Creamy (No Cream!) Sweet Corn and Potato Chowder is thick and creamy, gluten free chowder that's made with zero heavy cream!
Creamy (No Cream!) Sweet Corn and Potato Chowder is a revelation. It’s unbelievably thick and creamy, as any good chowder should be, but guess what? It’s thickened with ZERO flour and contains ZERO cream. What makes it thick and creamy?
CAULIFLOWER!
I’ll stop shouting now.
Seriously though, the base of this chowder is made from cauliflower simmered in chicken broth then blended with milk, salt, and broth until it’s the texture of thick, whipped velvet. No flour or cream needed. Think alfredo sauce without the oof.
YES!
The sauce is combined with frozen hash browns and sweet corn then simmered until everything is tender. Oh, there’s bacon involved too. Can’t have chowder without bacon.
Go ahead and have seconds or thirds of this guilt-free, satisfying chowder!
Start by making the creamy cauliflower sauce.
Bring 5 cups chicken broth to a boil in a Dutch oven or large soup pot then add 6 cups cauliflower florets. Place a lid on top then cook until fork tender. Make sure not to overcook the cauliflower or the sauce can end up grainy.
Meanwhile, peel and mince (or press) 3 garlic cloves then saute in 1 Tablespoon butter until golden brown. You can make this recipe dairy-free by sauteing the garlic in extra virgin olive oil instead.
Add the cooked cauliflower plus 4 cups of the cooking broth into a blender along with the garlic butter. Save the remaining cup of broth as we’ll use that in a bit.
Next add 1/2 cup milk to the blender (use whatever you’ve got on hand, including an unflavored milk alternative if you want to make it dairy-free,) along with 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Pop the top on the blender blend until the sauce is very, very smooth. If you have a small blender you’ll want to do this in two batches.
Insanely creamy without the cream!
Set the cauliflower sauce aside for a bit while you saute 6 slices chopped bacon in the same pot until browned. Remove the bacon to a paper towel lined plate to drain then remove all but 2 teaspoons bacon fat from the pot.
Add 1 chopped carrot, 1 chopped celery stalk, and 1 chopped shallot, season with salt and pepper, then saute until the veggies are tender, 8-10 minutes.
Add the cauliflower sauce plus the reserved cup of chicken broth.
plus 4 cups frozen hash browns (no need to thaw.) Place a lid on top of the pot then turn the heat up to medium-high and simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
Finally, add 2 cups frozen sweet corn and cook until heated through.
Stir the cooked bacon back in, taste and add salt and pepper if necessary, then ladle, serve, and marvel over the fact that you achieved chowder nirvana with CAULIFLOWER!
Creamy and thick with pops of salty bacon, sweet corn, and satisfying potato. Hope you love this as much as I do!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 6 cups cauliflower florets
- 1 Tablespoon butter or extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1/2 cup milk, any kind
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 small carrot, finely chopped
- 1 rib celery, finely chopped
- 1 large shallot, chopped
- salt and pepper
- 4 cups frozen shredded hash browns
- 2 cups sweet corn kernels, fresh or frozen
Directions
- Bring chicken broth to a boil in a Dutch oven or large soup pot then add cauliflower. Place a lid on top then cook until cauliflower is fork-tender (don't overcook.) Meanwhile, melt butter or extra virgin olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat then add garlic and saute until golden brown, 1 minute.
- Carefully transfer cooked cauliflower and 4 cups chicken broth, reserving remaining cup broth, to a blender (may need to do two batches if blender is small) then add garlic butter, milk, and salt. Blend until very smooth, 1-2 minutes, then set aside.
- In the same soup pot, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain then remove all but 2 teaspoons bacon grease from the pot. Add carrots, celery, and shallots, season with salt and pepper, and then saute until tender, 8-10 minutes.
- Add cauliflower sauce, reserved cup of broth, and hash browns to the pot then place a lid on top, turn heat up to medium-high, bring chowder to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, 8-10 minutes. Add sweet corn then cook until warmed through. Stir cooked bacon into chowder then ladle into bowls.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
We love this soup!
I absolutely love this recipe! I made it completely dairy-free and it turns out fantastic every time. My teenagers both love it as well!
Could this be kept warm in a crock pot?
Sure!
Any suggestions for making this in the crockpot?
Can this be made a day ahead?
Yep, that’s fine!
This soup is FANTASTIC! After 7 inches of snow last night, today I was looking for a hearty soup recipe to warm us up while we hibernated inside on our snow day! I found this in my recipe book and thankfully had all the ingredients I needed already in my fridge and pantry so I didn’t have to go out in the cold. I used red potatoes instead of the frozen potatoes because that’s what I had on hand, and I also blended about 1.5 cups of the soup toward the end of cooking to give even more thickness and make it more like a chowder. Absolutely delicious and my husband and I just LOVED it, we scarfed it down and can’t wait for leftovers!! Thanks Kristin!
My hubby brought home shredded hash browns. Can I use those instead of the diced? Looks delicious!
Sure!
I just made this soup and I’m VERY excited about the base. The cauliflower worked out perfectly and tastes great. I’m going to use it for some other chowders too. I’m so glad I found this recipe. Thanks for posting it.
i had already made a fresh potato and corn chowder with almond and coconut milk, but had some cauliflower that had to be used, so i searched for “cauliflower, potato, corn chowder” and found your site first thing. i made the cauliflower sauce and added to the chowder. We’re vegan, so no bacon. Wonderfully rich, thick and creamy! Will use again in other recipes. Thanks.