Instant Pot Corn Chowder with Bacon Recipe – delicious soup made in a pressure cooker. This rich and creamy chowder is packed with fresh corn, potatoes and crispy bacon.
INSTANT POT CORN CHOWDER WITH BACON
One of our favorite summer soups to make is corn chowder. It’s creamy, satisfying and full of flavor. Especially since I make it in my pressure cooker. If you have an Instant Pot and never tried to cook soup in it, you have to do it! You will love it! The flavors are as intense as if the soup was simmering on the stove for hours, when in fact it takes under 30 minutes to have it done from the time you cut the corn off the cob. Besides, there is bacon involved and that is always a good thing. I love the meaty flavor it adds to this chowder.
Cooking the bacon in the pot first creates a base for this delicious soup. I also add the fresh corn to veggies to saute before closing the lid to let it caramelize just a bit. All of these flavors make this Instant Pot Corn Chowder one of the best I have ever had!
How to make Instant Pot Corn Chowder?
- Start by heating up the Instant Pot on the saute setting. Add bacon and cook until crispy. Remove and place on a plate.
- Saute garlic and onion in bacon grease. Add corn kernels and saute for a few minutes. Press “cancel/off” button to turn off the saute setting.
- Add remaining ingredients, along with half of the bacon. Close the lid, press “manual” or “pressure cook” setting and set the timer to 10 minutes. Once done, let the Instant Pot release pressure for 5 minutes, then do a quick release.
- Add cornstarch whisked with half and half and stir into the soup. Let it sit for 10 minutes. If the chowder is not as thick as you like, remove 2 cups and blend the rest with an immersion blender.
Fresh corn vs. frozen corn
I buy fresh corn on the cob at ALDI’s. The package comes with 4 cobs and I used all of them in this recipe. The amount of time the chowder cooks in the pressure cooker, allows the corn to cook but not get mushy and completely broken down. It has it’s texture and you can still enjoy the fresh corn flavor. You can also use canned (drained and rinsed) or frozen corn without adjusting the time. It is just needed for the potatoes to cook.
How to thicken up Instant Pot Corn Chowder?
If you like smoother texture chowder, feel free to spoon two cups into a bowl and blend the rest in the pot with an immersion blender. Add reserved chowder back in and enjoy.
Check out my Instant Pot Guide for Beginners, filled with all the info you need to get started with your new appliance!
More easy Instant Pot recipes:
Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Instant Pot Soup Recipes Roundup (all in one place)
If you like this recipe and make it, snap a photo and share it on INSTAGRAM! Tag me @crunchycreamysweet so I can check it out and leave a comment! 😀
Instant Pot Corn Chowder with Bacon Recipe - delicious soup made in a pressure cooker. This rich and creamy chowder is packed with fresh corn, potatoes and crispy bacon.
- 4 ears corn on the cob
- 4 slices bacon chopped
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 4 red potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable stock or water
- 1.5 cups half and half
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- fresh parsley chopped
- Turn pressure cooker on. Press SAUTE button. Wait 2 minutes for the pot to heat up. Add chopped bacon. Cook until almost all of is crispy. Remove onto a plate.
- Add garlic and onion to pot with bacon grease. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often.
- Cut corn kernels off the cobs. Add to pot with onion. Saute for 2 minutes, stirring often.
- Press OFF button on Instant Pot.
Add potatoes, water, stock and half of cooked bacon. Season with salt and pepper. Close lid, set to sealing position. Press MANUAL button and set timer to 10 minutes. The pressure cooker will start cooking. It will take it a few minutes to come to pressure.
- When the Instant Pot is done it will beep. Click OFF button. Let pressure cooker naturally release the pressure for about 5 minutes. In the meantime, whisk together half and half and cornstarch. Quick release pressure. Add half and half to pot and stir. Let sit for 10 minutes.
- Serve chowder garnished with reserved bacon and chopped parsley.
Refrigerate any leftovers for up to 3 days. You can use canned corn (drained and rinsed) in this recipe. You don't have to adjust the cooking time. It is needed for the potatoes to cook. The smaller the dice of the potatoes, the quicker they will cook. Do not dice them too small.
Sara Johnson says
August 25, 2019 at 5:21 pmTrying this tonight, had lots of fresh corn left and it’s the first almost cook rainy day of fall. So excited, the house smells amazing! Added a little red bell pepper in with the onion for color.
