Name: Sweet-And-Spicy Corn Soup Gets Better With Every Spoonful
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 8 ears fresh yellow corn, husked; 2 bacon slices, chopped; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 ½ cups chopped sweet onion (from 1 medium onion); 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 (8-oz.) russet potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes (about 1 ½ cups); 4 cups lower-sodium vegetable broth; ½ cup whole milk; 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar; 1 teaspoon Louisiana-style hot sauce (such as Crystal), plus more for serving; ¼ cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives; ½ teaspoon black pepper

Southern Living Sweet and Spicy Corn Soup with toppings — Photo:
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Cook Time:

0 mins

Active Time:

30 mins

Total Time:

30 mins

Servings:

Unlike traditional corn chowder, which has lots of dairy and cream, this corn soup recipe leans into the fresh in-season corn for a deliciously creamy soup. It's a little sweet and a little salty, with a kick of heat from hot sauce and zesty fresh herbs. A dollop of Greek yogurt to finish adds body and tang.

Learn how to make corn soup. Whether you're looking for a light and flavorful lunch or a sweet starter, this corn soup has simmer-all-day flavor with just 30 minutes of active time.

Ingredients for Corn Soup

Corn is the star, but vegetables like onion and potatoes build texture and richness.

Fresh corn: Lends the sweet corn flavor. Every kernel is used and every leftover piece of kernel is scraped to get every last bit from the cob.
Bacon: Provides a smoky, savory flavor, but bacon drippings also provide the base of the soup.
Olive oil: Adding oil along to the bacon drippings keeps the onion from sticking to the pan.
Sweet onion: Adds aroma and sweetness to the soup.
Kosher salt and black pepper: Enhances the overall flavor and the pepper helps to amp up the heat.
Garlic cloves: Adds some garlicky heat to the flavor of the soup.
Russet potato: Provides the base of the soup and helps to carry all the flavors.
Vegetable broth: Provides a flavorful base. A lower-sodium ensures the end result is not too salty.
Whole milk: Adds a creamy texture and some flavor to the chowder.
Apple cider vinegar: A touch of acidity balances and brightens the overall soup.
Hot sauce: Louisiana-style hot sauce is best for this recipe.
Greek yogurt: A creamy dollop adds a finishing creamy, tangy touch to the soup.
Fresh basil and chives: Fresh herbs brighten the finishing flavors of the soup.

Southern Living Sweet and Spicy Corn Soup Ingredients for corn soup — Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

How To Make Corn Soup

In just 30 minutes, you'll get cooked-all-day flavors from this corn soup. You just need a little time to get the vegetables soft and tender before they're blended into a creamy soup. Here's a brief outline of the process; the full recipe is further below:

Step 1. Cut then scrape all the kernels off each corn cob. Use the back of a knife or spoon to get extra kernels and all the juices.
Step 2. Cook bacon in a Dutch oven. Be careful to not let the drippings burn; you'll use them to cook the onions and potatoes later. Scoop out the bacon once cooked, and set it aside.
Step 3. Add onions to the bacon drippings, and cook until tender. Then, add the garlic and potatoes, and cook those until the potatoes start to soften around the edges. You will keep cooking the potatoes later, once the broth is added, so they don't need to be fully cooked at this point.
Step 4. Pour the vegetable broth into the pan, and add some of the fresh corn kernels, along with the reserved corn cobs. Bring the heat up to medium-high so the mixture will boil. Once it's boiling, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer until the potatoes are tender. Once the potatoes are tender, remove the cobs, and take the soup off the heat.
Step 5. You need to blend the soup, and you can do this in two ways: First, as we show below, you can put the soup in a blender, and process until smooth. Or you can use a stick blender, and blend in the pan. With a stick blender, the soup might not be quite as creamy, but it's plenty delicious still. Add the vinegar and remaining ingredients to the soup in the pan.
Step 6. Ladle soup into bowl, and top with bacon and other remaining ingredients as desired.

How To Store Corn Soup

Any leftover corn soup can be ladled into an airtight container and stored in the fridge up to 4 days. You can also freeze corn soup up to 3 months. Thaw the frozen soup in the fridge overnight.

You can reheat the soup one bowl at a time in the microwave, or warm gently on the stovetop. Don't add toppings, especially the yogurt, until just before serving, so they'll have the best texture and flavor. (The yogurt might separate or become grainy after freezing and thawing.)

Our Tips For Making Corn Soup

A little extra know-how can help you make this corn soup extra delicious, not that it won't be anyway.

Milk the cob: While there are several ways to "milk corn" after removing the kernels, a very common method is to use the back of a knife or a metal spoon to scrape the sides to extract any remaining bits of kernels as well as the milk. Continue until the cob is scraped clean and resembles an empty honeycomb.
Don't skip the herbs: Fresh herbs don't just add freshness and brightness to the flavors of the dish, but they also add some visual intrigue. Corn soup can be very yellow, and a bit of green helps showcase the appeal of the dish.

More Recipes With Fresh Corn

If you have a basket of fresh corn to use up, try one of these favorite dishes next:

Ingredients

8 ears fresh yellow corn, husked
2 slices bacon, chopped
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped sweet onion (from 1 medium onion)
1 tsp. kosher salt, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (8-oz.) russet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 1/2 cups)
4 cups lower-sodium vegetable broth
1/2 cup whole milk
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. Louisiana-style hot sauce (such as Crystal), plus more for serving
1/4 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Directions

Prepare corn kernels:

Cut corn kernels off cobs onto a rimmed baking sheet. Using the back of a knife, scrape the corn milk and remaining pulp from cobs onto baking sheet. (You should have about 5 cups.) Reserve 3 cobs; discard remaining 5.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox.
Prepare bacon:

Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels. Reserve 1 tablespoon drippings in Dutch oven, discarding remaining drippings.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Prepare the soup:

Add oil to drippings; heat over medium. Add onion and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and potato. Cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are just starting to soften, about 2 minutes.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Add vegetable broth, 4 cups corn kernels, and the reserved corn cobs to Dutch oven. Increase heat to medium-high; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 12 minutes.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Remove from heat; discard cobs.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Blend soup:

Pour soup into a blender. Secure lid on blender, and remove center piece to allow steam to escape. Place a clean towel over opening. Process until smooth, 30 to 45 seconds.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Return mixture to Dutch oven, stir in milk, cider vinegar, hot sauce, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Add toppings to soup:

Divide soup among 4 bowls; top each with Greek yogurt, basil, chives, bacon, remaining 1 cup corn kernels, and pepper. Serve with additional hot sauce, if desired.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist; Torie Cox