Ham and Corn Chowder

There’s nothing quite like a luscious bowl of corn chowder when you’re in the mood for something rich and satisfying, and this Ham and Corn Chowder delivers on every level. It starts with crispy bacon, builds flavor with a mix of aromatic vegetables and herbs, and then gets a tangy boost from Dijon mustard. Add in chunks of smoky ham, sweet, creamy corn, and gold potatoes, and you’ve got a hearty soup that brings big flavor but is still easy enough for weeknight meals. It’s one of those recipes that proves summer soup season is absolutely a thing.

Living in the Midwest comes with a few distinct culinary and agricultural advantages, one of them being the best sweet corn on the planet. For me, August means fresh corn — bins of it at the farmers’ markets, freshly picked, stacked waist-deep. There’s just nothing so summery as grilled corn on the cob, drenched in salted butter, alongside a smoky burger.

The month also kicks off my cravings for corn chowders, like my Jalapeno Bacon Corn Chowder, Southwest Corn Chowder, and Shrimp and Corn Chowder.

As much as I’ve wished it so, it can’t be August all the time, so it got me thinking about the best way to make a really delicious corn chowder in the off-season. And then my Creamy Chicken and Corn Soup from last year reminded me that the answer is surprisingly simple: canned cream-style corn.

I’ll dig a little deeper into the wonder that is creamed corn below, but here in late June as I write this, while the cornfields are still just knee-high, it’s a fabulous stand-in. It’s sweet and saucy and so infused with corn flavor that it takes this Ham and Corn Chowder to heights you wouldn’t think possible from a canned vegetable. Let’s get to it!

Key Ingredients

Here are the main ingredients that make this soup special. The full list with quantities appears in the recipe card below.

Bacon — I almost always start a chowder with a nice portion of bacon, both for the bacon grease and the crispy crumbles that finish the soup. Chopping the bacon into small pieces before cooking lets you take complete advantage of the round surface area of the bottom of the pot. Cooking whole strips of bacon works fine in an oversized skillet, but sometimes they don’t fit very well in a soup pot.

Ham — Salty ham is a natural complement to the mild sweetness of corn, creating layers of irresistible flavor.

Cream-style corn — I usually save corn chowders for later in the summer when Midwestern sweet corn is at its peak, but a strong craving here in June led me to think about the next best substitute for field-fresh corn. Cream-style corn adds a lot of body to soup, and the way it’s prepared means the liquids within are corn-flavored, too. Learn more below.

Aromatic vegetables — Create a flavorful foundation for the soup by starting with onions, celery, carrots, and bell peppers. Cooking them in the rendered bacon fat gives everything a nice, savory boost.

Seasonings — A nice, fragrant dried Italian herb blend is a favorite shortcut of mine for seasoning soups without a lot of hassle. I also have to mention the Dijon mustard. Its vinegary-wine base and bright pop of sinus-tingling heat add a tang that you can’t quite put your finger on when infused into the soup. It’s a similar acid kick that you get from adding lemon juice, only with more attitude!

Potatoes — For soups where keeping potato chunks intact is the goal, I recommend using gold potatoes (sometimes called Yukon gold). Russet potatoes are starchy and fall apart during cooking — which makes them perfect for mashed potatoes! But for chunky soups, waxy gold potatoes retain their shapes better. In a pinch, of course, you can use a russet potato.

Heavy cream — A little cream adds a creamy richness to the soup. You don’t need a lot, but it’s just enough to turn the soup from coarse chunks to a velvety texture. You could substitute half and half or whole milk for a lower fat result; just be sure to add it at the end of cooking (see Cook’s Notes below).

What is Creamed Corn?

Unlike what the name implies, creamed corn — or, as it’s often packaged now, cream-style corn — usually doesn’t contain any dairy at all. It’s made by cutting off the whole kernels from a fresh ear of corn, and then using something like a dull table knife to deeply scrape the bits and juices from the pockets on the rest of the cob, mixing everything together.

This is called “milking” the ear, and the creamy starches from this process create a loose, but very flavorful, corn mix. When it’s used as a side dish here in the Midwest, where sweet corn is a summer staple, it’s often cooked with butter, salt, and pepper. So delish!

For this chowder, the starches from the corn work with the flour to create a creamy base. The saucy quality of the creamed corn infuses the broth with lots of corn essence, making it sweet and, well, corny ;).

