Southwestern Corn Chowder
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy. Sweet summer corn meets cozy soup season in this corn chowder with a Southwestern flair—easy to make and guaranteed to hit the spot. I think of this corn chowder recipe from my second cookbook as a summer-into-fall soup, perfect for when the nights turn cooler and you’re looking for new and interesting ways to use up the last corn of the season. Blending some of the kernels with the broth gives the soup a nice corn flavor and lightly creamy texture. It’s filling on its own, but if you’d like to bulk it up, crispy bacon, grilled chicken, shrimp, or fresh lump crabmeat would all be delicious additions. And you can never go wrong with chips and guacamole or chicken quesadillas on the side. “I made this for my family last night…everyone LOVED it!! It is not spicy, but has a nice corn flavor with some smokiness in the background. HIGHLY recommend.” What You’ll Need To Make Southwestern Corn Chowder Butter, onion, bell pepper, jalapeño: These get sautéed together at the start to form the flavor base of the soup. The onion and bell pepper add sweetness, the jalapeño brings a bit of heat (you can adjust depending on how spicy you like it). Flour: Stirred in after the veggies to make a quick roux that thickens the chowder. Chicken broth & whole milk: These are the liquids that form the body of the soup—the broth adds savory depth, and the milk makes it slightly creamy. Cumin, coriander & salt: This simple spice blend gives the soup its southwestern flavor profile. Potatoes & corn: These veggies make the chowder hearty and satisfying. The tender potatoes soak up all the flavor, while the corn kernels add sweetness and crunch. (You’ll need 4 to 5 cobs.) Sour cream, scallions, cilantro & lime: Added at the end for a burst of freshness and tang. Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements Butter, onion, bell pepper, jalapeño: These get sautéed together at the start to form the flavor base of the soup. The onion and bell pepper add sweetness, the jalapeño brings a bit of heat (you can adjust depending on how spicy you like it). Flour: Stirred in after the veggies to make a quick roux that thickens the chowder. Chicken broth & whole milk: These are the liquids that form the body of the soup—the broth adds savory depth, and the milk makes it slightly creamy. Cumin, coriander & salt: This simple spice blend gives the soup its southwestern flavor profile. Potatoes & corn: These veggies make the chowder hearty and satisfying. The tender potatoes soak up all the flavor, while the corn kernels add sweetness and crunch. (You’ll need 4 to 5 cobs.) Sour cream, scallions, cilantro & lime: Added at the end for a burst of freshness and tang. Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements Step-by-Step Instructions Step 1. Sauté the aromatics. Melt butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium‑high heat. Add onions, bell pepper, and jalapeño and cook, stirring frequently, until softened. It should take about 5 minutes (do not let them brown). Pro Tip: Like it a little spicy? Mince some of the jalapeño’s seeds and ribs and toss them in—half is a good place to start. For more control over the heat level, add cayenne at the end to taste or put hot sauce on the table. Step 2. Make the roux. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring continuously for about 1 minute to eliminate the raw flour taste. Step 3. Add broth and potatoes and simmer. Stir in the broth, 1 cup of milk, salt, cumin, coriander, and potatoes. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the potatoes are tender. Pro Tip: Dice the potatoes as evenly as possible to help them cook at the same rate. Step 4. Purée the corn. While the soup simmers, puree the remaining 1 cup of milk with 1 cup of corn in a blender until smooth. Step 5. Add the corn mixture. Stir the corn puree and remaining whole corn into the soup and simmer until everything is hot. Step 6. Finish the soup. Off the heat, stir in the sour cream, scallions, and cilantro. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed. Pro Tip: Adding the sour cream after turning off the heat keeps it from curdling. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with lime wedges. The soup can be made two days ahead (but wait to serve it to add the scallions, sour cream, and cilantro). More Creamy Soup Recipes You May Like RecipeComments (129)Add Comment Recipe Comments (129) Add Comment Ingredients 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 medium yellow onion, diced 1 red bell pepper, diced 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded, and finely diced (save the seeds and ribs; see note) ¼ cup all-purpose flour 2 cups chicken broth 2 cups whole milk 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons ground cumin ½ teaspoon ground coriander 1 pound yellow, red or purple baby potatoes, cut into ½-inch pieces 3 cups fresh corn kernels, scraped from 4 to 5 raw cobs (see note) ⅓ cup sour cream 3 scallions, dark green parts only, thinly