Easy Corn Chowder

Craving a cozy bowl of chowder without the heavy cream? This easy corn chowder gives you all the comfort with tender red potatoes, sweet bursts of fresh corn, and a gentle kick of jalapeño, while staying naturally gluten-free and dairy-free. It's weeknight-easy, hearty enough for a meal, and exactly the kind of soup that makes cold days feel warmer.

I started making this when I wanted classic chowder texture without the flour or cream. The technique is simple: build flavor with aromatics and spices, then blend a scoop of the soup to make it silky before stirring it back in. You get that rich, chowdery body with clean ingredients and zero fuss.

Make it yours by keeping it mild or turning up the heat, add a handful of corn at the end for extra pop, and serve with a warm slice of maple sweet potato cornbread for dunking. If chowder has let you down before (too heavy, too bland), this one will surprise you. Expect big flavor, a creamy finish, and a feel-good bowl you'll come back to all season.

Creamy Corn Chowder Recipe Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you'll need to make the best gluten free corn chowder:

• Onion, celery and garlic: Give a nice base to the creamy chowder.
• Jalapeño peppers: Add mild spiciness.
• Smoked paprika and dried mustard: Blend well together to add a mild smoky flavor with a touch of tangy heat.
• Potatoes: Provide creamy texture and takes on a lot of flavor in this potato soup recipe. Hearty potatoes like red potatoes, russet potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes work really well.
• Fresh corn: Is perfect during corn-on-the-cob season. A 6-ounce bag of frozen corn kernels will save you from removing the kernels from the cob.
• Vegetable broth: Can be substituted with chicken broth or chicken stock if you've not cooking vegan.
• Coconut cream: Adds the creaminess into the dairy-free chowder without the need for heavy cream. I like to use full-fat coconut milk and I don't find that it tastes like coconut.
• Nutritional yeast: Helps to thicken the broth.
• Toppings: Garnish with chopped chives, green onions, parsley, red chili flakes, or a grind of black pepper. If not vegan, chopped bacon or pancetta add a nice salty bold flavor to finish the dish.

See recipe card below for all ingredients and quantities.

1. Chop vegetables and have all your ingredients ready before preparing the corn chowder recipe.

2. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions, celery and jalapeño and sauté while onions soften. Add garlic and stir.

3. Stir in smoked paprika and dried mustard.

4. Add potatoes and corn, stir well.

5. Add broth, coconut milk, nutritional yeast and salt. Bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat, simmer and cook uncovered until potatoes soften.

6. Liquid will reduced slightly and the corn soup will thicken.

7. In a blender transfer about 3 cups of soup and blend until smooth. Add creamy soup back to pot. If using an immersion blender, pulse a few times to cream some of the soup, leaving some of the soup chunky and textured.

8. Serve hot. Garnish with chives and red pepper flakes for some extra heat.