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!
Servings 4 to 6 people
Equipment
- Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt 7-in-1
Ingredients
- 4 bacon strips, diced into small pieces
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 cup chopped colored bell peppers, skip if you don't prefer
- 4 fresh ears of corn, husked about 3 cups corn kernels
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 4 gold potatoes, peeled and diced into small cubes
- 3-4 fresh thyme sprigs, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cups of vegetable stock, 1/4 cup extra if required to deglaze the pot
- 2 tablespoons gluten-free cornstarch
- 1 cup half and half/heavy cream/evaporated milk
- 2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, or cheese of choice
Instructions
- Press 'SAUTE' button, and set it to 'NORMAL'. Once it displays 'HOT', add the bacon pieces, 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.
- Add diced onions along with minced garlic. Saute until the onions turn translucent. 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. It is essential to scrape off all the browned bits to avoid the ‘BURN’ error.
- Next, add bell peppers. Mix and saute for 2 minutes. You can also add other veggies like carrots, celery, etc.
- Add corn kernels, along with the diced potatoes. You can use an equivalent amount of frozen sweet corn too.
- Add salt, pepper, smoked paprika, thyme sprigs or dried thyme. You can also add 2 bay leaves. Add 3 cups of vegetable stock or broth. Mix well.
- 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 the cornstarch with the half-and-half and set it aside.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 steps1-5 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.
- 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.
- For those outside the US, half-and-half is equal parts of milk and heavy whipping cream.
- The actual pressure cook time is just 5 minutes, but the cook time reflects the total time required from start to finish.
- Measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml, 1 tsp = 5ml