Southwestern Corn Chowder
Make this Southwestern corn chowder for a cozy dinner at home! This vegetarian corn chowder recipe is fresh, wholesome and delicious.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on July 10, 2024
Make this Southwestern corn chowder for a cozy dinner at home! This vegetarian corn chowder recipe is fresh, wholesome and delicious. It’s perfect for cool late summer or fall evenings when fresh corn is at its peak. Or, you can make it any time with frozen corn.
I wanted the corn flavor to shine and balanced its sweetness with some Southwestern spice. You’ll find bell pepper, poblano and chili powder in this atypical chowder. I promise you will not miss the bacon.
I purposefully avoided using the heavy cream that you’ll find in most chowder recipes. Heavy cream has a tendency to dull flavors and also makes me feel weighed down. Instead, I blended a bit of butter into the soup (one of my favorite soup tricks) and stirred in some crème fraîche or sour cream at the end. These dairy ingredients offer some creaminess, of course, plus some tanginess that you won’t get from plain cream.
You can easily make this soup dairy free or vegan, if desired. You’ll love the end results either way!
Corn Selection & Preparation Tips
Because great corn is key to making great corn chowder!
Buy fresh corn and use it promptly. Freshly harvested corn has the sweetest, most delicious flavor, and it loses that flavor as time goes on.
How to cut corn off the cob: I find it easiest to just lay the corn down on the cutting board. Slice off a strip of kernels lengthwise with a sharp knife, rotate so the flat side is against the cutting board, and repeat as necessary.
If you can’t find fresh corn or want to save a few minutes: Use frozen corn, which tastes much nicer than canned corn. Rinse off any frost on the kernels first, then add them to the pot as directed.
Watch How to Make Southwestern Corn Chowder
Corn Chowder Serving Suggestions
You could count a big bowl of chowder as a light meal. Or serve smaller portions on the side. This chowder goes well with green salads, sandwiches and quesadillas, and simple vegetable sides. Here are a few nice options:
- 10-Minute Quesadillas
- Arugula and Wild Rice Salad with Zippy Lemon Dressing
- Erin’s Peach and Avocado Green Salad
- Favorite Green Salad with Apples, Cranberries and Pepitas
- Favorite Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- Perfect Roasted Green Beans
- Quick Collard Greens
More Fresh Corn Recipes to Enjoy
- The Best Grilled Corn on the Cob
- Elote (Mexican Street Corn)
- Fresh Corn Salsa
- Garden-Fresh Corn Salad
- Succotash
More Cozy Fall Soups & Stews
- Best Lentil Soup
- Classic Tomato Soup (Lightened Up!)
- Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Homemade Vegetarian Chili
- Spicy Black Bean Soup
Please let me know how your chowder turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Southwestern Corn Chowder
Make this Southwestern corn chowder for a cozy dinner at home! This vegetarian corn chowder recipe is fresh, wholesome and delicious. Recipe yields 8 cups or 4 generous bowls.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 ears of fresh sweet corn, shucked (or 6 cups frozen corn kernels)
- 1 pound red potatoes, cut into ¾” cubes (about 3 cups)
- 1 large red onion, chopped
- 1 poblano pepper (optional)*, seeds and ribs removed, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 2 celery ribs, chopped
- ¾ teaspoon salt, divided, to taste
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 2 medium cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup crème fraîche or sour cream or Greek yogurt**
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Suggested garnishes: Grated sharp cheddar cheese, thinly sliced green onion, additional cilantro leaves and/or a tiny pinch of chili powder
Instructions
- In a medium/large Dutch oven or soup pot, warm the olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the corn, potatoes, onion, poblano, bell pepper, celery, ½ teaspoon of the salt, and ½ teaspoon chili powder. Stir to combine. Cook until the onions are tender and translucent, about 7 to 10 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute, while stirring constantly. Add the broth and water and stir to combine. Drop in the bay leaf.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. It’s not done until the potatoes are fully cooked through and very easily pierced through with a fork.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Using kitchen tongs, remove the bay leaf. Carefully transfer about 3 cups of the soup (about half liquid, half solids) to a blender. Securely fasten the lid and be careful to avoid the hot steam as you blend until completely smooth. Add the butter and blend again.
