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This Summer Corn Chowder is thick, creamy, and full of fresh summer ingredients like Jalapeño, Cilantro, and Red Onions. It’s also Dairy-Free and Vegan!
Sometimes I share the recipes that I make for the blog with friends (because, ya know, no one needs to eat a whole pie in a week). Some recipes, though, are too good to share 😉 This Creamy Summer Corn Chowder was one of those times…it was just too dang good!
Not only does this Corn Chowder taste amazing, but it’s Vegan, Dairy Free, and made with only 10 ingredients! All of which, by the way, you can easily pronounce and recognize.
I will say that this is more of a Summer Corn Chowder than a “traditional” one. I’m all for eating soup year-round, but do like my warm-weather soups to be filled with fresh ingredients. This chowder took a “Tex-Mex” route; it starts with a base of Seared Corn (for extra sweetness) plus some Red Bell Pepper, Red Onion, Jalapeños, and Cilantro to really boost the flavor profile.
I decided to use Vegan Cream Cheese in place of Dairy Cream for this recipe; a homemade Cashew Cream would work as well, but I really like how the cultured Cream Cheese has the traditional “wang” of dairy and helps to make this recipe taste more realistic.
You know, this Summer Corn Chowder is so hearty, cozy, and satisfying that I think I’ll be eating it all year round! It’s great for Meal Prep or a quick Dinner, but also tasty enough to share with family and friends.
A Few Final Thoughts:
- I would recommend using Fresh Corn for this recipe, as it sweeter and generally tastes better. However, frozen will also work in a pinch!
- Not all Vegan Cream Cheese is created equal (read: some are just plain GROSS). I suggest using one by either Kite Hill or Miyoko’s; both taste very realistic and are also made of high-quality ingredients.
- If you’re not a fan of spicy foods, be sure to remove all of the seeds from the Jalapeños before adding them to the pot – that’s where all of the heat is!
If you’re looking for more fun Summer recipes, you’ll also love these Corn Empanadas and this Instant Pot Black Bean Soup!
Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂
PrintSummer Corn Chowder
This Summer Corn Chowder is thick, creamy, and full of fresh summer ingredients like Jalapeño, Cilantro, and Red Onions. It’s also Dairy-Free and Vegan!
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 30 Minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 Servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 5 ears of Corn, sliced off the cob (~ 4 cups)
- 1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
- 1 small Red Onion, diced
- 2 cloves of Garlic, minced
- 1 Jalapeno, diced and seeds removed
- ½ bunch of Cilantro
- ½ tsp Smoked Paprika
- 4 oz Vegan Cream Cheese*
- 3 cups Gold Potatoes, diced into small pieces (I left the skin on)
- 4 cups Vegetable Broth
- 1 tsp Salt, or to taste
- Optional: Lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
- First, prep all of your veggies. Separate the Cilantro stems from the leaves and finely chop them; save the leaves to garnish the soup at the end of the recipe.
- Add the Corn to a large non-stick pot over Medium-High Heat. My Corn was very juicy so I did not need to add any water to get this “started”, but if your Corn is dry, add 1/3 cup of Water to the pot as well to get things going. “Sear” the Corn for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure that all sides are evenly cooking. The Corn will gradually become brown around the edges, and you may have some brown marks on the bottom of the pot – don’t worry though, this is creating flavor!
- Next, “de-glaze” the pot by adding 1/2 cup of Water to it; this will remove the brown marks on the bottom of the pan. Add the Bell Pepper, Red Onion, Garlic, Jalapeño, Cilantro Stems, Garlic, and Smoked Paprika to the pot; reduce the heat to medium and sauté until the Onion is translucent.
- Add the Vegan Cream Cheese to the pot and mix it in with the veggies until it is evenly distributed. Then, add the Gold Potatoes and Vegetable Broth, stirring well.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until the Potatoes are tender.
- Transfer half of the soup into a Blender and carefully blend until smooth and creamy; return this to the pot, then mix well.
- Divide the soup into bowls, then top with Cilantro leaves and a squeeze of fresh Lime. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 7 days.
Notes
- I suggest using a Vegan Cream Cheese by either Kite Hill or Miyoko’s; both taste very realistic and are made of high-quality ingredients.
- If you do not have access to Cream Cheese, blend 2/3 cup of Soaked Cashews with 1 cup of Vegetable Broth until smooth to create a “Cream”; add this with the rest of the Vegetable Broth according to recipe instructions.
- If you have a Nut Allergy you can substitute half of the Vegetable Broth with either Coconut or Soy Milk – just add extra Salt to taste to compensate for this!
Keywords: corn chowder, vegan corn chowder, summer corn chowder, jalapeno corn chowder, summer soup
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Would this work with canned corn?
That should be fine! I would try and get as close to the recommended 4 cups as possible.
Thank you SO much for always including nut-free options. Not always easy to try a lot of creative vegan recipes when you are allergic! So excited to try this.
Yay! Glad the nut free options are coming in handy!
This was IN-CRED-I-BLE. I made a batch of my homemade vegetable broth the day I made this, and used mostly fresh veggies I got from the farmers market the day before and I was absolutely blown away with how good this turned out. I didn’t want to use vegan cream cheese so I opted for the cashew option. The jalapeno I used was very fresh so it was definitely on the spicy side but nothing my husband or I couldn’t handle! I can’t believe how much flavor this had with only 1/2 teaspoon of paprika being the only spice added but it didn’t need anything else! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
★★★★★
That all sounds so good! Getting such fresh produce I’m sure only helped! Kudos!
