Easy Vegan Corn Chowder

This hearty and creamy vegan corn chowder is delicious and super easy to make with fresh, frozen or canned corn. Made without any dairy, this plant-based corn chowder uses coconut milk and potatoes for an amazingly creamy texture.

If you've been looking for the perfect way to use up summer sweetcorn, this easy vegan corn chowder is an excellent idea.

One of the reasons I like this vegan potato corn chowder (besides it being super tasty, of course) is the fact that it's super easy to make.

You only need a couple of ingredients to make this creamy, rich sweetcorn chowder.

Even though it's the perfect recipe to make with fresh summer sweetcorn, you can enjoy it year-round by using frozen or canned sweetcorn!

Why you'll love this easy vegan corn chowder

• You can make it as creamy or chunky as you like. I use a hand-held immersion blender to puree about half of the corn chowder. You can leave it chunky or blend it just a bit so it has the exact texture you want.
• It's ready in 30 minutes. This is a very quick recipe that you can have on the table in just 30 minutes.
• It's super creamy yet completely dairy-free. This vegan corn chowder recipe is super creamy from the potato starch and coconut milk. Blending it increases the level of creaminess even more.

Ingredients and substitutions

Sunflower oil - Any neutral vegetable oil works here, with canola oil being another good option.

Onion - Yellow onion is perfect in this vegan corn chowder with coconut milk, but you can also use red onion if you like.

Bell pepper - I added a red bell pepper, but any other colour would also be fine.

Celery - This is mostly for texture, so feel free to add as much as you like.

Garlic and thyme - Fresh garlic and thyme deliver the best flavours in this corn chowder. If you don't have fresh thyme, substitute with 1 teaspoon of dried thyme.

Sweetcorn - Feel free to use fresh, frozen or canned sweetcorn in this chowder. If using canned corn, drain and rinse it before adding it to the pot.

Potatoes - Any boiling potatoes are perfect for this chowder. You need them starchy so they make the chowder extra creamy. Cut them into small cubes so they cook quickly.

Smoked paprika - If you don't want your corn chowder to be a bit smoky, use regular paprika.

How to make vegan corn chowder

Heat the sunflower oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot and add the onion, bell pepper and celery. Cook for 3-4 minutes over medium heat until the veggies soften slightly.

Add the garlic and thyme and cook for another minute, then stir in the chilli flakes.

Add the sweetcorn, potatoes, vegetable stock, coconut milk and smoked paprika and cook for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are fork-tender.

Use a hand-held immersion blender to blend half of the soup. Season to taste and serve with cornbread or crusty bread, topped with sliced spring onions if you like.

Leftovers and storage

• This vegan corn soup will keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
• Reheat the soup on the stovetop over low heat. You may need to add a bit of water or vegetable stock if it looks too thick.
• The corn chowder will keep well for 3 months in the freezer but the texture may be a bit different because of the coconut milk.

Recipe notes and tips

• Since corn can have various degrees of sweetness, you may need to add more salt to balance the flavours.
• You can make this vegan corn chowder extra creamy by stirring in some cashew cream at the end.
• Sprinkle the corn chowder with fresh coriander or freshly chopped chives instead of spring onions if you like.

If you liked this vegan corn chowder recipe, you might also like some of my other easy vegan one-pot recipes:

• One-Pot Vegan Jambalaya
• Vegan Spanish White Bean Stew
• Creamy Vegan Gnocchi Soup
• Vegan Avgolemono Soup (Greek Lemon Orzo Soup)
• Easy Three Bean Soup

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