Vegan Sweet Potato Corn Chowder
You’ll love this easy 30-minute sweet potato corn chowder for a warm and comforting meal any night of the week.
About the Recipe
This soup makes a great choice year-round. It’s a delicious way to use fresh corn when it’s in season but also works well with frozen corn so can be made any time.
The rest of the ingredients are easy to find, you’ll need just a few veggies, spices and a broth of choice. Even better, you can whip this easy chowder up in under 30 minutes and it’s sure to be a hit with the whole family!
Highlights
- Vegan (dairy-free), gluten-free and oil-free.
- Low in fat with no added sugar.
- Ready in 30 minutes.
- Basic ingredients.
- Can be made in advance.
Ingredient Notes
Scroll to the end for the full written recipe with ingredient amounts and written instructions. The following sections cover notes on the ingredients and a visual overview of how to make the soup.
- Onion: White onion is recommended but yellow onion also works.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic is recommended but you can substitute 1 tsp garlic powder.
- Celery: Use fresh celery or you can substitute carrot (or use half and half).
- Sweet Potato: You’ll need 1 medium sweet potato or about 2 cups chopped. Regular potato also works in this recipe.
- Bell Pepper: Red bell pepper is best here.
- Corn: You can use fresh, canned or frozen corn. Frozen fire-roasted corn or grilled or roasted corn would be even better!
- Broth: Any vegetable broth or stock you enjoy works (homemade or store-bought).
- Chili Powder: Use a mild or medium chili powder.
- Paprika: You can use regular paprika or smoked paprika for some smokiness.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 2: Cook the Veggies
Chop up the onion, garlic and celery and add them to a large soup or Dutch oven with a couple of tablespoons of water or vegetable broth.
Cook them over medium heat for about 5 minutes until softened and fragrant.
Step 2: Add Sweet Potato & Liquid
Add the chopped sweet potato and vegetable broth and bring the mixture to a light simmer. Cook it for another 6-7 minutes, uncovered.
Step 3: Add Remaining Ingredients.
Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer lightly until the sweet potato is easily pierced with a fork. This should take about 10 minutes.
Step 4: Blend Soup
Carefully scoop about 1/2-3/4 of the soup into a blender and puree until it’s smooth and creamy. Be sure to allow the steam to escape while blending!
You can also use an immersion blender right in the pot, blending to your desired consistency.
Pour the blended soup back into the pot with the unblended portion.
Stir to mix everything together then taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.
Serving
- Serve with lime wedges.
- Sprinkle with thinly sliced scallions or chives.
- Add a dollop of vegan sour cream or plain yogurt.
- Sprinkle with nutritional yeast for a bit of cheesiness.
- Serve with crispy roasted chickpeas.
- Serve with crumbled tempeh bacon or coconut bacon.
- Pairs well with sandwiches, wraps and salads (try this broccoli salad, Tuscan kale salad or southwest pasta salad.
Variations & Additions
- You can use peeled Yukon gold or red potatoes in place of sweet potatoes.
- Cumin and oregano work well for additional herbs and spices. Add up to 1 tsp of oregano and/or 1/2 tsp cumin.
- You can add 1 jalapeno or 2 serrano peppers with the veggies at the beginning to add heat to the soup. Alternatively, add up to 1/2 tsp chili flakes or cayenne pepper when you add the paprika.
- Mix in a 4.5 oz can of green chilies with the rest of the ingredients for a Southwest flavour.
- You can stir in a bit of heavy cream, coconut cream or cashew cream at the end for a creamy finish.
Slow Cooker Method
To make this soup in a crockpot, you can either saute the veggies on the stovetop for 5 minutes then add everything to your slow cooker (for more flavour), or just add everything to the slow cooker all at once and cook for 3-4 hours on low or 2-3 hours on high.
Blend 1/2-3/4 of the soup in a blender or using an immersion blender in the crockpot. Combine, season and enjoy!
Storing
- Fridge: Let cool completely then store in a sealed container for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Let cool completely then store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Can be stored in one batch or in smaller portions. Thaw overnight in the fridge when ready to enjoy.
