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Creamy Corn White Bean Chowder with Beer

5 from 10 reader reviews
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 6
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Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves minced
  • 1 lb potatoes, diced into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 ¾ cups cooked white beans, drained and rinsed
  • salt and ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 hot pepper/chili of choice, minced (see notes)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ½ cup beer (I used Muskoka Brewery Harvest Ale)
  • 5 cups vegetable stock (See notes!)
  • 5 cups corn kernels, scraped from about 5-6 cobs of corn
  • ¼ cup fresh lime juice
  • ½ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the paprika and thyme and stir. Add the potatoes and stir to coat in the spices. Add the white beans, season everything with lots of salt and pepper, and stir.
  • Add the chili and garlic to the pot and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Slowly pour in the beer. Let it froth up and then gently stir. Bring the beer and vegetables to a boil. Then, add the vegetable stock to the pot and give it another stir.
  • Cover the pot and bring the chowder to a boil. Reduce the heat to a strong simmer and let the soup cook, covered, until the potatoes are completely tender, about 15-17 minutes.
  • Once the potatoes are tender, add the corn and continue to simmer the chowder until the kernels are cooked and slightly soft, about 5 minutes. Then carefully ladle half of the hot chowder into an upright, vented blender. Turn the blender on and slowly bring the speed up to high. Blend the harvest corn chowder until creamy and smooth, about 40 seconds.
  • Return the blended portion of the chowder to the pot and stir to combine. Stir in the lime juice as well. Check for seasoning at this point and adjust if necessary. Serve the harvest corn chowder hot with chopped cilantro on top and extra black pepper.

Equipment

  • Blender

Recipe Notes

  • I blend half of this chowder to give it a creamy texture, but if you’d like yours to be SUPER creamy, throw a handful of soaked cashews into the blender as well.
  • I used a freakishly hot banana pepper from my garden here. A jalapeño would be amazing too.
  • Gluten-free? A GF beer works fine here -- just use one you actually like the taste of. White wine is also a good substitute.
  • If you avoid alcohol, just use more vegetable stock. You may want a bit more lime squeezed in at the end.
  • Corn and potatoes are starchy and need lots of salt and acidity to come alive. Season liberally!
A vegan corn white bean chowder with hot peppers, potatoes & beer. Made on the stove and finished in a blender for a creamy, chunky texture. A late summer recipe worth making in big batches to freeze.