This easy sweet potato corn chowder with bacon recipe is a little creamy, a little smoky, and full of flavor. It's ready in 45 minutes. The surprise ingredient? Curry powder!
Let's put a twist on your favorite sweet potato corn chowder recipe and add curry powder! What's that you say?
I know you may be surprised, but think about the spices in curry powder—cumin, coriander, turmeric, cardamom—they all go so beautifully with vegetables that have an inherent sweetness, so YES! (That's why curry chickpea stew with coconut milk is so delicious.)
Make this quick and hearty sweet potato corn chowder year round! It's perfect for chilly days in the fall and winter, but my family loves it in late summer when fresh corn is still in season.
Put any kind of potato in a soup and I'm there! Try my Sweet Potato Soup with Bacon and Coconut Milk, or my Potato Cheese Soup recipes.
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Sweet potato corn chowder ingredients
This is not a traditional sweet potato corn soup recipe and that's why you're going to love it! We've got some flavor twists that make it a little different and adventurous.
- Corn: You can use frozen corn or canned corn (drain off the liquid if canned). If you can find fresh corn (usually in season May through September), it works really well, too. You'll need about 4 ears. While you're at the farm stand buying fresh corn, try my corn succotash, or this corn cakes recipe!
- Sweet Potatoes: Look for firm sweet potatoes with healthy, smooth skin. Wrinkly skin means they are old and starting to go bad, if you need ideas for ways to use them up before they get to that point, try these savory roasted sweet potatoes with cilantro and lime.
- Bacon and rendered bacon fat: Smoky bacon with a thicker cut holds up better when you're using it as a main component in soups like this or other dishes like bacon pasta. We'll leave the fat in the pan when sautéing the onions and peppers so the smoky bacon flavor permeates the whole pot of chowder.
- Curry powder: Yes! This surprise ingredient has a wonderful warm flavor that goes perfectly with the sweetness of the corn and sweet potatoes.
- Fresh sage, fresh thyme, dried bay leaf: Adding hearty herbs like sage gives the recipe a wonderful aroma.
- Cayenne pepper: Just a bit of cayenne for an extra kick to cut through the creaminess and balance out the sweetness.
- Onion, red bell pepper, and garlic: The aromatic base of the soup.
- Heavy cream and chicken broth: We're using more chicken broth than cream to keep it lighter, but you can adjust the ratios if you prefer a super creamy chowder.
- Sherry vinegar: Another twist! Using sherry vinegar in soup recipes amps up the tanginess and umami, I use it in my Gazpacho soup recipe, too!
- Fresh Cilantro: A bit of cilantro on top brings a light freshness and blends perfectly with the other ingredients.
Substitutions
- Swap in half and half: To lighten things up a bit replace the heavy cream with half and half.
- Make it dairy free: If you want to make dairy-free sweet potato corn chowder, use coconut milk instead of heavy cream. Coconut milk and corn taste great together, try it in my chicken thighs with coconut milk creamed corn!
- Use vegetable stock: If you don't have chicken stock, use vegetable stock or plain water!
- Use a different vinegar: No sherry vinegar? Swap apple cider vinegar instead.
How to make sweet potato corn chowder
Recipe adapted from Geoffrey Zakarian, from an episode of The Kitchen on the Food Network.
Step 1: Cook the bacon
Place a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the bacon slices and cook, turning occasionally until brown and crisp.
Step 2: Dice the red bell peppers, onion and sweet potatoes
While the bacon cooks, use a good chef's knife to dice the red pepper and onion. Finely chop the garlic. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into ยฝ inch chunks.
Step 3: Sweat the peppers and onions, add the herbs and spices
Remove the cooked bacon from the pan and set aside to drain on a paper towel lined plate, leaving the rendered fat in the pan.
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Add the peppers and onions and cook over medium heat until the onions are translucent and the peppers have softened, 8-10 minutes.
Add the sage, thyme, bay leaf and chopped garlic to the pan. Stir frequently and cook for about 2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant.
Add the curry powder, cayenne, and a pinch of salt, stirring to coat the peppers and onions for about 1 minute, to allow the spices to bloom.
Step 4: Add the corn, sweet potatoes and remaining ingredients to the chowder and simmer
Add the remaining ingredients to the pan, cover and simmer for about 25 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender. Remove the sprig of sage and the thyme stems. Serve sweet potato corn chowder topped with crumbled bacon and fresh cilantro.
