This hearty and healthy veggie-packed easy vegan corn chowder recipe is loaded with fresh vegetables. Blended up corn, potato, and coconut milk make the chowder base for this super delicious hearty soup!
This easy creamy, thick and amazing dairy-free chowder recipe can be made any time of year! Use canned corn on the off season, and fresh corn during corn season!
Who doesn’t love a big steamy bowl of creamy, salty, sweet, chunky, cozy healthy corn chowder?
Up until I started making homemade chowder a few years ago, me of all people!
Confession: I used to be the biggest of chowder naysayers that ever did live. When I was little, my siblings would go wild over the clam-chowder-in-a-bread-bowl situation, especially when we visited San Francisco. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why the stuff turned my stomach in knots…until…
Flash forward a couple decades, and come to find out it was because the cream and gluten content of the soup made me feel like less than stellar. Too much cream and gluten for this girl = bellyache = bad mood juju. Even the slightest whisper of the word, “chowdah” wrecked havoc on my digestive tract.
A few years ago, one of my brothers started making his own clam chowder, complete with bacon and potatoes for hearty splendor. He goes with a thinner (not roux-based) consistency and less cream.
Not only could I enjoy his homemade clam chowder without feeling sick, but it inspired me to work my own magic in the substitutions department. Nothing like a big brother to draw you a map to the Eightfold Path of Chowder Enlightenment.
I know, I know…it’s hard to believe something so seemingly fun-less could be so good, but you guys, it truly is. This hearty vegan corn chowder is amazing during the cooler months and happens to be the most delicious corn chowder I’ve tried!
Plus, it won’t make you curl up in a food coma and beg the chowder higher-ups for forgiveness and the whole family will love it!
How to Make Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Chowder:
As it turns out, you don’t need cream, butter, and flour in order to make chowder. You can replace regular flour with a gluten-free all-purpose blend, use a vegan butter replacement, and/or substitute coconut milk for the cream.
As strange as it may seem in its cream-less, chicken-less, bacon-less glory, this veggie-packed dairy-free, gluten-free version of corn chowder is hands down the best batch corn chowder I’ve ever made.
The key to making this chowder sweet, thick, and creamy is to cook one of the red potatoes and blend it with half of the cooked corn kernels and the coconut milk. This makes for a chowder-y consistency without having to tap into the butter and flour to make a roux.
The other red potato gets chopped up and cooked with the veggies in order to make the soup nice and chunky and hearty.
Similarly, the other half of the corn kernels go into the soup – I like keeping long strips of corn to make for the optimal big bite. I hope that all makes sense – holler at your girl if you need clarification on the prep method.
Note: If you don’t have access to fresh corn, you can use 3 cans of corn. You don’t even need to drain them before using!
Ingredients for Vegan Corn Chowder:
Fresh Sweet Corn: The star of the show! I always recommend using fresh when possible, but during the off season, you can absolutely use canned corn! If you use canned corn, you can do as I do and not drain the corn before using it. The liquid adds natural sweetness and can be used in place of broth.
Red Potatoes: Potatoes serve two purposes in this recipe: 1.) one potato takes the place of cream and flour for the chowder (thick broth) mixture and gets blended in a blender with some coconut milk, corn, and broth. This ensures you get that silky-smooth, creamy, thick and satisfying chowder without all the dairy and gluten! 2.) one potato gets chopped and added to the soup for texture and that comforting appeal.
You can also use Yukon gold potatoes! Some folks have used jewel yams to make this recipe instead of red potatoes and have reported it works marvelously.
Coconut Milk: Full fat coconut milk takes the place of dairy milk to help make the chowder nice and rich and creamy! I recommend sticking with full-fat canned coconut milk or coconut cream, although you can use light coconut milk for a lower calorie version. I don’t recommend using almond milk as you’ll lose the rich savory flavors. The end result is the chowder is naturally sweet and rich creamy corn chowder packed with corn flavor, yet healthful!
