Instant Pot Corn Chowder

Instant Pot Corn Chowder is a hearty and chunky cream soup made with lots of fresh vegetables and summer sweet corn. Whole sweet corn cobs are pressure cooked right in the broth to give it over-the-top flavor!

Instant Pot corn chowder is the perfect combination of sweet and savory and it can make a great dinner on a chilly summer evening or an appetizer and side dish for lighter summer meals. It's most flavorsome at the height of corn season, when sweet corn is at its freshest and ripest. But don't let that deter you from cooking this chowder recipe any time of the year that you have corn on the cob available.

This Instant Pot corn chowder is given it's hearty texture by using an adequate amount of chopped potatoes and sweet corn kernels.

It's creamy consistency is developed by using heavy cream and butter, but it isn't excessively thick or rich.

And it's delicious sweet flavor is made by pressure cooking the corn cobs right in the broth in addition to fresh corn kernels.

It's one of my favorite chowder recipes, and comes in tied with this fantastic creamy New England clam chowder and red-broth Manhattan clam chowder. It can be made in a 6, 8 or 10 quart Instant Pot. For 3 quart pressure cookers, reduce the recipe by at least half.

I consider this Instant Pot corn chowder recipe to be a little healthier than many other corn chowder recipes. First, it doesn't contain bacon or bacon grease. Second, there is no cheese. This eliminates many calories and much fat from the recipe. You can, however, thicken up your pressure cooker corn chowder if you do want it to be very thick. Check out my tips for thickening corn chowder a few paragraphs below!

Ingredients

To make pressure cooked corn chowder you need:

• Sweet corn: this recipe is made with corn cut off the cobs so that the cobs can be pressure cooked in the broth to give it amazing flavor. About 6 ears of corn are needed to make 4 cups as the recipe calls for. Substitute with canned or frozen sweet corn in a pinch.
• Heavy cream: substitute with whole milk (but this will produce a less rich and flavorful soup).
• Vegetable broth: can also use chicken broth.
• Potatoes: waxy potatoes (such as baby creamer potatoes) are the best for soups because they hold their shape well.
• Red bell pepper: orange or yellow bell peppers work here also.
• Carrots
• Celery: use the stalks and the leaves.
• Onion: my preference is for sweet onion, but yellow onions work too.
• Garlic: fresh minced garlic gives the best flavor.
• Seasonings: bay leaf, thyme, salt and black pepper.

Step-By-Step Directions

It takes about 15 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes for it to cook (pressure-building time included), making it a 30 minute meal. The steps are:

1. Set the Instant Pot to saute on high for 5 minutes. Add the butter (or olive oil), onion, carrot, celery, bell pepper, and potatoes. Cook, stirring frequently. Add the minced garlic during the last minute.
2. Pour in the vegetable broth and deglaze the bottom of the inner pot to ensure there are no stuck pieces of food.
3. Now add the heavy cream, corn kernels cut off the cobs, the bare corn cobs, bay leaf, thyme, salt, and black pepper.
4. Close and seal the lid. Set to pressure cook/manual on high for 5 minutes. Complete a controlled quick release of the pressure.
5. Use tongs to remove and discard the bay leaf and corn cobs. Then stir well, taste, and season with additional salt and pepper if desired.

How To Thicken Corn Chowder

If you'd like a thicker corn chowder you can thicken it in a few ways.

Thickening Option 1: Once the chowder has finished pressure cooking, set to saute on high. Once the chowder begins to boil, add ½ cup of all-purpose flour. Whisk constantly for 1 minute, until the flour is completely incorporated into the broth. Turn off saute and let stand for 10 minutes to continue to thicken.

Thickening Option 2: Shredded cheddar cheese can be used as a thickener by adding 2 cups to the broth after the chowder has finished pressure cooking. You should remove the inner pot and transfer to another surface and wait 2 minutes before adding the cheese. This lets the broth cool slightly so that the cheese doesn't melt too quickly and turn to rubbery chunks. Add the cheese slowly, stirring constantly while it melts into the broth.

What To Serve With Corn Chowder

Instant Pot corn chowder is great served with:

• Crusty bread, like Italian bread, cheesy bread, or garlic bread
• Garden or caesar salads
• Cornbread
• Simple roasted vegetables, like cauliflower or zucchini
• As a side it pairs well with breaded chicken tenders, meatloaf and maple-glazed salmon

Cooking and Storage Tips

Recipe