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Crockpot Corn Chowder Recipe

This hearty Crockpot Corn Chowder recipe is perfect for a tasty meal that is delicious and nutritious. Made with bacon, potatoes, and corn all simmered in a creamy sauce that brings flavor and delightful texture. We love to pair this soup with our Mexican cornbread, a slice of jalapeno cheddar sourdough bread, or a dish or warmed tortilla chips and a side of our spicy tomatillo dip.

Crockpot potato corn chowder can be made as directed for an easy ‘set it and forget it’ dinner, or you can prepare it in your pressure cooker. It’s versatile and easy to change up the ingredients to suite your preferences and dietary needs as well. Make it mild or spicy, change up the veggies, or leave out the meat to make it vegetarian.

Crockpot Corn Chowder
crockpot corn chowder is a hearty, loaded meal

Crockpot corn chowder is one of those meals that delivers hearty nutrition with tons of comforting flavor and texture. Chowders are very popular during the colder months of the year, and our corn chowder can be made in so many variations it’s perfect for serving a crowd or large family.

Soups, stews, and chilis are some of our favorite meals. They are hearty and satisfying, nutritious and wonderfully versatile in how they can be prepared. Warming foods like this crockpot corn chowder are fantastic during the cold months of the year and pair well with many of our homemade breads.

Canned goods can be used, but frozen corn is also fantastic if you have some stored. It’s quick and easy to prepare, and can be enjoyed with a variety of sides for a full dinner.

What meats can be added to crockpot corn chowder?

We love to use bacon for our chowders because it adds so much flavor while allowing the other ingredients to bring the texture. However, you could definitely substitute it with some sausages. If you want to get really creative this could even become a sort of seafood chowder by adding your favorite shellfish like scallops or even crab meat.

Chicken could also be added if you are looking to increase the protein, but it will change the texture quite a bit. Overall, it comes down to your personal preferences. You can omit any meats all together, or throw in some of your favorites for soups and chowders.

How can I make a thicker chowder?

Chowders are all about the thick and satisfying consistency which holds a lot of heat and flavor while bringing healthy and satisfying fats to your diet. Creams and milk are the base of soups like this crockpot corn chowder, so be sure to add a decent amount for the creamiest and thickest chowder possible.

You can also throw in extras to really bring the creamy indulgence up. Cream cheese, extra shredded cheeses, sour cream, and even plain yogurt would all be fantastic additions.

Be careful not to cook this soup at a high heat

Cooking the chowder low and slow is another way to increase the thickness of the soup, which is why making this as a crockpot corn chowder works so well. Keep the heat low and allow the thickening ingredients to combine and meld together. Chowders are also susceptible to breaking or curdling because of the high amounts of dairy. Keep the heat low and allow everything to come together slowly.

If you have followed all of these steps and the soup is still thinner than you would like, you can always add a bit of cornstarch of flour.

Instant Pot Potato Corn Chowder

Can I used creamed corn for this crockpot corn chowder?

For this recipe we recommend fresh, frozen, or canned corn kernels. Creamed corn could be used if you would like, but the flavor will change quite a bit. Creamed corn will sweeten the flavor of the soup and may become a bit over powering. But, if you selected a creamed corn with some added chilis, or threw in some rotel tomatoes it may balance out the flavor.

What can I serve with Crockpot corn chowder?

Soups can be enjoyed as a stand alone main dish, or served as part of a larger meal with a wide variety of sides. Here are some of our favorites to pair with this loaded chowder.

Crockpot corn chowder variations and substitutions

There are endless ways to change up this chowder recipe. Try your favorite seasonings, vegetables and broths.

  • You can omit the bacon and use vegetable broth instead of chicken stock for a vegetarian meal
  • The bacon can be traded out for pre cooked bulk or link sausage chopped small
  • The peppers can be hot or sweet
  • Replace heavy cream with half and half or evaporated milk
  • Smoked paprika-substitute chipotle chili powder or Turmeric
  • You can use fresh or frozen corn
  • Yukon potatoes will break down more for a thicker chowder

Make the crockpot corn chowder in your instant pot

You can make this soup in about an hour by pressure cooking it on soup function.

Your instant pot also works as a slow cooker, and it’s sautè function ensures a one pot experience if that is what you want. Choosing between the two really just comes down to personal preference. Either method will work conveniently well, and take the meal to the next level for flavor development.

Crockpot Corn Chowder Recipe

The beauty of this recipe is that it is a ‘set it and forget it’ meal coming together quickly and easily in your crockpot or instant pot for an easy dinner that is perfect for a family. You can prepare it on your stovetop as well, but we love the flavor development that comes from the long slow cook.

