Gluten-Free Corn Chowder

This creamy corn chowder recipe is naturally gluten-free, and packed with all the classic flavor you love. From the smoky bacon, to the sweet corn, to the savory veggies & flavorful broth, this easy soup is delicious from start to finish!

Ready to make a batch? Here’s what you’ll need to get started…

Gather Your Ingredients

A Note On Corn Prep! After shucking the corn (removing the outer green corn husk), remove as much of the fine corn silk threads as possible for the best texture. Then, use a sharp knife to cut the corn kernels off the cob. You’ll use the empty corn cobs to add MAJOR flavor to the broth. 

How To Make Gluten-Free Corn Chowder, Step By Step

As always, you can find the full recipe with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.

1. Prep Corn Broth. Cut the corn off the corn cobs and place the corn cobs in a large saucepan with 4 cups of water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium and let the corn cobs simmer 15-20 minutes.
2. Cook Bacon. While the corn cobs are simmering, add diced bacon to a large Dutch oven or large soup pot and crisp the bacon over medium heat until brown and crispy. Remove bacon and set aside on a clean plate. Keep 2 Tablespoons rendered bacon fat in the soup pot, and remove the rest. (If you don’t quite have 2 Tablespoons of bacon fat, you can add butter for the remaining fat)
3. Cook Veggies. Add onion, celery, and carrots to the pan and cook veggies 5-7 minutes in the bacon fat, to soften.
4. Build Flavor. Add garlic, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to the veggies and cook 2 minute more, until fragrant.

5. Simmer. Add diced potatoes and corn to the Dutch oven with the veggies. Remove the corn cobs from the corn broth and discard cobs. Pour the corn broth into the Dutch oven over the veggies. (It may seem like not a ton of broth, but this is ok!) Bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium and simmer 15-20 minutes, or until potatoes are nice and tender.
6. Puree. Use a slotted spoon to remove 1 1/2-2 cups of the veggies from the soup and add to a blender or food processor along with 1 cup COLD heavy cream. Carefully puree until smooth, then return the pureed mixture to the soup and stir until evenly blended.
7. Finish the Soup by sprinkling with reserved crisped bacon and the fresh herbs. Serve with a sprinkle of cracked black pepper and a few drops of Tabasco, to taste.
8. Store. Cool leftover chowder and store in an airtight container in the fridge 3-4 days. Leftover soup can technically also be frozen up to 3 months in an airtight bag, but will soften and may separate slightly upon thawing.

FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The Best Corn Chowder

Can I Use Frozen Corn For Corn Chowder? Yes, though the flavor won’t be quite the same since you can’t make the corn cob broth. You’ll need about 6 cups of corn kernels for the soup. Then, you can try using chicken broth or veggie broth in place of the corn broth (or add some extra seasonings to make up for the flavor!).

Try The Corn Broth! Simmering the corn cobs elevates the flavor of this creamy chowder SIGNIFICANTLY. I don’t recommend skipping this step! If you must (since you only have frozen corn), you can substitute a good chicken broth or veggie broth, if desired for more flavor. Or, you may need to add more seasonings. 

Want Even Thicker Soup? If you want this corn soup even thicker, you can puree a bigger percentage of the soup. Or, you can sprinkle in 2-4 Tablespoons of gluten-free flour in over the cooked veggies when you add the garlic and seasonings. Cook the flour for 1-2 minutes with the garlic & seasonings, then stir the soup regularly as it simmers to help the roux blend in more evenly.

More Gluten-Free Soup Recipes To Try

The BEST Gluten-Free Tomato Soup

Gluten-Free Chicken Noodle Soup

Cozy Autumn Squash Soup (Like Panera’s!)

Easy Gluten-Free Potato Soup

Gluten-Free Corn Chowder

5 from 3 votes

This creamy corn chowder recipe is naturally gluten-free, and packed with all the classic flavor your love. From the smoky bacon, to the sweet corn, to the savory veggies & flavorful broth, this one's delicious from start to finish!

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Print Pin Rate

Servings: 10 Cups

Calories: 228kcal

Ingredients

• 6 ears corn* shucked and cleaned (about 6 cups corn)
• 4 cups water
• 4-6 slices Bacon finely diced or cut with kitchen shears
• 1 medium onion finely diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 2 medium carrots diced (about 3/4 cup)
• 2 stalks celery diced (about 3/4 cup)
• 3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes diced
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt (more or less, to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper (about 1/8 teaspoon)
• 1 cup heavy cream *no substitutions!
• 2 Tablespoons cilantro or parsley minced

Optional, For Serving:

• Tabasco or hot sauce (to taste)

Instructions

• Prep Corn Broth. Cut the corn off the corn cobs and place the corn cobs in a large saucepan with 4 cups of water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium and let the corn cobs simmer 15-20 minutes.
• Crisp Bacon. While the corn cobs are simmering, add diced bacon to a large Dutch oven or soup pot and crisp the bacon over medium heat until brown and crispy. Remove bacon and set aside on a clean plate. Keep 2 Tablespoons bacon fat in the soup pot, and remove the rest. (If you don't quite have 2 Tablespoons of bacon fat, you can add butter for the remaining fat)
• Cook Veggies. Add onion, celery, and carrots to the pan and cook veggies 5-7 minutes in the bacon fat, to soften.
• Build Flavor. Add garlic, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to the veggies and cook 2 minute more, until fragrant.
• Simmer. Add potatoes and corn to the Dutch oven with the veggies. Remove the corn cobs from the corn broth and discard cobs. Pour the corn broth into the Dutch oven over the veggies. (It may seem like not a ton of broth, but this is ok!) Bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium and simmer 15-20 minutes, or until potatoes are nice and tender.
• Puree. Use a slotted spoon to remove 1 1/2-2 cups of the veggies from the soup and add to a blender or food processor along with 1 cup COLD heavy cream. Carefully puree until smooth, then return to the soup and stir until evenly blended.
• Finish the Soup by sprinkling with reserved crisped bacon and the fresh herbs. Serve with a sprinkle of cracked black pepper and a few drops of Tabasco, to taste.
• Store. Cool leftovers and store in an airtight container in the fridge 3-4 days. Leftover soup can technically also be frozen up to 3 months in an airtight bag, but will soften and may separate slightly upon thawing.

Notes

• Corn Prep. After removing the green corn husk, remove as much of the fine corn silk threads as possible for the best texture. Then, use a sharp knife to cut the corn kernels off the cob. Then use the empty corn cobs for the broth. 
• Corn Broth. Simmering the corn cobs elevates the flavor of this soup SIGNIFICANTLY. I don’t recommend skipping this step! If you must (since you only have frozen corn), you can substitute a good chicken broth or veggie broth, if desired for more flavor. Or, you may need to add more seasonings. 
• For Thicker Soup. If you want this soup even thicker, you can puree a bigger percentage of the soup. Or, you can sprinkle in 2-4 Tablespoons of gluten-free flour in over the cooked veggies when you add the garlic and seasonings. 

Video

Course: Dinner, Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: corn chowder, corn chowder recipe, gluten-free corn chowder

Nutrition

Serving: 1Cup | Calories: 228kcal | Carbohydrates: 31.6g | Protein: 6.4g | Fat: 10.1g | Saturated Fat: 4.6g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 359.9mg | Potassium: 632.9mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin C: 21.4mg | Calcium: 33.9mg

Nutrition facts are an estimate only and will vary based on brands and amounts used.

Find it Online:

https://www.onelovelylife.com/gluten-free-corn-chowder/