Description

Easy slow cooker corn chowder recipe that’s creamy, hearty, and perfect for busy weeknights. Made with simple ingredients like corn, potatoes, and cream.

Ingredients

Vegetables:

4 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels (I buy the big bag of frozen from Costco)
1 onion, diced (yellow or white, doesn’t matter)
3 potatoes, peeled and diced (russets work great)
2 carrots, diced
3 celery stalks, diced

Liquids:

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth (I use Better Than Bouillon)
2 cups milk (whole milk tastes best, but 2% works)
1 cup heavy cream (don’t even think about substituting this!)

Seasonings:

1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and pepper, to taste
Chopped fresh parsley (for garnish)

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Instructions

Step 1: Prep Your Vegetables

Here’s where I save myself time – I dice everything the night before and store it in containers in the fridge. When morning comes, I just dump and go! Don’t stress about perfect knife cuts either; this is rustic cooking at its finest.

Step 2: Layer in the Slow Cooker

I just toss everything in there – no fancy layering required! Sometimes my kids help with this part because it’s literally impossible to mess up.

Step 3: Add the Broth

Pour that broth right over everything and give it a quick stir. I use a wooden spoon because my slow cooker has a non-stick coating, but use whatever you’ve got!

Step 4: Cook Low and Slow

This is where the magic happens! I always go with the low setting because I’m usually at work, but high works great if you’re home and impatient like me on weekends.

Step 5: Partially Blend for Texture

OK, this step stressed me out the first time because I was terrified of ruining it! But here’s the thing – you literally cannot mess this up. Just stick that immersion blender in there and pulse it a few times. You want chunks, not baby food!

Step 6: Heat the Dairy

This is where I learned the hard way – never, EVER add cold dairy to hot soup unless you want cottage cheese texture! I heat mine in a small saucepan while stirring until it’s steaming but not bubbling.

Step 7: Combine and Season

Pour that hot dairy mixture in slowly while stirring – I usually recruit my husband for this part because four hands are better than two! Then comes the fun part: seasoning. Taste as you go because every batch is a little different.

Step 8: Final Simmer

This waiting part kills me because the smell is incredible at this point! But those extra 20 minutes really make everything come together perfectly.

Step 9: Serve and Garnish

I always sprinkle fresh parsley on top because it makes me feel fancy, but honestly, this soup is so good it doesn’t need any help!

Notes

Here’s what I do when I’m feeling extra: I cook some bacon in my cast iron pan first, then sauté the onions in that bacon fat before adding everything to the crockpot. Game changer!
My mom always threw a bay leaf in there, and now I do too – just fish it out before serving or someone’s gonna get an unpleasant surprise
One time I was out of heavy cream and used cream cheese instead – melted it right in at the end and it was amazing!
If your soup looks too watery, mix some cornstarch with cold water and stir it in during the last hour
Season at the end, not the beginning! Slow cooking changes everything, and you’ll probably need way more salt than you think

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 6-8 hours (low) or 3-4 hours (high)
Category: Soup
Method: Slow Cooker
Cuisine: American