Basic Corn Chowder
Updated July 2, 2024
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 4 to 6ears of corn
- 1tablespoon butter or neutral oil, like canola or grapeseed
- 1medium onion, chopped
- 2medium potatoes, peeled and diced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2tomatoes, cored, seeded and chopped (optional)
- 1cup whole or low-fat milk
- ½cup chopped parsley (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
320 calories; 6 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 65 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 13 grams sugars; 11 grams protein; 988 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Shuck corn, and use a paring knife to strip kernels into a bowl. Put cobs in a pot with 4 cups water; bring to a boil, cover and simmer while you continue.
- Step 2
Put butter or oil in a saucepan, and turn heat to medium-high. When butter melts or oil is hot, add onion and potatoes, along with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, about 5 minutes; add tomatoes and cook, stirring, for another minute or two.
- Step 3
After corncobs have cooked at least 10 minutes, strain liquid into onion-potato mixture; bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. When potatoes are tender, add corn kernels and milk, and heat through. Taste, and adjust seasonings. Garnish with the parsley, and serve.
Tip
- Curried corn chowder: In Step 2, use oil, and add 1 tablespoon each curry powder and peeled and minced ginger to the onions. In Step 3, use sour cream in place of milk; garnish with cilantro in place of parsley.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Elaine
saute some chopped celery along with the onion. Add a few sprigs of parsley and thyme to simmer in the broth. Add some chopped parsley, thyme, and celery leaves at the end.
If you use 6 ears of corn, you'll have to increase the amount of liquid.
Great recipe.
Dick
I have made this several times. The basic version, without the tomatoes. and it is delicious. It is flexible re ingredients. I have added another potato for example.(It also freezes well)
Madeleine
I've been making this at least once per summer since I clipped the recipe out of the paper when it appeared in 2000. I liked to add fresh thyme or chopped tarragon towards the end of sautéing the potato and onion, and some heavy cream. I use a hand blender to purée the finished soup but leave about 1/4 of it in pieces.
Mary Ellen
I made a double batch of this chowder. It is delicious. I followed the recipe exactly but puréed about half and then added it back in, which helped the consistency enormously. The stock made from the corn cobs was great. I used whole milk. Great recipe and it doesn't need bacon.
ACB
Skip the dairy like this:
After you remove the corn cobs from the water, let them cool a bit and then, before you discard them, use the back side of a knife to scrape off the germ and the milky juice. Add this yummy corn essence to the soup along with with the kernels. Add chopped parsley at the end.
Gordeaux
Surprisingly good. Made Corn Chowder with Lump Crabmeat. Used 6 ears of corn because it's corn chowder. Used butter because corn. Didn't peel the spuds. Didn't seed the tomatoes. Used the parsley. Checking the salt and pepper before serving is key. Added a can of lump crabmeat and it was extraordinary.
Jane
This chowder is so great I bought extra corn at the Farmers' Market last weekend and made a double batch. I add white wine and a bay leaf when boiling the cobs. Also some garlic when cooking onions and potatoes; no tomatoes; and thyme when it all comes together at the end. Red pepper flakes don't hurt either.
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Jen
Also add add 3 tablespoons of sour cream. Used an immersion blender or to blend it but not all the way. Delicious
Kelly
Per another source, 1 medium cob of corn yields a half a cup of kernels. I suppose that means using 2 to 3 c of your stored kernels. If kernels are frozen, I might err on a larger amount of kernels but slightly reduce the amount of liquid in the recipe to account for thawing effects.
Max
Sauté a strip or two of bacon (chopped) and use the bacon renderings to sauté the onions and potatoes. Adding 1/2 cup chopped cilantro gives a nice flavor.
Aron
Great recipe for this time of year. I made a few minor adjustments:
1. six ears of corn are better than four
2. stock needs 1-2 cups of water
3. butter AND neutral oil works best
4. Add teaspoon of fresh thyme when sauteing onion and potatoes
5. Add pinch of cayenne to soup after adding milk
Bon appetit!
Heather
Tomato in corn chowder?
