Description
This easy creamy corn soup is velvety smooth, naturally sweet, and incredibly comforting. Made with fresh or frozen corn, cream, and simple seasonings, it’s ready in just 35 minutes and tastes like pure comfort in a bowl.
Ingredients
Scale
- 6 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels (about 6–8 ears fresh corn)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium potato, peeled and diced (optional, for thickness)
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, for subtle heat)
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme (or ½ teaspoon dried)
- 1 bay leaf (optional)
For Garnish:
- Fresh chives or parsley, chopped
- Crispy bacon bits (optional)
- Drizzle of heavy cream or crème fraîche
- Fresh corn kernels
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Prep your ingredients: If using fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cobs using a sharp knife. Dice the onion, mince the garlic, and cube the potato if using. Have everything ready before you start cooking.
- Sauté aromatics: In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until fragrant but not browned.
- Add corn and potato: Add the corn kernels and diced potato (if using) to the pot. Stir to coat with the butter and cook for 2-3 minutes, allowing the corn to release its natural sweetness and the flavors to begin melding.
- Add broth and seasonings: Pour in the broth and add the salt, black pepper, cayenne (if using), thyme sprigs, and bay leaf. Stir well to combine all ingredients.
- Simmer: Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low. Let it simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are very tender and the flavors have melded together. The corn should be very soft and sweet.
- Remove herbs: Take out the thyme sprigs and bay leaf. If you used fresh thyme, the leaves may have fallen off—that’s fine, just remove the woody stems.
- Blend until smooth: Remove the pot from heat. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until completely smooth and creamy. If using a regular blender, work in batches (filling the blender only halfway each time) and be careful with the hot liquid—hold the lid down with a kitchen towel. For extra-smooth soup, strain through a fine-mesh sieve after blending (optional but creates silky restaurant-quality texture).
- Add cream: Return the blended soup to the pot (if you used a regular blender) over low heat. Stir in the heavy cream and heat gently until warmed through—don’t boil after adding cream or it may separate. Taste and adjust seasonings with more salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve: Ladle the creamy corn soup into bowls. Garnish with chopped fresh chives or parsley, a drizzle of cream, reserved corn kernels, crispy bacon bits, and a crack of black pepper. Serve hot with crusty bread or crackers on the side.
Notes
- Corn cob trick: If using fresh corn, after cutting off the kernels, scrape the cobs with the back of your knife to release the corn “milk”—this adds extra flavor and natural thickeners to the soup.
- Thickness control: For thicker soup, use the potato and blend very well. For thinner soup, add more broth. You can also reserve 1 cup of corn kernels before blending and stir them back in at the end for texture.
- Dairy-free option: Replace butter with olive oil and cream with full-fat coconut milk or cashew cream.
- Make it heartier: Add cooked chicken, crispy bacon, or sautéed mushrooms.
- Slow cooker adaptation: Sauté aromatics first, then transfer everything except cream to slow cooker. Cook on low 4-6 hours, blend, then stir in cream.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1½ cups
- Calories: 285
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 580mg
- Fat: 17g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 32g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 50mg