American · Soups & stews

Sweet corn and potato chowder

Name: Sweet corn and potato chowder
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 5 ears fresh sweet corn, or 4 cups frozen corn, divided; 3 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1 medium yellow onion, diced; 1 red bell pepper, diced; 2 celery ribs, diced; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 1/4 cup all-purpose flour; 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth; 1 cup whole milk; 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, cut in 1/2-inch cubes; 1 teaspoon dried thyme; 1 bay leaf; 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 3 scallions, thinly sliced; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives; 1 lime, cut in wedges

Sweet corn and small potatoes in a lightly creamy vegetable broth, partly blended for body and finished with scallions, chives, and lime.

About 50 minTotal

About 50 minActive

$Cost

ModerateDifficulty

Makes 6 servings

Equipment

Finely chop and simmer longer; press through a sieve when the sauce must be smooth.
Best durable full-size pick
Vitamix 5200 Blender · 64-Ounce Container
View at Amazon
Another workable path: Finely chop and simmer longer; press through a sieve when the sauce must be smooth.
Paid links. As an Amazon Associate, Kwilt earns from qualifying purchases.
How we chose
Research-backed · reviewed Aug 2026
We matched variable texture control, hot-food guidance, container capacity, stable model identity, warranty, storage burden, and exact retail destination. Kwilt has not cooked with this blender.
Vitamix 5200 Blender · 64-Ounce Container: Its variable-speed range can move from a deliberately rustic salsa to a smooth chile sauce, and the established 64-ounce system is useful well beyond these breakfast Recipes. Trade-off: It is expensive, loud, and tall enough to conflict with some upper cabinets; a less powerful blender is adequate for these softened salsa ingredients.
Another workable path: Finely chop or crush the softened ingredients, simmer longer, and press through a sieve when a smoother result is essential.
Sources
Vitamix 5200 specifications
Amazon exact product listing

Ingredients

1× recipe · Makes 6 servings

5 ears fresh sweet corn, or 4 cups frozen corn, divided
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 cup whole milk
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 lime, cut in wedges

Instructions

If using fresh corn, cut kernels from the cobs into a wide bowl, then scrape the bare cobs with the back of a knife to capture the milky pulp. Reserve 1 cup kernels separately. If using frozen corn, thaw just the 1 cup that will be blended.
Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium. Add onion, bell pepper, and celery and cook 6 to 7 minutes until soft but not browned. Add garlic for 30 seconds, then stir in flour for 1 minute.
Slowly whisk in broth and 1/2 cup milk. Add potatoes, thyme, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and all corn except the reserved cup. Bring to a gentle simmer, partially cover, and cook 12 to 15 minutes until potatoes are tender.
with remaining 1/2 cup milk until smooth, venting the blender if the corn is warm. Stir it into the soup with any fresh-corn pulp and simmer 3 minutes. For a thicker chowder, press several potato cubes against the pot rather than adding more flour.
Discard bay leaf and remove from heat. Stir in scallions and chives, adjust salt and pepper, and serve with lime wedges. The lime is a table finish: a small squeeze sharpens the corn without making the entire pot sour.

North AmericaContemporary North American household cooking

From the table

About this recipe

Corn-and-potato chowder adapts the thickened dairy chowder structure to North American sweet corn, using the cob's milk or blended kernels for body rather than heavy cream alone.

Corn chowder has appeared in American cookbooks since at least the nineteenth century, combining sweet corn with the potato-and-milk structure of coastal chowders. Fresh cobs give peak-season depth, but frozen corn keeps this a practical household meal. Blending only one cup preserves juicy kernels while releasing enough starch and sweetness to replace heavy cream. This Kwilt version follows the reviewed household adaptation: Keep the highest-rated partial-blending technique and the mass-appeal corn-potato-pepper profile, remove the extra Southwestern spice layer for a distinct classic anchor, and retain lime only as an optional table adjustment.

Sources

Dinner does not stop at the recipe