Creamy Gluten Free Corn Chowder

Jump to Recipe

This Gluten Free Corn Chowder is thick, creamy, silky and delicious with sweet corn and a touch of warm Turmeric that that something extra.  Easy stovetop recipe!

This creamy Gluten Free Corn Chowder is thick, creamy, silky and filled with fresh corn flavor and a warm golden turmeric backdrop.   The soup uses fresh corn so you can make a wonderful corn stock from the husks, scrape all of that natural corn cream out, and enjoy the fresh and sweet corn kernels.

The incredible flavor in each spoonful immediately hits your tongue with cool creamy sweetness from the fresh sweet corn.  Then it finishes with a silky, warm spice from the turmeric.  The entire family will love this corn soup!  Oh, it’s also a stovetop quickie, so of course that makes me happy!

What’s great about this soup is that it’s delicious warm or chilled! If you’re into chilled soups, you can also try my fantastic Roasted Red Pepper Gazpacho!

Why add Turmeric to this Chowder?

When you think of turmeric, you might think of that beautiful yellow color of curry.  Or you might think of tea.  Yes, turmeric does give a bright color, but it also brings flavor and most important, wonderful health benefits.  With a Certification in Nutritional and Healthy Living, this is always something I’m looking for in my recipes.

Turmeric has Curcumin, which has anti-inflammatory benefits and is a strong antioxidant.  Scientists believe that low-level inflammation can contribute to many diseases, including heart disease and cancer.  So reducing inflammation is extremely important!  

There are many other benefits to curcumin when you take it by supplement.  You likely couldn’t consume these high doses from the small amount of turmeric you add to foods, but you can still benefit.  

After you try this delicious Corn Soup, try this Moroccan Chicken Chili that also highlights turmeric. Or these easy and freezer-friendly Moroccan Turkey Meatball Stuffed Pitas.

Quick note!  This post contains affiliate links, which means I earn a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you purchase from them.  This commission is what helps me keep this blog afloat :).  But, I also share these links because I have used the products, genuinely love them, and want you to know exactly what I used. 

Simple Ingredients and Substitutes

• 4 ears Sweet Corn on the Cob – Fresh corn on the cob is ideal so that you can scrape all of the corn ‘cream’ out and boil the cob for more flavor. However, if you cannot get fresh, then you can use frozen sweet corn kernels.
• Extra-virgin olive oil – This is just to get the scallions going in the pot without burning them. You can use any other oil that you have on hand.
• Scallions (Green Onions) – I love scallions for the green color and mild onion-flavor. You can swap with finely minced yellow or red onion or even shallots.
• Vegetable Broth – Vegetable stock is great too. Substitutes are chicken broth or chicken stock or beef broth or stock. You can also use 6 cups water mixed with 6 vegetable, beef or chicken bouillon cubes or chicken base.
• Half and Half – Rather than heavy cream, I prefer to use lighter half and half. You can substitute heavy cream, regular milk, skim milk, non-dairy milk, or even just cold water for mixing with the cornstarch.
• Cornstarch – Cornstarch is a gluten free thickening agent that is mixed with cold liquid (half and Half in this case) to create a slurry. This slurry is the thickener for this chowder. You don’t have to thicken the soup if you don’t have cornstarch. You can leave it as a thin broth. Alternatively, you could add some diced potato in at the start with the scallions and then puree them with the corn for a thicker texture.
• Turmeric – This is a the warm, almost sweet spice that just adds to much more to the flavor of this soup. If you absolutely do not like turmeric or don’t have it, you can leave it out. You can also substitute with curry powder, a small sprinkle of nutmeg, or half the mount of ground ginger.

Prep-Ahead Steps for this Gluten Free Corn Chowder

We are all extremely busy and making dinner during the week can be overwhelming. Here are the steps you prepare in the day(s) in advance. (Full recipe below) 

For this recipe, you can prepare the corn in advance and cook it later, but I recommend that you eat this soup chilled, so you probably will want to cook it ahead as well. 

Clean the corn on the cob by removing the husks and any remaining corn silk. Then rinse the corn and gently cut off the kernels using a sharp knife.

After the kernels have been removed, use the back of the knife to press and scrape down the ear to remove any of the remaining kernels and the ‘cream’ that is left behind. Yes, that’s right, corn cobs hold a sweet creamy texture when you really scrape it out. 

NOTE: do not throw away the corn cobs yet, as these will be used in the soup to get all of the flavors out.

Finely slice the scallions separating and saving some of the greens to use as garnish on the soup.

Either store the corn kernels, cobs, and scallions separately in the fridge or move on to cooking.

Cooking this Gluten Free Corn Chowder

Preheat a dutch oven or large soup pot using a high heat setting.  I love my Le Creuset Dutch Oven for this, but any large soup pot will be fine!

Add olive oil and the scallions. Stir so they don’t burn and let cook for 2 minutes.  Then add the 6 cups of broth and the corn cobs left over (you will add 4, even though the pic below only shows 3).

Bring this all to a boil and then turn down to a simmer for 10 minutes.  Then remove the corn cobs and discard.

Add the corn kernels and the corn ‘cream’. Stir to combine, then bring to a soft boil and let cook for 5 minutes.

While the corn cooks, in a separate bowl, mix the half and half with the cornstarch. Whisk together until the cornstart is dissolved and you have a smooth slurry. Then whisk the slurry into the soup and add the Turmeric and the Ground Pepper. 

Turn the heat back on, and bring back up to a simmer to thicken; about 4-5 minutes. Be sure to stir so that it doesn’t clump and thickens smoothly.

Then using an immersion blender, blend the corn soup in the pot until it is smooth and the desired consistency. 

I like some texture, so I stop when it is smooth, but I can still see pieces of corn.  You can also use a food processor or blender for this, but I love an immersion blender because it’s easier.  You don’t have to transfer the soup to a blender, you simply place the immersion blender into the pot.  It’s small too, so it makes for easy drawer storage and easy clean up.    

Remove from the heat and when the corn soup is cooled down, move it to the fridge to chill.  Again, you can definitely eat this soup warm, it tastes amazing either way!

Garnish with reserved scallion greens and serve your scrumptious Golden Corn!

😍 Carrie

Gluten Free Corn Chowder FAQs

Is corn naturally gluten-free?

Yes, while corn is a starch and contains carbohydrates, it does not contain gluten and therefore, is gluten-free.

Can I use regular flour to thicken gluten-free corn chowder?

If you want or need this recipe to remain gluten free, you cannot use regular flour, as it contains gluten. Instead, you can use gluten-free flour, cornstarch, or potato starch to thicken the soup.

Can I make this corn chowder ahead of time?

Yes, you can make this gluten-free corn chowder can be made ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator or freezer in an airtight container. It will last about 4-5 days in the refrigerator and up to 6 months in the freezer. To reheat, be sure to do so gently on the stove, stirring as you go so that the chowder does not separate or clump.