Indulge in thick and creamy gluten-free corn chowder with potatoes, crispy bacon, and lots of buttery sweet corn. If you are looking for an easy recipe that hits the ideal balance of sweet and savory seasoning with a velvety, hearty texture, then this corn soup has your name written all over it. Includes simple modifications for dairy-free, vegetarian, or vegan as well.
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get affordable and easy gluten-free recipes delivered each week!
Comforting Weeknight Win – Corn Chowder Made Gluten-Free!
Whether you have a bounty of fresh corn on hand, or want to make a hearty bowl of gluten-free corn chowder with canned or frozen corn, this recipe is one of those homemade gluten-free soup ideas our family enjoys year round. Unlike other homemade corn chowder recipes, this version is thickened without flour, without needing any speciality GF ingredients.
There’s nothing worse then thin, watery soup. Just like another comforting fave of ours, 5-star stuffed pepper soup, I love a soup that can fill you up as a meal on its own. This corn and potato chowder uses a two part method to make the soup thick and delicious with no flour added.
First, half the soup is puréed, naturally thickening the consistency with creamy potatoes and corn, both of which are starchy on their own. Then a cornstarch / water slurry is added to the soup, a similar technique used in 10-minute broccoli cheese soup, making a thick chowder consistency.
Free Guide! Receive a Free Gluten Free Soups Cookbook
TOP 5 Highest Rated Recipes!
Ingredient Tid Bits
Some of the ingredients below are interchangeable to make a dairy-free, vegetarian, or vegan option. I share those modifications both below and in the recipe card.
- Bacon – Not only adds a crispy, salty soup topping, but the drippings flavor the soup base. For a vegan or vegetarian option, omit the bacon and replace the drippings with plant-based butter.
- Corn – Fresh corn off the cob offers the best flavor, but recipes on this site focus on ease without sacrificing taste. Therefore, canned or frozen corn options are highlighted in the recipe.
- Honey – Used to mimic the sweetness of fresh corn off the cob. It may be omitted, or reduced, based on preference or the type of corn used in the soup.
- Broth – Chicken stock, broth, or vegetable broth may be used. Read labels carefully for gluten-free broth options.
- Potatoes – Use red or Yukon gold potatoes, which break down more than russet potatoes, thickening the soup.
- Heavy Cream – Used to add a rich, creamy flavor to the chowder. Half and half, evaporated milk, or whole milk may be used. For dairy-free soup, replace with non-dairy milk, such as soy or almond milk. For extra creaminess, add a hunk of cream cheese.
- Cornstarch – To make the chowder gluten-free, cornstarch replaces flour. Be careful to not get the soup too hot after adding, or the cornstarch will “break,” meaning it loses its thickening power.
Let’s Make This Together!
(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)
Start with crispy bacon…or not
I like to start with frying the chopped bacon in the cooking pot because the fat will render and flavor the soup. If you’d rather make a vegetarian soup, skip this step and replace the drippings with 2 tablespoons butter, plant-based butter or olive oil for a dairy-free option.
Fry the onions in bonus butter…or not
Add a little additional butter (or dairy-free alternative) to the bacon grease to sauté the onions until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds longer. Now you have an ideal base of flavor and we can build the rest of the corn soup.
Add the remaining essentials
Pour in the broth, corn kernels, potatoes, thyme, paprika, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Stir and bring to boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook long enough for the potatoes to become tender, about 15-20 minutes.
Partially blend to thicken
Remember this is a thick and creamy chowder, so here’s how we thicken it up. You have a few options, either use an immersion blender to blend about half the soup. Alternatively, transfer about 3 cups slightly cooled soup to a blender, process, then add back to the pot. Or, use a potato masher to break down some of the potatoes to thicken.
I really like my chowder hearty, so at this point I also make a slurry of cornstarch and water to add to the soup and thicken some more. We are going to add more liquid to the soup, so don’t worry if it’s too thick at this point.
Final touch – creaminess
Finally stir in the cream, chives, and honey. Serve immediately with additional chives and reserved bacon pieces for that extra yum factor!
Storing, Freezing, and Rewarming
Store leftover chowder, refrigerated, in an airtight container up to 5 days. To reheat, transfer to a saucepan and rewarm over gentle heat. If the temperature becomes too hot, the soup will “break,” meaning it won’t be as thick.
To re-thicken the soup, mix together another tablespoon cornstarch with an equal amount of water and stir into the hot soup.
Freezing corn chowder isn’t recommended because the cream will break down and become grainy. Also the potatoes have a tendency to fall apart during reheating.
If you do wish to freeze corn soup, the taste will be fine after thawing, but the texture will be off. To “save” the soup from an unappealing texture, use an immersion blender to puree back to smooth creaminess.
Save this recipe to your pinterest board!
Let’s be friends on Pinterest! I’m always sharing great recipes!
Did you make this recipe? I love hearing from you! Leave a star rating and comment below the recipe card. It helps others when searching for recipes and I appreciate feedback from our community. You will always hear back from me! -Melissa
Thick and Creamy Gluten-Free Corn Chowder
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon, chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter, see recipe notes for dairy-free
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 cups gluten-free broth, chicken or vegetable
- 12 ounce frozen corn (partially thawed), see recipe notes for canned or fresh corn
- 1 ½ pound yukon gold or red potatoes, diced in ½-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 cup heavy cream or half and half, see recipe notes for dairy-free
- ½ tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon fresh chives, minced
Instructions
- Add the chopped bacon to a large pot or dutch oven. Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the bacon is crisp, about 7-10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon to a paper-towel lined plate. Carefully tilt the pot, and you should have about 1-2 tablespoons grease left. Discard any extra.6 slices bacon
- To the bacon grease add the butter to melt. Add the onion and cook about 5 minutes, or until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds longer.2 tablespoons butter, 1 medium onion, 2 cloves garlic
- Stir in the broth, corn, potatoes, salt, pepper, thyme, paprika, and bay leaf. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.5 cups gluten-free broth, 12 ounce frozen corn (partially thawed), 1 ½ pound yukon gold or red potatoes, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, ¼ teaspoon dried thyme, ¼ teaspoon paprika, 1 bay leaf
- Cover, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender. Remove from heat and discard the bay leaf.
- Use an immersion blender to blend about half the soup. Alternatively, transfer about 3 cups to a blender and process until smooth. Add back to the pot.
- Mix together the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water. Stir into the soup, heat over medium heat, cooking and stirring for about 1-2 minutes, or until the soup has thickened.2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Stir in the cream, chives, and honey. Serve immediately with additional chives and reserved bacon pieces.1 cup heavy cream or half and half, ½ tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon fresh chives
Notes
Corn substitutes
Instead of frozen corn, cut fresh corn off of 8 cobs. Alternatively, use 2 14-ounce cans canned corn, drained.dairy-free option
The butter and cream will have to be replaced with non-dairy substitutes. Use a vegan, plant based butter or olive oil in place of the butter. For the heavy cream, replace with a dairy-free milk of choice or coconut milk. If using coconut milk, it will have a slight coconut flavor and you may want to omit the honey from the recipe.vegan / vegetarian option
Omit the bacon and replace the drippings with 2 tablespoons plant-based butter or olive oil. Replace the milk with any preferred dairy-free options. Instead of chicken broth use vegetable broth. Read the labels carefully to make sure it is still safe for a gluten-free diet. Recipe adapted from The Chunky ChefThis post contains affiliate links. My opinions are always my own. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, I make a small commission – at no cost to you. Read full disclosure policy here.
FANTASTIC!
So happy to hear, Beth!
Best,
Melissa