My basic corn chowder is an enormous hit with anyone who tries it. It's your basic potato chowder (potato, onion, carrot, celery, a touch of garlic, milk, salt pepper, nutmeg, parsley, terragon) with a whole lot of corn added. I like it better with almond or coconut milk, and this makes it vegan, too.
Sharon Flynn
I made this recipe often when I lived in Maine (basic recipe- no tomatoes, as real Mainers would object). At the end I add a chunk or two of fresh or frozen haddock or cod, or whatever I have in the freezer. Adjust seasonings. Love a bit of tarragon. I'm going to make this now as I often forget in landlocked Kentucky. Thank you so much for featuring this recipe!
Nancy
Because I had it sitting around, I added a couple ounces of cubed pancetta which was delicious. I plan to use it or a little ham next time. For seasoning, I added smoked paprika. Yum!
Pat Lacey
I always add a bit of dill weed to the basic recipe. Delicious!
LC
This was just okay. It look way way longer than 30 minutes, and I’m a pretty experienced home cook. I cooked bacon first to toast the veggies in bacon fat and subbed shallots for the onion. I blended about half of the soup and it made for a nice consistency.
Katie
Great base recipe to modify to your taste. I added celery to the boiling cob water. Started the chowder by cooking up two pieces of bacon and adding the butter to that grease. To the chowder I added a bay leaf, cayenne pepper, celery salt, thyme, nutmeg, and two cans of lump crab. I blended 3/4 the chowder and left 1/4 "chunky". Topped chowder with the bacon bits from the beginning. Was fantastic for my very first corn chowder!
Pita chef
Adding some smoked paprika deepens the flavor of this very nice recipe
George
I found this watery and too thin and the corn was largely uncooked. Definitely needs more flavor, body and seasonings.
Cyd
Tarragon is such a great addition!
GreenSageSJ
Well, thank you NYT Cooking readers, who made a very bland recipe delicious with suggestions for added veg (celery) and herbs. The cream cheese idea was brilliant. No indication in the recipe about how much butter or oil, so I used 2 tbls butter and 1 tbls olive oil. Mark Bittman, much respect, but read the comments (5 stars) and then rework this recipe (3 stars as it is).
tracey
delicious, easy recipe. i pureed about 1C of the soup before adding back in and added fresh parsley and thyme, and a sprinkle of basil. next time, i might add celery, carrots, and/or tarragon as others have suggested, as it needed more flavor.
TOM G
I found this disappointing. Perhaps more corn would help. The recipe calls for 4-6 ears. I used four but the same amount of liquid as for six. It was thin even after using an immersion blender. Perhaps I’ll make it again, some day. But honestly, my desire to eat corn chowder doesn’t happen that often. Probably better to eat it at a good restaurant
Sandra
Missed a few things when I was shopping. Used fire-roasted canned tomatoes, and since I missed the parsley and had just purchased some fresh dill at the farm market, used it. Was a great addition. Next time I might try the curried version - but use coconut milk instead of regular. While my husband won't eat corn from the cob, he loved this.
krd63
In a word, this recipe, as is: BLAND!
Donna
Great basic recipe. Did not use tomatoes because that just didn’t seem like a good add. Used chopped fresh basil instead of parsley. To me, basil is a much better add-in for anything with corn. Added shrimp with the cream and heated until shrimp were cooked through. A big hit.
Jen
SUPER good!! I used 5 cobs I cooked 3 strips of bacon in the pan before the onion/potato mix. Took out the bacon and used the fat to cook the veg. I didn’t have tomatoes on hand so I used a large tablespoon of tomato paste. I blended about 2.5c of the soup to add to the texture. I didn’t have milk so I used sour cream. Also added some lemon at the end. It was divine!
karen
Made with 6 ears of corn, six cups chicken broth, added tomatoes, celery, diced scallions, red pepper flakes, one tsp white miso. Used immersion blender to partly blend.
Peony123
5 out of 5! Followed the recipe, but added carrots, celery, a leek, and Canadian bacon (couldn't get pancetta). Never knew about cooking the cobs in the water, which amped up the dish. It' like an east coast summer in a bowl!
sharon
No one ever follows a single recipe on this website lol. This was delish: but I did this instead…!
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