Anna says
September 14, 2019 at 11:36 pmHi Sara! The addition of red pepper sounds delicious! Thank you for trying my recipe!
Tammy Badger says
September 26, 2019 at 8:42 pmI just made this. Doubled the recipe. I cooked 8 ears of corn in the instant pot for 2 minutes. Reserved the juice and omitted 1/2 cup broth. I added the reserved 1/2 cup corn juice @ the the end. I sautéed 1 sweet red pepper & added 1 fresh jalapeño both chopped after sautéing the onions & garlic. I also finely sliced 2 celery stalks. Additionally flavoured the mix with 1/4 tsp of smoked paprika. I put 1/2 the mixture in the blender. No cornstarch or flour required. Added 1/2 cup 1/2 & 1/2. Added remaining fresh corn & topped it with bacon, chives and fresh green onions. Absolutely delicious.
Anna says
September 27, 2019 at 11:21 pmThat’s fantastic! Thank you so much for trying the recipe and for sharing your additions, Tammy!
Beth says
August 11, 2019 at 11:23 amI’m going to use turkey bacon. Would I need to add some coconut oil to sauté the veggies as turkey bacon has little fat? Can’t wait to try this!
Anna says
August 12, 2019 at 9:38 pmHi Beth! You can use olive oil too! I hope you love the chowder. Let me know how it goes!
Marina says
June 2, 2019 at 8:31 amI didn’t have a starch so I didn’t add it.
What I did is when soup was ready I blended a cup of it and put it back, it gave a pure appearance and made it more thicker like it was previously suggested. So next time I am not even going to put a starch
Anna says
June 6, 2019 at 9:47 pmHi Marina! That’s fantastic! Thank you for trying my recipe!
Anna says
May 18, 2019 at 8:23 pmI made this and it was so easy and tasty… I will make again… I think the next time I will change out the bacon for tuna…
Krista E Bandy says
January 28, 2019 at 11:29 pmWhen I need to thicken creamy potato soup I add in a little instant potato flakes. It makes an even more flavorful chowder.
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
January 29, 2019 at 2:55 pmThank you for the tip, Krista! I appreciate it!
Stephanie says
January 14, 2019 at 4:27 pmSo yummy! I did as suggested by another person and added an extra tbsp cornstarch. That worked nicely to thicken it up. Also, I didn’t have red potatoes, but had some tiny potatoes (red and white) that needed to be used up anyway, so I just cut them, keeping their peels on (who wants to peel a tiny potato!?) And, I didn’t have parsley, but I did have cilantro. So yummy!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
January 15, 2019 at 12:35 amHi Stephanie! That’s wonderful! I am so happy to know you made it and love it! Thank you!!
SandyK says
December 18, 2018 at 7:45 amThanks for the recipe. I made it last night and my husband loved it. It was a bit thin, but I like the broth. I did need more salt and pepper. A keeper.
Darla says
October 14, 2018 at 2:02 pmMine is really soupy.
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
October 18, 2018 at 4:32 pmHi Darla! If you want the chowder thicker, you can mash some of the potatoes. It should help!
Shaunie says
October 4, 2018 at 11:03 amCan I use milk instead of the water it calls for in the recipe? Or will milk scald in the instant pot? Thanks!
Becky says
May 16, 2019 at 7:35 pmI’ll tell you in a bit since I accidentally added the cream with the other liquids!! 😳🤪
Colleen says
September 12, 2018 at 7:36 amOoops. I forgot to add – remove cobs before serving.
Colleen says
September 12, 2018 at 7:34 amAfter you cut the corn off cob – toss cob/(s) into IP (break into smaller pieces). Soup will be sweet and corn-rich.
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
September 12, 2018 at 12:55 pmOooh! I have to try that! Thank you for sharing, Colleen!
Nicole says
September 8, 2018 at 2:28 pmI just finished making this. I added cubed ham as well and an extra tablespoon of cornstarch and then sautéed it on low until it got to desired thickness. It is Delicious!!
Tony says
July 22, 2018 at 9:55 pmThank you for a wonderful receipt. My family loved it, I should have made more as it was all gone and everyone wanted more.