sliced 3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro 1 lime, cut into wedges, for serving 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 medium yellow onion, diced 1 red bell pepper, diced 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded, and finely diced (save the seeds and ribs; see note) ¼ cup all-purpose flour 2 cups chicken broth 2 cups whole milk 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons ground cumin ½ teaspoon ground coriander 1 pound yellow, red or purple baby potatoes, cut into ½-inch pieces 3 cups fresh corn kernels, scraped from 4 to 5 raw cobs (see note) ⅓ cup sour cream 3 scallions, dark green parts only, thinly sliced 3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro 1 lime, cut into wedges, for serving Instructions Melt the butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell pepper, and jalapeño and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Do not brown. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the broth, 1 cup of the milk, salt, cumin, coriander, and potatoes; bring to a boil. The soup will seem thick; that’s okay. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring once halfway through so the potatoes don’t stick to the bottom of the pan, until the potatoes are tender, 12 to 15 minutes (if your potatoes are not tender at this point, just continue simmering until they are). Meanwhile, in a blender, puree the remaining 1 cup of milk with 1 cup of the corn until smooth. Add the milk and corn mixture to the soup along with the remaining 2 cups of corn; simmer until hot. Off the heat, stir in the sour cream, scallions, and cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with lime wedges. Note: I like this soup a little spicy, so I mince about half of the jalapeño’s seeds and ribs and toss them in with the onions and peppers. If you’d like more control over the heat, you can add cayenne pepper at the end, to taste, or offer hot sauce at the table. Note: To scrape the corn from the cobs, place the corn on a clean dish towel set over a cutting board, then use a serrated knife to cut the kernels of the cobs. (The dish towel prevents the kernels from bouncing all over the place.) Alternatively, you can invert a small bowl inside a larger bowl. Hold the cob upright on top of the inverted small bowl, with the flatter end of the cob down, and use a sharp knife to slice downward as close to the cob as possible. Make-ahead Instructions: Before adding the sour cream, scallions, and cilantro, the soup can be made up to 2 days ahead of time and refrigerated. Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat, and proceed with the recipe. Melt the butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell pepper, and jalapeño and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Do not brown. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the broth, 1 cup of the milk, salt, cumin, coriander, and potatoes; bring to a boil. The soup will seem thick; that’s okay. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring once halfway through so the potatoes don’t stick to the bottom of the pan, until the potatoes are tender, 12 to 15 minutes (if your potatoes are not tender at this point, just continue simmering until they are). Meanwhile, in a blender, puree the remaining 1 cup of milk with 1 cup of the corn until smooth. Add the milk and corn mixture to the soup along with the remaining 2 cups of corn; simmer until hot. Off the heat, stir in the sour cream, scallions, and cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with lime wedges. Note: I like this soup a little spicy, so I mince about half of the jalapeño’s seeds and ribs and toss them in with the onions and peppers. If you’d like more control over the heat, you can add cayenne pepper at the end, to taste, or offer hot sauce at the table. Note: To scrape the corn from the cobs, place the corn on a clean dish towel set over a cutting board, then use a serrated knife to cut the kernels of the cobs. (The dish towel prevents the kernels from bouncing all over the place.) Alternatively, you can invert a small bowl inside a larger bowl. Hold the cob upright on top of the inverted small bowl, with the flatter end of the cob down, and use a sharp knife to slice downward as close to the cob as possible. Make-ahead Instructions: Before adding the sour cream, scallions, and cilantro, the soup can be made up to 2 days ahead of time and refrigerated. Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat, and proceed with the recipe. Nutrition Information Powered by Per serving (4 servings) Calories: 540 Fat: 23 g Saturated fat: 12 g Carbohydrates: 70 g Sugar: 16 g Fiber: 7 g Protein: 15 g Sodium: 1,339 mg Cholesterol: 56 mg Per serving (4 servings) Calories: 540 Fat: 23 g Saturated fat: 12 g Carbohydrates: 70 g Sugar: 16 g Fiber: 7 g Protein: 15 g Sodium: 1,339 mg Cholesterol: 56 mg This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. See more recipes: Make-AheadSoupsVegetarianAmericanTex-Mex Make-Ahead Soups Vegetarian American Tex-Mex