- Pour the mixture back into the pot. Add the cilantro, crème fraîche (see note if using sour cream or Greek yogurt) and lime juice. Stir to combine. Season with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and be generous with the black pepper, to taste. If you’d like more spice, add up to ½ teaspoon more chili powder, to taste.
- Divide the chowder into bowls and top with garnishes of your choice. Leftover chowder will keep well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 5 days or for several months frozen.
Notes
*Spice level note: Some poblanos are more spicy than others. If you’re sensitive to spice, you can omit the poblano to be on the safe side, and also go easy on the chili powder. If you love spice, you can stir in additional chili powder to taste, or you could even add a chopped jalapeño to the pot with the other peppers.
**Crème fraîche or sour cream: I like crème fraîche because it does not curdle when stirred into hot soup. I use the Vermont Creamery brand and typically find it near the goat cheese. If you prefer to use sour cream or Greek yogurt, you can “temper” it to prevent it from curdling. Simply place the sour cream or yogurt in a heat-safe bowl. Add a few splashes of the warm soup liquid, stirring after each, until the mixture is warmed through. Then stir the mixture into the soup.
Make it dairy free/vegan: Omit the butter. I’ve heard from some commenters who love it without any additional creaminess. Or for results closest to the soup as shown, use my vegan sour cream in place of the crème fraîche—it works great! You might enjoy garnishing individual servings with an additional dollop of vegan sour cream on top.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This looks fabulous! Do you think it would make a big difference if I left out the crème fraîche or sour cream? I’m nut and dairy free so can’t substitute with the vegan sour cream, unfortunately.
Hi Mandy! It will still be delicious, just maybe not quite as creamy. Let me know what you think!
This soup sounds good but I’m wondering why it has 1051 grams of salt per serving. I’ve went over the recipe closely and see only 3/4 teaspoons of salt added. Where is all the salt coming from?
Hi Dianne! Thank you for your comment and question. My nutritional information is only an estimate and I try to get it as accurate as possible. Sodium can come from the salt, but also other ingredients like vegetable broth, etc. If you want to adjust, you can omit the salt and find low/no sodium ingredients. I hope this helps answer it for you!
Hi Kate,
I made the soup yesterday. It was great. I understand what you mean about the salt being in other ingredients. I will use my own homemade broth next time to eliminate the salt count. This time I used a low sodium variety off the shelf. I made the recipe just as your instructions said. My husband loved it and I froze 3 containers. This recipe is a keeper.
Could whole plain yogurt be used in place of Creme Fraiche or sour cream?
Thanks!
Hi! You could try it, but I prefer the others here. Let me know what you think!
This recipe was delicious! The whole family loved it. I added a teaspoon of smoked paprika and it gave it a little bit of that bacon flavor. I also used Greek yogurt instead of creme fraiche, but I added it to the bowls when they were served instead of adding it to the pot. Thank you for this! A new favorite.
I’m happy you enjoyed it with yogurt too! Thank you for reporting back, Liz.
I’m excited to try this. Could I switch creme fraiche / sour cream with plain whole milk Greek yogurt?
Hi Julie! I prefer the options listed, but it may work. Let me know what you think if you try it.
Thinking about making this tomorrow for dinner? Any suggestions for a side dish to go with it, feeding people with big appetites!
Thanks
Hi Andrea! A simple side salad could be nice, some crust bread,
So excited to try this! It’s on the menu for this weekend!
I hope you love it! Let me know what you think, Rebecca.
I made the corn chowder for lunch today, using my Instant Pot. We loved it and it’s going in our “keeper” file. We’ve long loved an organic poblano corn soup we can buy in a box, but this one is its permanent replacement. Thank you!
I’m excited this one is a keeper for you, Tammy! Thank you for your review.
Would you share instapot directions?
