The Best Creamy Corn Chowder

This Creamy Corn Chowder is my new favorite fall/winter recipe! It’s loaded to the brim with fresh veggies, and simmered in a broth of coconut milk and chicken broth. And I’ve added some bacon for crunch, because if you eat bacon, it adds the perfect extra yum factor to this recipe. The best part? You make it in your instant pot and it comes together in minutes.

I always say that my instant pot is the best kitchen appliance known to mankind, but if you don’t have one, that’s ok! I will include instructions on how to make it the good old fashioned way: in a pot, on the stove. Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. But whatever you do, do not miss this recipe. It’s simply AMAZING!

Head to the grocery store and scoop up the ingredients for this recipe, add to the instant pot (or pot on the stove) and it pretty much does it’s own thing. You just need to chop up some carrots, celery, onion, potato, and bacon, and boom. You get your arm workout in too, it’s a win-win.

Ingredients in The Best Creamy Corn Chowder

Red potatoes – I love red potatoes for this recipe because they have a faster cooking time than regular Russet potatoes and they are less starchy.

Carrots – You only need 3 carrots in this recipe, so use them! They are packed with beta-carotene, a compound which your body changes into Vitamin A, which is good for your eye health!

Celery – Now, if you aren’t a celery person (like my husband), then you can omit the celery. But the celery gives this a chowder-like taste, so I always include it. To hell with my husband – joking. But maybe not.

Onion – You can use any onion you can find!

Corn – You can use fresh corn or frozen corn. I always opt for frozen corn, because who has time to shuck fresh corn. Nowadays you can find organic frozen corn, which is delicious.

Lemon juice – Lemon juice gives this recipe a flavor burst!

Chicken broth – For this recipe, you can use any broth of choice, including vegetable broth, if you are trying to keep it plant-based. I always make this chowder with bone broth, because bone broth tastes so delicious, and it’s also packed with health benefits. If you are new to the bone broth scene, it’s great for joint health, strong hair and nails, digestion, etc., and it definitely healed my gut as I was recovering from my eating disorder.

Coconut milk – Grab a can of full fat coconut milk from the grocery store. This is what I use instead of heavy cream, on days when I don’t feel like adding dairy to my diet (some days my stomach gets sensitive to dairy, and other days it’s fine!). So if you don’t have a dairy intolerance, you will love this made with heavy cream. But otherwise just go with the coconut milk. And because we have so much flavor from the broth and veggies, it won’t have a heavy coconut flavor.

Bacon – Bacon is my favorite thing to eat, ever. Period. End of story. For this recipe, you can either start with pre-cooked bacon (preferred) or just make it in the instant pot (or pan) with the other ingredients (I will explain in the directions below). The reason I prefer starting with cooked bacon, is because it’s nice and crispy and perfect to sprinkle on top. If you cook it in the instant pot (or pan) with the other ingredients, it gets soft. Which is totally fine too, just a personal preference.

Thyme – For this recipe, I use a lot of dried thyme, but I also grab fresh thyme to sprinkle on at the end. But you don’t need both.

Parsley – Just like with the thyme, I use both dried and fresh parsley. You don’t need both, but if you have both, then use both.

Salt, pepper, and olive oil

But mom, what about the protein?

If you want to add some chicken or some clams to this recipe, you absolutely can! Don’t be afraid to play around with this recipe, it’s pretty customizable to your individual taste. If you are going to add chicken, I suggest using 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast and cutting it into cubes. You would then add it to the instant pot (or pan) with the celery, carrots and onions, stirring and browning the chicken for a few minutes, before adding the liquid ingredients. The chicken will then fully cook with everything else. If you feel like adding clams, because you know – we are making chowder, it’s easiest to purchase a can of clams! Just dump in the entire can, along with the juice!

Without further ado, let’s get right to the recipe!

And remember, if you make this recipe, be sure to leave a rating below, and of course tag me on Instagram so I can see your creations and repost!

The Best Creamy Corn Chowder

5 from 1 vote

Nicole Modic

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 32 minutes mins

SERVES 6 people

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This creamy corn chowder lives up to it's name of being the BEST. It's gluten-free and can be made vegan if that's your thing. But if it were up to me, I'd make it as-is, because bacon is life! This recipe serves 6 generously, so it's the perfect meal to make in advance and enjoy all week long!

Ingredients

• 4-5 red potatoes (about 1 pound) cut into quarters
• 3 celery ribs sliced
• 3 carrots sliced into coins
• 1 large onion
• 4 cloves garlic mashed
• 1 ½ cups frozen corn
• ½ lemon juiced
• 6 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
• ½ cup full fat coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 6-8 slices crispy bacon roughly chopped

Instructions

Instant Pot Method:

• Get your instant pot ready.
• Press the “saute” button.
• Add the olive oil to the pot.
• Add the carrots, celery, and onion.
• Cook for about 7 minutes or until the veggies start to get soft.
• Next, add the garlic, potatoes, corn, lemon juice, chicken broth, coconut milk, thyme, parsley, salt, and pepper.
• Give everything a nice stir.
• Cover with the instant pot lid and seal it, making sure the vent valve is sealed.
• Cook on the ‘pressure cook’ function for 18 minutes.
• Let everything naturally vent for 5-6 minutes, before releasing fully.
• Once you open the cover, get out your blender and transfer 2-3 cups of the chowder to the blender and blend for about 1 minute, then pour it back into the instant pot and stir. This makes the chowder creamier!
• Add the chopped bacon and serve.

Stovetop Method:

• Place a large pot on the stove.
• Add the olive oil to the pot. 
• Turn on the heat to medium, and once hot, add the carrots, celery, and onion.
• Saute for about 7 minutes or until the veggies start to get soft.
• Next, add the garlic, potatoes, corn, lemon juice, chicken broth, coconut milk, thyme, parsley, salt, and pepper. 
• Give everything a nice stir.
• Cover the pot with a lid.
• Reduce heat to low and cook for 1 hour.
• Remove the cover, get out your blender and transfer 2-3 cups of the chowder to the blender and blend for about 1 minute, then pour it back into the pot and stir. This makes the chowder creamier!
• Add the chopped bacon and serve.

Notes

If you are using uncooked bacon, just chop it into 1/2 inch pieces, and add it to the instant pot (or pot on the stove) along with the carrots, celery, and onion.

Did you make this recipe?

I’d love to see what you made - tag @kalejunkie
in your posts and I’ll re-share!

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