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This vegan corn chowder has a silky, creamy texture, no dairy required! Simmering the cobs right in the broth makes a rich, savory flavor you’d swear came from cream.
Whoa. That was what my sister said after taking her first bite of this vegan corn chowder. She said the same thing again when Alex and I mentioned it was vegan. Yes, this corn chowder has just set a new bar for vegan soup recipes!
It’s so seriously creamy, with a savory undertone that seems undeniably meaty. Contrast that with the sweetness of ripe summer corn, and it’s incredibly satisfying. This is the perfect recipe to make when you have fresh sweet corn on hand!
5 Star Reader Reviews
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This was so good! it was much better than I expected it to be. It does make a lot of soup FYI. I will definitely make it again.” -Sarah
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “We continue coming back to this site because the flavors are dynamite. Thank you guys so much for good, QUALITY, recipes! This chowder was amazing. Our family said it was some of the best soup we’ve ever tasted.” -Amber
Ingredients for Vegan Corn Chowder
Simply making this corn chowder creamy is just one element of the puzzle. Often corn chowder is cooked with bacon, which adds an intensely savory element to the soup. But how to make a both vegan and vegetarian corn chowder that has a strong enough flavor to stand up to the bacon expectation? Here are our secrets:
- Fresh corn: Fresh sweet corn is the whole point in summer, though frozen works year-round (more on that below!).
- Raw cashews: Soaked and blended, they turn into the creamiest dairy-free base you can make! I use the same trick behind my cashew cream, vegan nacho cheese, and creamy vegan tomato soup.
- Russet potatoes: The starch in the potatoes breaks down as they simmer, thickening the broth as well.
- Vegetable broth: It’s the backbone of the flavor here, or use any type of broth you have.
- Soy sauce. Adding soy sauce adds a salty, savory umami to this corn chowder.
- Smoked paprika. Also called pimentón, smoked paprika gives vegan and vegetarian recipes a smoky undertone.
- Onion, celery, carrots, and garlic. Garlic always adds a umami to meatless recipes; in this recipe we used both fresh garlic and garlic powder to make it super savory.
Tricks For the Best Vegan Corn Chowder
How to make a vegan corn chowder, when most recipes have milk or cream? Most recipes aren’t even a vegetarian corn chowder: they also have bacon! It’s certainly a challenge to make up for all those textures and flavors, so I had to pull out our plant based tricks for this one,
To keep this chowder dairy free, it has to use something other than milk or cream to bring body and creaminess. Here are our secrets:
- Soaking and blending cashews. If you eat vegan or plant based, you’ve likely tried this trick: soaking cashews and then blending them makes for a creamy texture that’s oddly similar to dairy. We use this trick all the time, like in our cashew cream, vegan nacho cheese, and creamy vegan tomato soup (and more cashew recipes).
- Blending part of the soup itself. If you’re making such a beautifully flavorful soup: why not use some of the soup itself to make it creamy? In the recipe below, you’ll take out about 4 cups of the soup and blend it with the cashews to create an ultra creamy base.
Tips for Cutting Corn Off the Cob Without a Mess
Alex and I love sweet corn recipes. However, every time I see a recipe that calls for cutting corn off the cob, I wince a little imagining the spray of flying yellow specks all over our kitchen. Cutting corn off of the cob can be a little messy, and this vegan corn chowder calls for 6 ears of corn! Here are a few ways we like to cut corn without making a mess:
- Bundt pan method. In this method, you place the corn cob right on top of the raised center part of a bundt pan. When you slice downward, the Bundt pan catches all the corn kernels. Here’s How to Cut Corn Off the Cob.
- Inverted small bowl instead larger bowl. Same method as above, but if you don’t have a Bundt pan, you can use an inverted small bowl inside a larger bowl. (Here’s a video.)
- Mandoline. If you have a mandoline, you can use it to cut corn off the cob. It slides right off without making a mess.
Variations and Substitutions
- Nut-free: Swap the cashews for one 13.5-ounce can of full-fat coconut milk, added at the end.
- Frozen corn: Use 3 cups frozen kernels, no thawing needed. You lose the cobs, so compensate with an extra ½ teaspoon smoked paprika.
- Add heat. Add a can of diced green chilis, or a minced jalapeno pepper.
- Make it heartier. Add a can of drained white beans stirred in with the corn.
What to Serve With Vegan Corn Chowder
Here are my favorite ways to serve this soup:
- Easy vegan cornbread: yes, it’s corn on corn, but I love it
- A hunk of crusty homemade no knead bread
- One of my favorite salad recipes with a zingy vinaigrette
- Vegan biscuits
How to Store and Freeze
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Warm it gently on the stovetop to reheat it.
Though I haven’t tried it, it should freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat gently on the stovetop.
Dietary Notes
This vegan corn chowder recipe is vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free.
Creamy Vegan Corn Chowder
This vegan corn chowder has a silky, creamy texture, no dairy required! Simmering the cobs right in the broth makes a rich, savory flavor you’d swear came from cream.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 8 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted raw cashews
- 1 large yellow onion
- 3 ribs celery
- 2 carrots
- 2 medium garlic cloves
- 2 pounds (6 medium) russet potatoes
- 6 ears corn, enough for 3 cups corn kernels
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Chopped chives, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Place the cashews in a bowl and cover with water; allow them to soak while preparing the recipe.
- Dice the onion and celery. Peel and dice the carrots. Place the onion, celery and carrots together in a bowl.
- Mince the garlic. Peel and dice the potatoes. Place them in a separate bowl. Cut the corn from the cob, saving the cobs to simmer in the soup.
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Sauté the onion, carrots, and celery for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and potatoes and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the corn cobs (broken into a few pieces, if necessary to fit in the pot), vegetable broth, water, soy sauce, smoked paprika, thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt, and black pepper. Bring to simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then remove the cobs from the soup.
- Drain the cashews. Using a 2-cup glass measuring cup with spout, carefully scoop out about 4 cups of the hot soup and place it in a blender, then add the drained cashews. Blend on high for about 1 minute until smooth and creamy. Return to the soup pot, then stir in the reserved corn kernels. Cook for 5 minutes until the corn is tender. Taste and the additional ¼ teaspoon salt (or more if desired). Serve warm.
More corn recipes
Outside of this vegan corn chowder, we have lots of recipes using fresh corn! Here are a few of our favorite vegetarian corn recipes:
- Elote (Mexican Street Corn) — an all time fave!
- How to Cook Corn on the Cob: all the best ways!
- Perfect Grilled Corn
- Grilled Corn in Foil
- Boiled Corn on the Cob
- Oven Roasted Corn on the Cob
- Homemade Calzone with Poblanos & Corn
- Potato Corn Chowder
- Spicy Corn on the Cob with Tahini
- Black Bean and Corn Salsa
This was so good! it was much better than I expected it to be. My husband does not like celery, so I used fennel instead. i was trying to use up frozen corn and I accidentally put it in too early, so I ended up blending it at the end and it all turned out great anyway. I would love to try it with fresh corn in the summer. It does make a lot of soup FYI. I will definitely make it again.
My family is doing a Daniel Fast for 21 days, and let me tell you this soup was sooo good!!! and filling! thank you guys for all your work
So glad to hear that! I hope the rest of your fast goes well.
We continue coming back to this site bc the flavors are dynamite. Thank you guys so much for good, QUALITY, recipes! This chowder was amazing. Our family said it was some of the best soup we’ve ever tasted. I did overnight soak the cashews bc I’ve learned it just does help to make it even easier to get that creamy perfect texture.
Thank you for the comment. That means so much!