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Home » Recipes » Dish Type » Soups, Stew & Chili Recipes

Healthy Corn Chowder

Published: Aug 24, 2020 by Terri Gilson · Modified: Jun 10, 2022 · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

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pin with text and photos of a bowl of corn soup

Hearty enough for a meal, yet light, dairy-free, gluten-free and Weight Watchers friendly at only 3 WW points on my plan this Healthy Corn Chowder with turkey bacon, is a healthy and delicious way to enjoy your summer corn.

corn chowder in black bowl with red oven mitts in backgroun

Considering that your typical corn chowder is 12 WW points for the same serving size, I'd say this is a pretty good deal!

Jump to:
  • 🥘 Ingredients
  • 📖Variations & Substitutions
  • 💭 Top tip
  • 🥣Difference between chowder and soup
  • 🥗 What to Serve with Corn Chowder?
  • 👪 Serving Size
  • 🔢WW POINTS
  • 🍽Equipment
  • 🌡️Storage
  • 🎥 Video
  • ⭐ Reviews
  • 📋 Healthy Corn Chowder Recipe
  • 🥣More Weight Watcher Soup Recipes!

Fresh corn is only around for a short time so if you get your hands on some, then you are lucky! I love summer corn and I was one of the lucky ones, considering hail wiped out a lot of the crop in my area this year.

fresh corn (uncooked)

And this Summer Corn Chowder was the delicious result! It's the perfect way to enjoy your corn.

🥘 Ingredients

For this creamy corn chowder recipe you'll need these key ingredients:

  • corn
  • turkey bacon
  • olive oil
  • onion
  • garlic
  • chicken bouillon
  • potatoes 
  • fresh thyme 
  • red bell pepper
  • bay leaf
  • salt and pepper
corn chowder being lifted up on spoon from bowl of soup

📖Variations & Substitutions

  • Chicken broth - you can substitute vegetable broth
  • Corn - fresh corn is best, but you can substitute canned or frozen corn
  • Turkey bacon - you can substitute lean ham
  • Thyme - you can substitute dried thyme, but you'll only need ½ the amount
  • Potatoes - I recommend russet potatoes, but you can use any type you like
  • Spicy - add a little cayenne pepper to spice this up!

My daughter recently developed a pretty dramatic aversion to dairy so I'm trying to make recipes that are dairy-free, when I can. She's 13 now and pretty independent so will simply make her own adjustments and substitutions to meals but she also loves dairy, so sometimes she just takes the hit. However, she loved this dairy-free corn soup and couldn't believe it was dairy-free!

💭 Top tip

The trick to making rich and creamy soup without heavy cream or whole milk is to use potatoes and puree them, like I did with this Potato Corn Chowder. I use the same technique with my Loaded Pierogi Soup. It makes your soup into a healthy and hearty meal!

corn chowder in a pot with a ladel

🥣Difference between chowder and soup

But there's a bit of a debate out there about the term "chowder." So what is chowder? And how is it different from soup? or stew? or bisque? If you've also been wondering about that, then read on....

I had a guy comment on my Award-Winning Creamy Carrot Chowder that "although it was really good", "it's not chowder, " he said. I beg to differ....Chowders are a type of soup that are characterized by a thick consistency with the addition of chunky seafood, potatoes or other vegetables. However some claim chowders are cream soups and other definitions state "creamy soups." A soup doesn't have to be a cream soup to be creamy, as you can see. You can read more about the difference between soup and chowder HERE. But because there's a bit of chunky consistency to this, I'm calling it a chowder, although it's more like a creamy soup (without the cream). Therefore, I feel most comfortable calling it Corn Chowder Soup! You can call it whatever you want, but I'm sure we can all agree to call it delicious!

bowl of corn chowder with spoon

🥗 What to Serve with Corn Chowder?

Since this is a super hearty soup, I like to eat it on its own or serve it with:

  • Fresh bread - try my Bread Machine Italian Breadsticks , Bread Machine Onion & Olive Bread or my Everything Bagel Cloud Bread Recipe (shown below).
cloud bread cut in half being held up
  • Side green salad or try it with my Strawberry Spinach Salad with Honey Lime Cilantro Dressing.
  • Or pair smaller servings of this soup with a main dish like Marinated Grilled Maple Lemon Pork. I personally think corn and pork are a match made in heaven!

👪 Serving Size

This healthy corn chowder recipe makes 12 cups but the serving size is 1.5 cups. However, you can half, double or triple the recipe by clicking on the blue serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.

🔢WW POINTS

This recipe is 3 WW points on my plan, but you can load it into the Weight Watchers recipe builder on the app to see what it is on your plan. 

🍽Equipment

You will need a large pot and an immersion blender or a food processor for this simple soup recipe. A large scoop and drain spoon also comes in handy (affiliate links).

🌡️Storage

Store this dairy-free corn soup in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge. It can be frozen for up to 3 months in a sealed container.

