This creamy vegan potato corn chowder is the kind of meal that makes you feel like you're wrapped in your favorite blanket on a chilly night. It's comforting, filling, and made from simple plant-based ingredients you probably already have.
Best of all, it's a one-pot wonder you can make in your Instant Pot or on the stove in about 30 minutes.
No dairy, no unusual ingredients. Just a cozy bowl of plant-based soup with tender potatoes, sweet corn, and a velvety cashew cream that will remind you of the chowders you grew up eating.
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I made this chowder exactly to the recipe, and it passes the East coast gal test with flying colors! Cashew cream is the bomb. You could not tell it was vegan.
- Julie K.
Ingredients
- Onion
- Garlic
- Carrots
- Celery
- Potatoes (Yukon gold or other yellow potatoes work the best)
- Bay leaf
- Dried thyme
- Vegetable broth
- Frozen corn
- Raw cashews (Like in my vegan wild rice and chickpea soup, these blend into a luscious dairy-free cream.)
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete ingredients, measurements, and instructions.
Instant Pot instructions
- Using the Saute function, add the onion with a splash of water. Cook until softened and slightly translucent.
- Stir in the garlic, carrots, and celery and saute for a couple more minutes until softened.
- Hit Cancel. Add potatoes, bay leaf, and thyme.
- And in the vegetable broth and stir to combine. Seal the lid and set to Manual (High Pressure) for 4 minutes. While the soup cooks, blend cashews with water until completely smooth.
- Carefully quick release the pressure once done.
- Stir in the defrosted frozen corn.
- Stir in the cashew cream.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy!
Stove-top instructions
Don't have an Instant Pot? No worries! Follow these simple steps to make vegan potato corn chowder on the stove:
- Saute onion, garlic, carrots, and celery in a large pot over medium heat.
- Add the potatoes, thyme, bay leaf, and broth. Simmer until potatoes are nearly fork-tender.
- Stir in the corn and continue cooking until the potatoes are fully tender.
- Pour in the cashew cream, season to taste, and serve.
Serving suggestions
This vegan potato corn chowder is hearty enough to serve as a meal on its own. Or pair it with a fresh side salad like:
- A simple green salad tossed with creamy lemony hummus dressing
- Fruity spinach and pomegranate salad
- Mediterranean white bean salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, and olives
Whether you go with salad or keep it solo, it's always a satisfying choice.
Made this recipe? Have a question? Please leave a comment below. 💙 And for even more recipes, join my email list for community, inspiration & to chat directly with me!
Love and Veggies,
Amy
📋 Recipe
Creamy Vegan Potato Corn Chowder (Instant Pot + Stovetop)
Equipment
- high speed blender (If your blender isn't high-speed, soak the cashews in hot water for 30 minutes or longer to soften before blending.)
Ingredients
- 1 cup diced onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 cup diced celery
- 6 cups diced yellow or gold potatoes, (about 6 medium potatoes)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup raw cashews
- ½ cup water
- 2 cups frozen corn, defrosted
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Instant Pot instructions:
- Using the Saute function, add the onion with a splash of water. Cook until softened and slightly translucent. Then stir in the garlic, carrots, and celery and saute for a few more minutes until softened.1 cup diced onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 cup diced carrots, 1 cup diced celery
- Hit the Cancel button. Add the potatoes, bay leaf, thyme, and vegetable broth. Stir to combine.1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 4 cups vegetable broth, 6 cups diced yellow or gold potatoes
- Seal the lid and set to Manual (High Pressure) for 4 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine the cashews and water in a high-speed blender to make the cashew cream. Blend until completely smooth.½ cup raw cashews, ½ cup water
- Once the 4 minutes is up, quick release the pressure by turning the valve. Once the pressure has been released, carefully remove the lid.
- Stir in the corn and cashew cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy!2 cups frozen corn, salt and pepper
Stovetop instructions:
- Saute the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery in a large pot over medium heat until softened.1 cup diced onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 cup diced carrots, 1 cup diced celery
- Add the potatoes, thyme, bay leaf, and broth and bring to a low boil. Simmer until the potatoes are nearly fork-tender.6 cups diced yellow or gold potatoes, 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 4 cups vegetable broth
- While the soup cooks, blend cashews with water until completely smooth.½ cup raw cashews, ½ cup water
- Stir in the corn and continue cooking until the potatoes are fully tender.2 cups frozen corn
- Stir in the cashew cream, season to taste, and serve.salt and pepper
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Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
Lori Bosse says
Can this be made in a pot on the stove?