- Reheating: Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave until heated to your preference.
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Scroll down to the comment section to leave a star rating and review.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Vegan Sweet Potato Corn Chowder
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This healthy vegan sweet potato corn chowder can be on the table in about 30 minutes for a delicious dish the whole family will enjoy.
Ingredients
- 1 white onion, diced (3 cups, 350 g)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 ribs celery, chopped (2 cups, 200 g)
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed (2 heaping cups, 250 g)
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 4 cups frozen corn (680 g)
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- sea salt and fresh-cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook Vegetables: Add the onion, garlic and celery to a soup pot with a splash of water or vegetable broth. Cook for 5 minutes until starting to soften.
- Add Sweet Potato & Broth: Add the sweet potato and broth, bring to a light simmer and cook for 7-8 minutes.
- Add Remaining Ingredients: Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer lightly for another 5-10 minutes until the sweet potato is easily pierced with a fork.
- Blend: Carefully scoop about 2/3 of the soup into a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Make sure you allow the steam to escape while blending. You can also use an immersion blender directly in the pot and blend until you reach your desired consistency.
- Combine: Pour the blended portion back into the pot with the unblended soup and stir to combine.
- Season: Taste and season with salt and pepper and serve right away.
Notes
Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days. To freeze, cool and freeze in heavy-duty freezer bags or a sealed container for 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat soup in a pot on the stovetop, stirring until simmering, or individual servings in the microwave in 30-45 second intervals, stirring between intervals until heated through.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6th of recipe
- Calories: 186
- Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 6 g
Originally published on September 3, 2014.
This was so good! 5 stars all the way. My 9 month old and 3 year old just ate this up. I had two bowls. Thanks for the recipe.
This was delicious and easy to make. I made it in my instapot instead of the stove, putting it under pressure for 11min. I did sauté the onion and garlic in the pot before adding the other ingredients, but I omitted the celery. I also used an immersion blender because I’m lazy, so mine was a bit chunkier but just as good.
Great! I’ve never made it in an Instant Pot, so that’s good to know. So glad you enjoyed it!
This recipe is incredible! I did have to make a few substitutes as I didn’t have everything so I used zucchini instead of celery and tomatoes instead of red bell pepper, I also added some coconut cream at the end. My whole family loved it, so thank you for the wonderful recipe.
Fantastic! This recipe is a keeper. I was out of celery, so I subbed some carrot. It was tasty, but increased the needed cook time a bit.
This has become one of my favorite foods. When I stopped eating meat, I had no idea what I was about to discover. There are all of these wonderful foods that are even better than the burgers I was eating every day.
Thank you for instructions on how to make this.
Made this soup according to the recipe and oh my, it is so delicious! It’s easy to put together with staples I always have on hand. It’s the perfect comfort food, especially now when we can all use a little comforting. Thanks for another great recipe, Deryn!
This is a great quarantine dish. I was out of celery and red pepper so I used carrot. Excellent soup.
Wonderful! So glad to hear you enjoyed it. Sounds great with carrots!
Wow! I can’t get enough! I didn’t have vegetable broth, so I substituted some tomato juice from diced tomatoes and also used the water from canned corn. So, it turned into a red colored/ tomato flavored soup, but it was amazing! We topped with cilantro. My kids and husband LOVED it!
So glad to hear it!! Thanks for letting me know!
This soup sounds amazing and I can’t wait to try it!
Has someone tried this with regular potatoes, not sweet potatoes, and can tell me if that changes the cook time? I am thinking that they’d take longer to get soft enough. Also, I’d like to try adding edamame, but not sure when to do it. I don’t want to blend them with the rest of the soup ingredients. Should I cook them separately and add them after I blend the 2/3 portion?
Potatoes will be similar, they make just take slightly longer…just check and cook as needed until tender but not mushy. As for edamame, yes cook separately and add at the every end after blending. Enjoy!
I usually do not comment on recepies but I couldn’t pass by this one. I like easy made recipes, however corn chowder has never been one of those for me.
Well, I made the soup today and i must say it’s easy and delicious! Will definitely make it again and again. Thank you for sharing it with us👍