This creamy Instant Pot Corn Chowder is made with bacon, potatoes, corn, cheese and more! It’s a quick, easy, and hearty dinner idea for the summer.
An Easy Corn Chowder Recipe
Give your Instant Pot some love by making this comforting corn chowder! This easy dinner recipe is full of your favorite savory flavors; crispy bacon bits and juicy corn kernels give this creamy chowder some texture and keep it nice and filling.
Corn chowder is a tasty meal for any time of year, but I especially like it in the summer because the corn is at its best! You can use frozen or canned corn for this recipe, but fresh corn will really bring your soup to the next level.
Why Make Chowder in the Instant Pot?
Using an Instant Pot is a great way to make creamy corn chowder without all the work. The cook time is way shorter and the flavors are just as good. Plus, no one wants to hang around a hot stove on a warm summer day.
Recipe Ingredients
- Bacon: Dice up your bacon to desired size. Smaller bacon bits will get crispier.
- Yellow Onion: Finely dice the onion.
- Minced Garlic
- Chicken Broth
- Potatoes: I like making this chowder with red potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
- Corn Kernels: Drain your corn kernels before adding them to your soup.
- Dried Thyme
- Salt
- Pepper
- Bay Leaf: This will add a nice herbiness to your chowder.
- Half and Half
- Cornstarch
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Green Onions
- Fresh Parsley: Make your dish pretty by garnishing it with sliced green onions and chopped parsley.
How to Make Corn Chowder
- Cook Bacon Bits: Set your Instant Pot to SAUTÉ. Add diced bacon to the Instant Pot and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until cooked to a crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove your bacon from the pot and set it aside for later.
- Sauté Onions & Garlic: Add diced onions to the bacon fat inside the Instant Pot and cook for 2 minutes. Then, stir in the garlic and cook for 20 seconds.
- Add Broth: Slowly add in the chicken broth and stir to get all the browned bits from the bottom.
- Add Corn & Potatoes: Add potatoes, corn, thyme, salt, pepper and bay leaf to the Instant Pot.
- Cover & Cook: Cover and lock the lid into place. Pressure cook on HIGH for 15 minutes.
- Release Steam: Do a quick release to let out the steam from your instant pot.
- Remove Cover: Remove the lid and discard your bay leaf.
- Set to Sauté: Change the setting of your Instant Pot back to Sauté.
- Combine Corn Starch & Half and Half: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the half-and-half & cornstarch. Stir the half-and-half mixture into your soup.
- Cook: Continue to cook for 5 minutes, or until chowder has thickened.
- Add Cheese & Bacon: Stir in the shredded cheese and half of the bacon; heat through until the cheese is melted.
- Serve & Enjoy: Divide your chowder into soup bowls and garnish it with the remaining bacon, a sprinkle of shredded cheese, green onions and parsley.
Tips for the Best Corn Chowder Soup
- Release Steam After Covering: Please don’t forget to do a quick release before you remove the lid from your Instant Pot. You need to relieve the pressure from inside the pot so it doesn’t explode when you take off the cover.
- Use Fresh Corn: This chowder is best when it’s made with fresh, in-season corn. If corn is not in season, you can use frozen or canned corn instead. If you use canned corn, drain it very well. You don’t have to thaw frozen corn.
- Season to Taste: You can adjust the amount of seasonings in this soup to suit your tastes. If your corn is on the sweeter side, add more salt to balance it out.
Mix In & Topping Ideas
- Add More Cheese & Bacon on Top: I suggest saving some bacon bits for serving as well as sprinkling a little extra cheese on your chowder. The bacon will stay super crisp and your dish will look as good as it tastes!
- Add More Meat: To make your soup even heartier, add in some shredded chicken or cubed ham.
- Top with Crackers: Try topping this chowder with some oyster crackers! They’re nice while they’re crunchy and also after they’ve absorbed some of the soup.
- Add More Veggies: Feel free to add your favorite veggies to your corn chowder. Add them to the Instant Pot along with the onions.
What to Serve with Corn Chowder
- Bread: I love dipping homemade bread into my chowder. Try pairing your soup with this Easy Homemade Flatbread or homemade popovers!
- Chicken: This soup makes a yummy side dish for my 20 minute Mojo Grilled Chicken.
- Salad: A big bowl of chowder with a healthy side salad is the perfect summer meal. Serve your soup with this simple Roasted Vegetable Salad!
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Store leftover chowder in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Enjoy your leftovers within 4-5 days.
- To reheat your chowder, simmer it over medium-low heat or pop it in the microwave! I don’t recommend freezing this recipe.
Quick & Easy Instant Pot Corn Chowder
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon, diced
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups chicken broth, (try to use lower sodium chicken broth whenever possible)
- 3 cups (14 ounces) red potatoes, (3 to 4 medium sized potatoes) cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 3 cups corn kernels, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- sliced green onions, for garnish
- chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
- crumbled bacon, optional, for garnish
- shredded cheese, optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Set Instant Pot to SAUTÉ.
