Published: August 13, 2019 Last Modified: August 3, 2020 Freda Dias

Instant Pot Corn Chowder Recipe | Potato Corn Chowder With Bacon

This Instant Pot corn chowder is creamy, comforting, and delicious. It is loaded with fresh sweet corn, potatoes, cheddar cheese, and smoky bacon. Making this potato corn chowder in the pressure cooker is a great option for a hearty yet fuss-free meal as everything comes together quickly without much hands-on work!

I can chow-down a big bowl of chowder any time of the year, be it shrimp, crab, salmon, lobster, or this fresh corn chowder. And as I write this post, I’m reminiscing that flavorful salmon chowder which we enjoyed on our trip to Alaska last year. It was seriously one of the best chowders that I’ve ever had!

Table of Contents

What is chowder?

The Oxford dictionary defines chowder as “A rich soup typically containing fish, clams, or corn with potatoes and onions”. The word chowder is believed to have been derived from the French word ‘chaudière‘ which means a cooking pot or stew pot or a cauldron.

I know it is summer and it is crazy hot, and not an appropriate time for soup or chili season yet! But this is the best time to curl up with a bowl of this potato and corn chowder soup. The stores are flooded with sweet corn now, and I love eating fresh seasonal produce.

You can always make this with frozen or canned sweet corn, but when in season, you should definitely try to make this fresh corn chowder! It is a quick and easy, simple yet hearty meal that you can whip up in no time in your magic pot aka Instant Pot.

While you can make corn chowder with creamed corn, this corn chowder soup recipe is prepared using fresh ingredients, and none of that canned creamed corn stuff.

Ingredients needed

You will need the following ingredients to make this creamy, Instant Pot corn chowder;

Sweet corn: Preferably fresh, but canned and frozen will work just as well.
Yukon gold potatoes: I’ve peeled and diced the potatoes. You can leave the skin on, just scrub the potatoes thoroughly.
Bacon: Because it just makes everything better 😀
Aromatics: Diced onions and freshly minced garlic.
Bell peppers: Skip if you are not a fan.
Seasoning and herbs: You will need some smoked paprika, salt, and freshly cracked pepper along with 3-4 fresh thyme sprigs and bay leaves. You can also use dried thyme instead of fresh.
Stock: I’ve used vegetable stock but you can also use chicken stock, or better than bouillon stock base mixed with hot water.
Half and half/heavy cream/evaporated milk: Heavy cream adds a rich mouthfeel to this chowder. To keep it lighter, you can use half and half.
Gluten-free cornstarch: To thicken the chowder
Sharp cheddar cheese: Buy a block of cheddar cheese and shred it instead of buying the bagged shredded cheese, as the texture of the chowder may turn grainy.

You should try this recipe because

It is a quick, hearty, fuss-free, one-pot meal that is great on its own.
It is absolutely satisfying, you may just want seconds!
Made with fresh ingredients.
It is packed with tons of flavor and texture.

So next time you go grocery shopping pick up some fresh corn and make this thick and creamy corn chowder recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

How to make Instant Pot corn chowder with bacon – Step by step instructions

Step 1: Cook the bacon

Press ‘SAUTE’ button, and set it to ‘NORMAL’. Once it displays ‘HOT’, add the bacon pieces (4 bacon slices), and saute until it turns crisp. Transfer on a plate lined with an absorbent paper kitchen napkin. Pour off the bacon grease leaving a tablespoon or two in the pot to saute the veggies.

Step 2: Saute the aromatics

Add 1 cup of diced onions along with 1 tbsp of minced garlic. Saute until the onions turn translucent. Make sure you scrape off all the browned bits stuck at the bottom of the pot, to avoid getting a ‘BURN’ error.

The onions will release enough moisture to deglaze the pot. But if it doesn’t, add about 1/4 cup of stock to deglaze the pot.

Step 3: Saute the bell peppers

Next, add 1 cup of bell peppers. Mix and saute for 2 minutes. You can also add other veggies like carrots, celery, etc.

Step 4: Add the corn and diced potatoes

Add 3 cups of corn kernels, along with the diced potatoes (4 gold potatoes, peeled and diced into small cubes). You can use an equivalent amount of frozen sweet corn too.

Step 5: Add stock, seasoning, and herbs

Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper each, 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, 4-5 fresh thyme sprigs or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme. You can also add 2 bay leaves. Add 3 cups of vegetable stock or broth. Mix well.

Step 6: Pressure cook the chowder

Press ‘CANCEL’. Close the lid of the Instant Pot. Set the valve to ‘SEALING’. Pressure cook on high for 5 minutes. It will take some time for the pressure to build up (about 5 minutes), after which the timer will begin. Mix 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 1 cup of half-and-half or heavy cream and set it aside.

