Vegan Corn Chowder

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Creamy and comforting, yet still light and fresh – this 30 minute vegan corn chowder is my favorite way to use up all that tasty summer sweet corn from the farmer’s market!

Don’t worry though – you can use canned or frozen corn in this recipe too and it will still turn out creamy, dreamy and delicious!

How to make vegetarian corn chowder:

If you’re using ears of corn, start by shucking the corn and cutting the kernels from the cob.

Then saute corn and onion in olive oil (along with a moderate amount of salt and pepper of course).

Then add garlic, thyme, paprika, garlic powder and cayenne.

Stir in veggie stock and simmer the corn soup for about 10 minutes.

Then blend it up in a high speed blender.

Add a heavy pour of full fat coconut milk. This will give your soup a beautifully smooth texture.

Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper.

Finish the soup with a quick shot of white wine vinegar to give it just enough acid to make the flavors really shine.

Then garnish with a drizzle of coconut milk, a few corn kernels and thinly sliced parsley stems.

Why you’re going to love this recipe:

• You can use fresh, canned or frozen corn. That means you can enjoy this soup year round! Make it with fresh ears from the farmer’s market in the summer and in the colder months use canned or frozen corn!
• It’s REALLY easy. If you’re using canned corn you can have this meal done in about 20 minutes. Husking the corn and cutting it from the cob accounts for most of the active prep time in this recipe.
• Since it’s a blended soup you don’t have to worry about dicing the onion or mincing the garlic, which saves you time! Everything is going to blend up smooth and creamy which means you can roughly chop the onion and also just chop the garlic cloves. Total time saver!

Tips for making the best corn chowder:

• Season. Season. Season. And then season some more. This recipe is super simple which means salt and pepper are going to be your best friends. They will amplify the flavor of the corn immensely and do a great job at showcasing it’s fresh, sweet, summer flavors! Be sure to taste this soup frequently throughout the cooking process and add more salt and pepper to taste. 
• Along those same lines, use the spices that you enjoy! Thyme is one of my favorites and paprika always goes so well with corn. But if you’re feeling oregano, sage or even rosemary – feel free to add those instead! Also, if you’ve got fresh herbs on hands, you can those in place of the dried. You generally need about 3 times the amount of fresh herbs as dried herbs so keep that in mind if you’re using fresh!
• If you’re not worried about it being vegan you can substitute whole milk or heavy cream for the coconut milk. I pretty much always have a can or two of coconut milk in the cupboard (because creamy vegan soups are my jam!) but if you don’t routinely have that on hand, milk or cream will work in it’s place. If you’re using milk you can keep the ratio about the same, but if you’re using cream you can get away with about 6-7 oz. as opposed to the 14 oz.

Tips for cutting corn off the cob:

• Shuck the corn leaving the long end of the stem to use as a handle, then place the cob vertically in the center of a large plate and carefully slice downward along the cob, cutting the kernels from it.
• If you’re having a hard time getting the corn cob to stay steady on the plate, try using a bundt pan instead. You can place the corn cob directly into the center hole of the bundt pan, then cut in a downward motion along the cob and the kernels will fall right into the pan.
• A sharp knife is going to be really helpful in efficiently removing the corn from the cob. I’ve found that smaller paring style knives work best for me because I have small hands but use the knife that feels most comfortable to you.

Delicious corn chowder add-ins:

• Curry powder! If you’re feeling more of a curried corn chowder, try adding 1-2 tablespoons curry powder in place of the thyme in this recipe. It will boost the yellow color of the soup and give it tons of comforting curry flavor!
• Potatoes! If you’re into adding a little more starchy deliciousness, try adding diced potatoes to this corn chowder. When it comes time to simmer, drop the taters in and simmer them right along with the corn in the vegetable stock. You’ll likely need to add another cup or so of veg stock to compensate for the potatoes. Just simmer the soup until the potatoes are fork tender, then you can the follow the recipe as written.
• Bacon! Bacon makes everything better, right?! While I love this soup as is, I’d be remiss not to tell you that I did top it with crispy, crumbled bacon a few months back and it was DIVINE.

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This post was originally published in September of 2017. It was updated in May of 2019 to include process shots and detailed instructions to help you make the very best vegan corn chowder every single time.