Make Mom’s famous corn chowder your new Christmas tradition. It’s rich, creamy and full of bacon, corn and potatoes.
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Our Christmas Eve Tradition
Christmas Eve means one very important thing in our holiday kitchen. It’s the day we eat Mom’s corn chowder. For as long as I can remember, my mom has prepared this warm, satisfying soup every day before Christmas.
She starts with browning a big pot of bacon, which lures us into the kitchen. Who doesn’t love the smell of bacon?
Then, she sautés some onions and celery and finishes the dish off with cooked potatoes, milk and creamed corn. One bowl was never enough.
I don’t know why I only make this once a year. It’s a filling warm chowder that should be served all winter long.
Mom’s Bacon Corn Chowder
Ingredients
- 1 lg Idaho potato, diced
- 6 slices bacon, diced
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 1 cup celery, diced
- 3 tbsp flour
- 4 cups milk
- 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
- 14.75 oz can creamed corn
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook Potatoes: Place the diced potatoes in a large soup pot. Cover with water. Add a pinch of salt. Bring water to a boil. Cook for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain out the water and set the potatoes aside in a bowl.
- Prepare Aromatics: In a the same soup pot, brown the bacon over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Leave the bacon and drippings in the pot and add the onions and celery. Sauté over medium heat, until tender about 3 minutes.
- Make Roux: Add the flour to the pot and cook on low for 3 minutes.
- Build Soup: Add the milk and bring to a boil. Stir in the cooked potatoes, corn kernels and creamed corn.
- Simmer: Season with salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the heat to low and let the soup simmer until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients for corn chowder
- Potato: Choose and Idaho or russet potato. One large potato will equal about 3 cups, once diced.
- Bacon
- White Onion
- Celery: Save some of the celery greenery for a pretty garnish.
- Flour:
- Milk: Whole milk results in a richer flavor than low-fat milk.
- Corn: You can use fresh corn or frozen corn kernels. If you use frozen, let it thaw first. You can also use grilled corn.
- Creamed Corn: You’ll find this in the canned vegetable aisle.
- Salt and Black Pepper
Additions: If you like a little heat, you can add jalapeno peppers, Serrano peppers or a pinch of cayenne pepper.
See the full recipe card for servings and a full list of ingredients.
How to make corn chowder
- Cook Potatoes: Use a sharp knife to dice the potato. Place the cubes in a large soup pot. Cover with water. Add a pinch of salt. Bring water to a boil. Cook for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain out the water and set the potatoes aside in a bowl.
- Prepare Aromatics: In a the same soup pot, brown the bacon over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Leave the bacon and drippings in the pot and add the onions and celery. Sauté over medium heat, until tender about 3 minutes.
- Make Roux: Add the flour to the pot and cook on low for 3 minutes.
- Build Soup: Add the milk and bring to a boil. Stir in the cooked potatoes, corn kernels and creamed corn.
- Simmer: Season with salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the heat to low and let the soup simmer until ready to serve. As it simmers, the flavors will blend beautifully.
How to serve corn chowder
Once the soup has simmered and is heated through, use a ladle to pour some into soup bowls.
To make each serving a little prettier, garnish with crispy bacon, grilled corn kernels and chopped celery greens for added texture and color.
Storage
Store leftover corn chowder in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. Reheat on the stove top over low heat or in the microwave. If it becomes too thick, thin it out with a splash of milk.
You can also freeze the soup for up to six months. Soup made with whole milk freezes better than chowder made with low-fat milk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Soups are usually made with beef, vegetable or chicken broth. Whereas, chowders usually include a creamy base made with milk. Chowders are often thicker, giving them a velvety texture.
This corn chowder recipe is thickened by making a roux with the bacon drippings and flour. Once those are cooked down together with the onions and celery, the milk is added. It will thicken as it simmers.
To turn this into a vegetarian corn chowder, use butter instead of bacon to sauté the onions and celery and to create the roux. To make it vegan, use avocado oil and a plant-based milk instead of cow’s milk.
RECIPE UPDATE: This recipe has been revised. In my original recipe, I added diced Serrano pepper for heat.
Just finished this. I left out the bacon and used smoked paprika and liquid smoke for flavor. It tasted yummy. However, a little pastey on the palette. I think next time I will make a roux and add the milk to make the flour particles more lubricated. Then add the sauteed items. The added peppers were an AWESOME idea! I think that really made it!
Sorry yours didn’t turn out quite perfect. The bacon fat helps the roux break down the flour, but I like your idea of a healthier version. Glad you liked the Zestuous pepper kick!