Creamy Vegan Corn Chowder

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This vegan corn chowder is creamy, delicious, and oh so comforting. Loaded with veggies, potatoes, and sweet summer corn in a luscious coconut base, it’s easy to make and hard to resist!

Creamy vegan soups are my favorite kind of comfort food, and I love cooking and eating them year round. Who cares if it’s 90+ degrees outside? Crank up the air conditioner and grab a bowl!

This vegan corn chowder recipe is a great excuse to make soup during the summer. After all, summer is when fresh corn is in season, and this soup is best when made with fresh corn. It also has a bright, surprisingly summery flavor, despite being a creamy soup. It’s made with a base of creamy coconut milk in place of the heavy cream you’ll find in traditional corn chowder, and loaded with fresh veggies like celery, carrots and potato.

This soup cooks up super easy and can be made in just one pot. It’s perfect for a light l lunch, or paired up with some crusty bread or protein like fried tofu or tempeh bacon for a hearty dinner that you can enjoy any day of the year!

Have I sold you on summer soup yet? At least corn soup in the summer? If so, read on, and be sure to also check out my Thai corn soup, red lentil corn chowder, and (okay, not a soup but a stew) corn chickpea curry.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Vegan butter. Earth balance and Miyoko’s are a couple of popular brands to look out for. You can find them near the regular butter in most supermarkets. Feel free to substitute a high-heat oil if you prefer.
• Carrots.
• Celery.
• Onions.
• Garlic.
• Flour. The recipe calls for all-purpose flour, but whole wheat flour works as well.
• Vegetable broth. I’m a big fan of Better Than Bouillon in Roasted Vegetable Flavor.
• Coconut milk. The recipe calls for full-fat coconut milk, but light coconut milk works too. Just be sure to use coconut milk from a can (not a carton).
• Potato. I recommend using a russet potato, but you could sub a couple of red or yellow potatoes if you’d like.
• Corn. Use fresh corn if it’s available. Frozen corn will work if it’s not.
• Dried thyme.
• Nutritional yeast flakes. Look for these in the natural foods section of your supermarket. They’ll add a cheesy, savory flavor to your soup. Feel free to leave them out if they’re not your thing!
• Red wine vinegar. Sub white vinegar if that’s what you have on hand.
• Salt & pepper.
• Chives. For topping!

How It’s Made

The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this soup. Scroll all the way down if you’d prefer to skip right to the recipe!

• Cut your corn off the cob. I like to place my corn cob in a bowl to catch the corn when doing this, but a cutting board works too. Hold the corn upright and use a chef’s knife to cut downward and slice the corn kernels from the cob. Do this carefully — it’s easy to slip!

• Melt your butter in a large pot and add diced onion, carrots and celery. Cook the veggies for about 10 minutes, until they start to soften up.
• Now add minced garlic and flour. Stir everything well to coat the veggies with flour and cook everything for about a minute, until the garlic becomes very fragrant.
• Stir in your broth, coconut milk, corn, potato, and thyme.
• Raise the heat and simmer your soup for about 20 minutes, until all of the veggies are soft and the broth is thick and creamy.

• Take your soup off of the burner and stir in your nutritional yeast, vinegar, and salt and pepper. Top your vegan corn chowder with a sprinkle of fresh chives!

Tip: Want to make your vegan corn soup even creamier? You can do this by blending some (or all!) of it. Use an immersion blender, conventional blender, or a food processor. Whatever you do, be careful when blending hot liquids!

Shelf-Life & Storage

Store your vegan corn chowder in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Reheat it in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove, adding some water if it’s thickened up too much during storage.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can this soup be made gluten-free?

You could probably substitute all-purpose gluten-free flour for wheat flour, but I haven’t tried this, so I can’t say for sure how it would work. You could also substitute a cornstarch slurry or leave the flour out, though your soup won’t be quite as thick and creamy.

Can I make vegan corn chowder with frozen corn?

Yup! Just thaw it before adding it to the soup!

Is there a substitute for coconut milk?

You could substitute another non-dairy milk, though your soup probably won’t be as rich and creamy. Be sure whatever you use is unsweetened and unflavored. Try cashew milk, almond milk, or oat milk.