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Along with broccoli cheese soup, this Instant Pot corn chowder is one of the soups I make most often when my girls are craving comfort food. They love the creamy texture, and I love that it’s much faster than other methods, comes together with simple, whole food ingredients, and is thick without any added flour or cornstarch substitutes. Anytime you need a quick and cozy meal, corn chowder in the Instant Pot is perfect!

Why You’ll Love This Instant Pot Corn Chowder Recipe

Cheesy corn flavor
Thick, smooth, and creamy texture
Uses basic grocery and pantry staples
Only 10 minutes prep
Naturally gluten-free and vegetarian
Cooks entirely in the pressure cooker, so no need to watch soup on the stove
A delicious soup recipe that’s easy to customize!

Instant Pot corn chowder in bowl overhead.

Ingredients & Substitution Notes

This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for Instant Pot potato corn chowder, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.

Butter – For sauteing the garlic and onions. I prefer grass-fed butter, but use any unsalted variety you like. You can also swap in olive oil.
Onion – Use a yellow or white onion, chopped.
Garlic – Fresh minced garlic tastes best, but jarred minced garlic works too.
Potatoes – Use any potatoes you prefer. They help thicken the soup and make it more filling. Although you can leave the skin on, peeling them will give the soup a smoother texture. (If you want a lower carb alternative, you can substitute cauliflower and cut the cook time in half.)
Corn – This Instant Pot corn chowder recipe works with fresh corn, kernels from leftover Instant Pot corn on the cob (cut off the cob), canned corn, or frozen corn kernels. I used fresh corn kernels.
Chicken Broth – This recipe uses a low sodium broth, but use whatever variety you like… or make chicken bone broth instead. To make vegetarian corn chowder for the Instant Pot, simply substitute vegetable broth.
Seasonings – Sea salt, black pepper, fresh thyme leaves, and Italian seasoning (store-bought is fine, but I prefer homemade Italian seasoning).
Sour Cream – Makes the soup creamy, as the name implies. You can also use heavy cream (the soup will be a bit thinner if you do) or plain Greek yogurt (being careful to turn off the heat when you stir it in, so that it doesn’t separate).
Mozzarella Cheese – For cheesy flavor. Shred it by hand, or use a pre-shredded variety to save time. You can also substitute other shredded cheeses if you like a stronger flavor (see the Variations section below).

How To Make Corn Chowder In The Instant Pot

This section shows how to make Instant Pot corn chowder healthy, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.

Saute. Turn the Instant Pot to the Saute setting. Add butter and melt. Add garlic and onion, and saute until the onion begins to brown.
Cook corn. Add corn to the pot and cook for a couple of minutes.

Garlic and onions with butter in Instant Pot.

Pressure cook. Stir in potatoes, broth, and seasonings. Close the lid, set pressure valve to Sealing, and cook on High pressure for 15 minutes. Carefully vent the valve completely and remove the lid.
Thicken. Add sour cream and cheese, stirring until melted.

Corn with potatoes, broth, and seasonings added.

Chowder with sour cream and cream added.

Puree. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until totally smooth. Thin with broth or adjust seasonings to taste, if desired.
Serve. Ladle the soup into bowls. You can garnish with fresh thyme sprigs, or simply chopped fresh parsley.

Variations

Instant Pot corn chowder with bacon – Cook bacon your favorite way (I like bacon in the oven or air fryer bacon the best!) and crumble over the top of the soup before serving. You can also cook it directly in the pot before beginning the rest of the recipe, then set aside and use the rendered fat instead of the butter to cook the garlic and onion in step 1.
Instant Pot chicken corn chowder – Add your favorite cooked chicken to the soup after blending and just before serving. Any leftover Instant Pot shredded chicken works great!
Add more veggies – This chowder would also taste delicious with finely diced red bell pepper, carrots, or celery. Simply add to the pot at the same time as garlic and onions.
Change up the cheeses – You can easily substitute shredded cheddar cheese, pepper jack, or any hard melting cheese for the mozzarella in this dish.
Add spice – Include a dash of cayenne pepper, diced jalapeno, or homemade Cajun seasoning for an extra kick.

Storage Instructions

Store: Cool completely and keep covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Reheat: Warm soup on the stovetop or in the microwave at low power.
Freeze: Avoid freezing this chowder, as the texture will change.

Instant Pot corn chowder in a bowl close up.

More Instant Pot Soup Recipes

Of all my pressure cooker recipes, soups are some of the easiest! Try these recipes next:

Beef cabbage soup recipe with hamburger close up in a bowl.

Tools To Make Instant Pot Corn Chowder

Instant Pot – My favorite tool to make corn chowder? This Instant Pot!
Immersion Blender – Makes soups smooth and creamy in seconds.

Instant Pot Corn Chowder

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4 Comments

Michele
0 October 1, 2022Reply

Everyone loved this corn chowder. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Caroline Y
0 October 1, 2022Reply

The best comfort food ever! Even my picky son loved it!
Kristen
0 October 1, 2022Reply

I love corn chowder and I love yours even more because of how easy it was to make.
Reagan
0 September 22, 2022Reply

This is one of my new favorite soup recipes.