This creamy Instant Pot Corn Chowder recipe is a quick-fix dinner that’s filled with smoky bacon, tender potatoes and sweet corn.
Try pairing this delicious soup recipe with my Homemade Rolls or 2 Ingredient Dough Garlic Breadsticks for a complete meal.
We’re huge fans of this creamy corn chowder recipe! It’s the perfect soup for a cold evening, or even better when made with fresh summer sweet corn.
Either way you make it, you’re sure to love the flavors and my time-saving tips!
Instant Pot Corn Chowder Recipe
This quick soup tastes like it’s been simmered all day long thanks to the pressure cooker! When in reality, it only takes 6 minutes of pressure cooking and just a few extra minutes of prep before and after.
Ingredients Needed for Corn Chowder
Here’s a basic list of the ingredients you’ll need in order to make this Instant Pot Corn Chowder. As always, you can find the full, printable recipe in the box below.
- Thick Cut Bacon
- Onion
- Red Bell Pepper – adds a nice sweetness and pop of color
- Garlic
- Thyme – you can use either fresh or dried *see notes
- Chicken Broth – you may swap in a good quality vegetable broth in place of chicken
- Frozen Diced Potatoes – I’m using frozen here to save time on prep, but fresh cut potatoes would also work
- Frozen or Fresh Corn – if using fresh corn see notes for amounts
- Half and Half – you can also sub in whole milk to reduce calories a bit
- All Purpose Flour – used to thicken the chowder at the end
I love this easy corn chowder recipe because it uses basic ingredients that I keep on hand at all times, which makes it a quick dinner solution for those busy weeks.
How To Make Corn Chowder in the Instant Pot
Making a chowder in the instant pot is actually quite easy, but a little backwards compared to how you would typically make it on the stove top.
Since the pressure cooker works by boiling liquid, which creates steam to build pressure, we don’t want to use anything creamy or cakey (with flour) to start. Creamy ingredients tend to create a film on the bottom of the pot when boiled, which could end up giving you the dreaded “burn” notice when you’re trying to build pressure.
To remedy this, we start the pressure building with just broth or water. In this case – chicken broth.
- Before all of this we will use the SAUTÉ function to crisp up our bacon and then remove all but 2 tbsp of bacon grease and set that aside.
- Then toss in your bell pepper and onions and cook until tender, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pot.
- Next add in the thyme and garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Finally, add in the chicken broth, potatoes and corn, as well as half of the cooked bacon, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Use HIGH pressure for just 6 minutes, making sure the valve is set to the sealed position.
I love using the frozen diced potatoes and frozen corn because it majorly cuts down on prep time and makes this chowder come together so fast!
The frozen potatoes tend to just melt away into the chowder creating a creamy base that’s to die for.
How To Thicken Corn Chowder
Once you’ve release the pressure from the instant pot, now you’re ready to add the finishing touches to your chowder – the creamy base!
You’ll notice that it’s already well on it’s way to being creamy, with the potatoes melting away into the soup. Now all that’s left is to add the half and half mixture.
- Whisk together the Half and Half with the All Purpose Flour and add it to the simmering corn soup.
Adding this flour mixture (roux) to the soup after it’s cooked in the instant pot will create a delicious, thick chowder base.
PRO TIP: If you want to make it even more creamy, try adding in a cup of shredded cheddar cheese.
Now that you’ve let your soup simmer for a few minutes it should be nice and thick.
Since we’re using a salty bacon and a broth of your choosing, it’s best to taste the soup and season with more salt to your preference.
Remember – potatoes tend to absorb a lot of salt, so make sure to taste as you go, and don’t be afraid to season a little extra!
Can You Freeze Corn Chowder?
Have corn coming out of your ears?? If you’re wanting to make tons of this delicious chowder and then freeze for later, it’s very possible.
However, you’ll need to keep some things in mind…
- Freezing soups with cream or milk in them tend to not reheat well.
- Instead – leave out the half and half mixture at the end and just freeze the broth and veggies.
- When you go to reheat- simply add in the half and half mixture at the end, and heat until thickened.
What To Serve With Corn Chowder
Corn chowder is great for a quick weekday lunch or dinner. Here are some of our favorite things to pair with this filling soup.
- Homemade Rolls Recipe
- Caesar Salad
- Sautéed Zucchini
- Crusty bread
- Sweet Cornbread
- Or pair a smaller serving of this soup alongside a main dish like my Oven Baked Chicken Breast.
