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Home Soups

Corn Chowder with Bacon

By:Nagi
Published:23 Oct '17Updated:5 Jul '21
141 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

Creamy, hearty Corn Chowder with BACON!! My two little effortless tips that take this up a notch is to use the bacon drippings to make the soup base, and toss the used corn cobs into the broth to infuse it with extra corn flavour. This soup is guaranteed to warm your soul and get your taste buds dancing!

Creamy Corn Chowder with Bacon, with a couple of simple tips for make it extra tasty! www.recipetineats.com

Corn Chowder

I’m a sucker for creamy soups in any form. In fact, I’m yet to come across a creamy soup I don’t love. Hmmmm…..that statement sounds somewhat awfully familiar.

I’ve written that here before. Oh, that’s right. I say the same thing about cheese. Umm… and potatoes.

This website would be a very different place indeed if I also said the same thing about salads. 😈

There are corn chowders, then there are corn chowders. A couple of years ago, I shared a quick ‘n easy Corn Chowder using leftover Christmas ham and frozen corn. This one is a teeny step up from that in terms of effort, and it’s totally worth it because it’s extra corny and loaded with extra flavour.

Here’s my tip: Use fresh corn and use the corn cobs to make a simple extra-corny broth. OH – and cook the bacon first and use the bacon drippings to make the soup base (i.e. sautéing onion and garlic then making a roux that thickens the soup).

How to Make Corn Chowder with Bacon www.recipetineats.com

Creamy Corn Chowder with Bacon, with a couple of simple tips for make it extra tasty! www.recipetineats.com

This method of infusing the soup broth with the corn cobs (also used in this Cold Corn Soup) is a tip I picked up from Kenji at Serious Eats, The Best Corn Chowder Recipe. Kenji says this, Kenji says that, Kenji’s tip for this, Kenji’s tested that… his name gets thrown around quite a bit in the RecipeTin family. While I’m pretty sure none of us has actually made any of his recipes exactly as written, we find his food-science approach to making the “best of the best” (like crunchy fried Chinese chicken that stays crunchy) or why it’s impossible to do this-or-that in a home kitchen (like truly charring noodles the South East Asian way) interesting reading, and are sometimes able to pick up tips that we can actually use in our normal day to day cooking.

Infusing the broth with the corn cobs is one such technique. 🙂

Creamy Corn Chowder with Bacon, with a couple of simple tips for make it extra tasty! www.recipetineats.com

Creamy Corn Chowder with Bacon, with a couple of simple tips for make it extra tasty! www.recipetineats.com

Now, I must confess something. Well, 2 things. The soup you see in the photos is cleaner than what you will see in the video. I usually make this with sprigs of thyme to infuse the broth. When I made the recipe video, I only had a few shrivelled up brown sprigs so I opted to use dried thyme instead rather than doing yet another run to the grocery store, so the soup broth is speckled with thyme leaves.

Having made that decision, I proceeded with the recipe video. Got the step where I was to toss in a bay leaf…. and realised I was out of bay leaves!!!

So… that bay leaf you see me plop into the soup is actually….. errr ….well, it’s a kaffir lime leaf. I fished it out as soon as I stopped recording!!!

These are not deal breakers though. Dried vs fresh thyme sprigs is just about aesthetics, and the bay leaf does add a subtle hint of extra flavour but it’s not the end of the world if you don’t have it.

Just don’t substitute with kaffir lime leaf!!! – Nagi x


Watch how to make it

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Corn Chowder with Bacon

Author: Nagi
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 35 mins
Total: 50 mins
4.96 from 50 votes
Servings5 - 6 people
Tap or hover to scale
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Make your next Corn Chowder extra tasty by using the bacon drippings to make the soup base and after cutting the kernels off, throw the corn cobs into the broth to infuse it with extra corn flavour! The potato is cooked until very soft, so the edges are starting to breakdown and this helps thicken the soup. Recipe VIDEO below.

