil Soup
Healthy Cauliflower Soup with Peas and Mint
Vegan Chickpea Noodle Soup

This recipe was originally published August 28, 2018. It was re-tested, edited, and updated August 6, 2020.