Easy Vegetable Corn Chowder (Vegan)

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This easy vegetable corn chowder is a hearty and healthy winter soup. There’s nothing like a bowl of thick, comforting chowder with some nice freshly baked whole grain bread and a fresh green salad. This vegan version uses plant-based milk instead of cream and has no butter, so it is lower in saturated fat, too!

Ingredients

• Olive oil – or any neutral oil for sauteing
• Onions – or shallots or leeks would be fine too
• Celery
• Carrots
• Red bell pepper
• Potatoes – I suggest Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes. Leave them unpeeled for a rustic look, or peel them if you wish. You could also use sweet potatoes.
• Corn kernels – choose corn freshly cut off the cob or frozen corn kernels
• Fresh garlic – or use half of a teaspoon of garlic powder if you don’t have fresh garlic on hand
• Dried parsley
• Salt – this can be omitted if you use prepared broth.
• White pepper – or use black pepper
• Sweet paprika
• Dried thyme
• Vegetable broth – I use homemade vegetable broth with vegetable scraps stored in the freezer,
• Water
• Plant-based milk – look for unsweetened plant-based milk. I have used soy and almond milk for this recipe.

How to Make Easy Vegetable Corn Chowder

• In the Dutch oven or large pot, sauté the onions, carrots, celery, and red pepper in oil for about 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

• Add the chopped potatoes, corn, garlic, and seasonings. Stir and cook for another minute.

• Add the broth and water. Bring the chowder up to a boil and then lower the heat to low. Cover with a lid. Cook for about 30 minutes or until potato pieces are soft.
• Mash the potatoes with a potato masher or the back of a large spoon.
• Add the plant-based milk and cook over low heat for 3 -5 more minutes until the soup is hot.

This soup is thickened by the potato, without the need for a thickener such as flour, cornstarch, pureed white beans, cream, or soaked cashews. And that means less dirty dishes, appliances to wash, and time spent cooking.

Nutrition

One bowl of this easy vegetable corn chowder contains about 180 calories (the recipe makes 4 servings). As this soup contains little fat, just about 3 grams per serving including 0.4 grams of saturated fat, it is not overly filling like a cream-based version.

The vegetables in this recipe provide beta-carotene, vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. One serving contains about 54 milligrams of vitamin C, which is more than half of the daily requirements for nonsmoking adults (75 milligrams for women and 90 milligrams for men (see more about Vitamin C requirements from this article from the National Institutes of Health).

Using homemade vegetable broth decreases the amount of salt in the recipe. The broth is very easy to make by cooking vegetable scraps (save them in the freezer) or cooking them in an Instant Pot. You could purchase a low-sodium, natural vegetable broth if you don’t have time for this step.

Unflavored almond milk or other milk substitutes can be substituted, but they are probably not as thick. Soy milk is higher in protein than most other plant beverages. Plants also provide phytonutrients, which are disease-fighting substances.

Storage

Place your leftover easy vegetable corn chowder in a covered container in the refrigerator and store it for up to three days. Or you can freeze the chowder also for up to two months.

More Recipes You May Enjoy

• 15-Bean Vegetable Soup
• Easy 3-Ingredient Creamy Broccoli Soup
• Slow Cooked Vegan Chili
• Easy Spicy Lentil Chili Instant Pot Recipe
• How to Make Homemade Vegetable Broth in an Instant Pot

Originally published 11/23/18. Updated 1/21/24.

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