Sheila – I satueed everything but the corn and potatoes in the Instant Pot, then added the corn, potatoes, bay leaf, and liquids. I pressure cooked the batch based on what potatoes would need — 5 minutes on high pressure with manual release. From there I followed Kate’s instructions from #4 on. Hope that helps and works for you!
This is one of the best vegetarian sites. Recipes always turnout. Food is flavorful with accessible ingredients.
Thank you!
I love this! I substituted Crema Mexicana table cream for the Creme Fraiche and used 1/2 fresh corn and 1/2 frozen. It was excellent. This is a keeper recipe. Thanks!
You’re welcome, Becky! Thank you for trying it and reporting back.
Made this tonight with creme fraiche, subbed chicken broth for vegetable broth, and added more chili powder. So amazing! Will definitely be making this again. Bring on all the fall soups!
Thank you for your review! Excited you loved this one, Kate.
We just made this for dinner tonight as it’s finally feeling like fall here. We absolutely loved it! This one is going into regular rotation.
That’s great to hear, Justin! I appreciate your review.
This corn chowder is delicious!!
So light and tasty!
I’m happy you loved it! Thank you for your review, Dianne.
I made this last night — it was delicious!! I omitted both peppers (so my significant other would eat it), left out the sour cream because I didn’t have any, and added a little extra chili powder to compensate for not having the spice from the pepper. I loved it and the picky eater did too! Thanks for sharing this great recipe!
You’re welcome, Jen! I’m happy you loved this recipe.
Excellent! I can’t believe how creamy it is without any cream. Even my 3 year old liked it ;) Thanks for another great recipe Kate!
I love that! Thank you for sharing, Julie.
Enjoyed the flavors and all the vegetables in this corn chowder! Did add some corn starch slurry at the end to make it even more creamy/gravy like after using 1/4 cup of sour cream. May have been more creamy with your other ingredient option.
Thanks!
Thank you for trying it, Liz! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
Made this tonight. Omitted the sour cream/creme freche altogether. Sooo good!!! And so easy to make!!
Thank you for letting me know you loved it, Sarah! I’m glad you enjoyed it without the cream.
This sounds delicious! I’m not a particularly precise cook, I seldom follow exact measurements or even exact ingredients, which is why I favor soups and stews and salads rather than baking. I have jalapenos not poblanos, no celery, but so what? And I think I’ll throw in some beans. Soup weather is back, hurrah.
I hope you love it! Be sure to let me know what you think.
Delicious! This soup does a beautiful job of balancing the fresh vegetable flavors with a warm and cozy vibe.
I recently developed lactose intolerance (cry!), so I omitted the butter while blending and omitted the dairy options at the end, and I didn’t even miss them!
I’m happy you were able to make this work for you, Jamie! I have a lot of recipes that you will find you can do. I appreciate your review!
Hi Kate, I continue to love your site and appreciate how much you have helped me build my range of recipes as a vegetarian.
I am making this now and wanted to know for the future, when you say to simmer it for 20-25 min does that mean with a lid or open? I hope that isn’t too obvious of a question! So far it smells great thanks!
Hi Zach! This one is lid off. I hope you loved it!
It was one of the best soups I have ever made! Loved it!! I even sent a couple of friends messages telling them I would make it for them because I think they will be very impressed. Thanks for sharing and for the clarification :)
You’re welcome!
Once again- this recipe was a winner; we love it. We are long past the fresh corn season in Idaho and instead I used a good quality frozen corn. I did not change a thing except maybe to make more next time ;) Thank you for introducing me to crème fraîche and
thank you for the many good meals.
Thank you, Lucy! I’m happy you tried it already and loved it.
Your recipes are really delicious. Have you made an Indian eggplant stew?
I’m glad you like them. I haven’t made that yet, but sounds interesting!
I made this for last night’s dinner (and tonight’s dinner and probably several lunches this week – it makes a lot!). It was very tasty. I love your soups, Kate, so definitely had to give this one a go. I made several taste adjustments at the end (more salt, chili powder, and added some smoked paprika) to make a perfect bowl. Thanks and hope to see more soup recipes this fall/winter!