Step 7: Natural pressure release (NPR) for 5 minutes

Let the pot depressurize for 5 minutes. Then do a quick release of any leftover pressure as per the manufacturer’s instructions. Once the silver pin drops, turn the knob to ‘VENTING’ and open the lid away from you. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs.

Step 8: Thicken the chowder

Press the ‘CANCEL’ button and turn on the ‘SAUTE’ button. Once the chowder begins to bubble, add the cornstarch slurry mixture (whisk it again before pouring as cornstarch settles down) and keep stirring the soup until it thickens. Press ‘CANCEL’ to turn off the ‘SAUTE’ mode.

Step 9: Add shredded cheddar cheese and bacon

Add 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Mix well until all the cheese has melted. Then add the remaining cup of cheese and the bacon (reserve a few tbsp for garnishing), stir it in until well combined and creamy. Check for seasoning and adjust with more salt and pepper as desired.

Step 10: Dish out and serve!

Dish out and serve fresh corn chowder topped with bacon bits, scallion greens, and more cheddar cheese if desired. Enjoy!

Notes

You may adjust seasoning to suit your taste.
Stove-top corn chowder: Follow the recipe from steps 1-5 in a heavy-bottomed pot. Bring to a low boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes. Discard the thyme sprigs and follow the recipe from step 8 onwards.
For a roux-based corn chowder on the stovetop: Follow steps 1-3 in a heavy-bottomed pot. Add 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour after sauteeing the veggies in step 3. Add 4 cups of stock slowly while whisking simultaneously. Next, add the diced potatoes. Add the cream or half-and-half, seasonings, and thyme sprigs, mix well, bring to a low boil, then simmer for another 15 minutes. Add the corn and cook for another 2-3 minutes on low heat. Then add the shredded cheese, mix well until well combined and creamy. Add the cooked, crumbled bacon and give everything a good mix.
For those outside the US, half-and-half is equal parts of milk and heavy whipping cream.
p.s. A few readers noted that they like to throw in some ham hock because they love the salty, briny flavor it lends to the chowder. If you love that flavor profile, feel free to add in some ham hock, before pressure cooking the chowder.

Consistency of this pressure cooker cheddar corn chowder: thick or thin?

This is a good question and one that you can easily customize as per your preference. The consistency of the chowder in this recipe is semi-thick.

I prepared this recipe a day in advance, refrigerated it, and reheated the next day. I found that the chowder was thicker.

So you can consider making this in advance. If you want to thicken it instantly, blend half of the chowder using an immersion blender or mash some chunks of potatoes with the back of a ladle to thicken it up.

Can you freeze this?

Like I mentioned above, the most you can do is try to prepare this a day in advance. Refrigerate it after it cools. Then reheat and serve. You can refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 3 to 4 days.

Since this chowder recipe has some amount of cream and potatoes in it, it will not hold up well on reheating if you freeze it over long periods.

This recipe is enough to feed 4 to 6 people, so I doubt you will have leftovers. If at all you intend freezing it, skip the half-and-half/cream and cornstarch mixture along with cheese. Add these after you have thawed and reheated the chowder. The potatoes might get a bit mushy, so that is up to you if you want to add it or skip it in the recipe. Personally, I avoid freezing chowders and prefer to make it fresh.

To Freeze: Follow step 1-7 (use only half the quantity of bacon, you can cook the remaining bacon whenever you intend serving it). Once the chowder cools down completely, transfer to freezer bags or freezer-safe containers leaving an inch space between the chowder and lid of the container. Freeze up to 1 to 2months. Thaw in the refrigerator the night before or use the defrost option on your microwave, reheat on the stovetop in a large saucepan and follow the rest of the recipe.

Make this vegan

You can easily make this pressure cooker corn chowder recipe vegan by skipping the bacon and swapping the half-and-half with coconut milk or any other plant-based milk of your choice.

Coconut milk is more preferable as it will lend a creamier texture. You can add a teaspoon or so of liquid smoke for the smoky flavor.

Variations

Ham and potato corn chowder: Add about 1.5 to 2 cups of cooked cubed ham along with the shredded cheddar cheese in the last step. You can also saute the ham in a separate skillet until well browned.

Sausage corn chowder: Saute 1 lb of sweet or spicy Italian sausage until browned in the first step, you may skip the bacon. Then follow the rest of the recipe.

Jalapeno corn chowder: Use about 3-4 jalapenos, remove the ribs and seeds, and dice it finely. Add it in step 3.

You may also enjoy these Instant Pot recipes

★ If you try this easy cheddar corn chowder recipe, I would love to hear from you! I’d appreciate it if you could leave a review below in comments, as it helps others know the recipe better too.

You can also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram & Twitter