Vegan Corn Chowder Recipe: Creamy, Dairy-Free Corn Chowder

Chowder is a variety of soup that homecooks prepare with milk or cream and thicken with starchy carbohydrates like potatoes or crackers. Some chowders include lamb, veal, or seafood, like the famous New England clam chowder. There are also various vegetable-based chowder recipes, including chowder made with summer corn. Corn contains high levels of vitamin C, which the body uses to absorb iron and maintain cartilage and bone health.

Vegan corn chowder recipes retain the plant-based ingredients in regular corn chowder but replace the creamy ingredients with vegan substitutes. Traditional corn chowder recipes use fresh kernels cut from ears of corn, but many modern cooks substitute fresh corn for canned or frozen corn. Most recipes include herbs and spices like paprika or a bay leaf.

You can mix and match these plant-based and gluten-free ingredients to give vegan soups a creamy texture and extra flavor.

1. 1. Nut milk: In place of whole milk, use coconut milk to add another level of sweetness to your corn chowder. If you don’t like the taste of coconut, you can also try soy or almond milk, but the fat content of coconut milk lends the soup a thicker, creamier texture.
2. 2. Vegan sour cream: Adding a couple of tablespoons of a vegan sour cream alternative to the soup can also make it creamier and give it a tangy flavor.
3. 3. Nutritional yeast: This deactivated yeast creates a cheesy taste without any dairy. Add a couple of tablespoons with the stock when making your chowder.
4. 4. Waxy potatoes: Yukon gold potatoes are ideal for making creamy vegan corn chowder because they produce a creamy consistency when blended and thicken the creamy soup. You can also use other waxy varieties like Russet or Idaho potatoes.
5. 5. Cashew cream: Make your own cashew cream to create a creamy topping for your corn chowder. Simply soak cashew nuts in water, drain them, and then blend them thoroughly with water and a pinch of salt.

You can seal vegan corn chowder in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for three to four days. Alternatively, the soup freezes well and is a good recipe for batch cooking. When freezing, pour the soup into zip lock freezer bags in portions, squeeze out any air, and then seal the bag tightly. Flattening the bags into sheets makes them easy to stack inside your freezer to save space.