Thank you, Breanne! This soup is great leftover so I hope you enjoy it through the week.
So good! Add smoked paprika to get a deeper bacon-y flavor. I’ll be making this all winter long!
Wonderful to hear, Catherine! Thank you for your review.
I made this soup and it was outstanding. I tripled the chili powder and doubled the lime juice. I also used 2% Greek yogurt in place of the creme fraiche, stirring it into a small amount of broth first, as suggested. It was delicious.
Excellent recipe. I have not had one recipe from your blog that I did not thoroughly enjoy.
I like vegetarian food, but what’s more impressive is I cook for die hard carnivores and even they love your recipes.
Thanks for all of the excellent meals I’ve had.
You’re so kind! I’m happy to hear you really enjoy my recipes, Col. Thank you for trying another one and for your review!
This recipe is such a winner and the perfect Fall meal. I was thinking the blending step was unnecessary, but I did it and it was so worth it. Turned it right into a chowder! The flavors are delicious and all it needs is a little side of bread for a satisfying, delicious dinner. Can’t wait to have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow ;)
I’m delighted you tried it already and loved it! Yes, blending helps really send it over the top.
Made this tonight using the sour cream option and it was great! I did end up adding the extra 1/2 tsp chili powder you recommended for more spice. The recipe is definitely a keeper!
I’m glad you like extra spice like me! I appreciate your review, Pam.
I just made the chowder and the taste is great but it’s a little thin, is there anything I can do to thicken? Thank you!
Hi! I’m sorry it seems thin to you. I’m not sure about getting it thicker without changing the taste too much. Did you vary any of the measurements?
No worries! I ended up blending some more ingredients and it helped, it was great! Thank you!
Good to hear!
This was DELICIOUS! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Kristen!
oh my, you’ve done it again! Just made this for the first (but certainly not the last) time and I was blown away.
I followed the recipe closely. I added carrot since I had some that needed to get used up, and that was a welcome addition. I also used an immersion blender to blend the soup which worked totally fine, and definitely gasped in awe when I added the blended mixture back into the pot (so cool!). Opted not to use poblano as I’m not a hot pepper person and didn’t want to ruin the soup for myself, so I increased the amount of chili powder as I went. It turned out so, so good! Absolutely fantastic.
I was definitely in a rut with making the same few recipes (the majority from here!) and this was such a welcome change. Definitely adding it to my rotation. Thank you for creating such flavorful, interesting, and comforting recipes!!
Thank you for sharing! I’m happy to hear you have been enjoying it, Ivy.
Delicious!!! Thank you!
Than you for your review, Rachel!
Absolutely delicious! Had it with toasted, seeded, sourdough bread. I veganized it with vegan butter and vegan creme fraiche and it worked an absolute treat. Will be adding this to my regular list of delicious mid-week meals. Yum.
Thank you for sharing how you made this one vegan! I appreciate your review, Suzy.
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious. I used sour cream and everything else exactly as the recipe stated. I’m happy I have leftovers for tomorrow. Kate, thank you for your amazing recipes. Is because of you and your amazing book and recipes that I learned how to eat and appreciate vegetables and eating healthy.
I’m glad you loved it, Jennifer! Thank you for commenting.
This was so great! I was excited about it the moment I saw it on IG. I’m a fan of the blended soup add-in, but the butter trick was new to me. Made it perfectly creamy. I used sour cream, tempered with a little of the blended soup, and frozen corn for convenience. All other ingredients the same, served with a simple cheese quesadilla. A keeper for this winter!
Wonderful, Adriana! Thank you for sharing. A quesadilla would be delicious with this.
I made this tonight with some tweaks to suit my family’s needs. I substituted carrots for bell pepper, and canned green chiles instead of poblano pepper, and used taco seasoning instead of chili powder. It was so good! Yum, yum, yum
I’m glad you loved it! Thank you for sharing your modifications and your review, Jaimee.
