Once again, we’re in that transitional season where it’s still hot outside but all we want is soup. What better way to enjoy that space than by making our favorite Corn and Poblano Chowder? This hearty vegetarian soup is creamy, savory, and full of corn and pepper flavor. The broth is infused with corn cobs (so don’t throw yours away!), which give the soup a sweetness that you can’t get from vegetable broth alone. The savory onions and peppers balance out the sweetness, and the potatoes give the chowder body and texture. The result is an exceptional soup that you’ll want to make again and again!

Why You’ll Love This Soup

Big, bold corn flavor. With a broth infused with corn cobs and a base made extra creamy with blended corn kernels, there’s no way to miss the corn flavor in this chowder.
One pot recipe. Everything in this soup is made in the same pot (minus any optional toppings). This keeps your dishes to a minimum, which is always a good thing!
Can be kept chunky or made super creamy. Depending on our mood, we sometimes blend up the whole thing (yes, yes, we know that chowders are supposed to be chunky, but we do what we want!), or keep it extra chunky. It’s your soup, so make it according to your preference.
The perfect vehicle for all of your favorite toppings. We love adding plant-based soy chorizo, sour cream, Monterey Jack cheese, cilantro, green onions, and corn chips to the top of this chowder, but you can change it up with whatever you like!

Close up of a bowl of Corn and Poblano Chowder, topped with soyrizo, green onions, cilantro, sour cream, and corn chips.

It’s All in the Broth

When we set out to make this Corn and Poblano Chowder for the first time, we wanted to make sure that we created something that had a very corn-forward flavor. The best way to do that, we realized, was to steep the corn cobs in the broth. This allows the flavor of the corn to seep into the broth, creating a sweet, corny flavor. If you don’t have corn cobs, that’s okay, but you may get a less strong corn flavor in the end (it’ll still be great, though!).

A Little Spice is Nice

The other thing we wanted was a way to balance out the sweetness of the corn itself. Many corn chowder recipes use carrots and celery, which are great ingredients in soups, but we wanted something different here. We love our Creamy Chipotle Corn Dip, so we decided to bring in some of those peppery, spicy flavors to this chowder as well by adding poblano and jalapeño peppers and some chipotle powder as well. The result is a rich corn chowder with a slightly spicy and smoky edge.

Ingredients for the Corn and Poblano Chowder

Onion – we used a sweet onion for extra sweetness, but a yellow or white onion could work too.
Poblano peppers – poblanos tend to be fairly mild in spice with an earthy flavor that is less fruity than regular green bell peppers.
Jalapeño – jalapeños carry a subtle heat. If you don’t like jalapeños, feel free to skip.
Russet potatoes – these add bulk, flavor, and starch to this recipe.
Corn – using fresh corn-on-the-cob is ideal because we use the entire ear of corn (kernels and cob) for super corn flavor. You can use frozen corn or just the kernels, but you won’t get as much corn flavor.
Spices – spicy chipotle chili powder, flavorful adobo seasoning blend (a mixture of cumin, oregano, garlic, onion, pepper, and turmeric), and salt.
Soup base – you’ll need veggie broth and either half and half, whole milk, or even cream if you want it extra rich.
Optional toppings – we like topping ours with green onions, cilantro, shredded cheese, soy chorizo, sour cream, lime, corn chips, and even extra corn kernels (reserve a small handful of kernels for topping later).

How to Make This Corn and Poblano Chowder

STEP 1: Cut the corn kernels from the cobs and place in a bowl. Keep the corn cobs for the broth.

Knife cutting corn kernels off of a corn cob into a bowl. The corn kernels and the corn cobs will both be used in the corn and poblano chowder. — *Cut the corn kernels off the cobs.*

STEP 2: Add oil to a large pot or Dutch oven placed over medium heat.

STEP 3: Add the diced onions, poblano peppers, and jalapeño peppers and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.

Pot full of chopped poblano peppers, onions, and jalapeno. — *Add the onions and peppers to the pot.*

STEP 4: Add the adobo seasoning, the chipotle powder, and a pinch of salt and cook until the veggies soften.

Soup pot with cooked chopped poblano peppers, onions, and jalapeno, with spices sprinkled on top, forming the beginning of the corn and poblano chowder. — *Season the onions and peppers.*

STEP 5: Place the corn cobs (with the corn kernels cut off) in the pot on top of the veggies and cover them with vegetable broth.

Large soup pot full of cooked peppers and onions, with 5 corn cobs on top, and veggie broth pouring in. — *Add the corn cobs and the broth.*

STEP 6: Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce to simmer, cover the pot with a lid, and cook for 30 minutes.

Large soup pot full of corn cobs, peppers, onions, and veggie broth after cooking. — *Cook the veggies, corn, and broth.*

STEP 7: Remove the corn cobs from the pot, add the corn kernels and potatoes, and mix in the half and half or milk/cream. Cover the pot and cook until the potatoes are fork tender.