As an alternative, you can go with cashew cream by blending a cup of raw cashews that have been soaked with 1 cup of water
Vegetables: Onion, garlic, carrots, and red bell pepper provide all sorts of flavor, hardiness, and color to this vibrant meal! I have also added celery in the past and I prefer the corn chowder without celery; however, if you’re a huge fan of it, add 2 or 3 stalks! If you want to get creative, consider adding other vegetables, like cauliflower, poblano pepper, or sweet potatoes.
Seasonings: This chowder is naturally sweet, rich and creamy all on its own, but you can add even more flavor by tossing in some black pepper, Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, paprika, chili powder and/or cumin. This combination gives a tiny smoky flavor and the slightest heat to offset the sweet. I love the chowder both with or without these seasonings. Be sure you add sea salt to taste!
Liquid: For the broth/chowder mixture, we need some liquid. I typically use water, but you can also use a few cups of vegetable broth (or chicken or beef broth if you aren’t vegan). You can also use more coconut milk for added richness. Options galore!
You can add in some red wine vinegar, lime juice, lemon juice, or nutritional yeast for some added tang for an almost cheesy flavor to this corn soup.
How to Make Vegan Corn Chowder:
If you’re using fresh corn, remove the husks and boil them for 5 to 8 minutes, or until they turn puffy and are cooked but not over-done. Transfer the corn to a cutting board and allow them to cool while preparing the rest of the recipe.
Peel and chop both of the red potatoes in quarters and carefully place it into the same large pot of boiling water you used to cook the corn. Allow potatoes to cook until soft, about 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the cooked potatoes to a cutting board and chop one of them into smaller chunks. This one will be added to the chowder, and the other potato (larger chunks) will be blended into a broth with the corn.
Heat the olive oil or avocado oil in a large stock pot (I use my Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until onion is beginning to turn brown, about 5 to 8 minutes.
Stir in the chopped celery, bell pepper, carrots, seasonings (if adding) and sea salt. Cover the Dutch oven and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have softened, about 5 to 8 minutes.
By this time, the corn and potatoes should be finished cooking and cooling. Use a knife to remove the corn kernels from all of the ears of corn.
Place half of the kernels in a blender, along with one cooked potato (save the other one to add to the chowder in chunks).
Add the coconut milk and water (or broth) to the blender, and blend until completely smooth. If you have an immersion blender, feel free to use it! This may take two or three rounds of blending.
Transfer the chowder mixture to the stock pot along with the other chopped potato and bring to a full boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until all vegetables have reached desired doneness, about 20 minutes. Taste for flavor and add celery salt or sea salt to taste.
Serve in big bowls with tempeh bacon (optional) on top, and enjoy!
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
While this recipe contains no heavy cream or butter, it tastes completely rich and decadent. Like a treat soup. Chowder with benefits. Dessert chow chow. I’ll stop.
To summarize: make this corn chowder while fresh corn is still in season to keep your belly warm and satisfied on the chilly evenings.
Can I Make Corn Chowder Using Canned Corn?:
Yes, absolutely. I make this recipe year-round. In the summer months, I use fresh corn, and when corn is not in season, I use 3 cans of corn. I don’t drain the cans of corn, I simply add everything and this results in an amazingly sweet creamy vegan corn chowder!
If you go this route, transfer two of the cans of corn to the blender with the potato, coconut milk, and water/broth for blending, and save one of the cans of corn for adding to the soup later so you have corn kernels in the soup.
More Vegan Soup Recipes:
- Crock Pot Vegan Pumpkin Chili
- Vegan Broccoli “Cheddar” Soup
- Immunity-Boosting Turmeric Soup with Vegetables
- Jamaican Chickpea Stew
- Sweet Potato and Quinoa Stew
- Vegan Butternut Squash Bisque
- Fall Harvest Vegetarian Chili with Kale
My cookbook, Paleo Power Bowls, is now available! CLICK HERE to check it out. Thank you for your all your support!
CHOWDAAAAH!
If you make this recipe, please feel free to share a photo on Instagram and tag @The.Roasted.Root!
