Vegan Corn Chowder

This hearty Vegan Corn Chowder is a creamy and delightful mouthful of comforting flavors and textures. It's a satisfying, but light bowl chock-full of savory flavors with an undertone of tart and subtle sweetness.

Course Soup

Cuisine American, Vegan

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings people

Calories 304kcal

Author Melissa Huggins

Equipment

Large Pot

Ingredients

Cream Base

½ cup raw cashews (*See Note)
¾ cup water + more for soaking cashews

Soup Base

2 tablespoons avocado oil (or preferred oil)
1 medium yellow onion , diced
2 celery stalks , diced
3 cloves garlic , minced
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
½ cup dry white wine (optional)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 ½ cups vegetable broth , low sodium
2 large yukon gold potatoes , peeled and cut into ¼-inch pieces
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon sea salt , more to taste
Fresh cracked pepper , to taste
4 cups fresh corn , cut off kernels from 4 corn cobs (frozen can be used)
1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (optional)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cream Base

To prep the cashews, boil water in a small pot and remove from heat. Add cashews and cover for 15-20 minutes. Drain and rinse the cashews and discard soaking water. Place them in a high-powered blender with ¾ cup of water. Blend on high until very smooth. Set aside.

Soup Base

In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat and add onion and celery. Sauté until tender, about 3-5 minutes.
Add garlic and sauté for 30-60 seconds until fragrant
Now add the crushed red pepper and thyme. Sauté 30-60 seconds until fragrant.
Add wine and turn heat up to medium-high to simmer. Once simmering turn heat back to medium. Cook wine down about 2-3 minutes. * If you're not using wine, you can skip this step entirely without substituting.
Sprinkle flour over veggies and stir constantly for 30-60 seconds. This will cook off the raw flour taste.
Stir in broth and add potatoes, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Turn heat up again to medium-high to simmer. Once simmering, turn heat back to medium and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add corn kernels and cook for another 8-10 minutes until potatoes are fork-tender and corn is cooked. Remove bay leaf.
Turn heat to low and slowly stir in cashew cream. Taste for seasoning and add more if needed. Warm for 1-2 minutes and remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice if desired.
Optional: to give the soup base more body, place 1-2 cups of soup in a blender and pulse 2-3 times, then pour back into the pot and stir (you can also use an immersion blender). You can skip the blending if you prefer a chunkier soup.
See note for topping ideas. Enjoy!

Notes

Cashews: If you want to prep them ahead, pre-soften them by placing them in cool water for 2-4 hours (or overnight in the fridge). Then they'll be ready to pop in the blender right away.

If you don't have a high-speed blender, the cashews might not completely break down and this could result in a gritty texture. You can try soaking the cashews longer for 8 hours or more.
Instead of cashew cream, you can also use 1 cup canned full-fat coconut milk. You may need to cook the sauce a few minutes longer to thicken.

Topping Ideas: smoked paprika, fresh parsley, vegan cheese shreds, crushed red pepper, sliced green onion, vegan bacon bits, vegan sour cream, fresh cilantro, Old Bay seasoning.

Nutrition