More Instant Pot Soup Recipes
Craving more delicious soup recipes that are made in the instant pot? I’ve got you covered with these tasty dishes…
- Instant Pot Chicken Taco Soup
- Beef Stew Instant Pot
- Ham Bone and Bean Soup
- The Best Instant Pot Chili
If you’re new to the Instant Pot, I have several pressure cooker recipes that are quick and simple, just like this chowder.
You can find all the instant pot recipes HERE!
Instant Pot Creamy Corn Chowder
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 5 strips Bacon, thick cut, diced
- ½ medium onion, diced
- 1 large red bell pepper, diced
- 2 tsp garlic, minced
- 2 tsp thyme*, fresh
- 32 oz chicken broth, or vegetable broth
- 3 cups frozen potatoes, diced
- 24 oz frozen corn
- 2 cups half and half
- 5 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Turn the pressure cooker to SAUTÉ mode and cook bacon until crisp. Use a slotted spoon to remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate and set aside. Drain all but 2 tbsp of grease from pot and discard.
- To the pot, add in the onion and bell pepper and cook, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any browned bits, for about 2 minutes, until peppers and onions are tender.
- Add in the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Pour in the chicken broth, diced potatoes, half of the cooked bacon, as well as all but 1 cup of corn kernels. (reserve 1 cup of corn kernels for later). Stir and season with salt and pepper. Place on lid and turn off Sauté mode, and turn on HIGH pressure for 6 minutes. Make sure valve is set to sealed position.
- Once finished cooking, release pressure quickly by turning the valve to the open position and allowing all the steam to escape. Remove lid and turn the pot back to Sauté mode. Add in the reserved 1 cup of corn.
- Whisk together the half and half with the flour until there are no clumps, then pour into the soup, stirring and cooking for about 4 minutes, until soup is thickened. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if desired.
- Serve chowder with reserved bacon on top and fresh parsley if desired. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Parmesan Roasted Potatoes
J Banaszewski
Amazing and very easy! I halved the recipe since I was just cooking for me and my husband. He rated it a 9.2 which is very high for him! I just used a fresh potato instead of frozen.
Nana Pat
I made this yummy soup today and it was delish! After reading the comments about the bacon being soggy in leftovers, I omitted it and sauted the veggies in butter. I used frozen ‘hash browns’ and frozen corn. I goofed and cooked for only 4 minutes, but the veggies were cooked so when I added the half & half, I used 3 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 3 Tbsp cold water, to thicken. I simmered it for the 4 minutes as suggested and it was lovely and thick, just like a chowder should be. When corn is in season, I will probably try it with that and fresh potatoes just to see how different the taste is. Thanks for a great recipe to make using stuff I have in my freezer!
Karen
What do you think about adding shrimp? When do you suggest I add them?
Holly
Can you half the recipe and still use the same cook time?
Betsy Andreycak
Love this recipe for Corn Chowder! I added 1 lb of diced chicken tenderloins and a cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Absolutely delicious!!
Dora
Can you modify to do stovepipe instead of pressure cooker?
Ash
I love corn chowder~ Thank you for the nice recipe!
Yimi Nguyen
I am a frenzy of potatoes, so this soup cannot be missed.
Samantha
Can I double the recipe in my instapot..it is the same as yours?
Shawn
Yes, as long as it all fits you should be good. Just keep in mind it will take longer to come to pressure and cook.
Tracie
Can you use regular potatoes and not the frozen ones?
Jennifer
For some reason this took me 1 1/2 hours to make from start to finish. It was good but I think I would add more spices/seasonings next time.
Shawn
It can definitely take time to build up the pressure in a pot, depending on how much you have in there, temperature, size of pot and even altitude! However, I don’t think it should take THAT long?? Was this just the total time for prepping your ingredients till it was finished?
Judith S. Gibson
How do you keep the bacon from being limp and not crisp? I cooked your quiche recipe with bacon in it and the leftover quiche’s bacon wasn’t very good. It was limp and almost like chewing fat. Will the corn chowder leftover soup be the same? I live alone and always have leftovers even when I invite someone to eat with me.
Shawn
Great question! When you add bacon to a soup or something wet (like the quiche) and then cook or bake it, it will inevitably turn into a softer bite. In the case of this recipe, the bacon gives more of a ham taste to soup after it’s been cooked. I like to keep half the bacon for the end so I can sprinkle some on top and still get that crisp bacon crunch. However, if you prefer to have the bacon crisp all the way through, just don’t add any to the soup until the end when you top it! 🙂 Hope that helps!
Alice M. Huddleson
Love your simple recipes!
Shawn
So glad to hear that Alice! Thank you for your comment!