- Add diced bacon to the Instant Pot and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until cooked to a crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon from the pot and set aside for later.
- Add diced onions to the bacon fat inside the Instant Pot and cook for 2 minutes; stir in garlic and cook for 20 seconds.
- Slowly add in the chicken broth and stir to get all the browned bits from the bottom.
- Add potatoes, corn, thyme, salt, pepper and bay leaf.
- Cover and lock lid into place.
- Pressure Cook on HIGH for 15 minutes.
- Do a quick release.
- Remove cover and discard bay leaf.
- Set Instant Pot back to SAUTÉ.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together half-and-half & cornstarch.
- Stir half-and-half mixture into soup.
- Continue to cook for 5 minutes, or until thickened.
- Stir in cheese and half of the bacon; heat through until cheese is melted.
- Divide into soup bowls and garnish with remaining bacon, a sprinkle of shredded cheese, green onions and parsley.
- Serve and enjoy!
27 Comments
Amanda
Aug 12, 2020 at 10:06 pmThis came out perfect right out of the instant pot!
Katerina Petrovska
Aug 13, 2020 at 5:58 pmI am glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Toni
Aug 13, 2020 at 11:21 amSuch a comforting meal for weeknights!! This quickly became a favorite at my house!
Katerina Petrovska
Aug 13, 2020 at 5:57 pmThat’s wonderful! I am very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Beth
Aug 13, 2020 at 2:26 pmYum! This recipe is so delicious and tasty! My family and I love it! I will definitely be making this again!
Katerina Petrovska
Aug 13, 2020 at 5:56 pmThat’s great to hear! I am very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Kevin
Aug 13, 2020 at 6:51 pmWhat a great instant pot recipe! Cannot wait to try it!
Katerina Petrovska
Aug 16, 2020 at 9:09 amThank you so much, Kevin! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Sara Welch
Aug 13, 2020 at 11:02 pmWhat a great soup for busy weeknights! This looks worthy of a restaurant, indeed!
Katerina Petrovska
Aug 16, 2020 at 9:08 amThank you so much, Sara! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Allyson Zea
Aug 14, 2020 at 4:06 pmThis chowder looks so comforting and delicious!!!
Katerina Petrovska
Aug 16, 2020 at 9:07 amI hope you enjoy it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Tara
Aug 15, 2020 at 2:04 amThis corn chowder was creamy and full of flavor! Such a cinch to make in the Instant Pot with your step by step instructions!
Katerina Petrovska
Aug 16, 2020 at 9:07 amThat’s great! I am very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Angel
Oct 21, 2021 at 10:21 pmI made this for dinner tonight and it did not disappoint! My husband went for seconds and I
have enough left over for lunch tomorrow!
In addition to your suggestions, I added Cajun seasoning, basil, sage & Mexican oregano to the chowder and included chopped cilantro in the garnish- it was incredible!
Thank you for providing this delicious recipe. I can’t wait to share it with my coworkers!
Katerina Petrovska
Oct 24, 2021 at 7:36 amThat’s great! I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Bdewey
Aug 21, 2020 at 4:06 amThis isn’t a recipe. Lots of stories and ads. And a list of ingredients, but no quantities mentioned at all.
Katerina
Aug 21, 2020 at 12:24 pmYou can just scroll down to the bottom of the post and get the recipe in its entirety. Or, at the very top of the post, click on “Jump to Recipe” and that will automatically scroll you down to the recipe card. Ingredients, measurements, instructions, etc… are all included.
Stacy Davis
Jan 29, 2021 at 6:43 pmWhat kind of corn would use use? Frozen of Can? Thank you!
Katerina
Jan 30, 2021 at 1:39 amHi!
I almost always use canned corn, but frozen corn will work just as well.
Stacy
Jan 30, 2021 at 1:50 amThank you!
Beth gooch
Mar 27, 2021 at 12:30 pmIs it ok to substitute fat free 1/2 and 1/2?
Katerina
Mar 27, 2021 at 5:38 pmYes. It may not be as creamy as intended, but it does work.
Lori
Jan 29, 2022 at 5:14 pmThe bacon didn’t crisp, I had to cook it 9 minutes and finish in the microwave. I made sure the instant pot was NOT half full and when I did a quick release, it spewed everywhere! By the time I was done, I could have made it the traditional way with less mess!
Katerina
Jan 30, 2022 at 8:00 amAre you saying that the diced bacon didn’t cook in a heated pot? That’s odd. Maybe turn up the heat a bit and see if that works.
What is a traditional way of cooking bacon?
Monica
Oct 18, 2022 at 10:04 pmDelicious and easy!
Obviously you can’t beat that this all done in one pot. The flavor was great, and it came together wonderfully. Will definitely make again
Katerina Petrovska
Oct 19, 2022 at 12:46 pmThat’s wonderful! I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