Slow Cooker Creamy Corn Chowder (Dump and Go!)

This easy slow cooker corn chowder is a breeze to prep, and is a hearty vegetarian and vegan recipe that’s luxuriously creamy without a drop of cream. A surprisingly simple yet delicious dairy free meal to enjoy all year round! 

About this Slow Cooker Creamy Corn Chowder

If you’re looking for a creamy vegan crockpot chowder that’s easy to make, this recipe is for you!

I personally love simple prep, healthy soup recipes, especially when I can create a lighter version of a normally rich soup, just like this chicken and corn chowder and chicken and corn soup.

It actually took quite a bit of testing to get this particular healthy slow cooker corn chowder exactly right, especially without leaning on cream or butter to lend richness and flavor.

When I finally landed on this dairy free, vegetarian version, I knew I had a winner!

You’ll love that this nourishing soup leans on real, whole food ingredients that you most likely have on hand, so it’s easy to whip up any weekday night.

Plus, it’s a fantastic dump-and-go slow cooker meal that’s perfect for busy days when you don’t have a ton of time to spend on prep.

Visual Guide: How to Make Slow Cooker Creamy Corn Chowder

Process & Tips

Think creamy russet potatoes and rich sweet potatoes combined with aromatics like onion and garlic, crunchy fresh or frozen sweet corn, vegetable broth, creamy and slightly sweet coconut milk, and a dash of white wine vinegar to brighten the dish up.

The trick to this dairy free corn chowder is to use a russet potato for its creamy, starchy qualities, and a sweet potato for its color, sweetness, and nutrients.

After the low slow cooking time all the veggies get blended together to create a creamy consistency without the cream.

And best of all, this meal is great to prepare ahead of time!

I’ve designed this vegetarian slow cooker recipe to be as simple as possible – just dump everything into the slow cooker, and let it cook.

It also stores well in the fridge or freezer and is easy to reheat when you’re ready to eat — check out my notes, below, for tips on freezing for best results.

Prep Tips

Start by peeling and chopping the potatoes, onion, and garlic, and if you’re using fresh corn you will need to cut it off the cob.

Then combine the chopped veggies with the broth and seasonings, and leave everything to cook for a few hours.

Once the potatoes are tender, use an immersion blender to blend everything together, and finally add the coconut milk, vinegar, and remaining corn, and you’re done!

If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender.

Just carefully ladle the soup, in batches, into a blender and blend until smooth, then return the blended mixture back to the slow cooker.

What to Serve with Corn Chowder

Fresh herbs always elevate a dish, so top this soup with fresh chives and basil work.

Also, if you like a bit of heat, a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce work incredibly well in this recipe.

I love to serve this soup with homemade cornbread, or a simple quick bread like this one-bowl pumpkin bread, but a simple slice of good quality bread would also be delicious!

And if you aren’t vegetarian, you can top the soup with some leftover shredded chicken or crumbled bacon.

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

Russet potato: Creamy and starchy russet potatoes are the key to the creaminess of this soup without added cream. 

Sweet potato: While “yam” and “sweet potato” are often used interchangeably, they are actually from completely different botanical families (source). For this recipe look for orange-fleshed sweet potatoes with dark orange-brown skin.

Onion: I love the aromatic & savory depth of flavor that onions add to homemade soups, stews and chowders. You could also use shallot in its place. If you don’t like or can’t have onions, feel free to omit them.

Garlic: I like to use fresh, minced garlic in this recipe, especially since we’re using so few ingredients. But you can also use granulated garlic powder in its place if you prefer.

Sweet corn: While fresh sweet corn is a delicious option in the summer months (when it’s in season and easy to find), frozen & defrosted corn works just as great in its place.

Kosher salt: Look for kosher salt with the regular iodized salt at the grocery store (it has a subtler flavor). Use less iodized salt if that’s what you have on hand.

Vegetable broth: I used low sodium vegetable stock in this recipe. This soup is naturally vegan and vegetarian, but if that’s not a concern for you feel free to substitute chicken stock for the vegetable stock and use traditional butter to finish.

Coconut milk: This is the secret to making a creamy soup without a drop of cream. The coconut milk adds a touch of sweetness that works beautifully with the corn, but you can also use heavy cream in its place if you dairy free is not a concern for you.

White wine vinegar: My trick to lifting up the flavors from a pressure cooker soup is to add a bit of vinegar just at the end of cooking. I used white wine vinegar but you could also substitute red wine vinegar, sherry vinegar, or fresh lemon juice in its place.

How to Store & Freeze

Slow cooker creamy potato corn chowder keeps well in the fridge for up to [3-4 days], in a sealed container.

This recipe also freezes well, stored in a sealed freezer friendly container for up to [2-3 months].

Separation is natural. Simply reheat and stir to bring it back to normal consistency.

This Recipe Is . . .

Dairy FreeGluten FreeNut FreeVeganVegetarian

Note: This recipe was originally titled “Slow Cooker Creamy Potato Corn Chowder (Diary Free).” We have updated the post with step-by-step photos, and additional information on substitutions and storage. We’ve also added nutrition information to the recipe card. The original recipe remains the same.

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