Add the potatoes and corn kernels.
Pour in the half and half.

STEP 8: Using an immersion blender, blend the soup to desired chunkiness. You can also ladle some chowder into a blender and blend that up, or reserve some chowder in a separate bowl before using the immersion blender to blend the rest in the pot.

STEP 9: Adjust the seasoning to taste, ladle the soup into your favorite bowl, and add desired toppings.

Tips and Variations: Corn and Poblano Chowder

Make it vegan: swap the half and half for coconut milk or cashew cream, and top with soy chorizo, cilantro, scallions, and a squeeze of lime.
Add meat: this recipe is vegetarian, but if you want to add meat, feel free to swap out the veggie broth for chicken broth and top the soup with regular chorizo at the end.
Extra heat: add more jalapeños or even a serrano for more heat.
Chunky vs. creamy: blend more or less depending on preference.
Toppings: shredded Jack or Oaxaca cheese, cilantro, green onions, corn chips, and soy chorizo.
Corn cobs don’t fit in pot? Snap them! If you’re using a narrower Dutch oven or pot and the corn cobs don’t fit, snap them in half to make them shorter.

Serving Suggestions

Pair with warm tortillas, fresh fruit, or a simple green salad.
Serve as a hearty main dish or as a starter for BBQ or taco night.

Storage and Leftovers

This soup keeps well in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in a pot on the stove over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Alternatively, you can reheat it in the microwave.

It’s not freezer-friendly, however, because dairy can become grainy and split when frozen, so we don’t recommend freezing it. More information on freezing soup, including soups that are and aren’t great for freezing, can be found in this Food & Wine article.

Don’t Want Leftovers? Halve It!

Divide all of the ingredients in half to make a smaller amount of chowder. This halved version makes about 3 to 4 hearty portions.

Here’s what you’ll need for the half recipe:

½ onion, diced
1 poblano pepper, diced
½ jalapeño, minced
1 medium russet potato, cubed
2 to 3 corn cobs (depending on the size of your pot; they need to fit inside it)
½ tbsp neutral oil
1 tsp adobo seasoning
½ tsp chipotle pepper powder
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup half and half, room temperature
Salt to taste

To make the halved recipe, follow the same instructions for the full recipe, but use a medium or medium-large pot instead of a Dutch oven.

Ingredients

Chowder

1 onion diced (about 2 cups)
2 poblano peppers diced (about 1.5 cups)
1 jalapeño minced
2 medium russet potatoes cubed (about 2 cups)
5 corn cobs kernels cut off & cobs saved
4 cups corn kernels cut from the 5 corn cobs
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp adobo seasoning
1 tsp chipotle pepper powder
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups half and half room temp (can also use milk or cream)
Salt to taste

Optional Toppings

3 green onions diced
½ bunch cilantro chopped
1 ½ cup shredded cheese
1 ½ cups soy chorizo
1 cup sour cream
Lime wedges
Corn chips crushed

Instructions

Cut the corn kernels from the cobs and place in a bowl. Keep the corn cobs for the broth.
5 corn cobs
Add oil to a large pot or Dutch oven placed over medium heat.
1 tbsp olive oil
Add the diced onions, poblano peppers, and jalapeño peppers and saute for 2 to 3 minutes.
1 onion, 2 poblano peppers, 1 jalapeño
Add the adobo seasoning, the chipotle powder, and a pinch of salt and cook until the veggies soften.
2 tsp adobo seasoning, 1 tsp chipotle pepper powder, Salt to taste
Place the corn cobs (with the corn kernels cut off) in the pot on top of the veggies and cover them with vegetable broth.
5 corn cobs, 4 cups vegetable broth
Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce to simmer, cover the pot with a lid, and cook for 30 minutes.
Remove the corn cobs from the pot, add the corn kernels and potatoes, and mix in the half and half or milk/cream. Cover the pot and cook until the potatoes are fork tender.
2 medium russet potatoes, 4 cups corn kernels, 2 cups half and half
Using an immersion blender, blend the soup to desired chunkiness. You can also ladle some chowder into a blender and blend that up, or reserve some chowder in a separate bowl before using the immersion blender to blend the rest in the pot.
Adjust the seasoning to taste, ladle the soup into your favorite bowl, and add desired toppings.
3 green onions, ½ bunch cilantro, 1 ½ cup shredded cheese, 1 ½ cups soy chorizo, 1 cup sour cream, Lime wedges, Corn chips

Notes

Tip: Save some of your corn kernels for topping the soup at the end.

Final Thoughts

This Corn and Poblano Chowder is one of those recipes you’ll want to keep on hand for early Fall evenings. It’s easy enough for a weeknight, cozy enough for a chilly evening, and flavorful enough to share with friends and family. Whether you top it with shredded cheese, soy chorizo, fresh cilantro, or a squeeze of lime, every bowl delivers an irresistible mix of sweet, savory, and creamy.

If you make this chowder, leave us a comment or tag us on Instagram!

Corn and Poblano Chowder