Name: Potato Corn Chowder (without Cream)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 2 Tbsp butter ((good quality)); 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 1 large onion ((diced)); 2 celery stalks ((chopped)); 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour; 3 cups chicken stock ((or vegetable stock)); 1 ½ cups milk; 2 potatoes ((medium to large, diced into bite sized pieces)); 2 cups corn ((fresh or frozen, preferably organic-leftover works)); ⅛ tsp Kosher salt ((or sea salt)); ⅛ tsp pepper ((freshly ground))

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This recipe for potato corn chowder without cream is everything you’re looking for in a comforting soup, without the extra calories of heavy cream or half and half.

Everyone I have served this potato corn chowder to has absolutely loved it.

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Spoonful of Corn Chowder in Bowl creamy without cream recipe

It’s one of the few soups/chowders that my bachelor son makes. In fact, he told me I should change the ratio of ingredients in the recipe in order to use an entire bag of Trader Joe’s sweet corn. He means business, ha ha!

text box with paraphrase: I love the fact that this soup is so full of flavor and can be made in little to no time. -Jana

How to Make a Low Fat, Creamy Potato Corn Chowder

I’m sure your first question is, “how can a chowder be creamy without cream?”

This thick and creamy bowl of deliciousness doesn’t have one drop of cream in it. Truthfully, that’s rare for me, and I’m not saying you couldn’t add some cream, however, you really won’t need to. I based this on my San Francisco clam chowder recipe which is also rich and creamy, without added cream. A bit of flour and potatoes and one little trick, create the magic that happens in this recipe.

overhead bowl creamy corn chowder without cream

Once you know this technique, you can apply it to many other soups and chowders, it’s fabulous!

How to Thicken a Soup or Chowder Without Adding Cream

It’s really simple to thicken a chowder or soup without adding any cream or half and half. Just blend a percentage of the soup and add it back in once it’s smooth. Want a thinner soup? Don’t blend too much of the pot. If you’d like a thicker chowder, blend a larger percentage; it’s that simple!
Another method is to add potatoes (or more potatoes).
Last, but not least, make a roux, or just add some flour, which is another method I use in this recipe for corn chowder.

Try this Korean style corn cheese and be delighted with a new food combination!

Tip: just remember if you’re adding meat, barley or rice, for example, don’t add them until you’ve blended the rest of the ingredients. These hard grains and some ingredients, like meat, won’t purée like vegetables. This red lentil soup (with barley) is a good example.

Can You Freeze Potato Corn Chowder?

Absolutely yes, corn chowder freezes perfectly, and reheats beautifully. You’ll never know this chowder was frozen.

parsnip scone with corn chowder in a bowl — Parsnip scones are a wonderful accompaniment! Recipe below.

Potato Corn Chowder Recipe without Cream

Recipe created by Christina Conte Makes 5 Servings

FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW

Ingredients

good quality butter
extra virgin olive oil
onion
celery stalks
all purpose flour
chicken or vegetable stock
milk
potatoes (Russet or Yukon Gold are my favorites)
fresh, off the corn cob, or frozen corn, preferably organic (leftover works, too)
Kosher or sea salt
freshly ground black or white pepper

Make the Potato Corn Chowder Base

Heat the butter and oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onion and celery and sauté over medium high heat for about 7 minutes, before adding the flour.

Stir vigorously so that the flour cooks, but doesn’t brown, for about 4 minutes. Begin adding the chicken or vegetable stock a little at a time, while continuing to stir until all the liquid has been added.

Add the Remaining Ingredients

Next, add the milk and stir well. Add the diced potatoes and salt, and allow to simmer for about 8 minutes, stirring often, before adding the corn.

Simmer for an additional 8 to 10 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked. Now, for the trick which thickens and improves the overall flavor of this corn chowder.

Blend Some of the Potato Corn Chowder

Remove about a cup or so of the soup and use an immersion blender to puree it. Return it to the pot and stir well. If it’s not thick enough, puree a little more.

Taste, adding salt if necessary and some freshly ground black pepper, if desired.

Serve corn chowder piping hot. I love to serve it with some parsnip scones slathered with a good salted butter!

You could truly adapt this recipe for potato corn chowder to make any sort of creamy chowder, or you could just add your choice of ingredients to make it your own version. If you do, drop me a line below and let me know what you did and how you liked it! You could also omit the corn and make a thick potato chowder (maybe with some added bacon or pancetta!) The possibilities are endless!

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