Instant Pot corn chowder is a lusciously creamy soup filled with tender potatoes, fresh corn, speckles of fresh basil and topped with crispy, smoky bacon. This is a must-make for soup season!
Looking for more soup recipes? Try Italian ground turkey soup, Instant Pot taco soup, or Instant Pot chicken noodle soup.
It’s the time of the year when summer slowly fades to fall. When the summer produce is still in season while we head into the season of creamy, comforting bowls of hearty soup.
There’s no better recipe to sum up all of these things than this creamy corn chowder. Fresh sweet corn, fresh garden basil and smoky bacon are some of my favorite flavors in this Instant pot potato corn chowder.
It hits the same spot as our copycat Panera autumn squash soup, and butternut squash soup,
Instant Pot Corn Chowder (Why It Works)
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the Instant Pot does magic to meals, especially soups. It can develop flavor so much faster that on the stove, which leaves you thinking your meals were cooked low and slow for hours, but you actually just hit the pressure cook button 30 minutes before dinner time.
This recipe, like most corn chowder recipes, starts by crisping the bacon into bits, leaving the perfect amount of rendered bacon fat in the bottom of the pot to cook all of the vegetables that turn into the most smooth and creamy soup.
Speaking of creamy, we have a few ingredients to thank for all that creamy texture:
- potatoes
- corn
- heavy cream or coconut milk
- cheddar cheese or nutritional yeast
The corn and potatoes blend together to give the soup the thick texture we all think of when we imagine a soup then wee finish with a little cream and cheese because why not? It’s almost hard to believe you can create such a lush soup completely dairy-free and vegan if you want.
Ingredient Notes
The simple ingredients you need to make this Instant Pot corn chowder recipe include:
- Thick cut bacon: this develops the flavor right from the start with smokey flavors to cook all the veg.
- Onion celery and bell peppers: the combination of vegetables are cooked in the bacon fat for even more flavor. It’s often called a mirepoix in french cooking, meaning a mix of veggies cooked low in some sort of fat.
- Red potatoes: these have a thin red layer of skin that make them perfect for soups. Blending tender potatoes is a great way to create the creamy base of this recipe.
- Corn kernels: this is the star of the show and I highly recommend pulling it of fresh corn cobs. We used this handy little corn prep peeler to remove it quickly.
- Garlic and spices: fresh garlic cloves with salt, paprika and fresh cracked black pepper are delicious in this recipe.
- Broth: chicken broth and vegetable broth both work for this recipe.
- Cheddar cheese: this adds creamy texture and flavor from the fat, but you can omit this or use nutritional yeast for a dairy-free and vegan option.
- Cream: heavy cream or full fat coconut cream for a dairy-free vegan option
- Basil: corn and basil are always in season together so fresh basil is a delicious addition. If you have extra, learn how to freeze basil for later.
How to Make Instant Pot Corn Chowder
These step-by-step pictures show you exactly how to make this recipe. Jump to the recipe card to watch how to make this recipe with me.
Step 1. Crisp the bacon: set your electric pressure cooker (aka Instant Pot) to the saute function and add some olive oil. Crisp the bacon for 6-8 minutes then remove it to a paper towel, leaving the rendered bacon grease in the IP.
Step 2. Cook the vegetables and pressure cook: Add the onion, celery and bell pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes add in the corn, diced potatoes, and spices and give it another quick stir. Add vegetable broth and pressure cook (manual) on high pressure for 10 minutes then quick release.
Step 3. Blend: Scoop half of the soup to a high-speed blender and blend until it’s extra smooth. You could also use an immersion blender if you have that handy. Pour the soup back into the Instant Pot and stir.
Step 4. Finish: Add the cheese and heavy creamthen stir in the chopped basil. Serve with more fresh basil, crisp bacon, extra corn kernels and fresh cracked black pepper.
Dietary Modifications
Dairy-free: use coconut cream and nutritional yeast in place of heavy cream and cheddar cheese.
Vegan corn chowder: omit the bacon and saute the vegetables in olive oil. Use vegetable broth and the same modifications as above for the cream and cheese.
Gluten-free: this recipe is naturally gluten-free without any changes.
Storage Instructions
Place the cooled soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also place it in a freezer-safe container and freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and warm on the stove.
How Do You Thicken Corn Chowder?
Blend part of the tender potatoes and vegetables at high speed until it’s smooth and creamy then pour it back into the soup. This gives it a silky smooth texture without the need of creams or slurries.
More Instant Pot Soup Recipes
- Instant Pot Taco Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Instant Pot Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
- Instant Pot Lasagna Soup
Instant Pot Corn Chowder
Save this Recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 5 slices thick cut bacon cut into chunks
- 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion (about 1/2 medium onion)
- 1/4 cup chopped celery about 1 stalk
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 5 cups corn kernels (from 4-5 ears of corn), frozen works too
- 1 1/2 lb red potatoes diced into 1/-inch chunks
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup heavy cream o
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
- Garnish: basil, bacon, corn kernels, black pepper
Instructions
- Set the instant pot to saute mode and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When it’s hot, add the sliced bacon and cook for 6-8 minutes, or until crisp, then remove the bacon to a paper towel to top the corn chowder at the end.1 Tablespoon olive oil, 5 slices thick cut bacon
- Use the bacon fat to cook the vegetables. Add the yellow onion, celery and bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently for 3-4 minutes, until soft and the onion is translucent. Sprinkle in the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add in the corn, diced potatoes, salt, pepper and smoked paprika and stir until combined the press cancel to stop the saute function.1/2 cup chopped yellow onion, 1/4 cup chopped celery, 1 red bell pepper, 3 cloves garlic, 5 cups corn kernels, 1 1/2 lb red potatoes, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Pour in the chicken stock or vegetable broth and stir quickly to combine then close the lid, turn the vent to the sealing position and pressure cook (manual cook) on high for 10 minutes. It will take 5-10 minutes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure then start counting down. When the time is up, carefully quick release the Instant Pot by turning the vent to the venting position to let all the steam out quickly.3 cups vegetable broth
- Carefully transfer half of the soup to a high speed blender and blend until completely smooth. You could also use an immersion blender to blend half of the soup to your desired consistency. If it’s in a blender, pour the soup back into the Instant Pot with the cheese and heavy cream. Stir in the chopped basil.1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 1 cup heavy cream o, 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
- Serve with more fresh basil, crisp bacon, extra corn kernels and fresh cracked black pepper.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
This soup is cozy and delicious! It’s surprisingly less complicated than it seems. I will be making it for all my winter weather gatherings!
Love this. Thank you so much Jenna!
Made this tonight for my husband and myself. We loved it! Definitely a keeper for a cold night and pretty easy too!
Thanks Karla! Glad you both loved it!
Made this tonight and loved it! Would you change the cooking time to include chicken or beans for some protein?
Thank you! You could leave the cook time as is for beans and chicken. They both take about 10 minutes at high pressure as well.
I found some butternut squash on sale at the store, so I added a few cups of it to this. I also left one can of corn out, immersion blended it about 90% of the way and then added the other can of corn in. So good!!
Ok YUM!! Butternut squash would be soooo good with this. Thanks for sharing!
Great soup to add to the weekly rotation!