This veggie-packed vegan corn chowder is rich, creamy and super flavorful. It takes about 30 minutes to make and is a total crowd-pleaser. You can make it in the Instant Pot or on the stovetop!
My family eats versions of this corn chowder on an almost-weekly basis. It's a one-pot meal that we can all agree on, and I love that it's quick and easy to throw together on a busy evening.
You can make the recipe exactly as-written or check out the variations to see some of the ways we mix up this soup to use what we have in the fridge and pantry.
More Hearty Vegan Soups: Coconut Eggplant Tomato Bisque, Potato Leek Soup
Making Vegan Corn Chowder
What I love about this vegan corn chowder is that it's truly a one-pot meal. Just dice the potatoes and toss them into the pot with the broth, corn, and beans.
While those start cooking, prep your broccoli and measure the rest of your ingredients.
When the potatoes are tender, it's time to do a quick blend. You can either scoop out some of the soup to puree in an upright blender or hit it with your immersion blender for a few seconds -- totally up to you.
The blending step is key to getting a creamy, hearty soup. You don't want a totally smooth puree. Partially blending lets you still have some of the texture but also adds thickness to the soup.
Then, add round two of veggies, and a few minutes later, soup is on. Boom! Pow!
Along with my favorite weeknight soup recipe, I'm sharing my favorite soupy secret. Instead of topping with croutons, I like to stir a handful of roasted, unsalted cashews into this creamy soup.
It gives you that same crunch as a crouton, but it's way more decadent and filling. The cashews take this chowder from a side dish to a main event!
Variations
This is a super flexible recipe that you can really mix up however you like. Sometimes I make it with kale instead of broccoli, for example.
Spinach or other quick-wilting greens -- like Swiss chard -- also work well. For these, there's no need to bring the pot back to pressure or cover and simmer again in step three. Instead, just stir them into the pot.
The greens wilt down in just a few minutes, and the carrots will cook quickly, since they're shredded so small. You can use the saute button or turn on the stove, if the soup isn't hot enough to wilt them.
Sometimes, I spice this soup up with ½ teaspoon each of dried sage and thyme in step one.
The other ingredient that you can change up is the beans. Don't have navy beans? Cannellini, great northern beans, or chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) all work well instead.
Think of the recipe below as a jumping-off point, and mix and match, depending on what's in your produce drawer, pantry, and spice cabinet!
Vegan Corn and Potato Chowder
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups vegetable or no-chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
- 1 medium yellow potato - cut into 1" cubes
- 2 ½ cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
- 1 15 ounce can navy beans - drained (or 1 ½ cups cooked beans)
- 1 ½ cups shredded carrots
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 2 cups soy or oat milk
Topping
- roasted, unsalted cashews
Instructions
Instant Pot Directions
- Add the broth, onion powder, garlic powder, potato, corn, and beans to your Instant Pot. Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes, then do a 10-minute natural release.
- Now it's time to blend! You have two options. You can use your immersion blender to puree the soup for a few seconds until you have a thick but still-chunky mixture. Or, you can transfer ⅓ to ½ of the soup to an upright blender and puree, then transfer it back to the pot. Either way, don't overblend, or your pot will throw a burn warning during the next step.
- Add the carrots and broccoli to the Instant Pot. Set it to cook at high pressure for zero minutes (yes!), then do a quick release. Add the soy milk, stirring to combine.
- Dish up your bowls of soup, and top each one with a handful of cashews.
Stovetop Directions
- In a soup pot, combine the broth, onion powder, garlic powder, potato, corn, and beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 10-15 minutes. The potatoes should be fork-tender.
- Now it's time to blend! You have two options. You can use your immersion blender to puree the soup for a few seconds until you have a thick but still chunky mixture. Or, you can transfer ⅓ to ½ of the soup to an upright blender and puree, then transfer it back to the pot.
- Add the carrots and broccoli. Cover, and cook for 4-6 more minutes, still on medium-high, then turn off the heat. Add the soy milk, stirring to combine.
- Dish up your bowls of soup, and top each one with a handful of cashews.
Equipment
Notes
- The great thing about this soup is that it's flexible! See the section above for variation ideas to make this using what you have handy.
- Getting the blending part right is key. You don't want a totally smooth puree. Partially blending lets you still have some of the texture but also adds thickness to the soup. If you're cooking in the Instant Pot, be sure not to blend to a totally smooth puree, or your pot could throw a burn warning during the second round of cooking at pressure.
Sharon
Just made this for lunch and we thoroughly enjoyed it! I used diced carrots instead of shredded and added celery, onion powder (next time I'll add chopped onions instead), smoked paprika and a dash of salt. I used a full cup (or more ... 3 palm-fulls) of nutritional yeast ... we love that stuff! Thanks for sharing such a delicious and quick recipe!
Becky Striepe
So glad to hear it! I love the subs that you made - I bet the paprika went really well with the creaminess of the broth.
Andrea
I love fast soups for the nights when there isn't much time to cook — especially if the recipe contains potatoes and broccoli. I can't imagine adding a whole cup of yeast, though — maybe 1/4 cup. Cashews make a great topping for just about anything, don't they?
Becky Striepe
Yeah, I like a ton of nooch. Definitely adjust to your tastes!