Ingredients

Corn (choose one)

  • 4 ears of corn
  • 4 cups / 750g / 1.5 lb frozen or canned corn , drained

Soup:

  • 1 tsp butter (or oil)
  • 250g / 8 oz bacon , chopped
  • 30g / 2 tbsp butter (use 3 tbsp if bacon is lean)
  • 1 garlic clove , minced
  • 1 small onion , diced (or half large onion) (yellow, brown or white)
  • 5 tbsp flour
  • 2 cups chicken broth , low sodium
  • 3 cups milk (I use low fat but full fat will work too)
  • 600g / 1.2 lb potatoes , cut into 1 cm / 2/5" cubes (about 2 large)
  • 2 sprigs of thyme OR 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 3/4 cup cream (Note 1)
  • 3/4 cup shallots / scallions , green part finely sliced
  • Salt and finely ground pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Cut the corn off the cob. This is how I do it: Place a small ramekin in a large bowl. Place corn on the ramekin then cut the corn off. See video. Keep naked cobs.
  • Place 1 tsp butter in a large pot over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until golden. Use a slotted spoon to remove onto a paper towel lined plate. Leave fat in pot.
  • Lower heat to medium high. Add 2 tbsp butter, once melted, add garlic and onion. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes until onion is translucent.
  • Add flour and mix it in. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
  • Add broth, milk, potatoes, thyme and bay leaf. Break naked cobs into 2 or 3 and add into the liquid. Put the lid on and simmer for 25 minutes (adjust heat so it's simmering energetically but not bubbling like crazy or super gently).
  • Remove lid, remove corn cobs. Add corn and cook for 5 minutes or until cooked to your taste.
  • Stir through cream and 3/4 of the bacon and shallots. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and garnish with remaining bacon and shallots.

Recipe Notes:

1. I use heavy / thickened cream. Feel free to use half and half, pouring or even light cream. Butter is also a great option if you don't have cream - just a small knob to add richness. Or omit it for a healthier version - it's still beautifully creamy and thick.
2. Nutrition per serving, assuming 6 servings. 175 calories of the 620 calories is attributable to the bacon (streaky bacon). Use lean or turkey bacon to cut down on calories!

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 523gCalories: 620cal (31%)
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

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LIFE OF DOZER

Nowhere to be seen when I was cutting the corn, made an appearance when the bacon was cooking. (PS I shot this recipe pre Cindy Crawford beauty spot in the photo I shared last Friday a.k.a smudge of permanent hair colour on his face)

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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

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141 Comments

  1. Rebecca says

    September 5, 2022 at 11:07 pm

    5 stars
    This was easy and turned out great. Some things I changed, bc I always do — more bacon of course, an extra potato, thin sliced carrot, 2 diced jalapeños (husband likes kick) and 2 TBS of four instead of 5. Excellent basic recipe to modify as your own. Thank You, Rebecca

    Reply
  2. Belinda says

    August 25, 2022 at 11:51 am

    Very similar to my recipe which I have been making for many many years. Next time I make it I’m going to add the corn cobs though. I always flavour my chowder with a dash of dry sherry and a dash of worcestershire sauce and use a tin of evaporated milk instead of cream

    Reply
  3. Chuck Ah Choy says

    August 19, 2022 at 10:53 am

    5 stars
    Whoa, your recipe did not fail me. One word to discribe it, “onolicious”!

    Mahalo,
    Chuck

    Reply
  4. Patricia Loquet says

    July 8, 2022 at 5:31 am

    I have a friend coming this weekend and this soup will be the perfect lunch with a salad. I have a question-what is a brown onion? Never heard of them here in the states.

    Reply
  5. Lamar says

    April 28, 2022 at 1:28 am

    5 stars
    Such a tasty recipe! I made a half batch and loved the deep savory flavor of all the Thyme. I didn’t use as much butter, only a tablespoon and used more chicken broth and a half cup of milk with just a splash of half and half at the end. Didn’t have the the shallots, so I don’t know what I’m missing there. I’ve made corn chowder but it was too sweet. I don’t like cream style corn – also way too sweet. The bacon and thyme totally balanced the sweetness. I’m looking forward to another batch! Thanks for such a good, easy recipe.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 28, 2022 at 5:40 pm