Amy Katz says
Hi Lori, yes you can cook it on the stove and simmer until the potatoes are tender.
Amy says
Made this tonight. My husband and I are working toward more plant-based meals and while we don't cook with meat anymore, I just don't care for veggie broth, so I used chicken broth.
I didn't have cashews so I blended macadamia nuts and white beans with water. It's very good! Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Amy Katz says
That's fantastic, Amy! Have you tried Better Than Bouillon? They have a chicken flavored veggie broth concentrate that I really like.
Andrea says
I made this today and it is delicious! Great recipe, thank you!!
Amy Katz says
I'm so happy you enjoyed it, Andrea!
Cat De Spain says
I think this will be my 1st Instant Pot meal I make! I haven’t had a good Corn Chowder in awhile! Thank you for sharing this recipe! 🙂
Amy Katz says
I hope you enjoy it, Cat! Let me know if you have any IP questions. I'm happy to help!
Cat De Spain says
Thank you so much! 🙂
Isla says
This was delish! Super easy and very tasty. I made it just as the recipe indicates. I will definitely make it again. 🙂
Amy Katz says
Thanks so much, Isla! 🙂
Shari says
I made this for the third time today! The whole family loves it!
Amy Katz says
That's so fantastic to hear, Shari!
Maggie Raife says
I made this and the quick release did not go well. All the starch from the corn and potatoes combined with the water and started spurting out starchy liquid all over my kitchen. After some googling I realized you are not supposed to fill your instant pot more than half full if cooking starchy items, and quick release right away is not recommended for this type of cooking.
Amy Katz says
Hi Maggie, that sounds terrible! I have never had that experience. What model of IP do you have? Is it a small one?
Cristy Marchis says
This was the best corn chowder I've ever tasted! My kids could not believe I did not use cream (dairy). I do not have a high speed blender, but I just blended the cashews and water until they were very creamy and it may have taken a few seconds longer but it totally worked. I did make a stock with leftover corn cobs in my instant pot beforehand to use as a vegetable stock, which may have added more flavor (so easy, highly recommend!). I should have made a double batch--no leftovers :(. Thank you Amy!
Amy says
Thanks Cristy! I'm going to have to try your idea for the stock. Thanks for sharing!
JoAnn M Lakes says
I absolutely love corn cob stock! It really ups the flavor! I had some roasted red peppers in the fridge so I added some to the leftover soup for a different flavor profile. Great chowdah!
Tom says
Hi Amy,
This patato corn soup is our family favorite. Growing up my mom made potato soup all the time. She would put bacon and cheddar cheese in it. I do miss her version. So I tried some liquid smoke or smoked paprika to give it the bacon flavor and I throw in some nutritional yeast instead of cheddar. I also pull out about two cups of potatoes after it cooks and before I add the corn. When they cool down a bit, I put them in the nutri bullet to make a cream that I add back to the soup. We make a double batch about three times a month. One double batch feeds us for a week. Thank you for this and all your other recipes.
Amy says
Thank you, I'm so happy to hear this, Tom! And I love your additions.
Meg says
I wondered if it would be cooked if cooking for only 4 minutes, and it was not, after cooking for 5 minutes. I turned it back on for an additional 10 minutes. I did, however, eat 1/3 of a bowl, even though potatoes were crunchy, (I was hungry!) added soy bacon bits in my bowl. Delicious!
Amy says
I'm glad you enjoyed it, Meg! Perhaps you didn't cut the potatoes small enough. They should be soft after 4 minutes.
Sarah says
Delicious!! I altered a bit because I didn't have cashews and used coconut cream instead. At the end I ran the instant pot on saute for a few minutes and tossed in a roux to thicken it up!
Theresa says
This tastes so luxurious it is hard to believe it is so healthy. This is the first soup recipe that I have tried in my new IP and I am having a hard time debating trying any other soup recipe. I bought the IP for breakfast steel cut oats and that is great but this soup is Superb! Don't change a thing.
Gillian says
About how much is one serving of this? 1 cup or 2 cups? I am trying to log my food
Amy says
I would say about 1 1/2 cups.
Dana says
Wow! So yummy. I've made corn chowder many times, but the cashew cream is a game changer. Even my very finicky 12 year old asked that I make this again! Thanks so much.
Amy says
That's wonderful! Thank you, Dana!
Pam says
I love this recipe. It is now in my favorites and I make it often.
Amy says
Thank you, Pam!