Creamy but (Almost) Dairy-Free Corn and Bean Chowder

I’ve been obsessed this month with making corn chowder. Each bowl confirms that it was well worth carrying a dozen ears of corn from the market back to my car. 

Here’s the thing about chowder for me, though. Although I love a good comforting creamy bowl of chowder – especially New England Clam Chowder – my stomach feels otherwise. I can (and do) indulge in the occasional hearty dairy filled bowl, but if I’m eating any sort of chowder on a weekly basis, I need one with less dairy in it. And so we come to my conundrum of the summer: how to make a creamy bowl of chowder without so much dairy?

After trying numerous recipes, some vegan, some not, I finally landed on one that I love. This is an adaptation of Smitten Kitchen’s corn chowder. Like Smitten Kitchen’s version, it uses beans instead of potatoes and it purées some of the corn. Mine uses coconut milk instead of milk and cream, which is not a perfect substitution but I found it makes a wonderfully rich dish. 

For those looking for a vegan recipe, please note that I still use butter and top it with cheddar cheese at the end. You could easily just use olive oil instead of butter and leave off the cheese to make this completely dairy-free.

And if you’re reading this and think “I hate coconut, I won’t like this,” know that my husband also hates coconut and enjoyed this chowder. He said although the coconut flavor is slightly there, it is not strong. 

You’ll notice in the photos below that the chowder is a bit more on the brothier side. The leftovers, however, thicken quite a lot. I love it both ways. And yes, the chowder is excellent leftover.

Print Recipe

Creamy but (Almost) Dairy-Free Corn and Bean Chowder

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Adapted from Smitten Kitchen's corn chowder. This version is almost dairy-free and uses a little less corn and more veggies.

Ingredients

• 5 - 6 ears of corn, husks removed
• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno, diced
• ½ a large bell pepper, diced (red, orange, or yellow)
• salt and pepper
• 1 - 2 teaspoons of chili powder (or more if mild)*
• 3 tablespoons of flour
• 4 cups of vegetable broth
• 1 (13.5 ounce) can of coconut milk
• 2 (15 ounce) cans of beans (black, pinto, kidney, or a combination), rinsed and drained
• ½ - 1 cup of zucchini, diced
• Topping suggestions: sharp cheddar cheese, cilantro, lime juice, tortilla chips

Instructions

1

Start by preparing the corn. Cut the kernels of each ear of corn. Add about half of the kernels to a food processor or ninja and pulse until creamy but not completely smooth. Set the corn aside.

2

In a large pot, heat the olive oil and butter over medium low heat. Add the onion and sauté until softened, about 5 - 7 minutes. Add the garlic, jalapeno, and diced bell pepper. My bell pepper was pretty large, so I just used half. You can certainly use the entire pepper, if you wish. Season everything with a generous pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Sauté everything for a minute or two. Add the chili powder and sauté for another minute.

3

Next add the flour to the pot and stir until the flour is incorporated. Slowly add the broth while stirring the roux (the flour/butter mixture). You want to make sure all of the bits of flour and butter are scraped off of the bottom of the pan and incorporated into the broth. Once all of the broth has been added, add the coconut milk, and turn the heat up to medium high.

4

Stir the corn (both the whole kernels and pureed corn), the beans, and the zucchini into the broth and bring the chowder up to a boil. Once it starts to boil, turn the heat down until there’s a gentle simmer and partially cover the pot. Let it simmer for 15 - 20 minutes.

5

Taste the soup and add more salt, if needed.

6

Serve topped with cheddar cheese, cilantro, lime juice, and/or tortilla chips. Enjoy!

Notes

*Every chili powder is a little different and the spice level can vary quite a bit. Adjust the amount depending on the chili powder you're using.