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
July 23, 2018 at 10:54 pmHi Tony! That’s fantastic! I am so glad you and your family loved the chowder.
Jamie says
April 14, 2018 at 7:18 pmMade this for supper tonight . It was sooo good!!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
April 15, 2018 at 11:34 amAwesome! Thank you, Jamie!
Crystal says
March 14, 2018 at 6:49 amHas anyone tried this in a crockpot or on the stove top? I don’t have a pressure cooker and don’t wnat to buy for just one Recipe .
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
March 19, 2018 at 12:25 amHi Crystal! I based this recipe on my stove top version. It’s the same, just the cooking time will be longer. I do hope you will consider Instant Pot in the future. It is one of my favorite kitchen countertop appliances!
Amanda says
February 28, 2018 at 9:36 pmGreat flavor. I will use more bacon next time. Also I will make a roux instead of the cornstarch to make it thicker. Other than that it was perfect.
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
March 1, 2018 at 1:23 amHi Amanda! Thank you for trying my recipe and for your comment. I am so glad you love it!
Amber says
February 20, 2018 at 12:33 amWhat is the recipe for the mini pot?
Gina D from Texas says
February 2, 2018 at 9:49 pmCan this be done in the electric pressure cooker instead of the instant pot? Would everything be the same?
Amber says
February 4, 2018 at 6:51 amThe instant pot is an electric pressure cooker, so any brand should work as long as it has a sautee feature 🙂
I’ve made this a few times..It’s amazing! Super easy and my boyfriend is always requesting it be on the menu!
Mary says
February 4, 2018 at 8:06 pmYep – the Instant Pot is just a brand of electric pressure cooker. I follow IP recipes all the time in my Chef Ming electric pressure cooker.
Wendy says
January 29, 2018 at 11:30 amI made this last night for the first time and my husband had 3 bowls! I was blown away by how quickly the raw potatoes cooked, literally just 10 minutes like the recipe said! The only gripe (and it’s personal preference, really) is it wasn’t thick enough. Here in New England we love thick chowder. Next time I might add an extra tablespoon of cornstarch and heat it up for the 10 minutes instead of just let it sit without heat for 10 minutes. Also it needed another teaspoon of salt. Other than that, it was delicious.
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
January 30, 2018 at 1:17 amHi Wendy! Thank you so much for making my recipe! I love thick chowder too and I think the additional tablespoon of cornstarch will help. Have a beautiful day!
Maria says
October 6, 2018 at 3:21 pmMashing some of the cooked potatoes and putting it back to cook plus a roux made it nice and thick!
Erin papa says
January 11, 2018 at 8:06 pmIf I did 3times the recipe how much do I need to increase cook time?
Roger Spencer says
November 11, 2017 at 7:39 pmMade this tonight. Was great. 6 year old son loved it.
Thanks!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
November 16, 2017 at 1:42 pmHi Roger! Yay! That’s awesome! I love it when parents tell me their kids enjoyed the dish. That’s always a huge win for us, parents! Thank you!!
Lake Lady says
November 1, 2017 at 10:03 amI couldn’t find the number of servings that this recipe makes. Should I double it to feed eight people?
Linda says
September 30, 2017 at 10:55 pmCould I use frozen corn for this recipe? If so, how many cups would I need? Thanks!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
October 2, 2017 at 10:58 pmHi Linda! Yes, just thaw it before using. You will need 3 cups of corn. I hope this helps! -Anna
Instant Pot Eats says
August 23, 2017 at 4:53 pmWhat a tremendous trio of ingredients! I never thought to mix the three, although I’ve done variations with potato and bacon. Love this for using up that summer bounty of corn xx
Dawn says
August 11, 2017 at 1:04 amI’ll make it for dinner tonight
Tabitha @ Tabitha Talks Food says
August 7, 2017 at 7:38 amI agree with Averie, I have sooo many appliances but looking at this recipe really makes me want to buy an instant pot! I too, love Aldi! 🙂
averie @ averie cooks says
August 4, 2017 at 4:47 pmI’m the only person left without an Instant Pot because I am resisting another bulky appliance but I should get one, huh! This looks great!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
August 5, 2017 at 3:19 pmYES! You will love it, Averie! It makes even just cooking chicken breast (from frozen) for meal prep a breeze! 😀