Cook’s Notes

• For the ham, you have a few options, depending on availability at your local store. If you have leftover ham from a special event, you could chop up the extra meat for the soup. My grocery store sells packages of unfancy cooked cubed ham, which is what I used in this recipe because it’s packaged in the exact quantity I needed. Ham steaks are another option. Just make sure they’re cooked through, according to package directions, before using in the soup.
• I don’t call for extra salt in this recipe because bacon and ham are already pretty salty. In fact, I use low-sodium chicken broth to keep the soup from becoming a salt bomb. Of course, you should taste the soup at the end of cooking and make sure it’s salty enough for your own tastes.
• Add the dairy at the end of cooking the soup, warming it through in the residual heat. Heavy cream is really not meant to be boiled for soup (and don’t boil half-and-half at all — it will curdle). Boiling cream causes the water content to evaporate, producing something thick and more like a roux (the base of a cheese sauce) than a soup broth. Will it ruin your soup? Of course not; it’s still completely edible. But it will kick a creamy soup over into stew territory, especially if the soup spends any time resting in the fridge. The cream-style corn and flour in this soup provide plenty of thickening power.
• For those who hate chopping vegetables: I get it. As a soup fanatic, prepping veggies is in my DNA, and years of repetition have given me very efficient knife skills. So, I think nothing about adding lots of aromatic veggies to a soup recipe. But if you just don’t have it in you on a given day to do a lot of chopping, I have a few shortcut suggestions:
  • Skip the bell peppers. It hurts my heart a little to say that, but it will be okay!
  • Use garlic paste found in the produce dept. The refrigerated tubes are tastier than the shelf-stable jars. Sometimes you can find pre-measured minced garlic in bubble packs in the frozen foods section. Don’t be bullied by garlic purists: yes, fresh garlic is superior, but it’s okay to take the shortcut!
  • Buy a bag of baby carrots (for a little bit of chopping but no cleaning or peeling) or shredded carrots (for no prep at all, but not much texture). I often go the baby carrot route myself, as my store is sometimes out of bulk carrots.

How to Make Ham and Corn Chowder

Ready to make the recipe? Skip to the recipe card now to see the full ingredient list, quantities, prep/cooking times, and printable, detailed instructions. Or, keep scrolling for a visual walk-through and summary of making the soup.

Step 1: Cook the bacon

Add oil to the soup pot and fry the bacon pieces until crispy, stirring frequently to brown all sides. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

Step 2: Sauté the vegetables and seasonings

Add the onions, celery, carrots, and bell peppers to the pot with the rendered bacon fat and saute until softened and glossy. Scootch the veggies to one side of the pot and add the remaining oil to the cleared area. Sprinkle the garlic, flour, herbs, and mustard over the oil and stir to create a paste. Then mix in with the vegetables.

Step 3: Build the soup

Pour the chicken broth into the pot, along with the creamed corn. Bring a boil. Add the potatoes and ham, and adjust the heat downward to maintain a lively bubbling. Partially cover with a lid to minimize evaporation.

Step 4: Finish the soup

When the potatoes are cooked through and tender, reduce heat to low. Pour in the heavy cream, and add half of the parsley, green onions, and bacon, stirring well to combine.

Cook’s FAQs

Grab a spoon, pour yourself a bowl, and dive into this comforting summer staple. If you make this Ham and Corn Chowder at home, please leave a comment below and let me know how it turned out for you. I love hearing how recipes come to life in your kitchens!

Ham and Corn Chowder

by Karen Gibson

No ratings yet

A hearty Ham and Corn Chowder made with crispy bacon, sweet cream-style corn, tender potatoes, and savory cubed ham in a creamy broth. This easy chowder recipe is full of comforting flavor and perfect for using up leftover ham.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Add SoupAddict.com as a trusted Google source

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Ingredients

 

.5x1x2x3x

• 2 tablespoons olive , avocado, or vegetable oil
• 6 strips uncooked thick-cut bacon , cut into 1/2” pieces
• 1 cup diced onions (about one small/medium onion)
• 2 ribs celery , diced
• 1 medium carrot , peeled and diced
• 1/3 cup diced red bell peppers (about one small pepper)
• 3 cloves garlic , peeled and minced (or 1 Tbs garlic paste)
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon dried Italian herb blend
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cans cream-style sweet corn (about 30 oz total)
• 12 ounces Yukon gold potatoes , scrubbed, peeled and cut into 1/2” cubes (about 2 medium)
• 8 ounces cooked ham , cubed
• 1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half
• 2 green onions , sliced thinly
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

 

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

 

• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 4- to 5-quart soup pot or Dutch oven over medium until the surface of the oil shimmers.
• Add the chopped bacon and cook until crispy, stirring frequently (8-10 minutes). Transfer the bacon to a paper-towel lined plate to drain. Keep the bacon fat in the pot.
• Add the onions, celery, carrots, and peppers to the pot and saute until soft and glossy (6-7 minutes). Scoot the vegetables to one side.
• In the cleared area of the pot, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, if there is no pooling bacon grease (there might not be, but use your judgment).
• Sprinkle the flour and herbs over the oil, and add the garlic and mustard, too. Stir these four ingredients together to make a fragrant paste – if it’s too stiff, add a splash of broth – then mix into the vegetables.
• Pour in the chicken broth and corn, and increase heat to high, bringing the soup to an active bubbling.
• Add the potatoes and ham to the soup. Adjust heat until the soup holds an active simmer (bubbles breaking the surface, but not a roiling boil). Cover partially with a lid.
• Let cook for 15 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the potatoes from sticking to the bottom. Skim off any foam that forms on the surface.
• Cook until the potato cubes are easily pierced with the point of a knife (or can be smash against the side of the pot). Reduce heat to low.
• Stir in the dairy, plus half of the green onions, parsley, and bacon, allowing the residual heat of the soup to warm the cream.
• Serve immediately, garnishing the bowls with the remaining green onions, parsley, and bacon.

Keyword ham and corn chowder

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!