Great recipe! My sister and I loved making this! It did seem a little under-seasoned so we added “season all”, cayenne pepper, chili powder, onion powder and garlic powder as well as some red pepper flakes. Made it have more of a kick to it!
Overall delicious and my dad even loved it!
★★★★★
Glad you were able to customize it to your own taste!
Me and my girlfriend loved this. We ate all the leftovers willingly lol
★★★★★
Yay! Glad you guys are enjoying it!
Super delicious! Great recipe. I’d been looking for more recipes that use fresh corn. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
★★★★★
Thank you! Happy to hear you enjoyed it!
a great summer staple! i might make this again this week!
★★★★★
Thanks for the kind words!
I’ve used a lot of internet recipes but I don’t think I’ve ever left a review…..but holy cow….this I had to. I’ve missed creamy corn chowder since switching to vegan and this recipe was everything I’ve spent years longing for. I literally just want to eat it for days!!! Thank you!!!
★★★★★
That’s so great to hear and thanks for stopping by to let us know how much you liked it!!
AMAZING! I wish it was a bit cleaner because there’s cream cheese in it but it’s soo delicious that I can’t resist making it over and over!
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it (repeatedly haha)!
THIS WAS SO GOOD!!
Me and my partner loved this! Him mum and dad tried some and ended up loving it too! We could only spear them a bowl, as we ate most of it but they are excited to have it another time with us! This is defiantly something people could make for a meat eater family, as it’s a flavourful recipe!
Thank you for all the work you put into these Caitlin, you can taste it! It’s a great feeling to share delicious food with my family.
For people in Australia we bought this cream cheese: https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/720256/sheese-creamy-original-vegan-cheese-spread
★★★★★
So happy to hear that, Melissa!
This is sooooooo delicious. I was so scared to make this because I thought I would f it up. But it was so easy, and has become one of the foods that I crave most often. This and the chicken noodle soup that Caitlin also made are my two favorites so far. I paired it with a fresh baguette from the local farmers market and literally ate all of the soup in 5 days haha. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Love it, Maria! 🙂
The version I made has the colour and consistency of vomit but it still tastes really good!
Haha! Glad it still tasted good
This turned out far sweeter than I expected, but I’m not complaining!! So delicious. I’ll definitely make this again. I might mix in your vegan chipotle mayo when I heat leftovers today. I’m rarely this pumped to eat leftovers!!
★★★★★
Ooooh – great idea on the Chipotle Mayo, Leanne!
Delicious recipe! I omitted the jalepeno, and – confession: – I used Trader Joe’s frozen roasted corn, but it turned out marvelously! I would even go so far as to say it would still be delicious, even without the vegan cream cheese. My family loved it! Thanks, Caitlin! My first one of your recipes, and… solid winner!
★★★★★
Oooh, that frozen corn is a great hack! 🙂
I am a big fan of soup, but it is difficult to convince my boyfriend to eat soup because he believes no soup will fill him up. He was very pleased with the flavor and heartiness of this corn chowder.
This recipe took a bit of prep work, since I try to zero waste grocery shop by not buy anything in packaging. While I was making the vegetable broth and cashew cream cheese, I started boil water for the corn. By the time the broth and cream cheese were ready, I had prepped all the vegetables, so it didn’t seem like I was every waiting too long on anything.
I will definitely keep this recipe handy for later, great flavor didn’t take too long to make on a week night. I definitely need to check out more of your recipes.
★★★★★
Thanks for the review, Melissa! That’s awesome that you zero waste grocery stop – much respect!
I have been trying new recipes recently and all of them were falling flat. When my little helper accidently burned the corn my hopes for this soup were not high. With being frugal we used a few different ingredients like carrot instead of bell pepper. In the end: my ENTIRE family was blown away with how flavorful and delicious it was. This is our new favorite! So impressed with this recipe! I’d love to see an instapot version of it. Thanks for sharing your creation!
★★★★★
That makes us so happy, Caitlin! Thanks for the review 🙂
A lot of chopping and prep but turned out absolutely delicious! I was conservative with the cilantro stems, thinking it would be tough, but did not notice anything “off” with the texture of the chowder. Only modification was that I added carrots. The Smokey flavor of the paprika gives this illusion of bacon in this chowder and it didn’t need any additional spices at all. Made my own vegan cream cheese with soaked cashews, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and onion powder blended with my hand blender. Loved it!
Yum! I’m glad you enjoyed, Robin!
Yum! This was delicious! I really think the best part of this recipe is browning the fresh corn for 10-12 minutes. The depth of flavor it created in the broth and yet still having the crispness of the corn is what makes this chowder 5 stars!
★★★★★
Thanks, Jill! I agree about the corn – it’s my favorite way to prepare it!
Just made this and its delicious! I forgot to buy regular potatoes so I subbed with sweet potatoes. Yum! Will make again. Great for meal prep.
★★★★★
Yum! I bet it would be great with Sweet Potatoes as well!
Super yummy! I did the sub for cream cheese (soaked cashews + veggie broth) and it worked very well! I didn’t have potatoes so I subbed a can of white beans (cannellini) and used a little less broth. Soooo delicious 😍
★★★★★
This looks & sounds incredible Caitlin! Can’t wait to try it ????