🎥 Video

If you're not sure how to cut cooked corn off the cob, then check out the easy method (and avoid making a mess) in this video: How to cut cooked corn off the cob

And if you're looking for more Weight Watchers Corn recipes, then check out my Healthy & Light Grilled Mexican Street Corn (Elote) - WW friendly & Gluten-free

mexican street corn piled on white platter

So, if you were fortunate like I was and got your hands on some fresh corn this season, and looking for a corn chowder recipe that's healthy, low-fat, WW friendly, dairy-free and gluten-free, then you're going to want to make this corn chowder!

And if you're looking for even more hearty soups that are healthy and WW friendly, see the list under the recipe card.

Enjoy ~

⭐ Reviews

Did you LOVE this healthy corn chowder recipe? If so, please leave a 5 star rating and a comment below!

Healthy Corn Chowder in a black bowl, with a spoon on the side and red over mitts in background
Food Meandering Logo

📋 Healthy Corn Chowder Recipe

This Healthy Corn Chowder soup is made without dairy, it's gluten-free, light and healthy, yet hearty enough for a meal. It's also Weight Watchers friendly!
Print Pin Rate
Course: dinner, lunch
Cuisine: American, Canadian
Keyword: chowder, corn, soup
Special Diet: Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Weight Watchers
Servings: 12 cups
Calories: 134kcal
Author: Terri Gilson
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  • 6 cobs corn cooked and removed from cob
  • 8 slices turkey bacon, cooked cut into ¼ inch pieces
  • 2 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 8 cups chicken broth gluten-free
  • 6 medium potatoes, peeled cut into ½-inch pieces
  • 2 teaspoon fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
  • 1 whole red pepper, chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ½ teaspoon salt and black pepper

Toppings (optional)

  • chopped fresh chives or green onions
  • shredded low- fat cheddar cheese
  • additional turkey bacon
  • additional red peppers
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Cook corn cobs and remove from cob. Place in boiling water for about 10 minutes or until fork goes easily into kernel (see video for directions on cutting the corn off the cob in NOTES).
  • Cook turkey bacon and set aside.
  • Add onion to large soup pot with a little oil and cook until it is caramelized, about 8 minutes. Add red pepper. Then add garlic and chicken broth.
  • Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, turn down to medium heat, then stir in corn kernels (setting aside 1 cup) and potatoes. Add in thyme and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a light boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
  • With a slotted spoon, remove as much of the potatoes and vegetables as you can and blend in food processor or blender until smooth (or us an immersion blender). You may have to do this in 2 batches. Stir the mixture back into the pot .
  • Add remaining corn and turkey bacon. Cook for 5 more minutes over low heat.
  • Remove bay leaf.

Toppings (optional)

  • Top with green onion and/or additional sauteed red pepper, corn kernels, cheese and/or additional turkey bacon as desired.
  • Add additional salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

*See post contents for important recipe information and tips!
🎥 Video
If you're not sure how to cut cooked corn off the cob, then check out the easy method (and avoid making a mess) in this video: How to cut cooked corn off the cob
Please SUBSCRIBE  (get my FREE E-cookbook) and be sure to FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST!
Nutrition Facts
📋 Healthy Corn Chowder Recipe
Amount Per Serving (1.5 cups)
Calories 134 Calories from Fat 36
% Daily Value*
Fat 4g6%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Cholesterol 9mg3%
Sodium 332mg14%
Potassium 525mg15%
Carbohydrates 21g7%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 310IU6%
Vitamin C 34mg41%
Calcium 23mg2%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition

Serving: 1.5cups | Calories: 134kcal (7%) | Carbohydrates: 21g (7%) | Protein: 5g (10%) | Fat: 4g (6%) | Saturated Fat: 1g (6%) | Cholesterol: 9mg (3%) | Sodium: 332mg (14%) | Potassium: 525mg (15%) | Fiber: 3g (13%) | Sugar: 2g (2%) | Vitamin A: 310IU (6%) | Vitamin C: 34mg (41%) | Calcium: 23mg (2%) | Iron: 1mg (6%)
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review below!
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🥣More Weight Watcher Soup Recipes!

  • Easy Italian Wedding Soup- in under 30 minutes!
  • Ukrainian Shortcut Borscht Soup with Beef: Weight Watchers Friendly!
  • Healthy Pumpkin Soup (no cream): Weight Watchers Friendly
  • Easy One-Pot Hamburger Soup
  • Red Lentil Spinach Soup- Weight Watchers Friendly

More Soups, Stew & Chili Recipes

  • Chicken Gumbo Soup Recipe
  • Easy Healthy Minestrone Soup
  • 31 Healthy Fall Soup Recipes
  • Beer Cheese Soup Recipe

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Esta

    December 14, 2022 at 5:40 am

    Question...how much frozen corn if not in season ?

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      December 14, 2022 at 9:01 am

      Hi Esta,
      It's the equivalent of about 4.5 cups of corn. Enjoy!

      Reply

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I'm Terri, a passionate home cook and baker, an award-winning recipe developer and a busy working mom that is trying to eat healthy and fit everything into not enough hours in a day! My mission is to share not only my recipes, cooking hacks and tips with you, but also my secrets to successful weight maintenance.

More about me →

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