creamy sweet corn soup

This creamy sweet corn soup recipe is filled with the flavor of fresh summer corn, sweet onions and cream. We add a yukon gold potato for a buttery texture and leftover corn cobs to boost the flavor. To finish the soup, we garnish it with crunchy raw corn and spicy chorizo crumbles for a delicious combination of sweet and spicy.

what makes this the best corn soup?

Delicate aromatics: Corn is a soft flavor that can easily get drowned out by too many other things. I developed this corn soup recipe to highlight beautiful, sweet summer corn. The rest of the flavors (sweet onions, a tiny touch of garlic, fresh chives, and chorizo) are supporting characters to keep the soup interesting but restrained. You’d think the chorizo would be too much, but in small quantities, it’s a delicious accent to the corn!

Corn milk: If you’ve never scraped an “empty” corn cob before, you’re in for a treat. There’s always so much left over on the cob-- tons of little corn bits and the much-prized “corn milk”. Both will give the soup a fresh boost of corn flavor and is delightfully resourceful!

Spicy chorizo oil: I love the slow, warm burn that chorizo oil adds to this creamy corn soup. It offsets out the sweet corn and adds a rich, porky flavor. If you want more meat, double the quantity!

Corn cobs: It’s a shame to toss the corn cobs when you’re using fresh corn on the cob. There’s so much flavor packed in the cob-- it’s a key part of a great corn soup. But it’s kind of annoying to make a separate corn stock just for soup. The solution? Skip the stock step and toss the cobs in with the soup as it cooks! I find two cobs, broken in half, will add solid flavor yet they don't take up a ton of space in the pot. Depending on the size of your pot, feel free to throw in more cobs. Tip: use your hands to snap the cobs in half and don’t try to hack it apart with a chef’s knife! 

Yukon gold potato: You could use any type of potato here, but I love Yukon golds. They have a buttery flavor and dense texture that boosts the body of this corn soup without getting mealy.

what you need to make corn soup

• Fresh corn
• Onions
• Garlic
• Potatoes
• Chorizo
• Chives
• Vegetable stock
• Heavy cream
• Olive oil
• Butter

how to make corn soup

1. Brown chorizo into crumbles, drain and set aside
2. Sauté onions until very soft
3. Cut off corn kernels and scrape off corn milk
4. Add garlic, corn kernels, potatoes, stock and 2 broken corn cobs to onions
5. Simmer 20 minutes
6. Discard corn cobs
7. Blend soup until very smooth and strain through fine mesh sieve
8. Stir in cream and adjust seasoning 
9. Serve hot, with chorizo crumbles and chives

what does corn soup taste like?

This corn soup tastes like fresh summer corn. We slowly sauté sweet onions to amplify the sweet corn flavor and then throw in yukon gold potatoes to give the soup more body. The flavor of fresh corn stays front and center-- sweet, juicy and so summery. Chorizo crumbles add a subtle spice to the background of the corn soup, but it’s totally optional! I love to finish the soup with minced chives to play up the fresh summer feel.

creamy sweet corn soup variations:

• Serve it cold: I love this soup cold! This chilled corn soup tastes like a summery version of vichyssoise. Sweet, smooth, creamy, and full of flavor.
• Roasted or grilled corn: Add a smoky flavor by grilling or roasting the corn first. Let it cool, cut off the kernels and proceed with the recipe as written.
• Add a roasted poblano or jalapeño: Increase the spice and smoky flavor by roasting a poblano pepper (or a few jalapeños). Char the outside, steam the pepper, peel off the burnt skin and roughly chop the roasted pepper. Add to the soup along with corn and potatoes, and finish the recipe as written.
• Swap chorizo for diced ham: Replace chorizo with leftover ham (and throw in a bone with the cobs, if you have one). The corn soup will be sweet, smoky and porky!
• Top with roasted chicken: Skip the chorizo and garnish the soup with roasted chicken. Add diced avocado on top for a pop of color and creamy texture.
• Make it vegetarian: Omit the chorizo completely.
• Make it vegan: Skip the chorizo, use olive oil in place of butter and drop the heavy cream (use more stock to thin, if needed)
• Dairy-free: You can also make this corn soup with no milk, cream or butter. Just make sure to blend it up really smooth and pass it through a strainer for an ultra silky consistency. I add cream for extra richness, but it’s definitely not necessary. Use olive oil for sauteing the vegetables and your favorite stock to thin to the desired thickness.

how to use frozen corn in this soup:

If you can’t get your hands on fresh ears of corn and really want corn soup, don’t worry! You can easily use frozen corn in this soup instead.

You can typically assume 1 ear of corn will yield ½ cup of corn kernels.

Simply follow the recipe as written, skipping the corn prep steps and ignoring the addition of corn cobs, and use 4 cups of frozen corn. Save ½ cup for a garnish (thaw in the microwave) and add the remaining 3 ½ cups of frozen corn in Step 4.

more tips for making corn soup:

• The cleanest way to cut corn off the cob: Place the cob in the hole of a bundt pan. As you cut down the cob, the kernels will fall into the pan and collect there. No more chasing corn kernels all around the counter! Just be sure to slow down your cut as you near the pan-- it’s easy to accidentally damage your knives if you slam against the metal.
• Flip your knife and use the blunt edge to scrape off the corn milk, directly into the bundt pan.
• If you have a lot of fat leftover from browning the chorizo, save it! I love to warm it up and drizzle it over the soup. The spicy chorizo flavor is magnified and the vibrant oil looks beautiful.

what to serve with corn soup

I love to serve this creamy corn soup with a fresh salad and a decadent cheese platter (with plenty of wine) and call it a day. This summer panzanella with peaches and burrata and our butter lettuce salad are both a perfect match.

To round out the meal, throw a few thick steaks on the grill or sear them in a hot pan on the stove. Simple and so good!

what wine would you serve with a summer corn soup?

This corn soup is so creamy and full of sweet corn flavor, I love to pair it with a buttery Chardonnay. To get a wine with these flavors, they have to go through a secondary fermentation (typically in a barrel) which has the added benefit of creating a luscious mouthfeel. 

I like plenty of acid in my white wines, and it’s extra important to offset the richness of a creamy soup. Look for cool climate Chardonnays to ensure that the wine will be zippy and fresh, despite the malolactic fermentation (which lowers the acid level).

In my mind, the best wine to serve with this corn soup will have bright acidity, a creamy texture, and a combination of fresh fruit flavors (apple, lemon, pear) and soft lactic notes (butter, yogurt).

To find a Chardonnay that matches up, find some cool climate wine regions (Sonoma Coast, Willamette Valley, Burgundy) and look for the terms “barrel fermented Chardonnay”, “malolactic fermentation”, “sur lie”, “battonage”, and avoid those that talk about stainless steel.

more soup recipes to try!

kabocha squash soup with cauliflower and leeks

creamy lobster chowder with bacon and chives

cabbage soup with farro and onion

spicy miso udon soup with vegetables

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