Expert tips
- Consolidate your steps: You are doing most of your chopping and peeling while other things are cooking, so this recipe moves along quickly and easily. Gather the sweet potato and corn and all of the ingredients before you start cooking the bacon and you are set up for soup success!
- Add corn cobs for extra flavor: If you are using fresh corn cut from the cob, add the corn cobs while chowder simmers for extra bonus corn flavor!
FAQ
You can make it in the slow cooker, but I don't think you need to. This chowder recipe only needs to simmer for about 25 minutes. You'd still need to cook the bacon, peppers and onion in a separate skillet, so in this case, making it in one pot on the stovetop is an easier procees.
Of course you can. I recommend rotisserie or leftover chicken to keep things simple. When it's time to serve, add shredded cheddar cheese or monterey jack on top.
Storage and freezing
- To store: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- To freeze: Chill overnight in the refrigerator, then transfer to freezer-safe containers for up to 2 months. I like these silicone bags for freezing soups and stews.
What to serve with sweet potato corn chowder
You'll want some bread or rolls to sop up every bit of this chowder! Try these ideas.
- Cornbread Madeleines are gluten free and also have bacon in them! Yay!
- Ukrainian Pampushky rolls are perfect for dipping into soup.
More easy soup recipes
Try these quick and easy soups!
- More secret ingredient soups: Tuscan White Bean Soup gets a TON of flavor from a parmesan rind simmered in the broth.
- If you're feeling fancy, Creamy Cauliflower Soup will whisk you away to a Parisian bistro. (And it's so EASY!)
Deb's Details: Sweet potato corn chowder is a fun, flavorful twist on a classic soup!
- Sweet potato swap: Swapping in sweet potatoes adds fiber and nutrition and complements the corn in the chowder beautifully. Sweet potato holds its shape for amazing texture, and the flavor is a great contrast to the savory bacon.
- Herbs and spices amp up the flavor: This is not your same old boring sweet potato corn chowder. Curry powder adds a spicy kick, a beautiful color, and complex flavor. Fresh thyme, sage, and dried bay leaf infuse the aromatics for a tempting, irresistible aroma.
- It's quick and easy enough for a weeknight meal: Corn, bacon, sweet potato—you may already have most of these ingredients in your pantry. Prep goes quickly, you're just chopping the potatoes and a few other vegetables while the bacon cooks. From prep to finish, you'll have chowder ready for dinner in 45 minutes!
- One pot meal that freezes well: The soup is made in one pot for easy cleanup. It freezes well, so it's a great recipe for meal prep. Make it ahead and store for later!
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Recipe
Sweet Potato Corn Chowder with Curry
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon thick cut
- 2 cups diced sweet potatoes
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 red bell pepper
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 cups corn frozen, canned or fresh
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh sage
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 2 teaspoon yellow curry powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 3 ¼ cups chicken stock
- ¾ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Place a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the bacon slices and cook, turning occasionally until brown and crisp.
- While the bacon cooks, use a good chef's knife to dice the red pepper and onion. Finely chop the garlic. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into ½ inch chunks.
- Remove the cooked bacon from the pan and set aside to drain on a paper towel lined plate, leaving the rendered fat in the pan. Add the peppers and onions and cook over medium heat until the onions are translucent and the peppers have softened, 8-10 minutes.
- Add the sage, thyme, bay leaf and chopped garlic to the pan. Stir frequently and cook for about 2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the curry powder, cayenne, and a pinch of salt, stirring to coat the peppers and onions for about 1 minute, to allow the spices to bloom.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the pan, cover and simmer for about 25 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender. Remove the sprig of sage and the thyme stems. Serve topped with crumbled bacon and fresh cilantro.
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Notes
- Prep time is minimal because you are doing most of your chopping and peeling while other things are cooking, so this recipe moves along quickly and easily. Gather all of the ingredients before you start cooking the bacon and you are set up for success!
- To freeze, allow the chowder to cool completely, then chill in the fridge overnight in an airtight container. Transfer to the the freezer and store for up to 3 months.
- Be sure to check out the post above for details about ingredients and substitutions.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated as an estimate. Calorie accuracy is not guaranteed.
Nancy says
Really delicious ! Thank you for the recipe, all the family enjoyed it.
Debra says
Hi Nancy,
So glad your family enjoyed it!
Thanks for reading and trying my recipes,
Debra
Sutton says
Made this for dinner and it was DELICIOUS!!!! Will definitely make it again. Wonderful flavors, not too heavy, and pretty simple. 10/10!!!
Debra says
Hi Sutton!
So glad liked it!
Thanks for reading,
Debra