      I’m excited that you liked it so much Lamar!! N x

      Reply
  6. Meryl says

    March 27, 2022 at 9:14 pm

    5 stars
    I don’t even bother looking at other recipe websites any more! Just plug in the ingredients I have at home (corn that needed to be used, potatoes and 3 really thick slices of bacon) and I always find exactly what I need and it’s perfect. One of the best soups (Chowdah, Frenchmen, say it! LOL) I’ve ever made or eaten. You are a wonder, Nagi.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      March 28, 2022 at 3:47 pm

      I’m happy you liked it Meryl! N x

      Reply
  7. Paul says

    March 10, 2022 at 7:44 pm

    Instead of the chicken stock I add a packet of Knorr Seafood soup mix diluted with the water from the sieved boiled shells of fresh prawns and a packet of mixed seafood. It turn the whole thing into a seafood chowder which is well received by my Chinese dinner guests. I have to add some green chilies cooked together with the onion for the local taste. A splash of white wine and some cream enhances the taste.

    Reply
  8. Becky says

    January 28, 2022 at 12:29 pm

    5 stars
    So delicious and creamy! Easy to follow recipe. Love the infusing the cob trick.

    Reply
  9. Rose Arguin says

    January 27, 2022 at 2:21 am

    Made this yesterday came out excellent TY Nagi

    Reply
  10. Saria says

    January 20, 2022 at 7:15 am

    I liked the part where they treated shallots and scallions interchangeably lol

    Reply
    • Chris says

      January 27, 2022 at 4:06 pm

      I like how you don’t know that scallions are called shallots in Australia.

      Reply
  11. Joanne says

    December 27, 2021 at 7:54 am

    This turned out really good. Making it again, cause it’s a really easy recipe to follow. Thank you!

    Reply
  12. Donna says

    November 24, 2021 at 4:52 pm

    Can’t eat this because of the dairy.

    Reply
  13. CatNishh says

    October 14, 2021 at 10:49 am

    5 stars
    Yummy!
    Made with no alterations.
    Will definitely cook this soup again.

    Reply
  14. Gillian says

    October 4, 2021 at 12:01 am

    5 stars
    This was absolutely delicious. I used crab meat instead of bacon. We thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks Nagi!

    Reply
  15. Deb says

    September 26, 2021 at 10:43 pm

    5 stars
    OMG I found this recipe this morning after picking some fresh corn and wondering what to do with it and this recipe was amazing. I like very plain food, so left the herbs out, couldn’t bring myself to put the corn cobs in for extra flavour and was worried about the garlic, but this is hands down the most delicious soup my husband and I have ever eaten. We will certainly be back to the farm next weekend for more corn. Thank you Nagi x ps. I reckon your mushroom soup will be on the table here in England in the very near future

    Reply
  16. Elena says

    September 8, 2021 at 11:23 am

    Hi Nagi, I am LOVING your recipes – I made this for lunch yesterday and it was delish! I wanted to ask you how get your nutritional information? Do you use a website or do you have a human do it?

    Reply
  17. Lorna says

    August 24, 2021 at 4:15 am

    is the corn raw or cooked when you cut it off the cob

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 24, 2021 at 4:45 pm

      It’s raw here Lorna 🙂 N x

      Reply
  18. Paula Campos says

    August 20, 2021 at 11:47 pm

    Any suggestions on what type of potatoes to use?

    Reply
    • Barbie says

      September 3, 2021 at 10:33 am

      Yukon Gold holds up well in soups

      Reply
      • Paula Campos says

        September 3, 2021 at 7:02 pm

        THANK YOU

        Reply
      • Lamar says

        April 28, 2022 at 11:41 am

        Red potatoes are also great here>

        Reply
        • Nagi says

          April 28, 2022 at 4:49 pm

          Thanks for that tip Lamar!! N x

          Reply
  19. Abby says

    August 17, 2021 at 1:52 am

    Can this soup be frozen and enjoyed later?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 17, 2021 at 12:21 pm

      Yes 100% Abby! N x

      Reply
  20. Beth says

    June 25, 2021 at 4:02 pm

    I have made this soup several times and it is always a hit. It is SO GOOD!!!! Even my ‘i hate soup soup’ daughter likes it.
    I usually use corn flour to thicken it as my best friend’s daughter is coeliac. She’s always so happy if i make soup for her that she can eat. 🙂

    Reply
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