Vegan Corn Chowder
Ingredients
- 4 ears corn shucked and steamed*
- 2 large red potatoes peeled and chopped
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil or avocado oil
- 1 large white onion
- 5 cloves large garlic minced
- 3 large carrots peeled and chopped
- 1 large red bell pepper cored and chopped
- 1½ teaspoons sea salt
- 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning optional
- ½ teaspoon paprika optional
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin optional
- 1 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
- 2 cups water or vegetable broth
Instructions
- Place ears of corn into a large pot and fill with water. Cover the pot with a lid and place on the stove over high heat. Bring to a full boil and cook until corn is plump and juicy, about 5 to 8 minutes. Use tongs to remove corn from the boiling water and place on a cutting board. Note: If you’re using canned corn, skip this step and transfer two of the cans of corn to a blender.
- Peel and chop both of the red potatoes in quarters and carefully place it into the same pot of boiling water you used to cook the corn. Allow potatoes to cook until soft, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- While the potato is cooking, sauté the rest of the vegetables. Heat the oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until onion is beginning to turn brown, about 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the chopped bell pepper, carrots, seasonings, and sea salt. Cover the Dutch oven and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have softened, about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Use a knife to remove the corn kernels from all of the ears of corn. Place half of the kernels in a blender, along with one of the cooked potatoes. Add the coconut milk and water (or broth) to the blender, and blend until completely smooth. This may take two or three rounds of blending.
- Chop the other potato into smaller chunks. Add the remaining corn kernels to the pot with the sautéed vegetables, and pour the blended corn/potato (chowder) mixture into the pot. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for 10 to 20 minutes, until all vegetables have reached desired done-ness and the chowder is nice and tasty.
- Remove from heat and taste chowder. Add sea salt to taste and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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This chowder is yummy. I didn’t use the coconut oil (just sautéed the veggies in a little vegetable broth), used 4 Yukon gold potatoes, frozen corn kernels and smoked paprika, increased the garlic to about 7 cloves., and added a little ground flax seed with the salt and pepper to the individual bowls. I’m WFPBNO, but even my sometime meat and dairy eaters loved it. Thanks so much!
You’re so very welcome, Elizabeth! Your changes sound amazing and I’m so glad you enjoy the chowder! Thanks for the feedback! xo
I have been meaning to leave a comment for a while. This is the best chowder I’ve ever had. It has become a staple in our home and we all love it. We are not vegans but incorporate as many veggies into our diet as possible and we absolutely love this recipe. I have a 3 and 5 year old who can only handle a moderate amount of spice so I leave out the Cajun seasoning and either use only the Cumin and Smoked Paprika, or sometimes I make it with Rosemary, Sage and Thyme instead. I brought this chowder for a Thanksgiving Feast and it was a hit. Everyone wanted the recipe. Thank you for providing such a satisfying dairy-free chowder!!!
I absolutely love your recipe! I am writing vegetarian recipe round ups on my blog in 2018 (to encourage people to try meatless monday- everyone has to start somewhere) and would love to feature you. You can check out my blog (for beginner environmentalists) at sunshineguerrilla.com. Is it alright if I share this link to your recipe?
Hi Barbara!
I’m so glad you like the corn chowder! Yes, please feel free to share a link in your roundup 🙂 xo
This very good with a limited number of ingredients. Vegan and oh so tasty!
This is a go to recipe for me! It is so good! When I’m too busy or corn isn’t in season I use one bag of the Trader Joe’s roasted frozen corn kernels and it works great FYI to anyone short on time!
I rarely leave comments on recipes but I just LOVE this one!! I have made it so many times and can’t believe how creamy and hardy it is. Definitely one of my favorite meals, thanks for sharing!
This a nice and hearty chowder but a little too sweet tasting. I added hot sauce and it was all good. Eating with saltines also helped with the sweetness.
Loved this! Followed recipe – well, rather that boiling corn and potatoes, I cooked them in microwave while I was chopping the other veggies. First time using coconut oil and using the milk and potato to thicken! My revoke seasoning was hot, so I put less of that in. We are doing the Daniel Fast, but this will be added to our regular diet!
