This dairy free creamy corn chowder is such an excellent summer soup recipe! It’s made with simple and seasonal ingredients like sweet corn, potatoes, fresh cherry tomatoes, pantry-friendly spices, and raw cashews blended with a portion of the soup for an extra creamy broth without any heavy cream. All of these recipe components come together for an incredible meal you’ll want to make again and again!
The dreamiest dairy free corn chowder made with cashew cream
This corn chowder is 100000% going to be our go-to sweet corn soup for the summer months! I can’t stop making and eating it.
We have tons of ideas for dairy-free soups and stews on NK (many of which feature Cashew Cream as a standout dairy substitute!), and this recipe is one of our summer favorites.
As soon as corn on the cob hits the shelves it really feels like the warm weather season is here to stay.
Which, if you’re from the PNW, is saying a lot. We wait oh-so-patiently for the summer sun while the rest of the country is doing cannonballs at the lake and cooling off with frozen treats. SIGH, ha!
But when it finally arrives, it’s glorious. Fresh sweet corn and all.
🌟 This is an older recipe from NK that I thought was due for a little refresh! I loved the original, but wanted to make a few tweaks for more depth and a more luxurious broth! The result is absolutely top-notch.
So to start, I stuck to the basic ingredients from the first time it was published, but slightly adjusted some of the ratios and the method, and added some additional seasonally appropriate ingredients to amp up the flavor even more.
I also took some time to streamline the recipe so that it’s a little more straightforward and simple to make – because who doesn’t love an uncomplicated recipe?!
So what’s new?
👉🏼 MORE sweet corn! I increased the amount of corn in the recipe from 3 ears to 5, or 24 ounces of frozen corn. This change better highlights the sweet corn flavor that is so coveted in corn chowder.
👉🏼 A more decadent broth! Adding more corn also means enough in the recipe to blend the cashews with some of the simmered soup base for a thicker, more flavorful broth instead of making the cashew cream with just water and cashews. That method worked but didn’t fully take advantage of the flavor and texture potential!
👉🏼 Cherry tomatoes! Another classic seasonal ingredient that pairs beautifully with the corn and potatoes. Adding them to the soup brings a little sweetness and a bit of acidity and thoroughly balances out all of the other flavors in the recipe.
If you’re looking for more all-star veggie focused meals without dairy be sure to peek at our recipes for Dairy-Free Carrot Soup and Cashew Cream and Corn Pasta with Basil!
Key ingredients
This creamy recipe for corn chowder is made with just a few simple vegetarian ingredients combined for the best of summer flavors!
Sweet corn
I have made this soup with fresh corn cut off the cob and frozen corn. Both work, but if you have the option to use corn on the cob, the flavor is really SO top-notch.
Using fresh corn also allows the opportunity to simmer some of the corn cobs with the vegetable stock, which helps bolster the corn flavor even further – I highly recommend this step!
Potatoes
The buttery texture of Yukon gold potatoes is our first choice for this chowder. If you want to substitute a different potato, opt for a waxy variety, avoiding russet potatoes, which will fall apart as they cook.
Cherry tomatoes
I’ve included this somewhat unique addition for a chowder recipe because it really highlights summer flavors with a welcome bit of bright sweetness and acidity.
Raw cashews
Raw cashews blended with some of the simmered base of the soup make it the creamy legend that it is. The flavor of cashew cream is mild, and the texture is always exceptional – it’s our most-used dairy-free substitute!
🌿 Substitution idea! Cauliflower florets instead of potatoes make a great lower carb swap! The same amount can be used in their place.
Making this dreamy dairy free corn chowder
🌿 This potato and corn chowder comes together with one pot and a blender. Soaking your cashews in advance to cut down on cook time is always a good idea!
👉🏼 Cashew cream is my all-time favorite dairy replacement because of its exceptionally creamy texture and versatility. If you don’t have cashews or have a cashew allergy, you can substitute with 1/2 cup non-dairy creamer that works for you. In general, anything other than cashew cream will be on the less rich side, so expect a bit of a thinner soup if you’re making that swap.
If you enjoyed this corn chowder we’d love it if you would take a moment to rate and review it below! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 It’s also a good place for questions, and super helpful for other readers if you share any modifications you made to the recipe.
Thank you for sharing your kitchen with NK. We’re so grateful you’re here!
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Creamy Corn Chowder with Potatoes (Dairy Free)
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 5 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This dairy free creamy corn chowder is such an excellent summer soup recipe! It’s made with simple and seasonal ingredients like sweet corn, potatoes, fresh cherry tomatoes, pantry-friendly spices, and raw cashews blended with a portion of the soup for an extra creamy broth without any heavy cream. All of these recipe components come together for an incredible meal you’ll want to make again and again!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw cashews (70 grams), or about 1/2 cup unsweetened and unflavored dairy free creamer
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 2 stalks celery, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, diced
- 5 ears fresh corn, corn cut away from the cob (reserve a few of the corn cobs), or 24 ounces frozen corn
- 1 heaping cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Snipped chives or chopped parsley for serving
Instructions
- Soak cashews. In a heat proof bowl, cover raw cashews with enough boiling water to cover and set aside to soak for 15-30 minutes while you start making the soup.
- Sauté the vegetables and spices. In a large soup pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add diced onion, celery, and garlic, and sauté for 5-6 minutes, until veggies are soft and just starting to caramelize. Add diced potatoes, fresh corn, and cherry tomatoes and cook, stirring frequently, until the tomatoes start to break down slightly – about 4-5 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon all-purpose seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, and 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard, and sauté for 1-2 minutes more, until spices are aromatic.
- Add the broth and simmer. Pour in 4 cups vegetable broth and stir, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan and bring to a simmer. Add bay leaf. If using fresh corn cobs, it’s optional (but will add more corn flavor!) to add a few of the cobs to the broth as it simmers. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender, and soup is reduced slightly. Remove the bay leaf and corn cobbs if using before the next step.
- Blend a portion of the soup and finish cooking. Transfer about 1/4 of the soup to a blender container along with soaked and drained cashews and 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast. Blend on high for 1-2 minutes until completely smooth and creamy with no pieces of cashew remaining. Return the blended portion of the soup to the pot, stir to combine, and add 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Bring back to a simmer, stirring frequently to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pot, until slightly thickened.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve hot garnished with fresh chives or parsley and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Julia says
Delicious!! Fast, easy, and super filling. Leftovers the next day were great. I used fire roasted frozen corn and loved the smoky flavor.
Nyssa Tanner says
Yess to yummy leftovers! And fire roasted corn is GENIUS! Omg definitely trying that the next time I make this recipe.
Kim says
Wow, this is so hearty! You could easily pass this off as non-vegan if you were so inclined. I pretty much stuck to the recipe but added a fourth ear of corn (only because I happened to have four on hand), and I added two diced jalapenos with the onion, celery, & garlic. After cooking, I blended it all pretty well with an immersion blender but left a little bit of texture. I will definitely make this again (which I can’t say for the first vegan corn chowder recipe I tried a couple of weeks ago – it was okay, but this is great!)
Nyssa Tanner says
Ohh yay Kim! I’m so happy that you loved this recipe. The addition of extra corn and jalapeño sounds so delicious! Thank you for the thoughtful comment!