- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
What you’ll need — tap to tick off as you go
- 600 g
- 400 g
- 2 cloves
- 30 g
- 2 tbsp
- 700 ml
- 250 ml
- 100 ml
- 1 tsp
- ½ tsp
- 1 tsp
- ½ tsp
- 2 tbsp
Process
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Melt the butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook for 5 to 6 minutes until soft and translucent, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the garlic, smoked paprika and dried thyme and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir constantly for 1 minute to cook out the raw flour taste.
Pour in the hot vegetable broth a little at a time, whisking to keep the mixture smooth. Add the bay leaf, salt and black pepper.
Add the potatoes and half of the sweetcorn kernels. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover and cook for 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife.
Remove the bay leaf. Scoop out about 2 cups of the soup, blend until smooth, and stir it back into the pot to thicken the chowder.
Stir in the remaining sweetcorn, the whole milk and the double cream. Simmer uncovered over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring often, until hot but not boiling.
Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and scatter over the chives if using.
Kitchen notes
Kitchen notes
- The most common mistake is boiling the chowder after the milk and cream go in; boiling can make the dairy split and turn grainy. Keep it at a bare simmer and stir often.
- Blending a portion of the soup is what gives a proper chowder body without adding extra starch. If you skip it the soup will be thin.
- Potatoes are done when a knife slides in with no resistance but they still hold their shape; overcooking makes them dissolve and the chowder gluey.
- If using frozen corn, add it straight from the freezer in step 5 and give it 2 extra minutes; it is already blanched and sweet.
Substitutions
- vegetable broth→chicken broth for a richer, non-vegetarian version
- double cream→extra whole milk plus 1 tbsp butter for a lighter chowder
- smoked paprika→sweet paprika plus a pinch of cayenne
- dried thyme→1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
Storage & reheating
Cool the chowder within 1 hour, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. It thickens on chilling; reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat, stirring in a splash of milk or broth to loosen, until steaming but not boiling. Freezing is not recommended because the potatoes turn mealy and the dairy can separate.
FAQ
The questions we get asked most
Why did my corn chowder turn out thin?
The flour roux was likely undercooked or too little liquid was blended back in. Cook the flour for a full minute in step 3, and blend a generous 2 cups of the soup with some potato in it. The blended potato is what thickens the chowder naturally.
Can I use frozen or canned corn instead of fresh?
Yes. Frozen corn works very well and needs no thawing; add it straight to the pot and simmer 2 minutes longer. Canned corn is already cooked and soft, so drain it and add it only in the last 5 minutes to keep some bite.
Why did my chowder curdle or look grainy?
The dairy was added to a boiling pot or heated too hard afterwards. Take the pot off the boil before stirring in the milk and cream, then keep it at a bare simmer. If it has already split, a tablespoon of cornstarch slurry whisked in over low heat can pull it back together.
Can I make corn chowder ahead of time?
Yes, it tastes even better the next day. Make it up to step 6, cool and refrigerate, then add the milk and cream when you reheat. If you have already added the dairy, reheat gently over low heat and thin with a little broth.
How do I make this corn chowder vegan?
Swap the butter for olive oil, use oat or soy milk instead of whole milk, and replace the double cream with full-fat coconut milk or a cashew cream. The flour roux still works the same way, and the chowder will be just as thick.
How do I know when the potatoes are cooked?
Pierce a potato cube with a paring knife; it should slide in with no resistance but the cube should still hold its shape. If the knife meets a firm centre, simmer 3 to 5 minutes more. Mushy potatoes will make the chowder gluey.
Can I add other vegetables or protein to this chowder?
Yes. Diced red pepper or leek can go in with the onion, and cooked shredded chicken or crisp bacon bits can be stirred in at the end. If you add extra vegetables, increase the broth by about 100 ml so the chowder stays soupy.
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