Close Up Instant Pot Corn Chowder
Yield: 10

Crockpot Corn Chowder

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes

This hearty Crockpot Corn Chowder recipe is perfect for a tasty meal that is delicious and nutritious. Made with bacon, potatoes, and corn all simmered in a creamy sauce that brings flavor and delightful texture.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 lb. bacon-chopped small
  • 1 Cup chopped onion
  • 3/4 Cup chopped poblano pepper (or any type of pepper)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
  • 4 Cups organic chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
  • 4 Cups finely diced potato
  • 2 Cups fresh or frozen corn kernels (may double for a cornier soup)
  • 1 Cup heavy cream
  • 1 Tablespoon Italian seasonings
  • 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. black pepper

Instructions

CrockPot Corn Chowder Instructions:

  1. Sautè the chopped bacon.
  2. Sautè the diced onions, peppers and garlic until onions are translucent and the peppers are soft.
  3. add the chopped potatoes and corn.
  4. Pour in the chicken broth, bay leaves, smoked paprika, and Italian seasonings.
  5. Cook on high for four hours in your crock pot or low for 6 hours until the potatoes are tender.

At Serving:

  1. Stir in the cream.
  2. Season with salt and pepper as desired and serve

Instant Pot Corn Chowder -slow cook Instructions:

  1. On Sautè function Brown the chopped bacon until almost cooked. *Browning Bacon In White Skillet
  2. Add the onions and garlic and cook until the onions are translucent.Frying Onions, Pepper And Garlic In A White Skillet-Corn Chowder
  3. Set the instant pot to slow cooker function (high heat) and add the potatoes, corn, bay leaves, Italian seasonings and chicken broth. Bacon, Onion Peppers And Garlic In Instant Pot
  4. Stir in the cream and smoked paprika.Added Smoked Paprika And Cream
  5. Serve

Instant Pot Corn Chowder -Soup function:

For a quicker meal:

  1. Set the instant pot to the sautè function. Brown the bacon, onion, peppers and garlic. *
  2. Add in the potatoes, corn, bay leaves, Italian seasonings and broth.
  3. Set the instant pot to soup function.Instant Pot Soup Function
  4. Quick release the instant pot.
  5. Stir in the cream and smoked paprika.Adding Cream To Corn Chowder
  6. Serve.

Notes

Options:

Adjust the corn and potato amounts as you wish. Add more liquid as needed if you do this to attain your desired consistency.

Substitutions:

  • For Chicken broth use either water or vegetable broth.
  • Cream can be replaced with half and half, milk or evaporated milk.
  • For the smoked paprika use either turmeric (make a very yellow soup) or chipotle chili powder.
  • The bacon can be traded out for (browned) bulk or link sausage chopped small. Use any type sausage you like.
  • The peppers can be hot or sweet.
  • Smoked paprika-substitute chipotle chili powder or Turmeric.
  • For the corn you can use fresh or frozen corn. Canned will work but the texture and flavor may be a bit less stellar.
  • Potatoes- I used the red boilers. Russets will also work well for this soup. Softer fleshed potatoes like yellow Yukon will break down more for a thicker chowder.

* If you watch our video we use a skillet on the stove to brown the bacon and cook the garlic, onion and peppers.

* In an instant pot you can do this on sautè function if you prefer to use a single pot.

Nutrition Information

Yield

10

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 271Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 54mgSodium 699mgCarbohydrates 30gFiber 4gSugar 9gProtein 17g

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Here are more delicious soups and stews for you to try

These are some of our most popular main dishes, be sure to give them a try too!

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This creamy crockpot corn chowder is a delicious family dinner


Heather

Friday 27th of November 2020

Great recipe wonderful rich flavor, loved this recipe will make again. Took forever to get the recipe so many popup ads constantly popping up was really irritating.

Diane

Friday 27th of November 2020

Hi heather, I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe. I'm sorry the ads are annoying. I agree and am working on trying to get the amount of ads lowered in the recipe card. This time of year the ad companies are pretty aggressive. Thanks for letting us know and the great recipe review. Have a wonderful day!

Cathy D.

Thursday 29th of October 2020

I’ve been using your wonderful sourdough recipe for the last 9 months and finally tried out another one of your recipes! I made this delicious soup for the first time last night and it was fabulous! I don’t own an instapot, so I used my slow cooker and prepared the soup as written with only a couple tiny adjustments due to ingredients I had on hand. Instead of heavy cream I used half and half, and for the peppers I used 1/2 red pepper and 1 large mild jalapeño. (Also, I’ve started using Better than Boullion organic chicken broth and believe it’s more flavorful than the carton type of broth—of course, if I had prepared my own broth from scratch it might be even better). It made the whole house smell wonderful and we almost finished the entire crockpot, just between my husband and me! This will definitely into our regular rotation of recipes! PS we enjoyed the soup with your sourdough bread I made over the weekend! I can’t wait to try out more of your recipes!

Diane

Thursday 29th of October 2020

Hi Cathy, How wonderful to hear. Thank you so much for exploring the site. I'm so happy you're enjoying our recipes. I LOVE the better than bullions too! Thanks for bringing that up as an option. I'll give it a try next time I make this corn chowder. Yes you could also try this soup with homemade bone broth. (You really need an instant pot) :) It would add LOTS of flavor and nutrients. Thanks for being a part of our Homemade Food Junkie Community. Have a great day.

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