Didn’t check autocorrect- than, Creole, instead of Cajun
If I wanted to make this with frozen corn, do you know how much corn I would need?
WOW!!! This will definitely go into my favorites! Do you happen to have the nutritional value..?
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious!! I will definitely make it again. The fresh corn did not look good at the market so I ended up using frozen (3 cups) but I don’t think it took anything away from the taste. I also only used one teaspoon of Cajun seasoning because my mix is pretty spicy and I was concerned it would be too much. I loved the flavor and texture and enjoyed every spoonful. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!
This looks amazing!! Hmmm, I’m wondering if this could be cooked in the crockpot?
This was seriously awesome. My omnivore hubby said he would like to have it added to our rotation. Thanks!!!
That’s so great to hear! Thank you, Renee!
We really enjoyed this recipe. Since fresh corn is out of season I substituted frozen corn and it was great. I didn’t have any Cajun Seasoning so used smoked paprika and other herbs and it was awesome. I fixed both potatoes in the early part of the recipe and after I had all the ingredients in the pot I took some out and blended it together with a little Arrowroot. The coconut milk is a great way to make it vegan and certainly does not come across in the taste. One other thing – I used a bay leaf or two – it adds so much depth to any soup. Thanks for a great recipe
I’m so happy to hear it! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
To be honest the first four or five times I made this chowder I didn’t use the canon seasoning either. I never had used it before and thought the chowder was excellent without, using a little extra paprika and whatever else I felt. Wow I was missing out. I got “Louisiana Cajun” seasoning and I will never (be able to) leave it out again! What an immensely delicious experience this chowder is. I highly recommend you try again with the Cajun! I actually left for the end as my kids won’t like the heat but my husband and I piled it on ?
Love this chowder!!
I know this is a dumb question but can this be frozen for a later time. Trying to find some meals I can freeze and this is a favorite
Thanks
Elizabeth
Hi Elizabeth! Not a dumb question at all! Yes, you can absolutely freeze the chowder! Hope you enjoy!
This made a good chowder but I have a few comments/suggestions. First – NEVER put boiling liquids into a blender or food processor! Always let the fluids cool several minutes first. Second: You can save a lot of time and energy by not boiling the corn. Instead, place the UNshucked ears in your microwave, head to toe, and zap. The timing is 4 minutes for the 1st 2 ears plus 30 seconds for each additional ear. You may need to trim a bit off the bottom to fit them in the microwave. When done wrap them in a clean dish towel and walk away. This should be done at least 30 minutes before starting the soup. When you’re ready to start cooking, put the potato you’re boiling in a small amount of water (enough to cover) and let it cook. I cut mine into quarters, both to reduce cooking time and to make it fit better into my food processor. When the corn is cool enough to handle shuck, remove the silk and cut in 1/2. Stand the cut side on your cutting board and slice down carefully, Slice deeper than you think you should, so you get all the “milk” from the corn. I keep the husks for other recipes, like corn risotto. Place 1/2 the kernels in the blender and 1/2 with the sauteed veggies. Once you’ve fished the cooked taters from the pot, you now have lovely starchy water to add to your soup. And it’s hot, so it doesn’t mess up your soup by adding cold liquid to the hot soup you’re trying to thin out. I didn’t have Cajun seasoning but all you need is oregano, paprika, cumin, sage and a light dusting of cayenne. Also add a bit of nutmeg – always add nutmeg to anything dairy (and yes, I’m counting coconut milk as dairy). I skipped the carrots and the soup was still very tasty and colorful. Lastly – if you’ve softened all the sauteed veggies there’s no need to cook for any additional time. Once you’ve added the creamed corn and taters, bring to a boil, add additional liquids to bring to your desired constancy, adjust seasonings and turn it off. If you cook for another 20 minutes you’ll have mush, not chowder. Thank you for reading this long post, I hope it helps.