Made this tonight and it was amazing! So much flavor and super creamy. I didn’t have a blender or immersion blender available so I just used a potato masher. I’m sure it would be better with a blender, but it was still delicious without it. I also didn’t have a bay leaf and left out the cilantro because we don’t like cilantro. But it was absolutely delicious and will become a regular for us.
Thank you for sharing you liked it and what you did, Caroline! I appreciate it.
Loved this recipe and will definitely make it again! All my favorite ingredients simmered together for a satisfying meal. Next time I’ll substitute some of the corn (I used frozen) with a can of creamed corn to up the creaminess of the soup.
Thanks, COOKIE & kate!
Hooray! Thank you for reporting back, Linda. I appreciate your review!
Made this tonight! Used the sour cream option and my husband and I LOVED IT – he did say he’d want me to make it a little thicker next time – should I blend more or add a little more sour cream?
Hi! The sour cream won’t make it thicker, just creamer. You could try blending a little more. Let me know!
This soup is AMAZING! I added a little extra lime juice and pepper. SO good!
I’m glad you loved it, Emily!
I think this recipe has good bones, I loved being able to make it “creamy” without loading up on cream and it was a bright and cheerful dinner. However, we found it to be pretty bland and had to add quite a bit more to get that depth I was hoping for. I had some bacon pieces in the freezer that needed to be used so I used that as my oil. I also blended in 2 jalapenos, though we like things spicy so I would do 4 if I made it again (its a big recipe!). We also added some smoked paprika. I think next time I will try adding some chipotle pepper as well!
Hi Jessica, I’m sorry you didn’t love this one. Sometimes spices that are older don’t have as much flavor. Were your spices on the fresh side?
Delicious!
I used a little coconut cream instead of the cream to keep it vegan and every one loved it.
Thanks Kate
I’m happy you enjoyed it, TG! Thank you for your review.
This soup is so amazing! It’s been rainy and freezing lately so I have been really craving some soup and this one hit the spot. It was also so much easier than other soups I’ve tried. I used sour cream and added a jalapeno and lots of extra chili powder for some spice. Thanks for always coming through Kate!
You’re welcome, Nicole! I’m happy you loved it.
Wow! This was so delicious, and left me feeling energized instead of heavy :) Thank you for sharing this!
(Recipe note: I didn’t have crème fraîche or sour cream, so I gave each serving a healthy dollop of full-fat Greek yogurt. The chowder had cooled just enough so the yogurt didn’t curdle, and gave it that creamy texture I was going for!)
Wow – another great recipe! I veganized it (using your sour cream recipe, used frozen sweet corn,) and halved it (I think I am going to regret that….). Made in advance for lunch – I can’t wait to dig in tomorrow.Thank you, Kate!
Thank you, Terri! I’m excited you loved it.
This is awesome!I veganized it (using your sour cream recipe, used frozen sweet corn,) and halved it (I think I am going to regret that….). Made in advance for lunch – I can’t wait to dig in tomorrow.Thank you, Kate!
Hi there. Do you think this would work without the Crème fraîche or sour cream? Is it an essential ingredient?
Hi Amanda! See my vegan and dairy free notes. I love it with it, but you can omit if you like.
Absolutely delicious! Another five star recipe. Made it exactly as is and wouldn’t change a thing. Thank you so much for your amazing recipes! Also, I’m sending all my well wishes to Cookie <3
As soon as I saw your pictures of this, I knew I had to try this soup! It was downright jaw-dropping! Never disappointed by your recipes Kate!
So happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing, Annalee.
Your Corn chowder was fabulous! I didn’t have creme fraiche or sour cream so I used Greek yogurt and 1 cup cream. It was so good, easy to make and very satisfying. A keeper! Love your recipes.
Wonderful to hear, Dianne! Thank you for sharing.
Just made this and YUM! It is delicious. I used the poblano and crème fraiche plus added a can of black beans but otherwise made as written. The butter is a genius addition! A keeper for sure.
Thank you for sharing, Bridget!
Delicious recipe.